Rearrangement of the genes for the beta and gamma chains of the T cell receptor is rarely observed in adult B cell lymphoma and chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
We determined the configuration of the genes for the beta (T beta) and gamma (T gamma) chains of the T cell receptor in DNA from 100 consecutive cases of B cell lymphoma and B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL), and compared the findings with those in 18 T cell neoplasms. In 7 of the 100 B cell specimens, a single nongermline band was detected after digestion with the restriction enzyme BamHI, but the rearrangement could be confirmed with a second restriction enzyme in only two. The B cell fragments were small in size and of limited size diversity when compared with the T cell cases, and germline bands of equal intensity were present. A rearrangement of the T gamma gene was never seen in a B cell sample. In contrast, T cell specimens usually rearranged both alleles of T beta (15 of 18), the rearrangement could be confirmed with a second restriction enzyme (17 of 18), both alleles of the first constant region gene segment of T beta always underwent either rearrangement or deletion, and the T gamma gene was also rearranged or deleted (17 of 18). We conclude that ordered rearrangement of the T cell receptor is a rare event in B cell lymphoma and B-CLL. T cell receptor gene studies allow B and T cell lymphomas to be distinguished from each other and from common acute lymphoblastic leukemia antigen-positive non-T, non-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Aisenberg
A C
AC
Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston 02114.
Wilkes
B M
BM
Jacobson
J O
JO
D000328:Adult; D001402:B-Lymphocytes; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes / Q000378:metabolism; D015245:Deoxyribonuclease BamHI; D015246:Deoxyribonuclease EcoRI; D015247:Deoxyribonuclease HindIII; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006801:Humans; D007945:Leukemia, Lymphoid / Q000235:genetics*; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics*; D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics*
D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D004247:DNA; D004262:DNA Restriction Enzymes; D015245:Deoxyribonuclease BamHI; D015246:Deoxyribonuclease EcoRI; D015247:Deoxyribonuclease HindIII