Non-random duplication of chromosome 15 in murine T-cell leukemias induced in mice heterozygous for translocation T(14:15)6.

Trisomy of chromosome 15 is a highly regular feature of murine T-cell leukemogenesis. We have studied the chromosomal constitution of 7,12-dimethylbenza(a)anthracene (DMBA)-induced T-cell leukemias in C57BL X CBAT6T6 F1 mice. The CBAT6T6-derived chromosome T(14:15)6 was regularly duplicated whereas the C57BL-derived normal chromosome 15 was only present in one copy. It was concluded that the gene(s) that tend to duplicate in parallel with the neoplastic transformation of the prothymocyte to an overt leukemic cell have a greater chance of duplicating and/or may have a stronger promoting effect on leukemogenesis if stronger promoting effect on leukemogenesis if located on the CBA-derived, structurally rearranged T(14:15)6 than the corresponding genes located on the C57BL-derived normal chromosome 15.