Immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement in B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas detected by the polymerase chain reaction

Aims and background: Immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangement serves as a marker of clonality and cell lineage in B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. In this study we used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect clonal rearrangements of the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene in a group of patients with B-cell lymphomas. Methods: DNA was extracted from frozen tissue of 40 B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas and subjected to PCR amplification using primers that recognize conserved sequences of the variable and joining regions of the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene. Results: Monoclonal rearrangements were detected in 23 of 40 malignant B-cell lymphomas. No clonal rearrangements were detected in the 10 control cases. Conclusions: We conclude that this PCR-based technique may provide a simplified and rapid approach for the detection of clonal immunoglobulin heavy chain gene rearrangements in B-cell lymphomas without recourse to Southern blotting, which can be reserved for cases in which PCR is negative.