The methylation status of the major breakpoint cluster region in human leukemia cells, including Philadelphia chromosome-positive cells, is linked to the lineage of hematopoietic cells.

The Philadelphia (Ph) translocation [t(9;22)(q34;q11)] is the most common genetic abnormality in human leukemia; a transposition of the ABL gene to the major-breakpoint cluster region (M-BCR) is associated with the pathogenesis in Ph+ chronic myelogenous leukemia (Ph+ CML) and in some cases of Ph+ acute leukemia (Ph+ AL). Our current understanding of the methylation of human genomes allows us to consider the association between the epigenetic phenomenon and the control of differentiation and proliferation in mammalian cells. In order to determine whether the methylation status of the M-BCR is associated with breakpoint-localization in this region and with the lineage of hematopoietic cells, we have examined 28 patients with Ph+ leukemias, including nine with Ph+ AL, six patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia without Ph (Ph- AML), and five patients with Ph- acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph- ALL); using the restriction endonuclease isochizomers, MspI and HpaII. In CML patients in the chronic phase, the hypomethylated status within the normal M-BCR allele is heterogeneous. In contrast, patients with Ph+ CML in the lymphoid blast crisis phase exhibited a 2.5/2.7 kb band with a complete disappearance of the germline M-BCR fragment (type L). This pattern is consistently noted in Ph- ALL cells, and the pattern is quite different from that found in myeloid blast crisis or Ph- AML (type M). In patients with M-BCR-nonrearranged Ph+ ALL, it is suggested that the M-BCR methylation patterns are cell-lineage specific but some Ph+ ALL cells had a hypomethylation pattern that was identical to that observed in Ph- AML, suggesting a distinction of genetic diversity of leukemia cells with the Ph chromosome, especially Ph+ AL.