The myeloperoxidase gene is translocated from chromosome 17 to 15 in a patient with acute promyelocytic leukemia

This study demonstrates that a differentiation-specific gene, the myeloperoxidase (MPO) gene, is translocated in a patient with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). The MPO gene recently has been mapped to chromosome #17, close to the breakpoint involved in the t(15;17) commonly seen in APL. By in situ hybridization, we showed that this gene was translocated from chromosome #17 to #15 in an APL patient. Although the significance of this translocation remains unclear, MPO is known to be highly expressed in APL. The causal relationship between the high expression and translocation of this gene requires further investigation.