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The t(7;11)(p15;p15) translocation in acute myeloid leukaemia fuses the genes for nucleoporin NUP96 and class I homeoprotein HOXA9

Abstract

The t(7;11)(p15;p15) translocation is a recurrent chromosomal abnormality associated primarily with acute myeloid leukaemia (FAB M2 and M4). We present here the molecular definition of this translocation. On chromosome 7 positional cloning revealed the consistent rearrangement of the HOXA9 gene, which encodes a class I homeodomain protein potentially involved in myeloid differentiation. On chromosome 11 the translocation targets the human homologue of NUPP98, a member of the GLFG nucleoporin family. Chimaeric messages spliced over the breakpoint fuse the GLFG repeat domains of NUP98 in-frame to the HOXA9 homeobox. The predicted NUP98–HOXA9 fusion protein may promote leukaemogenesis through inhibition of HOXA9-mediated terminal differentiation and/or aberrant nucleocytoplasmic transport.

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Borrow, J., Shearman, A., Stanton, V. et al. The t(7;11)(p15;p15) translocation in acute myeloid leukaemia fuses the genes for nucleoporin NUP96 and class I homeoprotein HOXA9. Nat Genet 12, 159–167 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1038/ng0296-159

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