Monitoring of engraftment and progression of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in individual NOD/SCID mice.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop an animal model for human acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in which the kinetics and characteristics of leukemia can be sequentially monitored in individual mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: NOD/SCID mice were inoculated intravenously with primary ALL. Progression of leukemia was monitored throughout the development of disease by determination of absolute leukemic cell counts (LCC) in peripheral blood. RESULTS: LCC as low as 10(4) leukemic cells/mL blood could be detected. ALL cells from 5 of 5 patients engrafted, and after identification of the first leukemic cells in peripheral blood, LCC increased exponentially. Leukemic cells showed specificity of homing to spleen and bone marrow, and LCC strongly correlated with the level of leukemic engraftment in these organs throughout disease progression, demonstrating that LCC are representative for overall leukemic burden. Cytogenetic analysis of leukemic cells recovered after six successive in vivo transfers revealed no major karyotypic changes as compared to primary cells, and selection of the dominant clones was observed. This selection process was reflected by an increase in the rate of leukemic progression as compared to the first inoculation, demonstrating the accuracy with which kinetics of leukemic progression can be studied by determination of LCC. CONCLUSIONS: This model is suitable for detailed studies of kinetics and characteristics of ALL in vivo, and it may be useful for monitoring effects of novel therapeutic regimens.

A second case of hexasomy 8 in myelodysplastic syndrome.

Tetrasomy 8 is a rare form of acquired aneuploidy found exclusively in the myeloid leukemias. Hexasomy 8 is even rarer: only one case has been reported, thus far. We describe here the second case of hexasomy 8 as the sole abnormality in an elderly female patient with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).

Trisomy 13 and myelodysplastic syndrome.

The clinical and cytogenetic data of a patient with myelodysplastic syndrome-refractory anemia with excess blasts (MDS-RAEB) and trisomy 13 as the sole abnormality are presented. This appears to be only the second report of such a patient. The presence of trisomy 13 is confirmed by in situ hybridization using an alphoid repeat probe L1.26, which is specific for the centromeres of both chromosomes 13 and 21.

A case of isodicentric 7p as sole abnormality in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia.

The detection of isochromosomes in the leukemias and in solid tumors has been well described in the literature, the most common being the i(17q), which is found in the blast crisis of CML and terminal stages of acute myeloid leukemia. Reports of isochromosome 7 have, however, been less well represented, particularly isochromosomes of the short arm of chromosome 7, which represent approximately 1% of all reported isochromosomes in neoplasia. We present here a case report of an elderly female patient with AML-M2 who manifested an idic(7p) in the majority of her bone marrow cells. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) studies with both centromere-7--and chromosome-7--specific DNA probes verified the diagnosis of idic(7p). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of this type of leukemia with an acquired idic(7p) as the sole cytogenetic abnormality.

Nasopharyngeal teratoma and mosaic tetrasomy 1q detected at amniocentesis. A case report and review of the literature.

The occurrence of nasopharyngeal teratomas (NPT) is an infrequent event and prenatal detection of such tumors is even rarer. We present a case report and review of the literature (N = 78 cases), in which we describe the cytogenetic, DNA, and pathological findings of a fetus with a mature NPT which was detected prenatally by ultrasound investigation following complaints of severe polyhydramnios by the mother.

Ring chromosome 4 as the sole cytogenetic anomaly in a chondroblastoma: a case report and review of the literature.

Chromosome analysis of a chondroblastoma of the right distal femur in a 31-year-old male patient revealed a ring chromosome 4 in approximately one-third of the analyzed cells. The remaining cells had a normal karyotype. These findings were subsequently confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with a chromosome-4-specific library. FISH with cosmids pC847.351 (4p16.3) and cT171 (4q35) revealed that fewer than 300 kilobase pairs (kbp) are deleted. To our knowledge, ring chromosome 4 has never been reported in this type of neoplasm. There are, however, several reports of chondroblastoma with other chromosome abnormalities, but the relation of these anomalies to this tumor specifically is unclear. In this report, we also provide a review of the literature concerning cytogenetic studies in chondroblastoma. The possible significance of ring chromosome 4 in this type of tumor is discussed.

Premature menopause because of an inherited deletion in the long arm of the X-chromosome.

A family is described in which both a mother and an infertile daughter had premature menopause at the ages of 31 and 28 years, respectively. Initially, an extensive investigation revealed no apparent cause for their conditions. However, when cytogenetic analysis in the daughter was performed, a terminal deletion in the long arm of one of the X-chromosomes was found. The karyotype was: 46,Xdel(X),(q25-qter). Chromosomal investigation in the mother showed an identical deletion. The karyotype of the patient's 35-year-old sister is normal. She has a normal menstrual cycle and two normal children. The presence of such familial cases suggests that chromosomal investigation should be considered in young women with oligomenorrhea, especially those whose mothers have experienced a premature menopause.

