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Biomedical subjects

M M Le Beau

Publications and source records attributed to M M Le Beau.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Prevalence of the inactivating 609C-->T polymorphism in the NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) gene in patients with primary and therapy-related myeloid leukemia.

NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) converts benzene-derived quinones to less toxic hydroquinones and has been implicated in benzene-associated hematotoxicity. A point mutation in codon 187 (Pro to Ser) results in complete loss of enzyme activity in homozygous subjects, whereas those with 2 wild-type alleles have normal activity. The frequency of homozygosity for the mutant allele among Caucasians and African Americans is 4% to 5% but is higher in Hispanics and Asians. Using an unambiguous polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method, we assayed nonmalignant lymphoblastoid cell lines derived from 104 patients with myeloid leukemias; 56 had therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML), 30 had a primary myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), 9 had AML de novo, and 9 had chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). All patients had their leukemia cells karyotyped. Eleven percent of the t-AML patients were homozygous and 41% were heterozygous for the NQO1 polymorphism; these proportions were significantly higher than those expected in a population of the same ethnic mix (P =.036). Of the 45 leukemia patients who had clonal abnormalities of chromosomes 5 and/or 7, 7 (16%) were homozygous for the inactivating polymorphism, 17 (38%) were heterozygous, and 21 (47%) had 2 wild-type alleles for NQO1. Thus, NQO1 mutations were significantly increased compared with the expected proportions: 5%, 34%, and 61%, respectively (P =.002). An abnormal chromosome no. 5 or 7 was observed in 7 of 8 (88%) homozygotes, 17 of 45 (38%) heterozygotes, and 21 of 51 (41%) patients with 2 wild-type alleles. Among 33 patients with balanced translocations [14 involving bands 11q23 or 21q22, 10 with inv(16) or t(15;17), and 9 with t(9;22)], there were no homozygotes, 15 (45%) heterozygotes, and 18 (55%) with 2 wild-type alleles. Whereas fewer than 3 homozygotes were expected among the 56 t-AML patients, 6 were observed; 19 heterozygotes were expected, but 23 were observed. The gene frequency for the inactivating polymorphism (0. 31) was increased approximately 1.4-fold among the 56 t-AML patients. This increase was observed within each of the following overlapping cohorts of t-AML patients: the 43 who had received an alkylating agent, the 27 who had received a topoisomerase II inhibitor, and the 37 who had received any radiotherapy. Thus, the frequency of an inactivating polymorphism in NQO1 appears to be increased in this cohort of myeloid leukemias, especially among those with t-AML or an abnormality of chromosomes 5 and/or 7. Homozygotes and heterozygotes (who are at risk for treatment-induced mutation or loss of the remaining wild-type allele in their hematopoietic stem cells) may be particularly vulnerable to leukemogenic changes induced by carcinogens.

Alleles

Myeloid malignancies induced by alkylating agents in Nf1 mice.

Therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome (t-AML and MDS) are severe late complications of treatment with genotoxic chemotherapeutic agents. Children with neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) are predisposed to malignant myeloid disorders that are associated with inactivation of the NF1 tumor suppressor gene in the leukemic clone. Recent clinical data suggest that NF1 might be also associated with an increased risk of t-AML after treatment with alkyating agents. To test this hypothesis, we administered cyclophosphamide or etoposide to cohorts of wild-type and heterozygous Nf1 knockout mice. Cyclophosphamide exposure cooperated strongly with heterozygous inactivation of Nf1 in myeloid leukemogenesis, while etoposide did not. Somatic loss of the normal Nf1 allele correlated with clinical disease and was more common in 129/Sv mice than in 129/Sv x C57BL/6 animals. Leukemic cells showing loss of heterozygosity at Nf1 retained a structural allele on each chromosome 11 homolog. These studies establish a novel in vivo model of alkylator-induced myeloid malignancy that will facilitate mechanistic and translational studies.

Alkylating Agents

Prospective karyotype analysis in adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia: the cancer and leukemia Group B experience.

The Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB) has been conducting a prospective cytogenetic companion study (CALGB 8461) to all CALGB treatment protocols for newly diagnosed adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). These protocols underwent a significant change in 1988 when a new intensive chemotherapy program was introduced (CALGB 8811). We asked whether karyotype continued to represent a significant prognostic factor in adult ALL patients after the change. A total of 256 patients had adequate pretreatment cytogenetic analyses: 67 before 1988 and 189 subsequently. The complete remission (CR) rate for the whole group was 80%. Patients with t(9;22), t(4;11), -7, or +8 had significantly lower probabilities of continuous CR and survival at 5 years (.11 and.12) than patients with a normal karyotype (.38 and.37) and patients with miscellaneous cytogenetic abnormalities (.52 and.49; P <.001 for each comparison). When analyzed by treatment period, the CR rate before CALGB 8811 was 63%; subsequently, it was 86% (P <.001). Patients with cytogenetic abnormalities other than t(9;22), t(4;11), -7, or +8 had better CR rates, disease-free survival (DFS), and survivals (P =.001, P =.04, and P =.004, respectively) after the change to the more intensive chemotherapy regimens. Patients with normal cytogenetics had improved CR rate but no improved DFS or survival, whereas no significant benefit for patients with t(9;22), t(4;11), -7, or +8 was seen. In a multivariate analysis, karyotype retained its prognostic significance for DFS but not for survival; it remained the most important factor for DFS. We conclude that cytogenetic analysis at diagnosis should be used to guide treatment decisions in adults with ALL.

Adolescent

Myelodysplasia and acute leukemia following high-dose chemotherapy and autologous bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation.

Therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome (t-MDS)/acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML) has been reported after autologous bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (ABMT/PBSCT) for various malignancies. We retrospectively reviewed all adult ABMT/PBSCT cases performed at the University of Chicago Medical Center from 1985 to 1997 in order to determine the incidence of therapy-related leukemia. Among 649 patients, seven (1.1%) developed therapy-related acute lymphoblastic leukemia (one patient) or t-MDS/t-AML (six patients). Of these seven, primary malignancies included one case of breast carcinoma, five cases of Hodgkin's disease (HD) and one case of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). Disease-specific incidences for therapy-related leukemia occurring after ABMT/PBSCT were one in 354 (0.3%) for breast carcinoma, five in 79 (6.3%) for HD and one in 103 (1%) for NHL. The median latency periods for the development of therapy-related leukemia from the time of initial diagnosis and of ABMT/PBSCT were 5.5 and 1.5 years, respectively, for the combined HD and NHL group of patients and 4.4 and 2.8 years, respectively, for the one breast carcinoma patient. All seven patients had clonal cytogenetic abnormalities, and five had recurring abnormalities typical of myeloid disorders. Given the similar latency period observed in patients treated with conventional chemotherapy alone, our findings support the hypothesis that therapy-related leukemia after ABMT/PBSCT likely results from pre-transplant therapy. Early detection of therapy-related leukemia is therefore critical to exclude these patients from undergoing ABMT/PBSCT.

Adult

Chromosome 18 breakpoint in t(11;18)(q21;q21) translocation associated with MALT lymphoma is proximal to BCL2 and distal to DCC.

The t(11;18)(q21;q21) translocation has recently been identified as a recurring chromosomal abnormality in a subset of extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma, a low-grade lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). Neither the 11q21 nor the 18q21 breakpoints have been characterized by molecular genetic analysis. As a prelude to isolation of the gene(s) involved in this translocation, we have mapped the 18q21 breakpoint region by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of YAC and PAC clones. We mapped 37 YACs assigned to a 29-cM region within the chromosomal band 18q21. Using nine of these YACs in single- and/or dual-color FISH to analyze three cases of MALT lymphomas with the t(11;18)(q21;q21) translocation, we localized the breakpoints within a 1.6-Mb nonchimeric YAC (938E1). This YAC is useful for the detection of the translocation in metaphase and in interphase cells. A nonchimeric YAC contig of an 8-cM region around the breakpoint comprising nine YACs and a PAC contig of YAC 938E1 were constructed, which enabled the refinement of the breakpoint region in the proximal region of the YAC within a <820-kb segment. This breakpoint is proximal to the BCL2 locus and distal to DCC and DPC4 loci in chromosomal band 18q21.

Chromosomes, Human, Pair 11

Human CDC23: cDNA cloning, mapping to 5q31, genomic structure, and evaluation as a candidate tumor suppressor gene in myeloid leukemias.

