Deregulation of BCL6 in non-Hodgkin lymphoma by insertion of IGH sequences in complex translocations involving band 3q27.

Chromosomal band 3q27 frequently engages in translocations with a number of sites within the genome, including those containing IG and other genes, during the development of B-cell lymphoma. The BCL6 gene, mapped at 3q27, is deregulated in these translocations and was isolated from a t(3;14)(q27;q32) translocation. It encodes a zinc-finger transcription repressor protein, which is expressed mainly in the germinal center (GC) B cells and plays a key role in GC development and T-cell-dependent immune response. BCL6 deregulation in 3q27 translocations is brought about by substitution of its 5' regulatory sequences by promoters of the rearranging genes. BCL6-rearranging genes studied so far (IGH, IGLL, TTF, BOBI, H4) displayed a broader pattern of expression than BCL6 during B-cell development. This observation has led to the suggestion that continued expression of BCL6 beyond its developmentally regulated point of downregulation under the direction of substituted promoters may keep the GC B cell in a cycling mode and lead to clonal expansion and lymphoma development. However, the rearranging partners of BCL6 in several of the 3q27 translocations have not yet been identified. In a molecular cloning analysis of two such translocations, t(1;3)(q21;q27) and t(3;6)(q27;p25), and an immunoblastic lymphoma cell line, OSI-LY8, we identified a novel mechanism of BCL6 deregulation. This comprised replacement of BCL6 5' regulatory sequences by insertion of IG gene transcriptional regulatory sequences at the translocation junction. These studies demonstrate novel features of instability of 3q27, and of the BCL6 and IGH genes, in B-cell lymphomagenesis.