title: Detection by polymerase chain reaction of BCR/ABL transcripts in myeloproliferative diseases at time of diagnosis and for monitoring chronic myelogenous leukaemia patients after bone marrow transplantation.
abstract: The Philadelphia chromosome t(9;22)(q34;q11) is a cytogenetic marker for chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML), and is also present in some acute leukaemias. The translocation in CML gives rise to two BCR/ABL chimeric transcripts (b3a2 and b2a2) encoding a 210-kD tyrosine kinase protein. These leukaemia-specific transcripts can be detected easily by the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (PCR). PCR has improved the possibility of detecting minimal residual leukaemia cells in Ph-positive patients, especially after bone marrow transplantation (BMT). With PCR, we looked for BCR/ABL transcripts in 30 patients with CML and 4 with essential thrombocythaemia at time of diagnosis, finding a significant difference in the platelet counts of CML patients carrying b3a2 or b2a2 transcripts. The BCR/ABL transcript was monitored by PCR in 6 CML patients after BMT. The usefulness of PCR in clinical practice at time of diagnosis, and the biological and clinical significance of positive/negative PCR results, in patients with transplants, are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of Milan, Institute of General Pathology, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bianchi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cairoli
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Marenco
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Muti
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Del Monte
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Perego
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001483:Base Sequence; D001853:Bone Marrow / Q000737:chemistry*; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D005260:Female; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000097:blood / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010976:Platelet Count; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm / Q000032:analysis; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D012334:RNA, Neoplasm; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl