FOXP1 Expression in Normal and Neoplastic Erythroid and Myeloid Cells

FOXP1 protein was firstly analyzed in normal tissues, and afterwards in different tumor tissues, mainly carcinoma and lymphoma. In B-cell malignancies, its role was well explored; its expression was shown to be connected with disease prognosis in certain B-non Hodgkin lymphomas. In this study, 16 bone marrow trephine samples from patients with no hematopoietic malignancies and 10 samples from peripheral blood of healthy individuals were immunostained with anti-FOXP1 antibody. Positive cells in bone marrows were not only lymphocytes, but also cells that are immunohistochemically positive for glycophorin C or myeloperoxidase. Peripheral blood samples showed no other positive cells, but small round lymphocytes. Additionally 60 samples from patients with myeloid lineage neoplasms were analyzed. 25 samples from patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and 35 patients with myeloproliferative disease (MPD) were double immunostained with anti-FOXP1/anti-glycophorin C and anti-FOXP1/anti-myeloperoxidase antibodies. FOXP1 was found to be expressed in 22 cases of MDS and in none of MPD cases. Its expression in MDS was observed mostly in myeloperoxidase positive cells in contrast to gylcophorin C positive cells. Only two cases revealed both myeloperoxidase positive cells and gylcophorin C positive cells expressing FOXP1 transcription factor. Our results show that FOXP1 is present in normal cells of erythroid and myeloid linages and thus suggest its possible role in development of all hematopoetic cells as well as possible involvement in neoplasm development of myeloid disorders.