PLoS ONE (Jan 2015)

Novel ZEB2-BCL11B Fusion Gene Identified by RNA-Sequencing in Acute Myeloid Leukemia with t(2;14)(q22;q32).

  • Synne Torkildsen,
  • Ludmila Gorunova,
  • Klaus Beiske,
  • Geir E Tjønnfjord,
  • Sverre Heim,
  • Ioannis Panagopoulos

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0132736
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 7
p. e0132736

Abstract

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RNA-sequencing of a case of acute myeloid leukemia with the bone marrow karyotype 46,XY,t(2;14)(q22;q32)[5]/47,XY,idem,+?4,del(6)(q13q21)[cp6]/46,XY[4] showed that the t(2;14) generated a ZEB2-BCL11B chimera in which exon 2 of ZEB2 (nucleotide 595 in the sequence with accession number NM_014795.3) was fused to exon 2 of BCL11B (nucleotide 554 in the sequence with accession number NM_022898.2). RT-PCR together with Sanger sequencing verified the presence of the above-mentioned fusion transcript. All functional domains of BCL11B are retained in the chimeric protein. Abnormal expression of BCL11B coding regions subjected to control by the ZEB2 promoter seems to be the leukemogenic mechanism behind the translocation.