Human lymphoma differentiation concepts correlate with in vitro action of immunoglobulin gene-specific transcription factors.

Lymphoid tissue-specific expression of immunoglobulin genes is regulated (in part) by gene-specific trans-acting factors. Whereas different classes of human B cell lymphoid neoplasms produce immunoglobulins in amounts that correlate with the stages of normal B cell differentiation, the pattern of expression of putative regulatory trans-acting factors in human lymphoid neoplasia is unknown. Nuclear extracts made from human lymphoid neoplasms were screened for their ability to enhance transcription of the unrearranged Kappa light chain immunoglobulin gene (V Kappa) in a whole cell in vitro transcription assay. Extracts from plasmacytomas, large noncleaved cell lymphomas, and Burkitt's lymphomas specifically enhance V Kappa gene transcription up to 22-fold, whereas no enhancement was achieved using extracts from lymphoid neoplasms corresponding to the earlier stages of normal B cell maturation. We suggest that these findings mean that the production of immunoglobulins by human lymphoid neoplasms correlates with the expression of immunoglobulin gene specific trans-acting factors.