Gene Expression Profiles Distinguish Children Who Develop Therapy-Related Myeloid Leukemia.

Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 397-397
Author(s):  
Alessia Bogni ◽  
Cheng Cheng ◽  
Wei Liu ◽  
Wenjian Yang ◽  
Deborah French ◽  
...  

Abstract In children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), failure due to therapy-related myeloid leukemia (t-ML) is a devastating complication. Using a target gene approach, only a few host genetic risk factors for t-ML have been defined. Microarray analysis of gene expression allows for a more genome-wide approach to identify possible genetic risk factors for t-ML. We assessed gene expression profiles (12625 gene probe sets) using oligonucleotide-based arrays in diagnostic ALL blasts from 228 children treated on St. Jude ALL protocols (Total XIII) that included etoposide; 13 of these children developed t-ML. A group of 83 probe sets were significantly related to the time-dependent risk of t-ML, with principal component analysis plot (right panel) separating patients who developed t-ML from the others. Hierarchical clustering of the 83 probe sets grouped patients into 3 clusters (n=163, n=52, n=13), with the cumulative incidence of t-ML being significantly higher in the last cluster (p < 0.0001, left panel) compared to those of the other gene-expression-defined clusters. Figure Figure A permutation test indicated that probe sets selected by chance are unlikely to obtain the observed distinct clusters (p=0.045). Distinguishing genes included transcription-related oncogenes (v-Myb, Pax-5), cyclins (CCNG1, CCNG2 and CCND1) and Histone H4. Common transcription factor recognition elements among similarly up- or down-regulated genes included several involved in hematopoietic differentiation or leukemogenesis (Maz, PU.1, FOXO4). This approach has identified several genes whose expression differentiates patients at risk of t-ML, and provides targets for assessing the germline predisposition to leukemogenesis.

Genes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vanessa Villegas-Ruíz ◽  
Karina Olmos-Valdez ◽  
Kattia Alejandra Castro-López ◽  
Victoria Estefanía Saucedo-Tepanecatl ◽  
Josselen Carina Ramírez-Chiquito ◽  
...  

Droplet digital PCR is the most robust method for absolute nucleic acid quantification. However, RNA is a very versatile molecule and its abundance is tissue-dependent. RNA quantification is dependent on a reference control to estimate the abundance. Additionally, in cancer, many cellular processes are deregulated which consequently affects the gene expression profiles. In this work, we performed microarray data mining of different childhood cancers and healthy controls. We selected four genes that showed no gene expression variations (PSMB6, PGGT1B, UBQLN2 and UQCR2) and four classical reference genes (ACTB, GAPDH, RPL4 and RPS18). Gene expression was validated in 40 acute lymphoblastic leukemia samples by means of droplet digital PCR. We observed that PSMB6, PGGT1B, UBQLN2 and UQCR2 were expressed ~100 times less than ACTB, GAPDH, RPL4 and RPS18. However, we observed excellent correlations among the new reference genes (p < 0.0001). We propose that PSMB6, PGGT1B, UBQLN2 and UQCR2 are housekeeping genes with low expression in childhood cancer.


2010 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 570-577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Annika Dufour ◽  
Friederike Schneider ◽  
Klaus H. Metzeler ◽  
Eva Hoster ◽  
Stephanie Schneider ◽  
...  

Purpose CEBPA mutations are found as either biallelic (biCEBPA) or monoallelic (moCEBPA). We set out to explore whether the kind of CEBPA mutation is of prognostic relevance in cytogenetically normal (CN) acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Patients and Methods Four hundred sixty-seven homogeneously treated patients with CN-AML were subdivided into moCEBPA, biCEBPA, and wild-type (wt) CEBPA patients. The subgroups were analyzed for clinical parameters and for additional mutations in the NPM1, FLT3, and MLL genes. Furthermore, we obtained gene expression profiles using oligonucleotide microarrays. Results Only patients with biCEBPA had an improved median overall survival when compared with patients with wtCEBPA (not reached v 20.4 months, respectively; P = .018), whereas patients with moCEBPA (20.9 months) and wtCEBPA had a similar outcome (P = .506). Multivariable analysis confirmed biCEBPA, but not moCEBPA, mutations as an independent favorable prognostic factor. Interestingly, biCEBPA mutations, compared with wtCEBPA, were never associated with mutated NPM1 (0% v 43%, respectively; P < .001) and rarely associated with FLT3 internal tandem duplication (ITD; 5% v 23%, respectively; P = .059), whereas patients with moCEBPA had a similar frequency of mutated NPM1 and a significantly higher association with FLT3-ITD compared with patients with wtCEBPA (44% v 23%, respectively; P = .037). Furthermore, patients with biCEBPA showed a homogeneous gene expression profile that was characterized by downregulation of HOX genes, whereas patients with moCEBPA showed greater heterogeneity in their gene expression profiles. Conclusion Biallelic disruption of the N and C terminus of CEBPA is required for the favorable clinical outcome of CEBPA-mutated patients and represents a distinct molecular subtype of CN-AML with a different frequency of associated gene mutations. These findings are of great significance for risk-adapted therapeutic strategies in AML.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 3471-3471
Author(s):  
Brian Balgobind ◽  
C. Michel Zwaan ◽  
Susan T.C.J.M. Arentsen-Peters ◽  
Dirk Reinhardt ◽  
Ursula Creutzig ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 3471 Poster Board III-359 One important cytogenetic subgroup of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by translocations of chromosome 11q23, which accounts for 15 to 20% of all cases with an evaluable chromosome analysis. In most of these cases, the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene is involved. More than 50 fusion translocation partners of the MLL gene have been identified and outcome differs by translocation partner, suggesting differences in the biological background. So far these biological differences have not been unravelled. Therefore, we investigated the gene expression profiles of MLL-rearranged subgroups in pediatric AML in order to discover and identify the role of differentially expressed genes. Affymetrix Human Genome U133 plus 2.0 microarrays were used to generate gene expression profiles of 257 pediatric AML cases, which included 21 pediatric AML cases with t(9;11)(p22;q23) and 33 with other MLL-rearrangements. With these profiles, we were able to identify a specific gene expression signature for t(9;11)(p22;q23) using an empirical Bayes linear regression model (Bioconductor package: Limma). This signature was mainly determined by overexpression of the BRE (brain and reproductive organ-expressed) gene. The mean average VSN normalized expression for BRE in the t(9;11)(p22;q23) subgroup was 3.7-fold higher compared with that in other MLL-rearranged cases (p<0.001). Validation by RQ-PCR confirmed this higher expression in t(9;11)(p22;q23) cases (p<0.001). In addition, we confirmed that overexpression of BRE was predominantly found in t(9;11)(p22;q23) in an independent gene expression profile cohort (Ross et al, Blood 2002). Remarkably, MLL-rearranged cases with a BRE expression higher than the mean expression showed a significant better 3 year disease free survival than MLL-rearranged cases with a lower expression (80±13% vs. 30±10%, p=0.02). Previously, overexpression of BRE has been described in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) (Chang et al., Oncogene 2008) and an anti-apoptotic effect was described. We transfected BRE in the monomac-1 cell line, which harbors a t(9;11)(p22;q23). We did not find a proliferative advantage for BRE overexpression using a BrDU-assay nor changes in drug sensitivity, indicating that the anti-apoptotic effect as described for HCC in vivo could not be confirmed in vitro in AML. In conclusion, overexpression of the BRE gene is predominantly involved in pediatric MLL-rearranged AML with t(9;11)(p22;q23). Moreover, high expression of BRE showed a favorable prognosis. We did not find any influence of BRE expression on cell proliferation or apoptosis in vitro. This indicates that further studies involving the role of the MLL-fusion protein on BRE transcription are necessary to unravel the leukemogenic role in pediatric AML. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 911-911 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Neumann ◽  
