Lineage promiscuity in leukemia studies of T-cell receptor and immunoglobulin genes.

Using appropriate DNA probes, the configurations of the T-cell receptor beta-chain genes and immunoglobulin heavy-chain genes were studied in patients diagnosed as having the following malignancies: 7 chronic myeloid leukemia, 13 acute myeloblastic leukemia, 9 acute lymphocytic leukemia and 20 chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Rearrangements not corresponding to the immunotype were unexpectedly found in lineage neoplasias.