부산대학교 도서관

We analysed immunoglobulin (Ig) gene rearrangements in 28 patients with multiple myeloma by Southern hybridization method. We used 5 probes which cover Cκ and κ de loci of Ig light chain κ gene, and JH, 5'Sμ and Sγ3 loci of Ig heavy chain gene. In 11 out of 12 patients with κ-producing myeloma, DNA rearrangements were observed using Cκ probe. Among them, κde region was rearranged in 7 patients and kept germline configuration in 4 patients. In all of 14 patients with λ-producing myeloma, Cκ region was deleted and κ de region was rearranged. 5'Sμ-probe was very useful for detecting class switch recombination, and furthermore by using Sγ-probe together, Sμ-Sγ joining could be detected. In all of 10 patients with γ-producing myeloma, 5'Sμ and Sγ-probes detected the rearranged band of the same size on at least 1 allele, which suggested the presence of Sμ-Sγ joinings. In 8 of 10 patients with Bence-Jones myeloma, 5'Sμ-probe detected rearranged bands and the presence of class switch recombinations were suggested as observed in other Ig secretory myelomas. In other 2 patients with Bence-Jones myeloma, non-functional class switch recombinations were detected. The results of this study indicated that genotypes corresponded well to phenotypes in multiple myeloma, and further analysis in other types of B cell malignancies will be interesting.