S. Hayette et al., FLRG (FOLLISTATIN-RELATED GENE), A NEW TARGET OF CHROMOSOMAL REARRANGEMENT IN MALIGNANT BLOOD DISORDERS, Oncogene, 16(22), 1998, pp. 2949-2954
We report here the molecular study of t(11;19)(q13;p13) translocation
observed in a case of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. This transl
ocation leads to the juxtaposition of the CCND1 gene on chromosome 11
to a new transcriptionnal unit on chromosome 19. The cDNA of this new
evolutionarily conserved gene (named FLRG for Follistatin-Related Gene
) codes for a secreted glycoprotein of the follistatin-module-protein
family. FLRG is expressed in a wide range of human and murine adult ti
ssues and its expression seems to be tightly regulated during murine e
mbryogenesis. Its transcripts could not be detected in hematopoietic c
ells from all lineages and in particular in cells from lymphoid B and
T lineage except in the t(11;19)-carrying leukemia described here. A g
reat variability of expression is observed among the other tumoral cel
l lines analysed. Besides the t(11;19)-carrying leukemia described in
this work, structural rearrangements of the FLRG locus have been found
in a non-Hodgkin lymphoma, suggesting that it may play a role in leuk
emogenesis.