Molecular Assessment of Clonality in Lymphoproliferative Disorders: II. T-cell Receptor Gene Rearrangements.
T-lineage non-Hodgkin's lymphomas are a diverse group of malignancies for which routine histology and immunophenotyping alone may not be diagnostic. Molecular genetic studies can be used to detect unique T-cell receptor gene rearrangements and establish clonality in these cases. The methods for evaluating T-cell receptor clonality are less well studied and produce more varied results than those for the immunoglobulin genes. Whereas clonality is a hallmark of malignancy, its presence or absence in T-lineage disorders does not always correlate with subsequent biologic behavior. Since the molecular testing of T-lineage lymphoproliferative disorders is increasing, this review summarizes the polymerase chain reaction and Southern blotting methods for T-cell receptor gene rearrangements. Interpretation of the results of these methods should always be done in the context of complete clinical and histologic data.
Coad
JE
Division of Molecular Diagnostics, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Olson
DJ
Lander
TA
McGLENNEN
RC