Telomere dysfunction and fusion during the progression of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia: evidence for a telomere crisis

ABSTRACT: We performed single-molecule telomere length and telomere fusion analysis in patients at different stages of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). Our work identified the shortest telomeres ever recorded in primary human tissue reinforcing the concept that there is significant cell division in CLL. Furthermore, we provide direct evidence that critical telomere shortening, dysfunction and fusion contribute to disease progression. The frequency of short telomeres and fusion events increased with advanced disease, but importantly these were also found in a subset of early-stage patient samples indicating that these events can precede disease progression. Sequence analysis of fusion events isolated from individuals with the shortest telomeres revealed limited numbers of repeats at the breakpoint, sub-telomeric deletion and microhomology. Array-CGH analysis of individuals displaying evidence of telomere dysfunction revealed large-scale genomic rearrangements that were concentrated in the telomeric regions; this was not observed in samples with longer telomeres. Array CGH was undertaken on six individuals (five CLL stage C and one stage A) that displayed evidence of telomere dysfunction, and four (three CLL stage A and one stage B) that displayed longer and apparently stable telomeres.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

SUBMITTER: Duncan Baird 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-22016 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress