This study confirms that rearrangements of the BCL10 gene are uncommon in lymphoma (1/22) and may be limited tothe MALT subtype of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas.
As transcription of wild-type BCL10 was detected in all Hodgkin's disease-derived cell lines analysed, alterations of the coding sequence of the BCL10 gene are unlikely to contribute to the malignant transformation of the Hodgkin-Reed-Sternberg cell.
We report here on the high detection rate of the Bcl-x protein found in 86% of Hodgkin's disease samples and on the significance regarding its complex role among the Bcl-2-family of proteins: Bcl-x is known to heterodimerize with Bcl-2 (an anti-apoptosis protein) and with Bax, a potent inducer of cell death.
Our findings show that the bcl-x gene expression is high in HD, suggesting that bcl-x may have a role in the pathogenesis of at least some cases of HD via apoptosis regulation.