Alternative involvement of two cytogenetically distinguishable breakpoints on chromosome 8 in Burkitt's lymphoma associated translocations.

The chromosomes of 16 Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) derived cell lines were submitted to high-resolution G-band analysis. They included seven lines with t(8;14), three with t(2;8), and four with t(8;22). The translocation breakpoint in chromosome #14 was located in 14q32.3, in chromosome #2 in 2p11.1, and in chromosome #22 in 22q12.12. In chromosome #8, the translocation breakpoint was located in two cytogenetically distinct subbands: 8q24.1 in cell lines with t(8;14) and t(2;8) and 8q24.22 in cell lines with t(8;22). In the light of recent molecular findings, these results indicate that the distance between the c-myc gene, located in 8q24, and the Ig sequences might be much larger in BL lines with t(8;22) than in those with t(2;8).