title: Immunoglobulin VH gene expression in human B cell lines and tumors: biased VH gene expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
abstract: We have studied frequencies of VH gene utilization in a panel of monoclonal Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-transformed B cell lines derived from human adult and fetal tissues as well as in monoclonal B cells obtained from fresh chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) samples. The results show that IgM-secreting EBV cell lines from both fetal and adult tissues utilize VH genes from particular families roughly in proportion to estimated family size, suggesting that the repertoire of sigM-positive B cells in both fetal and adult organs is 'normalized' with respect to the V(H) gene family. In contrast, we find a highly biased pattern of VH gene expression in CLLs. The significance of these findings is discussed in the context of mechanisms that could be involved in normal B cell repertoire development and in the process of malignant transformation of precursors of CLL.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University, New York, NY 10032.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Logtenberg
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Schutte
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Inghirami
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Berman
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Gmelig-Meyling
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Insel
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Knowles
authors.forename: F W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Alt
mesh_terms: D000483:Alleles; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D002461:Cell Line, Transformed; D015870:Gene Expression; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human; D006801:Humans; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000276:immunology*; D005810:Multigene Family