Recurrent gene fusions between the androgen-regulated gene TMPRSS2 and the ETS family transcription factors ERG, ETV1, and ETV4 have been identified in the majority of prostate adenocarcinomas (PCA). PCA is often multifocal with histologic heterogeneity of different tumor foci. As TMPRSS2 is a common 5' partner of ETS gene fusions, we monitored TMPRSS2 rearrangement by fluorescence in situ hybr...

BACKGROUND Over 90% of Ewing's sarcoma/primitive neuroectodermal tumour (ES/PNET) cases have the t(11;22) chromosomal rearrangement, which is also found in other small round cell tumours, including desmoplastic small round cell tumour (DSRCT) and clear cell sarcoma (CCS). Although this rearrangement can be analysed by fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) using routinely formalin fixed, par...

T cell receptor (TCR) and variable region genes are assembled from germ-line gene segments located in a single chromosomal locus in which TCR segments are situated between TCR segments. The TCR enhancer (E ) located at the 3 end of the TCR locus functions over a long chromosomal distance to promote TCR rearrangement and maximal TCR expression; whereas the TCR enhancer (E ) is located among the ...

The typical insect mitochondrial (mt) genome organization, which contains a single chromosome with 37 genes, was found in the infraorder Pentatomomorpha (suborder Heteroptera). The arrangement of mt genes in these true bugs is usually the same as the ancestral mt gene arrangement of insects. Rearrangement of transfer RNA (tRNA) genes, however, has been found in two subfamilies of flat bugs (Mez...

In most patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) primitive hematopoietic progenitors carry the acquired reciprocal bcr/abl gene rearrangement t(9;22)(q34.1; q11.21). However, not all of the progenitor cells express the bcr/abl hybrid mRNA or the p210 fusion protein. These cells, therefore, might escape detection by techniques that are based on expression of the fusion gene. To circumven...

BACKGROUND Since ret/PTC gene rearrangements are specific to papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), the diagnosis of Hürthle cell PTC (HCPTC) has recently been expanded to include a subset of Hürthle cell tumors (HCTs) that may lack both papillary architecture and/or classic nuclear features but that harbor a ret/PTC gene rearrangement. We hypothesize that such HCPTCs behave in a fashion analogous ...

INTRODUCTION The rearrangement of the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene accounts for approximately 1%-6% of lung adenocarcinoma cases and defines a molecular subgroup of tumors characterized by clinical sensitivity to ALK inhibitors such as crizotinib. This study aimed to identify the relationship between ALK rearrangement and the clinicopathologic characteristics of non-small cell lung can...

VH replacement (VHR) is a type of antibody gene rearrangement in which an upstream heavy chain variable gene segment (VH) invades a pre-existing rearrangement (VDJ). In this Hypothesis and Theory article, we begin by reviewing the mechanism of VHR, its developmental timing and its potential biological consequences. Then we explore the hypothesis that specific sequence motifs called footprints r...

We report a rare case of the plasma cell variant of Castleman's disease confined to the leptomeninges in a 42-year-old female. Flow cytometry demonstrated a minor monoclonal kappa light chain population, and conventional Southern blotting confirmed clonal rearrangement of the J(H) immunoglobulin heavy-chain gene. Polymerase chain reaction for Epstein-Barr virus and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated h...