The transition from metaphase to anaphase and exit from mitosis involve the degradation of active cyclin B-CDC2 complexes by ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. The anaphase-promoting complex (APC) catalyzes the formation of cyclin B-ubiquitin conjugates, thereby targeting cyclin B for degradation. The APC is composed of eight proteins, including four members of a family characterized by multiple tetratricopeptide repeats (TPR). We mapped two overlapping expressed sequence tag clones within a genomic contig on human chromosome 5, band q31. A search revealed high homology to Saccharomyces cerevisiae CDC23, a TPR protein component of the APC. We have isolated the human CDC23 cDNA containing the full-length predicted open reading frame. The approximately 3.3-kb message is ubiquitously expressed and encodes a protein with 591 amino acids (MW = 68,293 Da) and 9 TPR units. The protein has 30% identity and 51% similarity to the S. cerevisiae protein. The human CDC23 gene contains 16 exons and spans approximately 31 kb. CDC23 maps within the smallest commonly deleted segment in myeloid leukemias characterized by a deletion of 5q; however, we detected no mutations of CDC23 in leukemia cells with loss of 5q. Thus, CDC23 is unlikely to be involved in the pathogenesis of myeloid leukemias characterized by abnormalities of chromosome 5.

Amino Acid Sequence

CBFA2(AML1) translocations with novel partner chromosomes in myeloid leukemias: association with prior therapy.

CBFA2(AML1) has emerged as a gene critical in hematopoiesis; its protein product forms the DNA-binding subunit of the heterodimeric core-binding factor (CBF) that binds to the transcriptional regulatory regions of genes, some of which are active specifically in hematopoiesis. CBFA2 forms a fusion gene with ETO and MDS1/EVI1 in translocations in myeloid leukemia and with ETV6(TEL) in the t(12;21) common in childhood pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia. We have analyzed samples from 30 leukemia patients who had chromosome rearrangements involving 21q22 by using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). Our analysis showed that 7 of them involved CBFA2 and new translocation partners. Two patients had a t(17;21)(q11.2;q22), whereas the other 5 had translocations involving 1p36, 5q13, 12q24, 14q22, or 15q22. Five of these novel breakpoints in CBFA2 occurred in intron 6; this same intron is involved in the t(3;21). One breakpoint mapped to the t(8;21) breakpoint region in intron 5, and 1 mapped 5' to that region. All 7 CBFA2 rearrangements resulted from balanced translocations. All 7 patients had myeloid disorders (acute myeloid leukemia or myelodysplastic syndrome); 2 were de novo and 5 had treatment histories that included topoisomerase II targeting agents. The association of therapy-related disorders with translocations involving CBFA2 was significant by Fisher's exact test (P < .003). These results provide further evidence that this region of CBFA2 is susceptible to breakage in cells exposed to topoisomerase II inhibitors.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols

A DNA damage and stress inducible G protein-coupled receptor blocks cells in G2/M.

Cell cycle progression is monitored by highly coordinated checkpoint machinery, which is activated to induce cell cycle arrest until defects like DNA damage are corrected. We have isolated an anti-proliferative cell cycle regulator named G2A (for G2 accumulation), which is predominantly expressed in immature T and B lymphocyte progenitors and is a member of the seven membrane-spanning G protein-coupled receptor family. G2A overexpression attenuates the transformation potential of BCR-ABL and other oncogenes, and leads to accumulation of cells at G2/M independently of p53 and c-Abl. G2A can be induced in lymphocytes and to a lesser extent in nonlymphocyte cell lines or tissues by multiple stimuli including different classes of DNA-damaging agents and serves as a response to damage and cellular stimulation which functions to slow cell cycle progression.

3T3 Cells

Identification of Nck family genes, chromosomal localization, expression, and signaling specificity.

