A fluorescence in situ hybridization map of 6q deletions in acute lymphocytic leukemia: identification and analysis of a candidate tumor suppressor gene.

With the objective of identifying candidate tumor suppressor genes, we used fluorescence in situ hybridization to map leukemia-related deletions of the long arm of chromosome 6 (6q). Twenty of 24 deletions overlapped to define a 4.8-Mb region of minimal deletion between markers D6S1510 and D6S1692 within chromosome 6 band q16. Using reverse transcription-PCR, we found evidence of expression in hematopoietic cells for 3 of 15 genes in the region (GRIK2, C6orf111, and CCNC). Comparison between our own and published deletion data singled out GRIK2 as the gene most frequently affected by deletions of 6q in acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Sequence analysis of GRIK2 in 14 ALL cases carrying heterozygous 6q deletions revealed a constitutional and paternally inherited C to G substitution in exon 6 encoding for an amino acid change in one patient. The substitution was absent among 232 normal alleles tested, leaving open the possibility that heterozygous carriers of such mutations may be susceptible to ALL. Although low in all normal hematopoietic tissues, quantitative reverse transcription-PCR showed higher baseline GRIK2 expression in thymus and T cells than other lineages. Among T-cell ALL patients, 6q deletion was associated with a statistically significant reduction in GRIK2 expression (P = 0.0001). By contrast, elevated GRIK2 expression was measured in the myelomonocytic line THP-1 and in one patient with common ALL. Finally, we detected significant levels of GRIK2 expression in prostate, kidney, trachea, and lung, raising the possibility that this gene may be protective against multiple tumor types.

Evidence that continued remission in patients treated for acute leukaemia is dependent upon autologous natural killer cells.

Although it has been known for more than 40 years that allogeneic immune responses cure leukaemias after bone marrow transplantation, autologous leukaemia-specific immunity remains controversial and its impact upon survival has not been established. Here we have tested 25 patients with de novo acute leukaemias, while in remission at completion of their anti-leukaemia therapy, for evidence of autologous cytolytic immunity to their leukaemic cells taken and cryopreserved at disease presentation. We have measured this degree of cell-mediated cytotoxicity in vitro and termed it "leukaemia cytolytic activity" (LCA). Patients whose disease ultimately relapsed had significantly lower LCA than those who remained in remission beyond 2 years (P < 0.001); the absence of LCA when in remission predicted subsequent relapse within 2 years with a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 77%. LCA was mediated in vitro by CD56+/CD8alpha+/CD3- natural killer cells. We propose that it is this immune response, rather than the chemotherapy per se, which is responsible for continued remission and that measurement of LCA in patients at completion of therapy may be used as an indicator of risk of subsequent relapse. Patients lacking this response will require further treatment, either with an allogeneic donor transplant or an alternative immunotherapeutic strategy.