Translocation and rearrangement of c-myc into immunoglobulin alpha heavy chain locus in primary cells from acute lymphocytic leukemia.

We report the molecular analysis of an 8;14 reciprocal chromosome translocation in a case of acute lymphocytic leukemia (L3 type). DNA from primary leukemic cells was analyzed on the basis of restriction endonuclease mapping by hybridization with various human c-myc and Ig heavy chain probes. The breakpoint of the translocation is within an approximately equal to 200-base-pair region in the first intron of the c-myc gene. The first, untranslated exon thereby remains on chromosome 8q-, whereas the whole protein-coding region is rearranged in the C alpha 1 locus on chromosome 14q+. RNA transfer blot analysis showed high levels of at least two different c-myc transcripts originated from the translocated gene. Both differ in size from the normal 2.2- and 2.4-kilobase transcripts. Both c-myc structure and expression were apparently normalized in remission phase. These studies demonstrate rearrangement and abnormal expression of c-myc in primary cells from an acute leukemia patient, thus adding to the concept of a key role for c-onc in human oncogenesis.