Already a dozen molecules share binding to the Src homology (SH) 3 domains of human Nck, an SH3-SH3-SH3-SH2 adapter protein. We reason that there may be multiple gene members of Nck to accommodate the large binding repertoires. Here we report identification of novel human and mouse Nck genes and rename them as the Nckalpha and Nckbeta genes (including the human Nckalpha, human Nckbeta, mouse Nckalpha, and mouse Nckbeta genes). Nckalpha and Nckbeta share 68% amino acid identity, whereas the two Nckalpha and two Nckbeta across the species show 96% identity to each other. The human Nckbeta gene is mapped to 2q12, whereas the human Nckalpha gene has previously been mapped at 3q21. Antibodies specifically against Nckalpha and Nckbeta detect Nckalpha and Nckbeta with an identical molecular mass in the same cells of various origins. Ectopically expressed Nckbeta, but not its SH2 domain mutant, strongly inhibits epidermal growth factor- and platelet-derived growth factor-stimulated DNA synthesis. Consistently, epidermal growth factor receptor and platelet-derived growth factor receptor preferentially interact with Nckbeta over Nckalpha in vitro. This study indicates that Nck is a multiple gene family and that each gene may have its own signaling specificity. Because previous anti-Nck (human Nckalpha) antibodies cross-react with Nckbeta, reassessment of those studies with specific Nck genes would be necessary.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing

Identification of a novel metastasis-suppressor region on human chromosome 12.

There is a critical need for markers that can be used to predict accurately the malignant potential of histological prostate cancers (J. T. Isaacs. Am. J. Pathol., 150: 1511-1521, 1997). Metastasis-suppressor genes are attractive candidates for marker development because, by definition, their loss should be associated with the acquisition of metastatic ability. In an effort to identify such genes, a single copy of human chromosome 12, tagged with the neomycin resistance gene, was introduced into highly metastatic Dunning AT6.1 prostate cancer cells by microcell-mediated chromosomal transfer. Thirty-two AT6.1-12 clonal cell lines were established and the region(s) of chromosome 12 retained was determined by sequence tagged site-based PCR analysis. Representative AT6.1-12 clones containing overlapping regions of chromosome 12 were characterized cytogenetically and were shown to have a normal complement of parental AT6.1 rat chromosomes. Fluorescence in situ hybridization, performed on representative AT6.1-12 hybrids, demonstrated a single human chromosome 12-specific signal. The metastatic ability of six representative clones was tested in immunodeficient mice. All of the AT6.1-12 clones showed the same in vivo growth rates as the control AT6.1-neo cells. Clonal cell lines that contained a conserved approximately 70-cM portion of chromosome 12 (e.g., AT6.1-12-8, -8-1, and -8-3), showed a >30-fold suppression in the number of macroscopic surface lung metastases. Mice that received injections of these cells developed a mean number 4 lung metastases whereas mice that received injections of other AT6.1-12 hybrids (lacking the approximately 70-cM region) or AT6.1-neo control cells, developed a mean number of 140 metastases. Interestingly, histological examination of the lungs of the mice that received injections of AT6.1-12-8 cells showed essentially no microscopic metastases. These findings suggest that a gene(s) encoded by the approximately 70-cM portion of human chromosome 12 suppresses an early step in the metastatic cascade.

Animals

Identification and characterization of the gene encoding a second proteolipid subunit of human vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (ATP6F).

The proteolipid domain of vacuolar H(+)-ATPase (V-ATPase) plays a major role in H+ transport in microvesicles and other acidic organelles. We have cloned the second human proteolipid of the V-ATPase (designated hATP6F), a homologue of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae proteolipid VMA16, which is an essential subunit of yeast V-ATPase. hATP6F is a hydrophobic protein with five putative transmembrane segments, having 61% amino acid identity and 83% similarity to the yeast protein, except in the N-terminus, and contains a conserved glutamic acid residue (Glu98) that is essential for H(+)-transporting activity. The gene for hATP6F (gene symbol, ATP6F), which consists of eight exons and spans approximately 3.5 kb, was isolated and mapped to human chromosome band 1p32.3 and the region 10.81 cR centromeric of the STS marker SHGC36789 (LOD = 6.75) by fluorescence in situ hybridization and radiation hybrid mapping, respectively. This is the first evidence in human of the existence of a second gene encoding a distinct V-ATPase proteolipid.

Amino Acid Sequence

Prostate stem cell antigen: a cell surface marker overexpressed in prostate cancer.

