title: Bcl-2 rearrangement in Hodgkin's disease and reactive lymph nodes.
abstract: The chromosomal translocation t(14;18)(q32;q21), which involves the bcl-2 oncogene, occurs in most follicular lymphomas. Recent evidence suggests that this translocation occurs in Hodgkin's disease, linking its cellular origin and oncogenesis to follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. Using polymerase chain reaction, the authors examined both Hodgkin's disease (n = 60) and reactive lymph nodes (n = 34) for the presence of bcl-2/JH breakpoint fragments, which are indicative of the t(14;18) chromosomal translocation in the major breakpoint region of the bcl-2 gene. The translocation was detected in approximately 10% of both Hodgkin's disease and nonmalignant reactive lymph node cases. These results suggest the possibility that the translocation may occur in the reactive component of Hodgkin's disease and not in the putative malignant cells, the Reed-Sternberg cells. Furthermore, the detection of the translocation in reactive lymph nodes suggests that it may not be the primary factor in the oncogenesis of follicular lymphoma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oncology, Mater Misericordiae Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Corbally
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Grogan
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Keane
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Devaney
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Dervan
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Carney
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D008198:Lymph Nodes / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000235:genetics; D015335:Molecular Probes / Q000235:genetics; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D014178:Translocation, Genetic
chemical_list: D015335:Molecular Probes; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2