J. Takizawa et al., EXPRESSION OF THE TCL1 GENE AT 14Q32 IN B-CELL MALIGNANCIES BUT NOT IN ADULT T-CELL LEUKEMIA, Japanese journal of cancer research, 89(7), 1998, pp. 712-718
The TCL1 gene was recently cloned as a candidate target within the 14q
32.1 breakpoint cluster region observed in T-cell malignancies. We exa
mined the TCL1 gene expression in 21 patients with adult T-cell leukem
ia (ATL) and 5 cell Lines, because ATL is reported to have frequent ch
romosome 14 band (q32 aberrations, However, 20 of the ATL patients and
all 5 cell lines lacked any TCL1 expression on northern blot analysis
, and TCL1 transcripts were only very faintly detected in the remainin
g one patient, Expansion of our analysis to include other types of hem
atopoietic malignancies revealed strong expression of the TCL1 gene in
almost all tumor cells of B-cell lineage except myelomas. However no
TCL1 signals were encountered in cells of T-cell or myeloid lineages.
In normal human tissues TCL1 was found to be expressed in the spleen.
lymph nodes and B-lymphocytes of peripheral blood. These results indic
ate that TCL1 is not a major target gene for ATL, but that it may play
a role in B-cell differentiation and proliferation.