The identification of cell surface antigens is critical to the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic modalities for the management of prostate cancer. Prostate stem cell antigen (PSCA) is a prostate-specific gene with 30% homology to stem cell antigen 2, a member of the Thy-1/Ly-6 family of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchored cell surface antigens. PSCA encodes a 123-aa protein with an amino-terminal signal sequence, a carboxyl-terminal GPI-anchoring sequence, and multiple N-glycosylation sites. PSCA mRNA expression is prostate-specific in normal male tissues and is highly up-regulated in both androgen-dependent and -independent prostate cancer xenografts. In situ mRNA analysis localizes PSCA expression in normal prostate to the basal cell epithelium, the putative stem cell compartment of the prostate. There is moderate to strong PSCA expression in 111 of 126 (88%) prostate cancer specimens examined by in situ analysis, including high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and androgen-dependent and androgen-independent tumors. Flow cytometric analysis demonstrates that PSCA is expressed predominantly on the cell surface and is anchored by a GPI linkage. Fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis localizes the PSCA gene to chromosome 8q24.2, a region of allelic gain in more than 80% of prostate cancers. A mouse homologue with 70% amino acid identity and similar genomic organization to human PSCA has also been identified. These results support PSCA as a target for prostate cancer diagnosis and therapy.

Amino Acid Sequence

An FHIT tumor suppressor gene?

The FRA3B at 3p14.2 is the most common of the constitutive aphidicolin-inducible fragile sites. Using independent approaches, four groups of investigators have cloned and characterized this fragile site. The results of these studies have revealed that the FRA3B differs from other heretofore cloned rare fragile sites. First, instability as manifested by chromosome breakage occurs over a large region of DNA, encompassing at least 500 kb. Second, sequence analysis has not revealed trinucleotide repeat motifs, characteristic of the rare fragile sites. In addition to containing the FRA3B, band 3p14 is also likely to contain a tumor suppressor gene, as evidenced by the presence of deletions, rearrangements, and allele loss in a variety of human tumors, including lung, renal, nasopharyngeal, cervical, and breast carcinomas. The recently cloned FHIT gene in 3p14.2 is a promising candidate tumor suppressor gene, since aberrant FHIT transcripts have been found in a significant proportion of cancer-derived cell lines and primary tumors of the digestive and respiratory tracts. Nonetheless, several lines of evidence garnered over the past year have called into question the role of FHIT as a classical tumor suppressor gene, and raised the question of whether its apparent involvement simply reflects its location within an unstable region of the genome. In the following study, we have summarized the evidence in support of FHIT as a tumor suppressor gene as well as evidence against such a role, and the experimental evidence needed to demonstrate that FHIT functions as a tumor suppressor gene in the pathogenesis of human tumors. The paradigm of FHIT emphasizes that confirming the role of a candidate tumor suppressor gene may prove difficult, particularly for those genes that are located in genetically unstable regions.

Acid Anhydride Hydrolases

Establishment and characterization of a megakaryoblast cell line with amplification of MLL.

A new cell line with megakaryoblastic features, designated UoC-M1, was established from the malignant cells of a 68-year-old patient with acute myeloid leukemia. The patient's leukemic cells reacted with alpha-naphthyl acetate esterase and acid phosphatase and expressed CD7, CD24, CD34, CD38, CD45, HLA-DR and CD61. Cytogenetic analysis of the patient's malignant cells (and of the UoC-M1 cells) showed a human, male hypodiploid karyotype with many chromosome rearrangements and marker chromosomes. Spectral karyotyping (SKY) analysis complemented the G-banded karyotyping and clarified several chromosomal translocations and identified the marker chromosomes. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and SKY analysis demonstrated that one marker chromosome contained three segments of chromosome 9 interspersed with three segments of chromosome 11, as well as a portion of chromosome 19. FISH analysis with a probe for MLL revealed that the UoC-M1 cells contained four copies of the MLL gene. Southern blot analysis determined that the MLL gene had a germline profile while Northern and Western analyses showed that the MLL mRNAs and protein were of the appropriate sizes. This is the first report of amplification of the MLL gene which may be an additional mechanism of leukemogenesis or disease progression.

Aged

Replication of a common fragile site, FRA3B, occurs late in S phase and is delayed further upon induction: implications for the mechanism of fragile site induction.