A girl with 71,XXXXY karyotype.

A girl with a 71,XXXXY karyotype is described. Internal and external genitalia were female despite the presence of a Y-chromosome.

Alpha satellite DNAs on chromosomes 10 and 12 are both members of the dimeric suprachromosomal subfamily, but display little identity at the nucleotide sequence level.

We have investigated the organization and complexity of alpha satellite DNA on chromosomes 10 and 12 by restriction endonuclease mapping, in situ hybridization (ISH), and DNA-sequencing methods. Alpha satellite DNA on both chromosomes displays a basic dimeric organization, revealed as a 6- and an 8-mer higher-order repeat (HOR) unit on chromosome 10 and as an 8-mer HOR on chromosome 12. While these HORs show complete chromosome specificity under high-stringency ISH conditions, they recognize an identical set of chromosomes under lower stringencies. At the nucleotide sequence level, both chromosome 10 HORs are 50% identical to the HOR on chromosome 12 and to all other alpha satellite DNA sequences from the in situ cross-hybridizing chromosomes, with the exception of chromosome 6. An 80% identity between chromosome 6- and chromosome 10-derived alphoid sequences was observed. These data suggest that the alphoid DNA on chromosomes 6 and 10 may represent a distinct subclass of the dimeric subfamily. These sequences are proposed to be present, along with the more typical dimeric alpha satellite sequences, on a number of different human chromosomes.

Two distinct loci on the short arm of chromosome 16 are involved in myeloid leukemia.

We report a case of acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (ANLL) M5 with the characteristic t(8;16)(p11;p13). The breakpoint in the short arm was regionally localized using nonradioactive in situ hybridization with a series of cosmids of chromosome 16. The results show that a difference exists between the breakpoint in chromosome 16(p13) in this t(8;16) and the breakpoint involved in the short arm in the characteristic inversion 16 (p13;q22)) that occurs in ANLL M4eo. Two different loci appear to be involved in these chromosomal rearrangements.

Pitt-Rogers-Danks syndrome and Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome are caused by a deletion in the same region on chromosome 4p 16.3.

Recently, a deletion of chromosome 4pter was found in three patients with Pitt-Rogers-Danks syndrome. We investigated two of these patients, by means of DNA and FISH studies, together with two additional patients with Pitt-Rogers-Danks syndrome, to determine the critical region of the deletion in these patients and to compare this with the critical region in Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome. All four patients showed terminal deletions of chromosome 4p of different sizes. One of them appeared to have an unbalanced karyotype caused by a cryptic translocation t(4;8) in the mother, resulting in a deletion of chromosome 4pter and a duplication of chromosome 8pter. The localisation of the Wolf-Hirschhorn critical region has been confined to approximately 1 Mb between D4S43 and D4S115. Our study shows that the deletions in four patients with the Pitt-Rogers-Danks syndrome overlap the Wolf-Hirschhorn critical region and extend beyond this in both directions. This study, combined with the fact that our third patient, who was previously described as a Pitt-Rogers-Danks patient, but who now more closely resembles a Wolf-Hirschhorn patient, makes it likely that Pitt-Rogers-Danks and Wolf-Hirschhorn syndromes are different clinical phenotypes resulting from a deletion in the same microscopic region on chromosome 4p16.

Combined GTG-banding and nonradioactive in situ hybridization improves characterization of complex karyotypes.

Nonradioactive in situ hybridization (ISH) using biotinylated centromere probes for chromosomes 1, 6, 7, 10, 16, 17, 18, and the X, respectively, was combined with GTG-banding to study cytogenetic changes in two different ovarian cancer cell lines. ISH was performed after GTG-banding on the same metaphase. The use of a low trypsin concentration (0.01%) in the banding procedure was essential for subsequent ISH. This combined approach allows the detection of subtle chromosomal rearrangements and appears to aid the identification of marker chromosomes.

Generation and fluorescent in situ hybridization mapping of yeast artificial chromosomes of 1p, 17p, 17q, and 19q from a hybrid cell line by high-density screening of an amplified library.

