The consequences of recurring chromosome translocations
(A) In some lymphomas and leukemias, chromosome translocations lead to the juxtaposition of promoter/enhancer elements from one gene (gene A, purple) with the intact coding region of another gene (gene B, red). (B) By contrast, translocations seen in CML and many of the acute leukemias result in recombination of the coding regions of two different genes. This results in a fusion protein that might have a new function. This is the case for the BCR-ABL fusion protein that is encoded by the Philadelphia chromosome.
This image is linked to the following World Library of Science pages:
Translocations generate novel chromosomes, but are often linked to disorders like infertility and cancer. How do these new chromosomes generate problems, and how are they detected?
