Burkitt's lymphoma is a malignancy of mature B cells expressing somatically mutated V region genes.
BACKGROUND
The developmental stage from which stems the malignant B cell population in Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) is unclear. An approach to answering this question is provided by the sequence analysis of rear-ranged immunoglobulin (Ig) variable region (V) genes from BL for evidence of somatic mutations, together with a phenotypic characterization. As somatic hypermutation of Ig V region genes occurs in germinal center B cells, somatically mutated Ig genes are found in germinal center B cells and their descendents.


METHODS
Rearranged V kappa region genes from 10 kappa-expressing sporadic and endemic BL-derived cell lines (9 IgM and 1 IgG positive) and three kappa-expressing endemic BL biopsy specimens were amplified by polymerase chain reaction and sequenced. In addition, VH region gene sequences from these cell lines were determined.


RESULTS
All BL cell lines and the three biopsy specimens carried somatically mutated V region genes. The average mutation frequency of rearranged V kappa genes from eight BL cell lines established from sporadic BL was 1.8%. A higher frequency (6%) was found in five endemic cases (three biopsy specimens and two BL cell lines).


CONCLUSIONS
The detection of somatic mutations in the rearranged V region genes suggests that both sporadic and endemic BL represent a B-cell malignancy originating from germinal center B cells or their descendants. Interestingly, the mutation frequency detected in sporadic BL is in a range similar to that characteristic for IgM-expressing B cells in the human peripheral blood and for mu chain-expressing germinal center B cells, whereas the mutation frequency found in endemic BL is significantly higher.
Institute for Genetics, University of Cologne, Germany.
U
U
Klein
G
G
Klein
B
B
Ehlin-Henriksson
K
K
Rajewsky
R
R
Küppers
D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000235:genetics; D015870:Gene Expression / Q000235:genetics; D015322:Gene Rearrangement, B-Lymphocyte / Q000235:genetics; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D018858:Germinal Center / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009154:Mutation / Q000235:genetics; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region