title: DNA-fingerprint changes compared to karyotypes in acute leukemia.
abstract: Chromosomal analysis is routinely used in follow-up studies of acute leukemia, but it cannot be used in patients who do not have karyotypic abnormalities in blastic phase (10-46% of all cases). Recently we have demonstrated that unspecific DNA-fingerprint (DNA-F) changes can be detected in blastic phase of leukemia by DNA-F analysis. These changes can be used as molecular markers of the disease and in the follow-up studies of acute leukemia karyotyping and DNA-F analysis are complementary. The comparative analyses of leukemia samples with both these methods could help to localize minisatellite loci in chromosomes and reveal new DNA areas related to leukemia. New, more specific probes targeted to specific chromosomes could consequently be developed. We compared the DNA-F to the karyotypes of 50 acute leukemia patients. In blastic phase, 19 patients had DNA-F alterations and 31 patients abnormal karyotypes, 12 patients had both DNA-F alterations and karyotypic abnormalities. DNA-F changes were detected in six of the 16 patients with normal karyotypes and 19 patients with normal DNA-F had abnormal karyotypes at the time of diagnosis. Eleven patients showed neither DNA-F changes nor abnormal karyotypes in blastic phase. Three acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with DNA-F changes in blastic phase had trisomy eight as a sole abnormality or combined with balanced translocation, which suggests that there might be AML associated minisatellite locus in chromosome 8. In other cases the karyotypes were complicated and no clear evidence of the relationship of DNA-F changes with other chromosomes could be found.
authors.affiliation: Transplantation Laboratory, University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pakkala
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Knuutila
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Helminen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ruutu
authors.forename: U M
authors.initials: UM
authors.lastname: Saarinen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Peltonen
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D001752:Blast Crisis / Q000235:genetics*; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D002898:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping; D007938:Leukemia / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm