MONITORING OF RELAPSE AND REMISSION IN ACUTE LEUKEMIAS BY DNA-FINGERPRINT ANALYSIS

DNA-fingerprint (DNA-F) analysis was successfully performed with DNA f rom 22 adult patients with acute leukaemia, including 13 patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and nine patients with acute lymphoblas tic leukaemia (ALL). The purpose of this study was to detect differenc es between the leukaemic phase (at diagnosis or relapse) and remission -phase DNA. We applied one simple repeat probe (GTG)5 and one minisate llite (M13) after DNA-digestion with different restriction endonucleas es (HinfI and HaeIII) and agarose gel electrophoresis. In 7/13 patient s with AML and 5/9 patients with ALL. it was possible to detect loss o f bands, additional bands or band shift with at least one of the probe s. Together the probes M13 and (GTG)5 unveiled deviating fingerprint p atterns in 54-6% of patients between leukaemic cells and remission-pha se leucocytes. Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation was performed on six patients. In each case the DNA-F pattern of the donor was differe nt from the relapse and the remission-phase pattern. We conclude from our studies that the probes M13 and (GTG)5 are useful in the detection of relapse and remission in acute leukaemias after chemotherapy and b one marrow transplantation.