Chromosomal translocation t(6;14)(p21.1; q32.3) has been reported as a rare but recurrent event not only in myeloma and plasma cell leukemia but also in diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) (diffuse large B-cell lymphoma [DLBCL]) and splenic lymphoma with villous lymphocytes (SLVL); however, the nature of the target gene(s) has not been determined. This study identified t(6; 14)(p21.1;q32.3) in 3 cases of transformed extranodal marginal zone B-NHL, in 1 case of SLVL, and in 1 case of a low-grade B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder. In a sixth case, a CD5 ؉ DLBCL, the translocation was identified by molecular cloning in the absence of cytogenetically detectable change. Two chromosomal translocation breakpoints were cloned by using long-distance inverse polymerase chain reaction methods.
IntroductionThe lymphomas and leukemias of mature B cells are a biologically and histologically heterogeneous group of malignancies. 1 Their molecular pathogenesis for the most part remains unknown, although cloning of chromosomal translocations targeted to the immunoglobulin (IG) loci continues to allow the identification of novel dominant oncogenes and to define new pathogenic mechanisms. 2 These translocations result in the deregulated expression of genes involved in several pathways, including the control of programmed cell death (apoptosis) and proliferation.IG translocations that involve genes controlling progression through the cell cycle have been described. Cyclin D1 (CCND1) on chromosome 11q13 is involved in the t(11;14)(q13;q32.3). This translocation is found in nearly all cases of mantle cell lymphoma but also in some cases of myeloma, in marginal zone malignancies, such as splenic lymphoma with villous lymphocytes (SLVL), and in B-cell prolymphocytic leukemia. [3][4][5][6] The cyclin-dependent kinase gene (CDK6) in chromosome band 7q22 is involved in t(7;14)(q22;q32) or more commonly in t(2;7)(p12;q22); these translocations appear to be specific for a subset of SLVL. 7,8 The involvement of the cell-cycle regulatory genes in marginal zone B-cell malignancies was unanticipated, because they are characteristically indolent diseases. Whether these genes might have functions in B-cell differentiation other than cell-cycle regulation in mature B cells is not yet clear; cyclin D3 expression, for example, is associated with differentiation of some cell types. 9 Cytogenetic abnormalities of chromosome band 6p21 reported in mature B-cell malignancies are various and include translocations, amplifications, and deletions. 10,11 Such translocations in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) often involve the BCL6 gene on chromosome band 3q27 and may juxtapose BCL6 with either the histone H4 gene or the PIM1 oncogene. 12,13 The t(6;14)(p12ϳp21;q32) has been previously reported in a variety of B-cell malignancies, principally in myeloma and plasma cell leukemia but also in DLBCL and splenic marginal zone lymphomas (SMZLs). 14-18 Here we report the recurrent involvement of a For personal use only. on May 12, 2018. by gues...