microRNA-106b-5p and Rab10: Potential Markers of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

This study focuses on acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a condition with a 5-year survival rate below 30% despite various treatment options. Recent strides in targeted therapies have shown promise, leading to better outcomes with minimal toxicity. These advances underscore the importance of discovering new diagnostic and prognostic targets for AML. In this context, the authors investigated the expression of microRNA-106b-5p (miR-106b-5p), Rab10 mRNA, and Rab10 proteins in peripheral blood and bone marrow (BM) samples from both healthy individuals and AML patients at different stages of the disease (initial diagnosis, recurrence, and complete remission). This examination aimed to identify potential biomarkers for AML diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. From June 2021 to December 2022, they collected 100 BM and peripheral blood samples. The relative expression of miR-106b-5p and Rab10 mRNA in the BM of AML patients was measured using Real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), while the relative expression of Rab10 protein in serum was determined using the ELISA method. The chromosomal karyotype of initially diagnosed patients was analyzed using the R tape. The qRT-PCR results revealed that the expression of miR-106b-5p and Rab10 mRNA were significantly higher in patients at initial diagnosis and recurrence compared with healthy individuals and those in complete remission (p < 0.001). They observed a significant reduction in the expression of miR-106b-5p, Rab10 mRNA, and Rab10 protein in the BM and peripheral blood of patients during complete remission (p < 0.05), as demonstrated by dynamic monitoring of five patients in the initial group. Furthermore, they found a close association between the expression of miR-106b-5p and the number of white blood cells at the initial diagnosis in AML patients (p < 0.05). Spearman correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation among miR-106b-5p, Rab10 mRNA, and Rab10 proteins (p < 0.05). The diagnostic potential of miR-106b-5p and Rab10 proteins was underscored by Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, which demonstrated their high accuracy in AML diagnosis (AUC: 0.944 and 0.853, respectively; p < 0.0001). Additionally, Kaplan-Meier survival analysis suggested that lower expression of these markers was associated with better prognoses (p < 0.05). In summary, their findings propose miR-106b-5p and Rab10 proteins as promising biomarkers for AML, offering insights for diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis.