Although with the majority of the specimens there was no obvious correlation between the morphologic cell type of lymphoma/leukemia and the c-onc RNA levels, interestingly two of the three samples diagnosed as chronic lymphocytic leukemia, B-cell type, showed considerably increased transcription of the c-myc gene relative to the other B-cell neoplasms.
The Paju karyotype did not contain double minute chromosomes or any large homogeneously staining region such as that seen in a mouse lymphoma cell mutant that is resistant to difluoromethylornithine and overproduces ornithine decarboxylase (McConlogue, L., and Coffino, P. (1983) J. Biol.Chem.258, 12083-12086).
Thus, abnormal DNA content, increased RNA content, increased proliferation and/or expression of the cell surface antigen CALLA identified CNS relapse by flow cytometry in 22 of 30 patients with acute leukemia or lymphoma.
We and others have demonstrated that the lck gene is rearranged and overexpressed in the murine lymphoma LSTRA, most likely as a result of the insertion of Moloney murine leukemia virus DNA immediately adjacent to the gene.
Recent molecular studies have shown that this chromosomal translocation results in the juxtaposition of the candidate proto-oncogene bcl-2 (B-cell leukemia-lymphoma) on chromosome 18 with the immunoglobulin heavy-chain locus on chromosome 14.
Nine patients had acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL), nine patients had prolymphocytic leukaemia (PLL), six patients presented with a T-CLL/T-lymphocytosis syndrome, two patients had Sezary syndrome (SS) and one patient had HTLV-I positive T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma (ATLL). alpha TCR gene rearrangement could be demonstrated by the use of three available probes in only one case.
This is the second report of a large case control study of lymphoma/leukaemia occurring in Yorkshire during 1979-84, and deals with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia presenting either in its haematological (CLL) or more solid lymphomatous (malignant lymphoma-lymphocytic or MLL) forms.
Transformed human and mouse cell lines, selected for a deficiency of uridine kinase activity in the presence of inhibitors activated by this enzyme, expressed two cross-reacting proteins, one with a normal (30,000) and one with a smaller (21,000) subunit molecular weight than was found in the parental cell line (human lymphoma), or only a smaller protein of Mr 25,000 (mouse lymphoma).
Competition experiments, methylation interference analysis, and DNase I foot-printing demonstrated that distinct proteins in a nuclear extract of Raji cells (a human B lymphoma line) bind to sequence X, to sequence Y, and to DNA 5' of the X sequence (termed sequence W).
To define the role of the protein product of the bcl-2 gene in lymphoid cancers, we used anti-bcl-2 antibodies to perform immunohistochemical studies of frozen sections of 136 tissue specimens affected by lymphoma or non-neoplastic lymphoid disorders.
Comparison between the allelic frequency distribution of the Ha-ras 1 locus in normal individuals and patients with lymphoma, breast, and ovarian cancer.
Forty cultured human leukemia and lymphoma cell lines never exposed to anticancer agents in culture, apart from doxorubicin (ADM)-resistant K562/ADM, were examined for reactivity with a monoclonal antibody, MRK16 in F(ab')2 form [MRK16-F(ab')2], which recognizes P-glycoprotein (P-gp).
These data indicate that primary cutaneous lymphomas of B-cell origin share morphological and phenotypic similarities with the nodal B-cell lymphomas of follicular histotype, are proliferating, and express in 45% of cases clear monoclonal immunoglobulin light chain; the molecular analysis confirms the B-cell derivation and the monoclonal nature of this neoplasia; it also shows that neither bcl-2 nor c-myc oncogenes are involved and that no inappropriate rearrangements of the T-cell receptor genes are found in this lymphoma.
MDR1 RNA levels were also increased in some cancers at relapse after chemotherapy, including ALL, ANLL, breast cancer, neuroblastoma, pheochromocytoma, and nodular, poorly differentiated lymphoma.
Furthermore, this case is unique in the direct demonstration of the histologic and clinical progression of a human lymphoma associated with the sequential rearrangement of the bcl-2 gene and the c-myc oncogene.