title: T-cell receptor gene rearrangements as clinical markers of human T-cell lymphomas.
abstract: The ability to detect immunoglobulin-gene rearrangements has proved useful in confirming diagnoses of suspected B-cell lymphomas and in establishing their monoclonality. By analogy, we employed a cloned DNA probe for the beta chain of the T-cell receptor gene to determine whether gene rearrangements were present in human T-cell neoplasms representing various stages of T-cell development. Gene rearrangements were present in all cases of T-cell disorders except a single case of T gamma lymphocytosis, a disorder that has not been proved to be a clonal T-cell neoplasm. A germline gene configuration was present in all patients with non-T-cell neoplasms and in normal tissues from patients with T-cell lymphoma. The probe promises to be useful for confirming the pathological an immunologic diagnosis in difficult cases of T-cell disorders and for assessing the extent of disease.
mesh_terms: D001402:B-Lymphocytes; D002460:Cell Line; D002999:Clone Cells; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000235:genetics*; D007938:Leukemia / Q000235:genetics; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000235:genetics*; D009182:Mycosis Fungoides / Q000235:genetics; D009693:Nucleic Acid Hybridization; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D012751:Sezary Syndrome / Q000235:genetics; D013601:T-Lymphocytes
chemical_list: D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D007136:Immunoglobulins; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell