title: Detection and significance of bcr-abl mRNA transcripts and fusion proteins in Philadelphia-positive adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
abstract: Blast cells from an unselected consecutive series of 84 adults presenting with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) to St Bartholomew's Hospital over a seven year period were tested prospectively by cytogenetic and retrospectively by RT-PCR analysis for the presence of the Ph translocation and bcr-abl mRNA. This combination gave an overall figure of 20.3% for bcr-abl-positive and/or Ph-positive ALL. The incidence of bcr-abl-positive/Ph-positive ALL was most common between the ages of 31 and 50 years, becoming less common after the age of 50. Eight out of ten bcr-abl-positive patients expressed the e1a2 mRNA transcript, the other two expressed the b3a2 and b2a3 transcripts respectively. Cells from all patients with bcr-abl mRNA transcripts expressed the appropriate p190 or p210 bcr-abl protein and all were Ph-positive.
authors.affiliation: ICRF Medical Oncology Unit, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tuszynski
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dhut
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Young
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Lister
authors.forename: A Z
authors.initials: AZ
authors.lastname: Rohatiner
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Amess
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chaplin
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dorey
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gibbons
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001483:Base Sequence; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / Q000032:analysis* / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007621:Karyotyping; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010677:Philadelphia Chromosome; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics*; D011494:Protein Kinases; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014158:Transcription, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011494:Protein Kinases; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl