Abstract
The association of the human c-myc proto-oncogene on the long arm of chromosome 8 with the specific, consistent chromosomal translocations observed in Burkitt’s lymphoma (BL) has been established by a variety of studies. This association involves, in about 90% of cases, the immunoglobulin heavy (H) chain locus on chromosome 14 (14q32) whilst in the so-called variant BL the light (L) chain loci are involved (in about 5% of cases the lambda (λ) light chain locus on 22q11 and the remaining 5% the kappa (κ) light chain on 2pl2). In the predominant 8/14 translocations, the c-myc gene is included in the segment of chromosome 8 that translocates to chromosome 14 (Erikson et al. 1982; Davis et al. 1984) and the resultant proximity of c-myc and H chain constant region genes (in which the genes are arranged in the opposite transcription orientation) allows the orientation of the respective genes in relation to the chromosomal centromere (i.e. the c-myc gene is present on chromosome 8 with the 5′ end towards the centromere). Recently, studies of both types of variant BL translocation (i.e. t8/22 and t2/8) have shown that the breakpoint in these cases occurs to the 3′ side or downstream of the c-myc gene (Croce et al. 1983; Davis et al. 1984; Mollis et al. 1984).
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Adams JM, Gerondakis, S, Webb E, Corcoran, L, Cory S (1983) Cellular myc oncogene is altered by chromosome translocation to an immunoglobulin locus in murine plasmacytomas and is rearranged similarly in human Burkitt lymphomas. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 80: 1982–1986
Bentley DL, Rabbitts TH (1981) Human Vκ immunoglobulin gene number: implications for the origin of antibody diversity. Cell 24: 613–633
Bentley DL, Rabbitts TH (1983) Evolution of immunoglobulin V genes. Evidence indicating that recently duplicated human Vκ sequences have diverged by gene conversion. Cell 32: 181–189
Bernard O, Cory S, Gerondakis S, Webb E, Adams JM (1983) Sequence of the murine and human cellular myc oncogenes and two modes of myc transcription resulting from chromosome translocation in B lymphoid tumours. EMBO J 2: 2375–2383
Colby WW, Chen EY, Smith DH, Levinson AD (1983) Identification and nucleotide sequence of a human locus homologous to the v-myc oncogene of avian myelomcytomatosis virus MC29. Nature 301: 722–725
Croce CM, Thierfelder W, Erikson J, Nishikura K, Fitian J, Lenoir GM, Nowell PC (1983) Transcriptional activation of an unrearranged and untranslocated c-myc oncogene by translocation of a Cλ locus in Burkitt lymphoma cells. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 80: 6922–6926
Davis M, Malcolm S, Hall A, Marshall CJ (1983) Localisation of the human N-ras oncogene to chromosome 1 cen-p21 by in situ hybridisation. EMBO J 2: 2281–2283
Davis M, Malcolm S, Rabbitts TH (1984) Chromosome translocation can occur on either side of the c-myc oncogene in Burkitt lymphoma cells. Nature, in press
Erikson J, Finan J, Nowell PC, Croce CM (1982) Translocation of immunoglobulin VH genes in Burkitt lymphoma. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 79: 5611–5615
Erikson J, Nishikura K, AR-Rushdi A, Finan J, Emanuel B, Lenoir G, Nowell PC, Croce, CM (1983) Translocation of an immunoglobulin K locus to a region 3f of an unrearranged c-myc oncogene enhances c-myc transcription. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 80: 7581–7585
Hamlyn PH, Rabbitts TH (1983) Translocation joins c-myc and immunoglobulin γ1 genes in a Burkitt lymphoma revealing a third exon in the c-myc oncogene. Nature 304: 135–139
Hollis GF, Mitchell KF, Battey J, Potter H, Taub R, Lenoir GM, Leder P (1984) A variant translocation places the λ immunoglobulin genes 3′ to the c-myc oncogene in Burkitt’s lymphoma. Nature 307: 752–755
Leder P, Battey J, Lenoir G, Moulding C, Murphy W, Potter H, Steward T, Taub R (1983) Translocations among antibody genes in human cancer. Science 222: 765–771
Malcolm S, Barton P, Murphy C, Ferguson-Smith MA, Bentley DL, Rabbitts, TH (1982) Localisation of human immunoglobulin kappa light chain variable region genes to the short arm of chromosome 2 by in situ hybridisation. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 79: 4957–4961
McBride OW, Hieter PA, Hollis GF, Swan D, Otey MC, Leder P (1982) Chromosomal location of human kappa and lambda immunoglobulin light chain constant region genes. J Exp Med 155: 1480–1490
Nishikura K, AR-Rushdi A, Erikson J, Watt R, Rovera G, Croce CM (1983) Differential expression of the normal and of the translocated human c-myc oncogenes in B cells. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 80: 4822–4826
Rabbitts TH, Hamlyn PH, Baer R (1983) Altered nucleotide sequence of a translocated c-myc gene in Burkitt lymphoma. Nature 306: 760–765
Stanton LW, Watt R, Marcu KB (1983) Translocation, breakage and truncated transcripts of c-myc oncogene in murine plasmacytomas. Nature 303: 401–401
Watt R, Stanton LW, Marcu KB, Gallo RC, Croce CM, Rovera G (1983) Nucleotide sequence of cloned cDNA of human c-myc oncogene. Nature 303: 725–728
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1984 Springer-Verlag Berlin · Heidelberg
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Rabbitts, T.H., Baer, R., Davis, M., Forster, A., Hamlyn, P.H., Malcolm, S. (1984). The c-myc Gene Paradox in Burkitt’s Lymphoma Chromosomal Translocation. In: Potter, M., Melchers, F., Weigert, M. (eds) Oncogenes in B-Cell Neoplasia. Current Topics in Microbiology and Immunology, vol 113. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69860-6_28
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-69860-6_28
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
Print ISBN: 978-3-642-69862-0
Online ISBN: 978-3-642-69860-6
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive