title: Identification of the novel AML1 fusion partner gene, LAF4, a fusion partner of MLL, in childhood T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia with t(2;21)(q11;q22) by bubble PCR method for cDNA.
abstract: The AML1 gene is frequently rearranged by chromosomal translocations in acute leukemia. We identified that the LAF4 gene on 2q11.2-12 was fused to the AML1 gene on 21q22 in a pediatric patient having T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) with t(2;21)(q11;q22) using the bubble PCR method for cDNA. The genomic break points were within intron 7 of AML1 and of LAF4, resulting in the in-frame fusion of exon 7 of AML1 and exon 8 of LAF4. The LAF4 gene is a member of the AF4/FMR2 family and was previously identified as a fusion partner of MLL in B-precursor ALL with t(2;11)(q11;q23), although AML1-LAF4 was in T-ALL. LAF4 is the first gene fused with both AML1 and MLL in acute leukemia. Almost all AML1 translocations except for TEL-AML1 are associated with myeloid leukemia; however, AML1-LAF4 was associated with T-ALL as well as AML1-FGA7 in t(4;21)(q28;q22). These findings provide new insight into the common mechanism of AML1 and MLL fusion proteins in the pathogenesis of ALL. Furthermore, we successfully applied bubble PCR to clone the novel AML1-LAF4 fusion transcript. Bubble PCR is a powerful tool for detecting unknown fusion transcripts as well as genomic fusion points.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Laboratory Medicine, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine Graduate School of Medical Science, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chinen
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishida
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shimizu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okuda
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koike
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tsuchida
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hayashi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taniwaki
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D001483:Base Sequence; D002648:Child; D002889:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 2; D002891:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 21; D050676:Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit / Q000235:genetics*; D004252:DNA Mutational Analysis / Q000379:methods; D018076:DNA, Complementary / Q000032:analysis; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion / Q000235:genetics*; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D054218:Precursor T-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics*; D014178:Translocation, Genetic
chemical_list: C097738:AFF3 protein, human; C528400:AML1-LAF4 fusion protein, human; D050676:Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit; D018076:DNA, Complementary; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion; C493728:RUNX1 protein, human