Letters to the Editor 2050 The ELL/MLLT1 dual-color assay described herein entails 3Department of Cytogenetics, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA and co-hybridization of probes for the ELL and MLLT1 gene regions, 4 each labeled in a different fluorochrome to allow differentiation Cytogenetics Laboratory, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, between genes involved in 11q;19p chromosome translocations Seattle, WA, USA E-mail:
[email protected] in interphase or metaphase cells. In t(11;19) acute leukemia cases, gain of a signal easily pinpoints the specific translocation breakpoint to either 19p13.1 or 19p13.3 and 11q23. In the References re-evaluation of our own cases in light of the FISH data, the 19p breakpoints were re-assigned in two patients, underscoring a 1 Harrison CJ, Mazzullo H, Cheung KL, Gerrard G, Jalali GR, Mehta A certain degree of difficulty in determining the precise 19p et al. Cytogenetic of multiple myeloma: interpretation of fluorescence in situ hybridization results. Br J Haematol 2003; 120: 944–952. breakpoint in acute leukemia specimens in the context of a 2 Thirman MJ, Levitan DA, Kobayashi H, Simon MC, Rowley JD. clinical cytogenetics laboratory. Furthermore, we speculate that Cloning of ELL, a gene that fuses to MLL in a t(11;19)(q23;p13.1) the ELL/MLLT1 probe set should detect other 19p translocations in acute myeloid leukemia. Proc Natl Acad Sci 1994; 91: 12110– that involve these genes with partners other than MLL. Accurate 12114. molecular classification of leukemia is becoming more im- 3 Tkachuk DC, Kohler S, Cleary ML.