title: The t(3;5)(q25.1;q34) of myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia produces a novel fusion gene, NPM-MLF1.
abstract: A t(3;5)(q25.1;q34) chromosomal translocation associated with myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was found to rearrange part of the nucleophosmin (NPM) gene on chromosome 5 with sequences from a novel gene on chromosome 3. Chimeric transcripts expressed by these cells contain 5' NPM coding sequences fused in-frame to those of the new gene, which we named myelodysplasia/myeloid leukemia factor 1 (MLF1). RNA-based polymerase chain reaction analysis revealed identical NPM-MLF1 mRNA fusions in each of the three t(3;5)-positive cases of AML examined. The predicted MLF1 amino acid sequence lacked homology to previously characterized proteins and did not contain known functional motifs. Normal MLF1 transcripts were expressed in a variety of tissues, most abundantly in testis, ovary, skeletal muscle, heart, kidney and colon. Anti-MLF1 antibodies detected the wild-type 31 kDa protein in K562 and HEL erythroleukemia cell lines, but not in HL-60, U937 or KG-1 myeloid leukemia lines. By contrast, t(3;5)-positive leukemia cells expressed a 54 kDa NPM-MLF1 protein, but not normal MLF1. Immunostaining experiments indicated that MLF1 is normally located in the cytoplasm, whereas NPM-MLF1 is targeted to the nucleus, with highest levels in the nucleolus. The nuclear/nucleolar localization of NPM-MLF1 mirrors that of NPM, indicating that NPM trafficking signals direct MLF1 to an inappropriate cellular compartment in myeloid leukemia cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Oncology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yoneda-Kato
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Look
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Kirstein
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Valentine
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Raimondi
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Morris
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002893:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 3; D002895:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 5; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000235:genetics*; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D000090243:Nucleophosmin; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics*; D014178:Translocation, Genetic
chemical_list: C000716967:NPM1 protein, human; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D000090243:Nucleophosmin