The chromosome breakpoint at 14q32 in an ataxia telangiectasia t(14;14) T cell clone is different from the 14q32 breakpoint in Burkitts and an inv(14) T cell lymphoma

Summary The T cell receptor chain gene locus and the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene locus (IgH) have previously been mapped to the q11 and q32 positions respectively of the human chromosome 14. Both of these sites are also common breakpoints in lymphocytes from ataxia telangiectasia (A-T) patients. Using in situ hybridisation we show that the 14q32 breakpoint in an A-t non-leukaemic T cell clone with t(14;14) translocation, lies outside the IgH locus and proximal to it with respect to the centromere. The 14q11-14qter segment of the homologous chromosome 14 carrying the constant gene region of the chain locus is translocated to this 14q32 position.