| Abstract: | The dispersion of the Alu-family DNA repeats in phytohemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocytes from peripheral blood of normal donors as well as in nonstimulated bone marrow cells of four patients suffering from acute leukemia was studied by hybridization on metaphase chromosomes in situ. DNA of bacteriophage lambda CAR42 clone containing the insertion of at least 8 copies of Alu-family DNA-repeats and labelled with tritium was used as a probe in hybridization. All patients with acute leukemia had the same pattern of changes in hybridization of the bone marrow cells. It consists of silver grains clustering over 3q26, 8p12, 14q24. The pattern may reflect amplification transposition of Alu-family DNA repeats in the human genome connected with cellular differentiation or malignant transformation of blood cells. |
