These translocations were associated with aberrant transcripts in which 4 predicted zinc finger domains, contributed by the widely expressed chromosome 13 gene ZNF198, were fused to the FGFR1 tyrosine-kinase domain. Transient expression studies showed that the ZNF198-FGFR1 fusion transcript directed the synthesis of an approximately 87-kD polypeptide, localizing predominantly to the cytoplasm.

The novel sequence that was fused to FGFR1, comprising the 5-prime end of the fusion transcript, was mapped to chromosome 13 with the CEPH mega-YAC library and the Genebridge 4 radiation hybrid panel. The findings were consistent with the pericentromeric 13q11-q12 assignments for the t(8;13) cytogenetic breakpoints.