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In utero rearrangements in the trithorax-related oncogene in infant leukaemias

Nature volume 363, pages 358–360 (1993)Cite this article

Abstract

THE majority ( ∼ 75%) of infant acute leukaemias have a reciprocal translocation between chromosome 11q23 and one of several partner chromosomes1. The gene at 1lq23 (named MLL, ALL-1, HRX or HTRX-1; refs 2–6) has been cloned and shares homology with the Drosophila developmental gene trithorax3–5. Rearrangements of this gene (called HRX here) occur in introns and cluster in a region of ∼ 10 kb; individual patients have different breakpoints3–10. Here we describe three pairs of infant twins with concordant leukaemia who each share unique (clonal) but non-constitutive HRX rearrangements in their leukaemic cells, providing evidence that the leukaemogenic event originates in utero and unequivocal support for the intra-placental 'metastasis' hypothesis for leukaemia concordance in twins11.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Leukaemia Research Fund Centre, Institute of Cancer Research, Chester Beatty Laboratories, 237 Fulham Road, London, SW3 6JB, UK

    Anthony M. Ford, Susan A. Ridge & Mel Greaves

  2. Haematology Section, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile

    Maria E. Cabrera

  3. Department of Hematology/Oncology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, and the University of Tennessee, Memphis College of Medicine, Memphis, Tennessee, 38101-0318, USA

    Hazem Mahmoud

  4. MRC Human Genetics Unit, Western General Hospital, Edinburgh, EH4 2XU, UK

    C. Michael Steel

  5. Department of Pathology, Queen Mary Hospital Compound, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

    Li C. Chan

Authors
  1. Anthony M. Ford
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  2. Susan A. Ridge
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  3. Maria E. Cabrera
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  4. Hazem Mahmoud
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  5. C. Michael Steel
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  6. Li C. Chan
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  7. Mel Greaves
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Ford, A., Ridge, S., Cabrera, M. et al. In utero rearrangements in the trithorax-related oncogene in infant leukaemias. Nature 363, 358–360 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1038/363358a0

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