Evaluation of Structural Factors Potentially Implicated in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: A report of the MIGICCL

Background and Aims Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in the pediatric population; ∼80% of the cases show some translocation. Translocations that result in ALL are due to chromosome breaks. However, the exact mechanisms that cause these breaks have not been well studied. A detailed search of the breakpoints associated with ALL reported in the NCBI database shows that some are concentrated in limited regions of the chromosome, whereas others are scattered throughout. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify the structural factors involved in chromosomal breaks in ALL. Methods We performed several bioinformatic studies on the sequences where chromosomal breakpoints have been reported in search of rearrangements: areas of high similarity, thermodynamic stability, composition and conformation of the DNA. Results Certain factors may influence chromosome breaks and are capable of predicting the propensity towards these types of events. Conclusions These findings may be useful in the design of molecular techniques able to detect these changes in ALL.