Quantification of the FLI1 and CXCR4 gene expressions in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients with t(12,21)

The presence of the t(12,21) is associated with good response to therapy in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) but molecular background of this pathology is not clear. FLI1 gene plays important roles in normal regulation of myeloid hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis. The chemokine receptor CXCR4 gene may play a role in the homing of hematopoietic stem cells. Our aim was to investigate possible relationships between t(12,21) existence and expression changes of these two genes (FLI1, CXCR4) in ALL. Thirty-one ALL patients were investigated. Twenty-one of these patients were t(12,21) carriers. We used the Quantitative Real-Time RT-PCR. Obtained results were compared to normal bone marrow samples of five healthy subjects. Expression differences were not found significant in both groups. Our study was the first attempt to quantify these genes in t(12,21) patients. We conclude that Quantitative RT-PCR is a reliable method for the monitoring of these gene expressions and similar studies should expand to other translocations in haematology.