However, the notion that classic auto-antigen recognition and binding is important for CLL ontogeny has been challenged by the recent demonstration of cell-autonomous signaling, a novel type of signal generation, occurring specifically in CLL amongst B cell lymphomas, through self recognition as a result of the interaction of the leukemic BcR IG with a conserved epitope of the same or adjacent BcR IGs (37). The gene discussed is BCR; the disease is B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.