Hg. Ahuja et al., The t(11;20)(p15;q11) chromosomal translocation associated with therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome results in an NUP98-TOP1 fusion, BLOOD, 94(9), 1999, pp. 3258-3261
The NUP98 gene is involved in 3 distinct chromosomal rearrangements, t(7;11
)(p15;p15), t(2;11)(q31;p15), and inv(11)(p15q22); all of these NUP98 rearr
angements have been identified in the malignant cells of patients with ther
apy-related acute myelogenous leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome (t-AML/M
DS). Here we report the cloning and characterization of a t(11;20)(p15;q11)
translocation from patients with t-MDS. The breakpoint on chromosome 11p15
targets the NUP98 gene and results in the separation of the N-terminal FXF
G repeats from the RNA-binding domain located in the C-terminus, The breakp
oint on chromosome 20q11 occurs within the gene encoding human DNA topoisom
erase I (TOP1). As a result, a chimeric mRNA encoding the NUP98 FXFG repeat
s fused to the body of DNA topoisomerase I is produced. These results indic
ate that NUP98 is a recurrent target in therapy-related malignancies, and t
hat TOP1 is a previously unrecognized target for chromosomal translocations
. (C) 1999 by The American Society of Hematology.