# Identification of SYT and SSX, the genes fused by the t(X;18) translocation in synovial sarcoma

Source: https://onco.cc/key-papers/paper-clark-syt-ssx-synovial-sarcoma-nat-genet-1994/  
OnCo record `paper-clark-syt-ssx-synovial-sarcoma-nat-genet-1994` (Key paper). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

This study cloned the SYT-SSX (SS18-SSX) gene fusion produced by the chromosome translocation found in essentially every synovial sarcoma, giving the tumour a defining molecular marker and the basis for later targeted and immune therapies.

## Summary

Molecular cloning of the t(X;18)(p11.2;q11.2) translocation breakpoint in synovial sarcoma, identifying the SYT gene on chromosome 18 fused to the SSX genes on the X chromosome and characterising the resulting fusion transcripts.

## Fields

- Kind: Key paper
- Last checked: 2026-09-17
- Journal: Nature Genetics
- Year: 1994
- DOI: 10.1038/ng0894-502
- Authors: Clark J, Rocques PJ, Crew AJ, et al.
- Findings: SYT-SSX fusion identified as the product of t(X;18) in synovial sarcoma.
- What it means: SS18-SSX fusion testing confirms the diagnosis of synovial sarcoma, and the fusion's disruption of the BAF chromatin remodelling complex underlies experimental therapies such as BRD9 degraders; the tumour's MAGE-A4 and NY-ESO-1 expression enabled T-cell receptor therapy.
- Caveats: Discovery paper; clinical translation came decades later.

## Sources

- Nat Genet 1994: https://doi.org/10.1038/ng0894-502
- PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7951320/

## Connected records

- cancers: [Synovial sarcoma](https://onco.cc/cancers/synovial-sarcoma/)
- journals: [Nature Genetics](https://onco.cc/journals/nature-genetics/)

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