Acute myeloid leukemia with complex karyotypes and abnormal chromosome 21: Amplification discloses overexpression of APP, ETS2, and ERG genes.
Molecular mechanisms of leukemogenesis have been successfully unraveled by studying genes involved in simple rearrangements including balanced translocations and inversions. In contrast, little is known about genes altered in complex karyotypic abnormalities. We studied acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with complex karyotypes and abnormal chromosome 21. High-resolution bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) array-based comparative genomic hybridization disclosed amplification predominantly in the 25- to 30-megabase (MB) region that harbors the APP gene (26.3 MB) and at position 38.7-39.1 MB that harbors the transcription factors ERG and ETS2. Using oligonucleotide arrays, APP was by far the most overexpressed gene (mean fold change 19.74, P = 0.0003) compared to a control group of AML with normal cytogenetics; ERG and ETS2 also ranked among the most highly expressed chromosome 21 genes. Overexpression of APP and ETS2 correlated with genomic amplification, but high APP expression occurred even in a subset of AML patients with normal cytogenetics (10 of 64, 16%). APP encodes a glycoprotein of unknown function previously implicated in Alzheimer's disease, but not in AML. We hypothesize that APP and the transcription factors ERG and ETS2 are altered by yet unknown molecular mechanisms involved in leukemogenesis. Our results highlight the value of molecularly dissecting leukemic cells with complex karyotypes.
Human Cancer Genetics Program, Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
Claudia D
CD
Baldus
Sandya
S
Liyanarachchi
Krzysztof
K
Mrózek
Herbert
H
Auer
Stephan M
SM
Tanner
Martin
M
Guimond
Amy S
AS
Ruppert
Nehad
N
Mohamed
Ramana V
RV
Davuluri
Michael A
MA
Caligiuri
Clara D
CD
Bloomfield
Albert
A
de la Chapelle
D000208:Acute Disease; D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D002891:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 21; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D018628:Gene Dosage; D006801:Humans; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D015513:Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D050787:Proto-Oncogene Protein c-ets-2; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015534:Trans-Activators / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D000071230:Transcriptional Regulator ERG
D016564:Amyloid beta-Protein Precursor; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C107465:ERF protein, human; C072312:ERG protein, human; C494069:ETS2 protein, human; D015513:Oncogene Proteins; D050787:Proto-Oncogene Protein c-ets-2; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; D015534:Trans-Activators; D014157:Transcription Factors; D000071230:Transcriptional Regulator ERG