1. Two novel fusion genes, AIF1L-ETV6 and ABL1-AIF1L, result together with ETV6-ABL1 from a single chromosomal rearrangement in acute lymphoblastic leukemia with prenatal origin.
- Author
-
Lukes J Jr, Potuckova E, Sramkova L, Stary J, Starkova J, Trka J, Votava F, Zuna J, and Zaliova M
- Subjects
- Calcium-Binding Proteins, Chromosome Aberrations, DNA-Binding Proteins blood, Female, Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic genetics, HEK293 Cells, Humans, In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence, Infant, Newborn, Karyotyping, Male, Microfilament Proteins, Oncogene Proteins v-abl blood, Oncogene Proteins, Fusion genetics, Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma blood, Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma pathology, Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets blood, Repressor Proteins blood, Transcriptome genetics, Translocation, Genetic genetics, ETS Translocation Variant 6 Protein, DNA-Binding Proteins genetics, Oncogene Proteins v-abl genetics, Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma genetics, Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets genetics, Repressor Proteins genetics
- Abstract
Fusion genes resulting from chromosomal rearrangements represent a hallmark of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Unlike more common fusion genes generated via simple reciprocal chromosomal translocations, formation of the ETV6-ABL1 fusion gene requires 3 DNA breaks and usually results from an interchromosomal insertion. We report a child with ALL in which a single interchromosomal insertion led to the formation of ETV6-ABL1 and 2 novel fusion genes: AIF1L-ETV6 and ABL1-AIF1L. We demonstrate the prenatal origin of this complex chromosomal rearrangement, which apparently initiated the leukemogenic process, by successful backtracking of the ETV6-ABL1 fusion into the patient's archived neonatal blood. We cloned coding sequences of AIF1L-ETV6 and ABL1-AIF1L in-frame fusion transcripts from the patient's leukemic blasts and we show that the chimeric protein containing the DNA binding domain of ETV6 is expressed from the AIF1L-ETV6 transcript and localized in both the cytoplasm and nucleus of transfected HEK293T cells. Transcriptomic and genomic profiling of the diagnostic bone marrow sample revealed Ph-like gene expression signature and loss of the IKZF1 and CDKN2A/B genes, the typical genetic lesions accompanying ETV6-ABL1-positive ALL. The prenatal origin of the rearrangement confirms that ETV6-ABL1 is not sufficient to cause overt leukemia, even when combined with the 2 novel fusions. We did not find the AIF1L-ETV6 and ABL1-AIF1L fusions in other ETV6-ABL1-positive ALL. Nevertheless, functional studies would be needed to establish the biological role of AIF1L-ETV6 and ABL1-AIF1L and to determine whether they contribute to leukemogenesis and/or to the final leukemia phenotype., (© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)
- Published
- 2018
- Full Text
- View/download PDF