Aberrant immunoglobulin and c-myc gene rearrangements in patients with nonmalignant monoclonal cryoglobulinemia

Journal Article · Sun Nov 15 04:00:00 EST 1987 · J. Immunol.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5303381

Perl, A; Wang, N; Williams, J M; Hunt, M J; Rosenfeld, S I; Condemi, J J; Packman, C H; Abraham, G N

The status of the immunoglobulin (Ig) genes was investigated in patients with idiopathic nonmalignant monoclonal IgG cryoglobulinemia (NCG). In NCG, monoclonal antibodies are synthesized at an accelerated rate by nonmalignant B lymphocytes. In order to determine whether this high production rate is related to a clonal B cell expansion, the rearrangement of the Ig genes was investigated by Southern blot analysis of genomic, /sup 32/P-labelled, DNA extracted from the peripheral blood lymphocytes of four NCG patients. In three of four (VI, BR, and CH) clonal expansion of B cells was detected using probes specific for the genes. BamHI digestion of DNA from VI and BR produced three rearranged fragments which cohybridized with two of the probes. This finding suggested the presence of additional nonsecretory B cell clones and/or disruption of the gene segments spanned by and detected with the probes. In addition, the possibility of aberrant gene rearrangements was supported by noting the alteration of the c-myc gene locus in genomic DNA from peripheral blood leukocytes of VI and CH. Northern blot analysis of RNA isolated from peripheral blood B cells of VI and CH demonstrated aberrant transcripts of the c-myc gene, showing an active role of the altered c-myc locus. Detection of c-myc rearrangement in NCG patients clearly shows that this event may not be a final step in malignant B cell transformation.

• Research Organization: Univ. of Rochester Medical Center, NY
• OSTI ID: 5303381
• Journal Information: J. Immunol.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Immunol.; (United States) Vol. 139:10; ISSN JOIMA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ANIMAL CELLS
ANTIBODIES
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BETA-MINUS DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS
BIOSYNTHESIS
BLOOD
BLOOD CELLS
BODY FLUIDS
CARCINOGENESIS
CELL CULTURES
CLONE CELLS
CONNECTIVE TISSUE CELLS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DNA SEQUENCING
ELECTROPHORESIS
GENES
GLOBULINS
HYBRIDIZATION
IMMUNOGLOBULINS
ISOTOPES
LEUKOCYTES
LIGHT NUCLEI
LYMPHOCYTES
MATERIALS
MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES
NUCLEI
ODD-ODD NUCLEI
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PATHOGENESIS
PATIENTS
PHOSPHORUS 32
PHOSPHORUS ISOTOPES
PROTEINS
RADIOISOTOPES
SOMATIC CELLS
STRUCTURAL CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
SYNTHESIS