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Telomeres and chromosomal instability in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Leukemia volume 27, pages 490–493 (2013)Cite this article

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Telomeres are protective chromosomal end structures composed of G-rich nucleotide repeats and an associated protein complex termed shelterin. Because of incomplete replication, telomeric repeats are lost with every cell division, and this telomere attrition is involved in cell senescence and cancer (reviewed in Artandi and DePinho1). Short, unprotected telomeres are erroneously fused by the DNA-repair system, which gives rise to aneuploidies or structural chromosome rearrangements through chromosome fusion-bridge-breakage cycles. Thus, telomere dysfunction can drive genomic instability during tumorigenesis.1

In chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), short telomeres have been associated with poor-prognosis cytogenetics.2, 3 Besides telomere length, the functional state of telomeres depends on several molecular factors. Telomeres can be regenerated by telomerase and are protected from fusions by shelterin proteins. Detailed investigations assessing all together the expression of telomerase and shelterin genes, telomere length, recurrent aberrations and overall karyotype instability have not yet been reported in CLL. Here, we studied the telomere status and chromosomal aberrations in a series of CLL patients. A clustering analysis of the data identified groups with distinct cytogenetic and telomere profiles.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Cytogénétique Médicale, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    L Véronèse, N Prie, P Combes, L Gouas, P Vago & A Tchirkov

  2. Clermont Université, Université d'Auvergne, Faculté de Médecine, Histologie Embryologie Cytogénétique, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    L Véronèse, N Prie, P Combes, L Gouas, P Vago & A Tchirkov

  3. EA 4677 ERTICa, Université d'Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    L Véronèse, N Prie, F Kwiatkowski, P Combes, L Gouas, P Vago & A Tchirkov

  4. CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Hématologie Clinique Adulte, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    O Tournilhac, R Guièze & J O Bay

  5. EA 7283 CREaT, Université d'Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    O Tournilhac, P Verrelle, R Guièze & J O Bay

  6. Inserm U823, Institut Albert Bonniot, Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France

    M Callanan & M Chauvet

  7. CHU Grenoble, Laboratoire de Génétique Onco-hématologique, Grenoble, France

    M Callanan & M Chauvet

  8. Centre Jean Perrin, Clermont-Ferrand, France

    F Kwiatkowski, P Verrelle & A Tchirkov

  9. Service d’Hématologie Biologique, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris, France

    F Davi

Authors
  1. L Véronèse
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  2. O Tournilhac
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  3. M Callanan
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  6. P Combes
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  9. L Gouas
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  10. P Verrelle
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  14. A Tchirkov
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A Tchirkov.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on the Leukemia website

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Véronèse, L., Tournilhac, O., Callanan, M. et al. Telomeres and chromosomal instability in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Leukemia 27, 490–493 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/leu.2012.194

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