Sandra Heesch ◽  
Stefan Schwartz ◽  
Nicola Gökbuget ◽  
Dieter Hoelzer ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 911 Introduction: Recently, a small subgroup of pediatric acute T-lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) was described, which is closely associated with the gene expression profile of early T-cell precursors (ETPs). This subtype, termed ETP-ALL, showed a highly unfavorable outcome compared to non-ETP(='typical')-ALL. Based on the results of Coustan-Smith et al. (Lancet Oncology, 2009), the Italian national study Associazione Italiana Ematologia Oncologia Pediatrica (AIEOP) and St-Jude Children's hospital modified their treatment in children with ETP-ALL to a more intensive regime including stem cell transplantation. ETP-ALL is characterized by a specific immunophenotype (CD1a-, CD8-, CD5weak with expression of stem cell or myeloid markers). Here we explored the existence of ETP-ALL in adults and further studied the molecular characteristics of this specific T-ALL subtype. Patients and methods: We examined the gene expression profiles of 86 adult T-ALL patients obtained from the Microarray Innovations in LEukemia (MILE) multicenter study (HG-U133 Plus 2.0, Affymetrix, Haferlach et al., JCO in press). In addition, bone marrow of 296 patients from the German Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Multicenter Study Group (GMALL) were analyzed by flow cytometry and expression levels of BAALC, IGFBP7, MN1, and WT1 were determined by real-time-PCR. Results: Using the published list of differentially expressed genes in ETPs (Coustan-Smith et al. 2009) we performed unsupervised clustering analyses of the 86 T-ALL samples. A cluster of 17 samples (19.8%) displayed an ETP-associated gene expression profile and were defined as ETP-ALL. Comparing the gene expression profiles of ETP-ALL and typical T-ALL, 2065 probe sets were differentially expressed in ETP-ALL (FDR 0.05). In addition to genes used for classification, we also identified genes known to be involved in the pathogenesis of T-ALL (e.g. PROM1, BCL2, LMO2, LYL1). In particular, stem cell associated genes such as, BAALC (2.52-fold, p=0.003), IGFBP7 (2.76-fold, p=0.002) or MN1 (3.41-fold, p<0.001) were upregulated in ETP-ALL, whereas HOX11 (45-fold, p=0.004), a marker for thymic T-ALL, was downregulated. An independent cohort of 297 patient samples from the GMALL study group was examined by flow cytometry and real-time PCR. 19 (6.4%) samples revealed the ETP-ALL immunophenotype. As expected, all patient samples were found in the group of early T-ALL, representing 23.5% of all early T-ALLs. There was a significant correlation between a lower leukocyte count at first diagnosis and the classification of ETP-ALL (p=0.001). Gene expression measured by real-time-PCR was performed for genes associated with poor outcome in T-ALL: BAALC (2.11-fold, p<0.001) and IGFBP7 (3.59-fold, p=0.003) were significantly upregulated in the group of ETP-ALL. Similarly, the genes MN1 (4.52-fold, p<0.001) and WT1 (2.76-fold, p=0.036), described as poor prognostic markers in cytogenetically normal AML, were also upregulated in ETP-ALL. Conclusion: In adult T-ALL, a subset of patients shares the gene expression profil and immunophenotype of ETP-ALL, which is in line with recent findings in pediatric patients. The gene expression profile of this subset is significantly correlated to stem cell associated markers predictive for inferior outcome in T-ALL. Interestingly, adverse factors in CN-AML are also aberrantly expressed in ETP-ALL suggesting a myeloid origin of ETPs and indicating a closer relationship between ETP-ALL and AML. The prognostic impact and the determination of the most appropiate set of markers needs to be further investigated. These results support the GMALL strategy to regard early T-ALL patients as high risk with assignment to stem cell transplantation. Disclosures: Haferlach: MLL Munich Leukemia Laboratory: Equity Ownership.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document