title: Consequences of the t(14;18) chromosomal translocation in follicular lymphoma: deregulated expression of a chimeric and mutated BCL-2 gene.
abstract: The t(14;18) chromosomal translocation of human follicular lymphoma recombines the candidate transforming gene bcl-2, located at 18q21, with the immunoglobulin (Ig) H-chain joining region (JH) at 14q32. To elucidate the consequences of this translocation, we cloned bcl-2 cDNAs from a pre-B cell line (Nall-1) and a t(14;18) lymphoma cell line (SU-DHL-6) and compared these sequences with their genomic counterparts. These studies revealed the complexity of bcl-2 gene expression in which six potential polyadenylation signals in exon 3 and two different 5' exons (exons 1 and 2) and promoters are alternatively used to generate different sized bcl-2 mRNAs. A single open reading frame (ORF), at the junction of exons 2 and 3, predicts a 239 amino acid, 26 kD protein. Most chromosome 18 breakpoints cluster within a 150 bp region of exon 3. In SU-DHL-6 the t(14;18) translocation juxtaposes a truncated bcl-2 gene with J6 in a tail-to-head configuration, resulting in the deregulated expression of chimeric bcl-2/Ig transcripts. Importantly, the SU-DHL-6 bcl-2 cDNA also contained several point mutations in the ORF, two of which altered the primary amino acid sequence. The deregulated expression of an altered bcl-2 gene may play a critical role in the disordered growth and differentiation of follicular B cell lymphoma.
authors.affiliation: Metabolism Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Zorn
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Jensen
authors.forename: R W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Coupland
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bakhshi
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D002678:Chimera; D002883:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 14; D002887:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 18; D004247:DNA / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005091:Exons; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006801:Humans; D008224:Lymphoma, Follicular / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000378:metabolism; D014158:Transcription, Genetic; D014178:Translocation, Genetic
chemical_list: D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; C052617:Bcl2 protein, mouse; D004247:DNA