Multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization reveals complex aberrations of chromosome 8 and cryptic translocations in Burkitt's lymphoma cell lines

6643 Background: The genetic hallmark of Burkitt’s lymphomas (BL) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia, subtype L3, is a rearrangement of the CMYC gene on 8q24 by the chromosomal translocation t(8;14)(q24;q32) or its variants the t(2;8)(p12;q24) and the t(8;22)(q24;q11). Secondary chromosomal abnormalities occur in about 70% of BL, but their spectrum, incidence and prognostic relevance are not well known. The recent development of multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization (M-FISH) allows the identification of each individual chromosome by its fluorescence pattern and hereby greatly enhances the resolution of conventional cytogenetic analysis, like the accuracy of characterization of marker chromosomes or complex chromosomal rearrangements. Materials: In order to better characterize primary and secondary chromosomal abnormalities and to screen for new aberrations, we applied M-FISH to 8 BL cell lines (BL-41, BL-70, Ca-46, DOHH-2, MN-60, Namalwa, Raji, Tanoue) and compared our results with the G-banded kary...