Lack of TERT Promoter Mutations in Human B-Cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL) are a heterogeneous group of immune cell neoplasms that comprise molecularly distinct lymphoma subtypes. Recent work has identified high frequency promoter point mutations in the telomerase reverse transcriptase ( ) gene of different cancer types, including melanoma, glioma, liver and bladder cancer. promoter mutations appear to correlate with increased TERT expression and telomerase activity in these cancers. In contrast, breast, pancreatic, and prostate cancer rarely demonstrate mutations in this region of the gene. promoter mutation prevalence in NHL has not been thoroughly tested thus far. We screened 105 B-cell lymphoid malignancies encompassing nine NHL subtypes and acute lymphoblastic leukemia, for promoter mutations. Our results suggest that promoter mutations are rare or absent in most NHL. Thus, the classical promoter mutations may not play a major oncogenic role in TERT expression and telomerase activation in NHL.