association between TGFB 1 promoter SNPs and the risk of childhood pre - B acute lymphoblastic leukemia among French Canadians

some 3 and 11 a novel translocation partner of the MLLgene was detected. We have shown that the translocation partner was found on chromosome 11 with LDIPCR. This technique revealed the NRIP3 gene on 11p15 as a novel translocation partner of MLL in pediatric AML, while the 3’ part of MLL was translocated to chromosome 3. The latter is thought not to be of importance since the reciprocal MLL translocations are often not expressed. Furthermore, it has been suggested that the MLL translocation partners are not randomly selected but that they are part of a protein network serving common functional processes. For example, interactions have already been described between AF4 and AF9 and ENL and AF4/AF10, which play a functional role in leukemogenesis. So far, the function of NRIP3 is not known, although it is one of the genes to be frequently hypermethylated in non-small cell lung cancer, hence it may potentially play a role in the pathogenesis of other cancers. As this is the first case in which NRIP3 is involved as a translocation partner for MLL, no conclusions can be drawn with respect to the clinical relevance and prognostic value. However, our patient has been in continuous complete remission for more than seven years. Brian V. Balgobind, C. Michel Zwaan, Claus Meyer, Rolf Marschalek, Rob Pieters, H. Berna Beverloo, and Marry M. Van den Heuvel-Eibrink Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Erasmus MC/Sophia Children’s Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Clinical Genetics, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Institute of Pharmaceutical Biology, ZAFES, Diagnostic Center of Acute Leukemias (DCAL), Frankfurt, Germany Acknowledgments: J.F. van Galen and E. van Drunen for performing additional FISH analysis. Funding: projects of B.V.B are funded by the NWO 'Netherlands Organisation for Scientfic Research’. This work is also funded by grant 107819 from the Deutsche Krebshilfe to R.M. Correspondence: Marry M. van den Heuvel-Eibrink. Department of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Sophia Children’s Hospital, Dr. Molewaterplein 60, 3015 GJ Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Phone: international +31.10.7036691. Fax: international +31.10.7036801. E-mail: [email protected] Citation: Balgobind BV, Zwaan CM, Meyer C, Marschalek R, Pieters R, Beverloo HB, Van den Heuvel-Eibrink MM. NRIP3: a novel translocation partner of MLL detected in a pediatric acute myeloid leukemia with complex chromosome 11 rearrangements. Haematologica 2009;94:1033-1034. doi: 10.3324/haematol.2008.004564