title: Site-specific deletions involving the tal-1 and sil genes are restricted to cells of the T cell receptor alpha/beta lineage: T cell receptor delta gene deletion mechanism affects multiple genes.
abstract: Site-specific deletions in the tal-1 gene are reported to occur in 12-26% of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemias (T-ALL). So far two main types of tal-1 deletions have been described. Upon analysis of 134 T-ALL we have found two new types of tal-1 deletions. These four types of deletions juxtapose the 5' part of the tal-1 gene to the sil gene promoter, thereby deleting all coding sil exons but leaving the coding tal-1 exons undamaged. The recombination signal sequences (RSS) and fusion regions of the tal-1 deletion breakpoints strongly resemble the RSS and junctional regions of immunoglobulin/T cell receptor (TCR) gene rearrangements, which implies that they are probably caused by the same V(D)J recombinase complex. Analysis of the 134 T-ALL suggested that the occurrence of tal-1 deletions is associated with the CD3 phenotype, because no tal-1 deletions were found in 25 TCR-gamma/delta + T-ALL, whereas 8 of the 69 CD3- T-ALL and 11 of the 40 TCR-alpha/beta + T-ALL contained such a deletion. Careful examination of all TCR genes revealed that tal-1 deletions exclusively occurred in CD3- or CD3+ T-ALL of the alpha/beta lineage with a frequency of 18% in T-ALL with one deleted TCR-delta allele, and a frequency of 34% in T-ALL with TCR-delta gene deletions on both alleles. Therefore, we conclude that alpha/beta lineage commitment of the T-ALL and especially the extent of TCR-delta gene deletions determines the chance of a tal-1 deletion. This suggests that tal-1 deletions are mediated via the same deletion mechanism as TCR-delta gene deletions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, University Hospital Dijkzigt/Erasmus University, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Breit
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Mol
authors.forename: I L
authors.initials: IL
authors.lastname: Wolvers-Tettero
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Ludwig
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: van Wering
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: van Dongen
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D015139:Blotting, Southern; D017252:CD3 Complex / Q000235:genetics; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D017353:Gene Deletion; D006801:Humans; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion; D010641:Phenotype; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics*; D011506:Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D011995:Recombination, Genetic; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D000073942:T-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Protein 1; D014157:Transcription Factors
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D017252:CD3 Complex; D004273:DNA, Neoplasm; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion; D011506:Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D011948:Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell; D000073942:T-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Protein 1; D014157:Transcription Factors; C071236:STIL protein, human; C067143:TAL1 protein, human