IgVH mutation status in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia / 中华血液学杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To evaluate the frequency and mutation status of IgVH gene expression in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in China.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>IgVH mutation was detected by multiplex PCR and directly sequencing in 29 CLL patients. IgH somatic hypermutation and mutation site were analysed by IMGT/V-QUEST.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>Of 29 CLL patients, 21 had IgVH mutation (72%). The most frequently expressed VH gene family was found to be VH3 (55%) followed by VH4 (38%), VH2 (3.5%) and VH7 (3.5%), with no expression of VH1, VH5 and VH6.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The expression frequency of IgVH gene families in Chinese CLL patients is significantly different from that in Western CLL patients, suggesting the involvement of ethnic and/or environmental factors in CLL development, which might partly explain the different incidence of CLL between China and Western countries.</p>