Absence of Bcl10 gene mutations in Ewing's sarcomas.

The Bcl10 gene was recently isolated from the breakpoint region of t(1;14)(p22;q32) in mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphomas. Somatic mutations of Bcl10 were found in not only t(1;14)-bearing MALT lymphomas, but also a wide range of other tumors. To clarify the actual frequency and spectrum of Bcl10 mutations in primary malignant Ewing's sarcomas, we examined 31 cases of Ewing's sarcomas. Polymerase chain reaction single-stranded conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and sequencing analyses were done. No Bcl10 mutations were found in our series of Ewing's sarcomas. While screening for mutations, we found three polymorphisms at codons 8 exon 1 of the Bcl10 gene. Our results strongly suggest that somatic mutations of Bcl10 are extremely rare in Ewing's sarcomas and do not commonly contribute to their molecular pathogenesis.