The FRA3B at 3p14.2 is the most highly expressed of the common fragile sites observed when DNA replication is perturbed by aphidicolin or folate stress. The molecular basis for chromosome fragility at FRA3B is unknown. In contrast to the rare fragile sites, including FRAXA, no repeat motifs, such as trinucleotide repeats, have been identified within FRA3B. Several lines of evidence suggest that fragile sites are regions of DNA whose replication is unusually sensitive to interference. We have used fluorescence in situ hybridization to determine the relative timing of replication of FRA3B sequences. Our studies revealed that FRA3B sequences are late replicating. Exposure to aphidicolin, an inhibitor of both DNA polymerase alpha and delta, results in a reproducible delay in the timing of replication, and some cells enter G2without having completed replication of FRA3B sequences. Our results support a model in which common fragile sites are sequences that initiate replication late in S phase or are slow to replicate, and the chromosomal breaks and gaps observed in metaphase cells are due to unreplicated DNA.

Aphidicolin

Inversion of chromosome 16 and uncommon rearrangements of the CBFB and MYH11 genes in therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia: rare events related to DNA-topoisomerase II inhibitors?

PURPOSE: To evaluate the frequency of inversion of chromosome 16 (inv[16]) and the type of rearrangement of the CBFB and MYH11 genes in therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (t-AML) and to evaluate a possible relationship to specific types of previous chemotherapy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cytogenetic studies were performed in 180 consecutive patients with therapy-related myelodysplasia (t-MDS) or t-AML in Copenhagen and in 270 consecutive patients in Chicago. Leukemic cells were available for studies of the molecular biology in 72 patients, including four with inv(16). RESULTS: An inv(16)(p13q22) was observed in only two of 180 cases of t-MDS and t-AML in Copenhagen and in only four of 270 cases of t-MDS and t-AML in Chicago. Four patients with t-AML and inv(16) previously had received combination chemotherapy, which included an alkylating agent, and in two a DNA topoisomerase II inhibitor was included (mitoxantrone and etoposide). One patient had received paclitaxel followed by etoposide and one patient had received radiotherapy only. One patient, previously treated with mitoxantrone and cyclophosphamide for breast cancer, presented a new and, to our knowledge not previously reported, type of fusion transcript, with breakpoint at nt 399 of the CBFB gene and at nt 2134 of the MYH11 gene. Two patients previously treated with alkylating agents both presented the less common type D transcript, whereas the most common A transcript, observed in 80% of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) de novo with inv(16), only was observed in the patient treated with paclitaxel and etoposide for leiomyosarcoma. Bone marrow or blood cells from 68 patients with t-MDS and t-AML without an inv(16) all were found to be negative for chimeric rearrangement between the CBFB gene and the MYH11 gene. CONCLUSION: The present study and a review of the literature shows that inv(16) is an uncommon aberration in t-AML and, like balanced translocations to chromosome bands 11q23 and 21q22 and the t(15;17), often is associated with prior chemotherapy with DNA topoisomerase II inhibitors. Breakpoints within the MYH11 gene may vary between t-AML and AML de novo.

Acute Disease

Refinement of the commonly deleted segment in myeloid leukemias with a del(20q).

A deletion of the long arm of chromosome 20 [del(20q)] is a recurring abnormality in a wide spectrum of myeloid disorders. Loss of genetic material from 20q may confer a proliferative advantage to myeloid cells, possibly through loss of function of a tumor suppressor gene. Previously, we analyzed leukemia cells from 19 patients with a del(20q) by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and identified a segment that was deleted in 95% of all patients examined. The deleted interval extended from 20q11.2 to q12, spanned approximately 13 Mb, and was flanked proximally by RPN2 and distally by D20S17. To narrow the commonly deleted segment and facilitate the identification of candidate genes, we have employed molecular approaches in combination with FISH. By using 21 microsatellite markers positioned in a recently generated physical map of 20q, we performed allele loss studies in myeloid leukemia cells from 23 patients with a del(20q). The results of these studies allowed us to delineate a new proximal border, flanked by marker D20S206. By FISH analysis of additional leukemia samples from patients with a del(20q), we have also delineated a new distal boundary between markers D20S119 and UT654. As a result of the redesignation of both the proximal and distal boundaries, we have successfully narrowed the commonly deleted segment within 20q12 to a region spanning approximately 8 Mb. Identification of the smallest deleted segment will facilitate the eventual cloning of a candidate myeloid tumor suppressor gene.

Alleles