Joining of Recombination Signals on the der 14q- Chromosome in T-Cell Acute Leukemia with t(10;14) Chromosome Translocation 1

Sequence analysis of the transiocation breakpoint junctions on the der(14q-) chromosome in six patients carrying a t(10;14) chromosome transiocation revealed that the breakpoint occurred 5' to the HOXl l protooncogene at the breakpoint cluster region. H O Xl l coding sequence was not effected. The translocation resulted in the joining of the V-(D)-J recombination signals 5' to the T-cell receptor Dsz segment on chromosome 14 with chromosome 10 at a location within a heptamer-like sequence. At the breakpoint junctions, the insertion of extra nucleotides, N-nucleotides, including P-nucleotides, was evident. The mechanism involved in this process is discussed.