PMID: 9166858Jun 1, 1997Paper

Differential rates of somatic hypermutation in V(H) genes among subsets of chronic lymphocytic leukemia defined by chromosomal abnormalities.

Blood
D G OscierF K Stevenson

Abstract

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a B-cell tumor involving small lymphocytes that generally express the CD5 antigen and low levels of surface Ig. Within this definition, there is heterogeneity among cases in cell morphology, karyotypic abnormalities, and clinical course. Trisomy 12, the most frequent karyotypic abnormality, is commonly found in a subset of CLL with atypical morphology. It has also been associated with advanced disease, and possibly with a less favorable prognosis. A further subset of cases with abnormalities involving chromosome 13q14 have typical lymphocyte morphology. Occasionally, the two abnormalities are found together. To assess the clonal history of the cell of origin in disease subsets defined by these two chromosomal abnormalities, we investigated the usage of V(H) genes and the pattern of somatic mutation in 10 cases of trisomy 12 with atypical morphology and eight cases of 13q14 abnormality with typical morphology. In addition, four cases with both chromosomal abnormalities were analyzed. Results confirm a common usage of the V(H)1 family in all subsets. However, the patterns of somatic mutation were distinct, with cases of trisomy 12 showing a minimal level of mutation (mean +/- SD, 0.34% +/- 0....Continue Reading

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