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. 1990 Feb;9(2):415–424. doi: 10.1002/j.1460-2075.1990.tb08126.x

The tal gene undergoes chromosome translocation in T cell leukemia and potentially encodes a helix-loop-helix protein.

Q Chen 1, J T Cheng 1, L H Tasi 1, N Schneider 1, G Buchanan 1, A Carroll 1, W Crist 1, B Ozanne 1, M J Siciliano 1, R Baer 1
PMCID: PMC551682  PMID: 2303035

Abstract

We have analyzed t(1;14)(p32;q11) chromosome translocations from two patients with T cell acute lymphocytic leukemia. The chromosome 1 breakpoints of these patients lie within a kilobasepair of each other, and thus define a genetic locus (designated tal) involved in T cell oncogenesis. Moreover, we have identified sequences within tal that potentially encode an amphipathic helix-loop-helix motif, a DNA-binding domain found in a variety of proteins that control cell growth and differentiation. The homology domain of tal is especially related to that of lyl-1, a gene on chromosome 19 that has also been implicated in T cell oncogenesis. Hence, tal and lyl-1 encode a distinct family of helix-loop-helix proteins involved in the malignant development of lymphocytes.

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