Looking at More Genetic Mutations in CLL

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Leuk Res. 2006 Dec 12; [Epub ahead of print]

Use of IGHJ and IGHD gene mutations in analysis of immunoglobulin

sequences for the prognosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Lee CE, KJ, Sewell WA, AM.

School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New

South Wales, Kensington, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.

The level of somatic point mutation in immunoglobulin genes is an

important prognostic indicator for patients with chronic lymphocytic

leukemia (CLL). Mutation analysis presently focuses solely upon the

heavy chain IGHV gene, however mutation is a stochastic process that

also targets IGHD and IGHJ genes.

Here, we evaluate the completeness and reliability of the reported

IGHJ gene repertoire, and demonstrate the likely consequences of the

inclusion of IGHD and IGHJ mutations in CLL analysis, using a

dataset of 607 sequences.

Inclusion of these mutations would lead to the re-classification of

many sequences, which should significantly improve the prognostic

value of mutation analysis.

PMID: 17169423 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]