MUTATIONS IN THE CODING REGION OF C-MYC IN AIDS-ASSOCIATED AND OTHER AGGRESSIVE LYMPHOMAS

Our previous studies of the translocated MYC gene in Burkitt's lymphom a showed the existence of clustered somatic mutations located in the t ranscriptional activation domain. We now report that aggressive lympho mas arising in the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) contain s imilar mutations and that the presence of mutations is correlated with the rearrangement of the oncogene. Mutations were also found in other de novo non-AIDS, non-Burkitt's aggressive lymphomas with MYC rearran gements. An unusual asparagine to serine mutation at codon 11 was iden tified in several transformed follicular lymphomas without MYC rearran gement but not in normal tissues from patients with this mutation. The se findings indicate that AIDS-associated and other de novo aggressive lymphomas with the MYC gene rearrangement are subject to the same mut ation and selection process that affects Burkitt's lymphomas.