Detection and quantification of MBR/JH2 t(14;18) BCL-2 gene rearrangement in follicular lymphoma using a combined real-time polymerase chain reaction assay.
In conclusion, the majority of Bcl-2-negative FL lack a t(14;18) but a significant subset of these tumours are false negative due to mutations in the BCL2 gene.
The use of three distinct anti-bcl-2 antibodies together with CD10 expression data and FISH analysis for bcl-2 and bcl-6 rearrangements allowed subclassification of follicular lymphoma into four distinct subgroups: (i) CD10-positive/bcl-2-positive, (ii) CD10-positive/bcl-2-negative, (iii) CD10-negative/bcl-2-positive, and (iv) CD10-negative/bcl-2-negative.All cases were bcl-6-positive.
In Taiwan, FL3A tumours were more closely related to FL3B tumours than to LG tumours, and a literature review showed that the frequency of t(14;18)/IGH-BCL2 in FL in Taiwan is among the lowest in the world.
We report the use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique for detecting and sequencing clonal bcl-2/JH rearrangements in lymph nodes and/or bone marrow specimens from patients with follicular lymphoma.
Since the discovery of bcl-2 proto-oncogene in follicular lymphomas, the protein product has been detected in a variety of normal tissues including skin, where it is expressed in basal keratinocytes.
Only 1 non-exposed individual was positive for the chromosomal translocation, and healthy radio-exposed individuals presented lower levels of cells bearing the BCL2/J(H) rearrangement when compared to the levels of the patients with follicular lymphoma before treatment.
Follicular lymphoma is characterized by the presence of the t(14;18)(q32;q21) chromosomal translocation that juxtaposes the bcl-2 gene at 18q21 with the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) locus at 14q32.
Sequence analysis showed the amplified bcl-2/JH fragments to be unique to each individual sample and distinct from 24 sequenced follicular lymphoma-derived t(14;18) junctions, thus excluding contamination artifacts.
These data indicate 2 distinct types of follicular lymphomas presenting in the ovary: a low-grade/high-stage/BCL2-positive group and a higher-grade/low-stage/BCL2-negative group.