Localization of the human c-sis oncogene in Ph1-positive and Ph1-negative chronic myelocytic leukemia by in situ hybridization

Oncogenes are a group of evolutionary conserved cellular genes (c-onc) homologous to the transforming genes of oncogenic retroviruses (v-onc). Some of them are localized near the breakpoints of specific chromosomal aberrations occurring in various neoplasms, as for example the Philadelphia translocation, t(9;22)(q34;q11), in chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML). Recently, we localized the human c-abl oncogene to chromosome region 9q34 and demonstrated a translocation of this gene to the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph1,22q-) in various forms of Ph1-positive, but not Ph1-negative, chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML). Another human oncogene, c-sis, is located on chromosome 22 and was recently reported to be transferred to chromosome 9q+ in one CML patient. We have now studied 2 CML patients with classic and variant types of Ph1 translocation, one Ph1-negative case, and a healthy control using in situ hybridization of a c-sis probe to metaphase chromosomes. These studies show that c-sis: (1) is localized to region 22q12.3-q13.1, far away from the breakpoint region 22q11 in CML, (2) segregates with the translocated part of chromosome 22 to different chromosomes in Ph1-positive patients, and (3) remains on chromosome 22 in the Ph1-negative case. Therefore, these data give no support for an active role of the c-sis gene in the generation of CML. Thus, if either of these two oncogenes is involved in the development of Ph1-positive CML, c-abl appears to be the more important one.     

Expression of c-abl in Philadelphia-positive acute myelogenous leukemia

The identical cytogenetic marker, t(9;22)(q34;q11) (Philadelphia [Ph] translocation), is found in approximately 90%, 20%, and 2% of adult patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), respectively. In CML, the molecular events resulting from the Ph translocation include a break within the bcr locus on chromosome 22, transfer of the c-abl protooncogene from chromosome 9 to 22, and formation of an aberrant 210- kD bcr-abl fusion protein (p210bcr-abl). Recently, the absence of bcr rearrangement and expression of a distinct aberrant 190-kd abl protein (p190c-abl) has been described in Ph-positive ALL, with the suggestion that the two abl variants may be pathogenetically associated with myeloid v lymphoid leukemogenesis. Here we report that the genomic configuration and translation product of Ph-positive AML can be similar to that of Ph-positive ALL: the break at 22q11 may occur outside the 5.8 kb bcr region and result in expression of a 190-kD abl protein lacking these bcr sequences. Phosphokinase enzymatic activity, a fundamental property of p210bcr-abl, was also associated with AML- derived p190c-abl. Our current observations indicate that p190c-abl can be found in cells of lymphoid or myeloid lineage and is therefore unlikely to play a specific role in the development of lymphoid leukemias. Formation of p190c-abl instead of p210bcr-abl appears to be a characteristic of the acute rather than the chronic Ph-positive leukemic state.     

“Masked” Ph1-chromosome in chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML)

Summary The CML patients with so called masked Ph¹-chromosome have been reviewed. Although the importance of c-sis and c-abl oncogenes is gaining popularity yet their role in the genesis of CML remain obscure. Patients with masked Ph¹-chromosomes where chromosome 9 is not involved in the translocation(s) will provide a clue to the role of c-abl and/or c-sis in oncogenesis.     

Translocation of c-abl oncogene and PDGFB (c-sis) gene in a case of CML with 46, XY,t(22;22)

Summary In a case of CML with a variant Philadelphia translocation (Ph¹ or Ph) t (22;22) (q11;q13) in bone marrow cells and unstimulated peripheral blood cells, no cytogenetically detectable involvement of chromosome 9 was observed. Southern blot experiments using probes specific for bcr and c-sis however revealed rearrangement of the bcr, but not of PDGFB (c-sis) gene. Northern blot analysis of bone marrow RNA showed a very weak signal with the c-sis probe, while in a lymph-node biopsy PDGFB m-RNA could not be detected. Chromosomal in situ hybridization gave evidence for translocation of c-abl from chromosome 9 to Ph and of PDGFB from chromosome 22 to chromosome 9, as the result of a threefold translocation t(9;22;22).     

Detection by enzymatic amplification of bcr-abl mRNA in peripheral blood and bone marrow cells of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia

The Philadelphia chromosome of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients is caused by a translocation of the c-abl gene from chromosome 9 to the breakpoint cluster region (bcr) on chromosome 22. A new bcr-abl mRNA is expressed in these cases. We have developed a modified polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the detection of this mRNA. The method is extremely sensitive, reliable, and relatively fast. The analysis of peripheral blood or bone marrow cells from CML patients treated with chemotherapy shows that the two possible mRNAs are expressed in various combinations. Our results show that even after myeloablative therapy for bone marrow transplantation bcr-abl mRNAs are still expressed. Further studies, however, are necessary to determine the clinical relevance of a small number of persisting cells expressing the bcr-abl mRNA.     

Chronic myelogenous leukemia as gene activation model in oncology minireview

Many unique features of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) make it as a model for studying the development of leukemia in humans. Chronic myeloid leukemia is a disease of the hematopoietic stem cell that progress in a multistep fashion. The biphasic or triphasic clinical course of the disease exemplies the multistep process of tumor progression from the indolent chronic phase to a more aggressive and terminal blast crisis. CML was the first neoplastic disease shown to be associated with consistent karyotypic abnormality now known as the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome. The result of the Philadelphia chromosome translocation t(9;22)(q34:q11) is the transposition of the c-abl oncogene from chromosome 9 to chromosome 22, where it is fused with part of the her gene. The translocation generates a new hybrid bcr-abl gene which plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of CML. Presently, CML is perhaps the best understood cancer in humans and the model of oncogenesis mediated by the Ph chromosome translocation is one of the best-characterized example of gene activation in leukemia.     

Rearrangement and amplification of c-abl sequences in the human chronic myelogenous leukemia cell line K-562.

Structural rearrangements of specific cellular sequences (c-onc genes) homologous to acute transforming retrovirus oncogenes (v-onc genes) have been recently described in various malignancies. Here we show that human cellular sequences (c-abl) homologous to the transforming sequences of the mouse Abelson leukemia virus (v-abl) are amplified some 4- to 8-fold in K-562, a Philadelphia chromosome-positive cell line derived from a patient with chronic myelogenous leukemia in blast crisis. Restriction analysis of K-562 and other human DNA samples reveals a significant rearrangements of the c-abl sequences in this cell line. In addition, investigation of v-abl-related cytoplasmic RNA reveals relatively high levels of these sequences in K-562 compared to other normal and leukemia cells. We have also observed that lambda light chain constant region immunoglobulin genes are amplified in K-562, whereas kappa light chain sequences exhibit no amplification. These results are discussed within the context of the possibility that these Philadelphia chromosome-positive cells exhibit a reciprocal translocation involving chromosome 9 (containing c-abl) and chromosome 22 (containing the lambda light chain genes).     

CML patients in blast crisis have breakpoints localized to a specific region of the BCR

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is associated with the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome, which results from a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22. This activates the abl oncogene by moving it from chromosome 9 and combining it with sequence located on chromosome 22. The new fusion gene, with chromosome 22 sequence at its 5' end and chromosome 9-abl sequence at its 3' end, generates a new messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein that are implicated in the pathogenesis of CML. The breakpoint near the c-abl locus on chromosome 9 can occur within a large area. In contrast, the breakpoints on chromosome 22 are concentrated within a 6 kilobase (kb) region termed the breakpoint cluster region (bcr). This study was designed to determine whether chronic-phase and blast crisis patients had identifiable differences in the structure of their Ph chromosomes. Restriction mapping of the chromosome 22 translocation breakpoints performed for 26 patients showed that the breakpoints of eight of the nine patients in blast crisis were in the 3' portion of the bcr, whereas the breakpoints in the 17 patients in the chronic phase were clustered in the 5' portion of the bcr. This suggests a strong correlation between a 3' bcr breakpoint and blast crisis in CML.     

Variable expression of the translocated c-abl oncogene in Philadelphia-chromosome-positive B-lymphoid cell lines from chronic myelogenous leukemia patients.

The consistent cytogenetic translocation of chronic myelogenous leukemia (the Philadelphia chromosome, Ph1) has been observed in cells of multiple hematopoietic lineages. This translocation creates a chimeric gene composed of breakpoint-cluster-region (bcr) sequences from chromosome 22 fused to a portion of the abl oncogene on chromosome 9. The resulting gene product (P210c-abl) resembles the transforming protein of the Abelson murine leukemia virus in its structure and tyrosine kinase activity. P210c-abl is expressed in Ph1-positive cell lines of myeloid lineage and in clinical specimens with myeloid predominance. We show here that Epstein-Barr virus-transformed B-lymphocyte lines that retain Ph1 can express P210c-abl. The level of expression in these B-cell lines is generally lower and more variable than that observed for myeloid lines. Protein expression is not related to amplification of the abl gene but to variation in the level of bcr-abl mRNA produced from a single Ph1 template.     

Tumorigenic activity of the BCR-ABL oncogenes is mediated by BCL2.

BCR-ABL is a chimeric oncogene generated by translocation of sequences from the c-abl protein-tyrosine kinase gene on chromosome 9 into the BCR gene on chromosome 22. Alternative chimeric proteins, p210BCR-ABL and p190BCR-ABL, are produced that are characteristic of chronic myelogenous leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia, respectively. Their role in the etiology of human leukemia remains to be defined. Transformed murine hematopoietic cells can be used as a model of BCR-ABL function since these cells can be made growth factor independent and tumorigenic by the action of the BCR-ABL oncogene. We show that the BCR-ABL oncogenes prevent apoptotic death in these cells by inducing a Bcl-2 expression pathway. Furthermore, BCR-ABL-expressing cells revert to factor dependence and nontumorigenicity after Bcl-2 expression is suppressed. These results help to explain the ability of BCR-ABL oncogenes to synergize with c-myc in cell transformation.     

Variable breakpoints on the Philadelphia chromosome in chronic myelogenous leukemia

The abl oncogene is translocated from chromosome 9 to 22 in the creation of the Philadelphia (Ph1) chromosome. This article describes new translocation breakpoints identified in two patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia using Southern blotting and cloned human DNA probes from chromosome 9. The translocation breakpoints on chromosome 9 in both of these patients lie closer to the human cellular abl (c-abl) gene, and the chromosome 22 breakpoints are distributed more widely than previously reported. These data help to define more clearly the chromosomal span of the breakpoints and indicate that some translocations include very little chromosome 9 sequence located 5' to the c-abl gene.