t(9;14)(p13;q32) involving the PAX-5 gene: a unique subtype of 14q32 translocation in B cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

Abstract

Newly identified t(9;14)(p13;q32) is a subtype of the well-defined 14q32 translocation and is closely associated with lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (Revised European-American Classification of Lymphoid Neoplasms). The analysis of the breakpoint of t(9;14) unraveled its molecular structure as being the recombination of the PAX-5 gene on 9p13 with IgH locus located on 14q32. The molecular event does not seem to cause structural alteration of the protein product of PAX-5 and, instead, its deregulation is most likely the essential outcome of this translocation. In vitro experiments have shown that the overexpression of PAX-5 resulted in enhanced proliferation of B cells, implicating its potential capacity for lymphomagenesis. PAX-5 is crucial during most developmental stages of B cells mainly through regulating the expression of a variety of genes. Therefore, elucidating the nature of the altered expression of these downstream genes as well as the PAX-5 gene itself would be indispensable in clarifying the precise mechanism of lymphomagenesis caused by t(9;14).