Expression of bcl-2 and bax in cells isolated from B-chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients at different stages of the disease.
B-Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) is an example of a human malignancy caused by alterations in the pathways of programmed cell death. In this disease the anti-apoptotic protein, bcl-2, is overexpressed and may lead to the prolonged survival of a malignant CLL clone. In the present study we examined the expression of bcl-2 and bax, which has an antagonistic role against the function of bcl-2, in cells from CLL patients at different stages of the disease, by immunoblot analysis. A direct association between the stage of the disease and the level of bcl-2 in the patients' cells was observed. At stages A and B, 33% and 29% of patients, respectively, expressed high levels of bcl-2, as opposed to 80% of patients at stage C (p= 0.019). Bax level was not significantly associated with the stage of the disease, although patients at stage C had higher levels of bax. In this study we found a trend of association between bcl-2 and bax levels. Analysis including all patients revealed that 65% of the patients who expressed high levels of bcl-2 had high levels of bax (p = 0.058). Of patients in stage C, 45% expressed high levels of both bcl-2 and bax while 50% and 42% of patients at stages A and B had low levels of both proteins.
Aviram
A
A
Division of Haematology, Rabin Medical Center, Petach-Tikva, Israel. aviramar@netvision.net.il
Rabizadeh
E
E
Zimra
Y
Y
Yeshoron
M
M
Marmelstein
M
M
Shaklai
M
M
Bairey
O
O
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D015451:Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell / Q000097:blood / Q000473:pathology*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000737:chemistry*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009367:Neoplasm Staging; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000032:analysis*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000032:analysis*; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein
C494826:BAX protein, human; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein