title: Detection of residual leukemic cells in acute lymphocytic leukemia of B-cells (B-ALL) by a nonradioactive PCR-based technique.
abstract: Patients suffering from B-ALL were analyzed for residual leukemic cells by means of the PCR technique. Using primers specific for conserved domains of each VH-family and a primer universal to the JH-regions, immunoglobulin gene fragments have been amplified from bone marrow aspirate-derived DNA in six cases of B-ALL. Cloning and sequencing of the amplified fragments revealed the usage of the VH251-family in two cases. VH-families 1 and 3 were used in one case each. One patient showed abnormal rearrangement with the participation of two JH regions. In the remaining case a VH6 germline fragment was involved in an apparently abnormal rearrangement. Based on the sequence information, clone-specific DIG-labeled probes were designed and used in subsequent nonradioactive hybridization protocols to estimate the prevalence of residual leukemic cells in the course of therapy. Five of the six cases of B-ALL could be included in the rest cell analysis. In all patients investigated, residual leukemic cells were detected, independent of whether a normal or apparently abnormal rearrangement has occurred. These findings imply that the prevalence of residual leukemic cells in B-ALL indicates a high risk of relapse.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental Internal Medicine, Center of Internal Medicine, University of Magdeburg, Germany.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lendeckel
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wex
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Frank
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Daoud
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Franke
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ansorge
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001483:Base Sequence; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D005803:Genes, Immunoglobulin; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual / Q000175:diagnosis*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction