Clustering of genomic breakpoints at the MLL locus in therapy‐related acute leukemia with t(4;11)(q21;q23)

Genomic characterization of translocation breakpoints is relevant to identify possible mechanisms underlying their origin. The consistent association of anthracylines (e.g., epirubicin and idarubicin) in inducing therapy‐related acute leukemias (t‐AL) with mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene rearrangement suggests that MLL translocations are causative events for t‐AL. Using asymmetric multiplex PCR strategy followed by direct DNA sequencing, we characterized the genomic breakpoints of the MLL and AFF1 genes in two patients who developed t‐AL with t(4;11)(q21;q23). Chemotherapeutic treatment of the primary disease in both patients included topoisomerase II (topo II) targeting agents. In one case, the MLL breakpoint was located in intron 9 at nucleotide position chr11:118354284 while the AFF1 breakpoint was in intron 3 at nucleotide position chr4:87992070. The breakpoint junction sequences revealed an insertion of two nucleotides at the MLL‐AFF1 junction. In the other patient, the MLL breakpoint was located in intron 11 at nucleotide position chr11:118359130‐32 and the AFF1 break was in intron 3 at nucleotide position chr4:87996215‐17. The MLL breakpoint found in the latter patient was identical to that of two previously reported cases, strongly suggesting the presence of a preferential site of DNA cleavage in the presence of topo II inhibitor. In addition, microhomologies at the breakpoint junctions were indicative of DNA repair by the non‐homologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway. This study further supports the evidence that MLL breakpoints in therapy‐related acute leukemia with MLL‐AFF1 are clustered in the telomeric half of the breakpoint cluster region that contains topo II recognition sites. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia with t(2;11)(q37;q23) after treatment for osteosarcoma

The survival rate for children with osteosarcoma (OS) has improved dramatically with the introduction of multiagent chemotherapy. As the number of pediatric cancer survivors increases, there is a concern about the development of secondary malignant neoplasms. Secondary acute myeloid leukemia (AML) has been rarely reported after treatment for OS. We describe a 14-year-old boy with OS of the left ileum who developed secondary AML 15 months after completion of treatment. Cytogenetic analysis of the leukemic cells demonstrated deletion 11q23, whereas fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed rearrangement of the MLL gene. Only the addition of the long-distance inverse polymerase chain reaction technique identified the SEPT2 as the MLL fusion partner resulting in t(2;11)(q37;q23) that was reported in a very few secondary AML cases. Because of the cryptic nature of MLL translocations that cannot be detected by conventional cytogenetics or may misinterpreted as deletion, additional molecular techniques are required to identify the precise translocation partner. Because long-distance inverse polymerase chain reaction is not available in most molecular laboratories, the true incidence of t(2;11)(q37;q23) and the involvement of SEPT2 as the MLL translocation partner could be more prevalent in secondary AML.     

A new case of translocation t(6;11)(q21;q23) in a therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia resulting in an MLL–AF6q21 fusion

A new case of translocation t(6;11)(q21;q23) in a patient with therapy-related acute myeloblastic leukemia is reported. The translocation results in fusion of the MLL and AF6q21 genes. The breakpoint with AF6q21 is located within the sequences encoding the AF6q21 fork head motif. The similar location of the localization of the chromosome 6 breakpoints in the present case and in the first case reported suggests their nonrandom localization. In addition, treatment for Hodgkin's disease prior to leukemia in both t(6;11)(q21;q23) cases suggests an association of this translocation with therapy-related leukemias, as reported for the recently described t(11;16)(q23;p13.3). Genes Chromosomes Cancer 22:221–224, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Concurrent presence of inv(14)(q11q32) and t(4;11)(q21;q23) in Pre-B Acute Lymphoblastic leukemia

The inv(14)(q11q32) is a non-random chromosomal aberration which has been associated with a variety of T-cell malignancies. We have studied a case of inv(14)(q11q32) that is unique in several respects. First, the inversion, which is expressed at the mRNA level, occurred in the context of a pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) as opposed to a T-cell malignancy. Second, cloning and sequencing of the inversion revealed that it resulted from a fusion between an immunoglobulin heavy chain variable (V) segment and a T-cell receptor delta diversity (D) segment. In addition, the patient had a second chromosomal abnormality at diagnosis, a t(4;11)(q21;q23) which disrupted the MLL gene. The fact that there were two distinct chromosomal abnormalities at diagnosis enabled us to address the question of leukemic clonal evolution during the course of this patient's disease. We present evidence suggesting that the t(4;11)(q21;q23) occurred first, with the inv(14)(q11q32) occurring as a second event.     

Homozygous inv(11)(q21q23) and MLL gene rearrangement in two patients with myeloid neoplasms

Rearrangements of the MLL gene located at chromosome 11q23 are common chromosomal abnormalities associated with acute leukemias. In vast majority of cases with MLL gene rearrangements, only one chromosome 11 or a single MLL allele got involved. We report two very unusual cases of myeloid neoplasms with homozygous inv(11)(q21q23) and biallelic MLL rearrangement. Both patients, a 12-year old boy and a 29-year old woman, presented initially with T lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-ALL), achieved complete remission with intensive chemotherapy, then recurred as acute myeloid leukemia in one patient and therapy-related myelodysplastic syndromes in the other patient, 24 and 15 months after initial T-ALL diagnosis, respectively. In both cases, biallelic MLL gene rearrangements were confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization. Mastermind like 2 gene was identified as MLL partner gene in one case. To our knowledge, homozygous inv(11)(q21q23) with two MLL genes rearrangement are extremely rare; it is likely a result of acquired uniparental disomy.     

Molecular analysis of a t(11;14)(q23;q11) from a patient with null-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

/1p;&-3qChromosome 11, band q23, is the frequent site of recurring cytogenetic rearrangements in human leukemia. We have cloned and sequenced the breakpoint junctions from a patient who had null-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) with a t(11;14)(q23;q11). The chromosome 14 breakpoints occurred within the TCRD locus, close to two diversity segments. The chromosome 11 breakpoint occurred between two head-to-head heptamer sequences, and junctional diversity was evident at both derivative junctions, suggesting involvement of the V(D)J recombinase. The TCRA/D locus on the normal chromosome 14 had undergone a Vδ2-Dδ3-ΨJα joining. Two phage clones with this VDJ rearrangement were isolated; one of these contained an intra-Jα region deletion. Two clones with the derivative 11 junction were isolated; one of these had a similar, but not identical, deletion. A heptamer-nonamer recognition sequence (located ～70 kb 5′ to Cα), not associated with a TCR gene coding segment, was found in the immediate vicinity of both 5′ breakpoints. We have designated this sequence 5′^del for 5′ deleting element. An intra-Jα region deletion involving this heptamer-nonamer was previously identified in the leukemia cells recovered from a patient who had T-cell ALL. Fifty kilobases of DNA on 11q23 surrounding the breakpoint were cloned and analyzed. No CpG islands or conserved sequences were identified within this region. Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis showed that this 11q23 breakpoint mapped distal to the MLL gene associated with the recurring breakpoints in the 4;11, 9;11, and 11;19 translocations, distal to the RCK gene associated with an 11;14 translocation, and proximal to the ETSI gene, which is located at 11q24. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

A t(11;12) 11q23 leukemic breakpoint that disrupts the MLL Gene

Translocations involving 11q23 have been shown to be a consistent finding in human hematopoietic malignancies and in some constitutional abnormalities. The identification of a gene, MLL (myeloid/lymphoid or mixed-lineage leukemia), that spans the breakpoints in four different recurrent 11q23 translocations was recently reported. We describe a rare (11;12)(q23;p13) translocation, observed in leukemic cells from a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which also disrupts this gene. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

MLL is involved in a t(2;11)(p21;q23) in a patient with acute myeloblastic leukemia

We describe a patient with acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML‐M0) whose cells had a t(2;11)(p21;q23). Fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis with a probe for MLL showed that it was split, hybridizing to both the derivative 2 and 11 chromosomes. Nineteen other patients with 2p;11q translocations have been described; breakpoints in 14 of these are the same as in the case we describe. The phenotype of these patients is quite variable, with 14 patients having myelodysplastic syndrome which evolved to AML in six. Four patients had AML and two had acute lymphoblastic leukemia. MLL status has been studied in two other patients; one had MLL rearranged and one did not. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 24:151–155, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Paternal origin of the de novo constitutional t(11;22)(q23;q11)

The constitutional t(11;22)(q23;q11) is a well-known recurrent non-Robertsonian translocation in humans. Although translocations generally occur in a random fashion, the break points of t(11;22)s are concentrated within several hundred base pairs on 11q23 and 22q11. These regions are characterized by palindromic AT-rich repeats (PATRRs), which appear to be responsible for the genomic instability. Translocation-specific PCR detects de novo t(11;22)s in sperm from healthy males at a frequency of 1/10⁴–10⁵, but never in lymphoblasts, fibroblasts or other human somatic cell lines. This suggests that the generation of t(11;22) rearrangement is linked to gametogenesis, although female germ cells have not been tested. Here, we have studied eight cases of de novo t(11;22) to determine the parental origin of the translocation using the polymorphisms on the relevant PATRRs. All of the eight translocations were found to be of paternal origin. This result implicates a possible novel mechanism of sperm-specific generation of palindrome-mediated chromosomal translocations.     

ML-1 cell line lacks a germline MLL locus

Gene rearrangements involving MLL (also known as ALLI, HRX, or Htrx) are among the most common molecular abnormalities associated with acute leukemia. These leukemias generally have one allele involved in a rearrangement, while the remaining allele is uninvolved and demonstrates a germline MLL configuration. In this study, we describe a leukemic cell line that does not have a germline MLL allele and thus cannot produce a normal MLL gene product. We show that the ML-1 cell line, derived from a patient with acute myeloid leukemia, has one allele involved in a t(6; 11)(q27;q23), while the remaining MLL allele is deleted. Cloning of the genomic breakpoints on the derivative(6) and der(11) chromosomes demonstrated a balanced translocation between MLL on chromosome band 11q23 and AF6 on chromosome band 6q27. Sequence analysis of the derivative chromosomes revealed that a 186-bp segment of MLL intron 6, downstream of the breakpoint, had been duplicated, inverted, and inserted between MLL and AF6 on the der(11) chromosome. In light of the fact that ML-1 cells can be induced to differentiate along the granulocyte and macrophage lineages, the finding that ML-1 lacks a germline MLL allele demonstrates that a normal MLL gene is not required for survival, proliferation, or differentiation of this cell line. Genes Chromosom Cancer 16:204–210 (1996). © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.