Our results indicate that the p53 gene is mutated in a majority of Burkitt lymphoma cell lines (BLs), and suggest that p53 mutation contributes to the malignant phenotype of these cell lines.
The expression of p53 was demonstrated in non-T non-B cells and Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines, but neither in two myeloid leukemia cell lines nor in normal lymphoid cells after mitogenic stimulation. p53 expression was demonstrated in 7 cases (2 AML, 5 ALL) but only in ALL cases the percentage of positive of cells was over 20%.
Cells from acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines express elevated levels of p53, while all examined human acute myeloid leukemia cell lines synthesize negligible p53 protein.