GATA-1 is expressed in acute erythroblastic leukaemia

Previous studies have demonstrated the expression of GATA-1 (a DNA-binding nuclear protein) in erythrocytes, megakaryocytes, eosinophils, basophils, mast cells, early marrow progenitor cells and in mouse and human erythroid leukaemia cell lines. We studied 31 bone marrow specimens from patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) for GATA-1 expression by reverse transcriptase/polymerase chain reaction (RT/PCR) analysis. GATA-1 expression was detected in all of the patients with erythroleukaemia, and in one of nine patients with megakaryoblastic leukaemia, but absent from 17 patients with French-American-British (FAB) M1-5 leukaemia. In AML, GATA-1 expression is indicative of differentiation to the erythroid and possibly megakaryocytic lineages, analogous to its expression in normal haemopoiesis.