Remarks
Follicular lymphoma (FL), the most common type of lymphoma, is a cancer of the cells of the immune system. Follicular lymphoma is associated with a specific genome rearrangement where parts of chromosomes 14 and 18 have exchanged. This rearrangement is an initiating event for FL but insufficient without additional mutation events for cancer development. Furthermore, there may be more genome rearrangements to progress from FL to a more aggressive form of the disease, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. To understand the relationship between rearrangements and disease, this project will identify rearrangements in the FL genome and then analyze the rearrangements to determine their effect on gene structure. Because this is one of the first in depth genome profiling of human cancers, recurrent genomic rearrangements will advance knowledge not only about lymphoma but about cancer in general. Understanding the dysfunctions in lymphoma will permit researchers to develop new diagnostic and prognostic markers and possibly new therapies.