Analysis of clonality of lymphocytic leukemia and lymphoma by T-cell receptor gene rearrangement.
OBJECTIVE
To analyse the relationship between the number of T-cell receptor (TCR) gamma gene rearrangement and clonality of malignant cells in lymphocytic leukemia and lymphoma.


METHODS
The TCR gamma gene characteristics of 73 cases of lymphocytic leukemia and lymphoma and other diseases that had presented 1 or 2 prominent bands of amplified TCR gamma VI subgroups-J1/2 gene rearrangement (GR) were detected by polymerase chain reaction-restriction enzymes (PCR-RE), heteroduplex formation (HDF), DNA sequencing and single-strand conformational polymorphism (SSCP).


RESULTS
Thirty-four percent patients had 2 of TCR gamma GR (biallelic rearrangement); twenty-six percent had 1 of TCR gamma GR; fifty-four percent of acute lymphocytic leukemia's and nineteen percent of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) had 2 of TCR gamma GR. HDF could rapidly confirm more than 1 of alleles while more alleles were difficult to be recognized by restriction analysis. Sense and antisense strands of heteroduplex were composed of 2 of TCR gamma GR respectively. By combining HDF method, oligoclonalities in three patients (2 acute lympholytic leukemia and 1 myelodysplastil syndrome and clone evolution in one NHL were found.


CONCLUSIONS
The fact that many patients had 2 of TCR GR means that complications of two neoplastic clones can be affirmed only if more than 2 of TCR GR are found. HDF can be used to detect the clonality, oligoclonality and polyclonality of lymphoid cells in lymphocytic leukemia and lymphoma by analysis of the difference of gene segments. HDF is a reliable method for the clone evolution research of lymphoid malignancies in progression.
Zhu
P
P
First Hospital of Beijing Medical University, China.
Wu
S
S
Xue
H
H
Lu
Y
Y
Wang
L
L
Zhang
Y
Y
Yu
J
J
D001483:Base Sequence; D002999:Clone Cells; D015334:Gene Rearrangement, gamma-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor / Q000235:genetics*; D019675:Genes, T-Cell Receptor gamma / Q000235:genetics*; D006689:Hodgkin Disease / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D018807:Polymorphism, Single-Stranded Conformational; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics*