Molecular and genetic mechanisms of lymphomagenesis.
The analysis of the molecular characteristics of immunoglobulin or T-cell receptor genes of lymphomas allows us to determine the cell origin in terms of pre- or postgerminal center cells. Most molecular oncogenic events are associated with the activity of otherwise physiologically active enzymatic and protein machinery for Ig/TCR gene modeling, where normal molecular sequence of events can be disrupted, leading to pathogenic molecular lesion and neoplastic cell transformation. Our current knowledge on the molecular and genetic basis of neoplastic transformation of lymphoid cells resulting in clinical phenotype of malignant lymphoma is further reviewed, and basic specific molecular mechanisms of Ig/TCR gene deregulation are presented, as well as recent achievements in molecular genetic profiling of malignant lymphoma.
Kusec
Rajko
R
Division of Molecular Diagnostics, Institute of Clinical Chemistry, Zagreb, Croatia. rkusec@rudjer.irb.hr
D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007134:Immunoglobulin Switch Region / Q000235:genetics; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D009857:Oncogenes / Q000235:genetics; D027041:Somatic Hypermutation, Immunoglobulin / Q000235:genetics; D014178:Translocation, Genetic / Q000235:genetics