Genomic lesions in CLL: B-CLL vs. PMNs from respective patients

We examined copy number changes in the genomes of B cells from 58 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) using representational oligonucleotide microarray analysis (ROMA), a form of comparative genomic hybridization (CGH), at a resolution exceeding previously published studies. We observed at least one genomic lesion in each CLL sample and considerable variation in the number of abnormalities from case to case. Virtually all abnormalities previously reported were also observed here, most of whichwere indeed highly recurrent. We observed the boundaries of known events with greaterclarity and identified previously undescribed lesions, some of which were recurrent. Weprofiled the genomes of CLL cells separated by the surface marker CD38, and foundevidence of distinct subclones of CLL within the same patient. We discuss the potential applications of high resolution CGH analysis in a clinical setting. Keywords: Genetic modification, polymorphonuclear cell (PMN) Two-condition experiment, B-CLL vs. PMNs from respective patients. Each done in colour reversal. 85K and the 385K data were generated on the overlapping sets of samples.