[Clinical and immunopathological significance of chimerism in bone marrow and organ transplantations].

Chimerism is an exceptional immunogenetic state, characterized by the survival and collaboration of cell populations originated from two different individuals. The prerequisites to induce chimerism are immunosuppression, myeloablation or severe immunodeficiency of the recipients on one side and donor originated immuno-hematopoietic cells in the graft on the other. Special immunogenetic conditions to establish chimerism are combined with bone marrow transplantation, transfusion and various kinds of solid organ grafting.

Single-tube multiplex PCR and capillary electrophoresis for the detection of bcl2-IgH chimeras.

The molecular background of follicular lymphoma is the formation of chimera(s) by the bcl2 gene and one of the immunoglobulin genes, mainly the heavy chain gene. While the diagnosis of follicular lymphoma is based on histological study, the histology cannot be recommended for the follow-up of efficiency of treatment(s). Sensitive detection of the chimera genes in blood or bone marrow samples can serve as informative data without invasive sampling.

Remarkably reduced transplant-related complications by dibromomannitol non-myeloablative conditioning before allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in chronic myeloid leukemia.

A non-myeloablative conditioning protocol containing dibromomannitol (DBM/cytosine arabinoside/cyclophosphamide) has been applied to 36 chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients followed by bone marrow transplantation (BMT) from sibling donors. Risk factors include: accelerated phase (10 patients), older age (17 patients over >40 years) and long interval between diagnosis and BMT (27 months on average). Severe mucositis did not occur.

Detection of a b3a3 type chimera in chronic myeloid leukemia by double hybridisation of RT-PCR products.

The standard RT-PCR method performed on RNA of a chronic myeloid leukemia patient resulted in a product of unusual size. Hybridisation to a probe containing the a2 sequences yielded a very faint band. Rehybridisation of the same blot to b3 sequences has given a firm signal.