Gene encoding the alpha chain of the T-cell receptor is moved immediately downstream of c-myc in a chromosomal 8;14 translocation in a cell line from a human T-cell leukemia.

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Abstract
The SKW-3 cell line, which was established from the malignant cells of a patient with T-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia, is characterized by a translocation involving chromosome 8 (band q24) and chromosome 14 (band q11) [t(8;14)(q24;q11)]. To determine the position of the gene encoding the .alpha. chain of the T-cell receptor and of the human protooncogene myc (c-myc) in relation to the breakpoint junctions and to evaluate their possible role in the pathogenesis of T-cell neoplasia, we applied the techniques of in situ chromosomals hybridization and Southern blot analysis to SKW-3 cells. Our results indicate that the breakpoint on chromosome 14 at band q11 occurs close to a joining sequence of the gene encoding the .alpha. chain of the T-cell receptor. Additional rearrangements within the .alpha.-chain locus appears to split the variable region cluster. As a result of the rearrangements, the constants region of this gene, as well as some variable region segments, are translocated to chromosome 8, to the 3'' side of the c-myc-coding exons. The identification of a breakpoint to the 3'' side of c-myc suggests that this translocation is analogous to the variant t(2;8) and t(8;22) translocations observed in the B-cell malignancies.