A yeast artificial chromosome (YAC) library has been constructed from a somatic cell hybrid containing a t(1p;19q) chromosome and chromosome 17. After amplification, part of this library was analyzed by high-density colony filter screening with a repetitive human DNA probe (Alu). The human YACs distinguished by the screening were further analyzed by Alu fingerprinting and Alu PCR. Fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) was performed to localize the YACs to subchromosomal regions of chromosome 1p, 17, or 19q. We have obtained a panel of 123 individual YACs with a mean size of 160 kb, and 77 of these were regionally localized by FISH: 33 to 1p, 10 to 17p, 25 to 17q, and 9 to 19q. The YACs cover a total of 19.7 Mb or 9% of the 220 Mb of human DNA contained in the hybrid. No overlapping YACs have yet been detected. These YACs are available upon request and should be helpful in mapping studies of disease loci, e.g., Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, Miller-Dieker syndrome, hereditary breast tumor, myotonic dystrophy, and malignant hyperthermia.

Familial translocations involving 15q11-q13 can give rise to interstitial deletions causing Prader-Willi or Angelman syndrome.

A de novo interstitial deletion of 15q11-q13 is the major cause of Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and Angelman syndrome (AS). Here we describe two unrelated PWS patients with a typical deletion, whose fathers have a balanced translocation involving the PWS/AS region. Microsatellite data suggest that the deletion is the result of an unequal crossover between the derivative chromosome 15 and the normal chromosome 15. We conclude that familial translocations involving 15q11-q13 can give rise to interstitial deletions causing PWS or AS and that prenatal diagnosis in such families should include fluorescence in situ hybridisation or microsatellite studies or both.

Proliferation and cytogenetic analysis of hairy cell leukemia upon stimulation via the CD40 antigen.

Using the CD40 system, in vitro proliferation of hairy cell leukemia (HCL) was examined in 43 patients. In this culture system, cells were stimulated by interleukin-4 (IL-4) and anti-CD40 monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) that were added in soluble form or were cross-linked via their Fc part using Fc gamma RII-transfected mouse fibroblast cells. Proliferation was induced and confirmed by 3H-thymidine incorporation in 14 cases and by the presence of metaphases in 42 cases. 3H-thymidine incorporation showed a heterogeneous pattern: cross-linking of anti-CD40 gave the highest proliferation in 8 cases; in 11 cases, stimulation with anti-CD40 MoAbs alone, without cross-linking also resulted in proliferation; the addition of IL-4 further enhanced 3H-thymidine incorporation in 5 cases, but suppressed this phenomenon in 5 other cases. The CD40 system proved to be very effective in obtaining cytogenetic data. With a success rate of 42 of 43 patients tested, we found clonal abnormalities in 8 cases (19%) and nonclonal abnormalities with involvement of one or two abnormal metaphases in another 7 cases. The chromosomes most frequently involved in the abnormal karyotypes, both structurally and numerically, were chromosomes 5, 7, and 14. By fluorescence-activated cell-sorting analysis of the cultured cells, and by immunophenotypic analysis of metaphase spreads, T-cell growth could be excluded and the HCL-lineage confirmed. Stimulation via the CD40 antigen is an excellent tool for growing hairy cell leukemia cells.

Localization and polymorphism of a chromosome 12-specific alpha satellite DNA sequence.

The isolation and localization of a chromosome 12-specific alpha satellite DNA sequence, p alpha 12H8, is described. This clone contains a complete copy of the 1.4-kb HindIII higher-order repeat present within the alpha satellite array on chromosome 12. The specificity of p alpha 12H8 was demonstrated by in situ hybridization and Southern blot analysis of a somatic cell hybrid mapping panel, both performed under high-stringency conditions. Polymorphic restriction patterns within the alpha satellite array, revealed by the use of the restriction enzymes BglII and EcoRV, were demonstrated to display Mendelian inheritance. These properties make p alpha 12H8 a valuable genetic marker for the centromeric region of chromosome 12.

Improved interpretation of complex chromosomal rearrangements by combined GTG banding and in situ suppression hybridization using chromosome-specific libraries and cosmid probes.

Chromosome aberrations of a hypodiploid ovarian carcinoma cell line (modal chromosome number 38) having a complex karyotype were analyzed using biotinylated DNA library probes that specifically hybridize to chromosomes 3, 6, 7, 8, 11, 13, and 16 from telomere (pter) to telomere (qter). A series of cosmid probes localized to the short arm of chromosome 16 were used to further investigate one of the two aberrant chromosomes 16 present in this cell line. The competitive in situ suppression (CISS) hybridization of DNA-libraries was mostly performed subsequent to GTG-banding of the same metaphase cell in order to interpret the hybridization signals optimally. This combined approach made it possible to detect the origin of chromosomal material that could not be identified using GTG-banding. Furthermore, the in situ hybridization techniques appeared to be helpful in the characterization of complex translocations and for accurate breakpoint determination.