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Telomere length and heavy-chain mutation status in familial chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Naoko Ishibe1, DaRue Prieto, Douglas A Hosack
1Genetic Epidemiology Branch, Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, 6120 Executive Blvd, MSC 7236, Rockville, MD 20892, USA. ishiben@exchange.nih.gov
Abstract:
We examined whether telomere lengths of peripheral blood mononuclear cells are associated with immunoglobulin gene usage in 21 familial chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients. Subjects with unmutated V genes tended to have shorter telomeres than those with somatic mutations, especially after adjusting for age. Unlike V(H) mutation status, telomere length was not predictive for survival. Our results suggest that telomere length is associated with V(H) gene mutation status and provides further evidence that the biological basis of familial B-CLL is similar to that of sporadic patients.