title: Lack of ETV6 (TEL) gene rearrangements or p16INK4A/p15INK4B homozygous gene deletions in infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
abstract: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) occurring in infants less than 1 year of age differs clinically and biologically from that observed in older children. Cytogenetically, 11q23 translocations are detected in approximately 50% of infant ALLs and fuse the 11q23 gene HRX with a variety of partner chromosomal loci. Overall, HRX rearrangements are detected molecularly in 70-80% of infant ALLs as compared to 5-7% of ALLs arising in older children. Two recently described molecular abnormalities in childhood ALL are ETV6 gene rearrangements and homozygous deletions of p16(INK4A) and/or p15(INK4B). Each of these abnormalities occurs in 15-20% of all childhood ALLs, and neither can be accurately identified by routine cytogenetic analyses. The incidence of these genetic abnormalities and their potential relationship to HRX gene status in infant ALL is unknown. Using Southern blot analyses, we determined ETV6 and p16(INK4A)/p15(INK4B) gene status in a cohort of infant ALLs. No ETV6 rearrangements or homozygous deletions (n=69) or homozygous p16(INK4A) and/or p15(INK4B) gene deletions (n=54) were detected in any of the infant ALLs. Therefore, ETV6 and p16(INK4A)/p15(INK4B) do not play a significant role in the pathogenesis of infant ALL, further emphasizing the distinctive biology of this subset of leukemias.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Denver, USA.
authors.forename: K W
authors.initials: KW
authors.lastname: Maloney
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Rubnitz
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cleary
authors.forename: L S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Frankel
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hakami
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Link
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Pullen
authors.forename: S P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Hunger
mesh_terms: D002352:Carrier Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D050762:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p15; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D017353:Gene Deletion; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D011495:Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D051788:Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics*; D050783:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics*; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D000097764:ETS Translocation Variant 6 Protein
chemical_list: D002352:Carrier Proteins; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D050762:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p15; D019941:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p16; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D011495:Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase; D051788:Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein; D050783:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D000097764:ETS Translocation Variant 6 Protein; C493966:CDKN2B protein, human; C497422:KMT2A protein, human