Unexpected heterogeneity of BCR-ABL fusion mRNA detected by polymerase chain reaction in Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Journal Article · Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 EDT 1989 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.86.11.4259· OSTI ID:5299687

Hooberman, A L; Carrino, J J; Leibowitz, D; Rowley, J D; Le Beau, M M; Arlin, Z A; Westbrook, C A ^[1]

---

1. Univ. of Chicago, IL (USA)

The Philadelphia (Ph{sup 1}) chromosome results in a fusion of portions of the BCR gene from chromosome 22 and the ABL gene from chromosome 9, producing a chimeric BCR-ABL mRNA and protein. In lymphoblastic leukemias, there are two molecular subtypes of the Ph{sup 1} chromosome, one with a rearrangement of the breakpoint cluster region (bcr) of the BCR gene, producing the same 8.5-kilobase BCR-ABL fusion mRNA seen in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and the other, without a bcr rearrangement, producing a 7.0-kilobase BCR-ABL fusion mRNA that is seen only in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The authors studied the molecular subtype of the Ph{sup 1} chromosome in 11 cases of Ph{sup 1}-positive ALL, including 2 with a previous diagnosis of CML, using a sensitive method to analyze the mRNA species based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). They observed unexpected heterogeneity in BCR-ABL mRNA in this population. They conclude that the PCR gives additional information about the Ph{sup 1} chromosome gene products that cannot be obtained by genomic analysis, but that it cannot be used as the sole means of detection of this chromosomal abnormality in ALL because of the high incidence of false negative results.

• OSTI ID: 5299687
• Journal Information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America; (USA), Vol. 86:11; ISSN 0027-8424
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
LEUKEMIA
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
MESSENGER-RNA
AUTORADIOGRAPHY
PHILADELPHIA CHROMOSOME
CHROMOSOMAL ABERRATIONS
CHIMERAS
CYTOLOGICAL TECHNIQUES
DNA POLYMERASES
GENES
HETEROCHROMOSOMES
PATIENTS
TRANSCRIPTION
CHROMOSOMES
DISEASES
ENZYMES
HEMIC DISEASES
IMMUNE SYSTEM DISEASES
MOSAICISM
MUTATIONS
NEOPLASMS
NUCLEIC ACIDS
NUCLEOTIDYLTRANSFERASES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHORUS-GROUP TRANSFERASES
POLYMERASES
RNA
TRANSFERASES
550401* - Genetics- Tracer Techniques