title: The gene for interleukin-21 receptor is the partner of BCL6 in t(3;16)(q27;p11), which is recurrently observed in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
abstract: BCL6 translocation affecting the chromosomal band 3q27 can involve a number of non-immunoglobulin (non-IG) gene loci as partners. We report here that the gene for interleukin-21 receptor (IL-21R) is the partner of BCL6 in t(3;16)(q27;p11) translocation. The two breakpoints on 16p11 of a lymphoma cell line YM and case no. 1012 with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, both of which carried t(3;16), were localized within the 27-kb intron 1 of IL-21R. As a result of t(3;16), the promoter region of IL-21R was substituted for the regulatory sequences of BCL6 in the same transcriptional orientation. Reverse transcriptase-mediated polymerase chain reaction revealed chimeric mRNA consisting of two non-coding exons 1a/1b of IL-21R and coding exons of BCL6 in both lymphoma cells. Fluorescence in situ chromosomal hybridization of YM metaphase cells revealed fusion signals that contained both the BCL6 and IL-21R sequences on the der(3)t(3;16) chromosome. IL-21R was actively transcribed in YM cells, while BCL6 that was under the control of the IL-21R promoter was only moderately expressed at the mRNA and protein level. We constructed expression plasmid of BCL6 that followed the promoter sequences of IL-21R. COS-7 cells transiently transfected with the plasmid expressed high level Bcl-6 protein and displayed nuclear staining with a characteristic punctate pattern by immunofluorescence, indicating that expression of BCL6 can be enhanced by t(3;16). This study added to the list of non-IG partners of BCL6 translocations a new class of gene, i.e. cytokine receptor gene, the expression of which is closely associated with lymphoid cells.
authors.affiliation: First Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kyoto University, 54 Shogoin-Kawaramachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8507, Japan.
authors.forename: Chiyoko
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ueda
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akasaka
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kurata
authors.forename: Yoshitomo
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maesako
authors.forename: Momoko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nishikori
authors.forename: Ryo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ichinohasama
authors.forename: Kazunori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Imada
authors.forename: Takashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uchiyama
authors.forename: Hitoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ohno
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D019677:Artificial Gene Fusion; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D019457:Chromosome Breakage / Q000235:genetics; D002874:Chromosome Mapping; D002885:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 16 / Q000235:genetics*; D002893:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 3 / Q000235:genetics*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D017930:Genes, Reporter / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D053738:Interleukin-21 Receptor alpha Subunit; D007438:Introns / Q000235:genetics; D019169:Jurkat Cells; D008156:Luciferases / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D016393:Lymphoma, B-Cell / Q000235:genetics*; D016403:Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse / Q000235:genetics*; D008856:Microscopy, Fluorescence; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic / Q000235:genetics; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D051560:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-6; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D018123:Receptors, Interleukin / Q000235:genetics*; D053655:Receptors, Interleukin-21; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D014178:Translocation, Genetic / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C508117:IL21R protein, human; D053738:Interleukin-21 Receptor alpha Subunit; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051560:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-6; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018123:Receptors, Interleukin; D053655:Receptors, Interleukin-21; D014157:Transcription Factors; D008156:Luciferases