Persistence of immunoglobulin heavy chain/c-myc recombination-positive lymphocyte clones in the blood of human immunodeficiency virus-infected homosexual men

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1995 Jul 3;92(14):6577-81. doi: 10.1073/pnas.92.14.6577.

Abstract

We studied blood lymphocytes of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-seropositive and -negative homosexual men for the presence of T(8;14) translocations that recombine c-myc and immunoglobulin heavy-chain (IgH) mu/IgH alpha switch regions. Clones with T(8;14) translocations were detected in 10.5% (12/114) of the HIV-positive and in 2.0% of the 99 uninfected patients. The majority of recombinations were found at a single time point only. Four patients, however, harbored multiple (up to four) and persistent (up to 9 years) translocation-positive cell clones. No correlation between the presence of these aberrant lymphocytes and a later lymphoma could be established. The exon 1/intron 1 region of the recombined c-myc was investigated for the presence of point mutations and these were found in the nonpersistent clones. Additional alterations detected in these clones included duplications and a deletion in the c-myc gene. The pattern of base substitution indicates that they were introduced after the translocation event.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Base Sequence
  • Chromosome Mapping
  • Chromosomes, Human, Pair 14*
  • Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8*
  • Clone Cells
  • Cohort Studies
  • DNA Primers
  • Genes, myc*
  • HIV Seronegativity / genetics*
  • HIV Seronegativity / immunology
  • HIV Seropositivity / genetics*
  • HIV Seropositivity / immunology
  • Homosexuality, Male
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / blood
  • Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains / genetics*
  • Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • Lymphocytes / physiology*
  • Male
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Recombination, Genetic
  • Restriction Mapping
  • Translocation, Genetic*

Substances

  • DNA Primers
  • Immunoglobulin Heavy Chains