Presence of N regions in the clonotypic DJ rearrangements of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain genes indicates an exquisitely short latency in t(4;11)-positive infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is frequently initiated in utero at a time of developmentally regulated insertion of N regions into the DJ(H) rearrangements of immunoglobulin heavy-chain (Ig(H)) genes. Here it is shown that N regions are present in the clonotypic DJ(H) rearrangements in 11 of 12 infant ALLs with t(4;11). These data are compared with the 122 previously published DJ(H) sequences and were found to have a pattern similar to that of ALL in children older than 3 years at diagnosis but were unlike that in children younger than 3 years who predominantly lack N regions. These findings, therefore, indicate that t(4;11)-positive infant ALL is initiated later in fetal development than most B-cell precursor ALL from children younger than 3 years and that they have a shorter latency period already in utero.
Fasching
K
K
Children's Cancer Research Institute, St Anna Kinderspital, and Clinic for Blood Group Serology, University of Vienna, Austria.
Panzer
S
S
Haas
O A
OA
Borkhardt
A
A
Marschalek
R
R
Griesinger
F
F
Panzer-Grümayer
E R
ER
D001483:Base Sequence; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002880:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11; D002894:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 4; D002999:Clone Cells; D015321:Gene Rearrangement; D006801:Humans; D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / Q000235:genetics*; D007133:Immunoglobulin Joining Region / Q000235:genetics; D007223:Infant; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000209:etiology / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013997:Time Factors; D014178:Translocation, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*
D007143:Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains; D007133:Immunoglobulin Joining Region