High expression of AURKA and AURKB is associated with unfavorable cytogenetic abnormalities and high white blood cell count in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.
In the present study, we analyzed AURKA and AURKB gene expression in 70 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. There was no difference between leukemic samples and bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs, n = 8) or CD34(+) progenitors (n = 10) from healthy donors. High white blood cells (WBC) counts were observed in the AURKA(+) and AURKB(+) groups, but no significant differences regarding age, gender, platelet counts or frequency of FLT3-ITD mutations. AURKA, but not AURKB, expression was independently associated with high WBC counts (OR: 3.15, 95%CI 1.07-9.24, p = 0.03). Moreover, the majority of cases that overexpressed AURKA and AURKB presented unfavorable cytogenetic abnormalities (p < 0.001). In conclusion, we described a significant association between overexpression of AURKA/B and cytogenetics findings in AML, which may be relevant to new therapeutic approaches, based on Aurora kinase inhibitors.
Lucena-Araujo
Antonio R
AR
Department of Internal Medicine, Hematology Division, National Institute of Science and Technology on Cell-Based Therapy, Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Av Bandeirantes 3900, 14048-900 Ribeirão Preto, Brazil.
de Oliveira
Fabio Morato
FM
Leite-Cueva
Sabrina Dias
SD
dos Santos
Guilherme Augusto
GA
Falcao
Roberto Passeto
RP
Rego
Eduardo Magalhães
EM
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D064096:Aurora Kinase A; D064107:Aurora Kinase B; D064127:Aurora Kinases; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002869:Chromosome Aberrations; D005260:Female; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009154:Mutation; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D055815:Young Adult; D051941:fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3
C497970:FLT3 protein, human; D051941:fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3; C576917:AURKA protein, human; C576921:AURKB protein, human; D064096:Aurora Kinase A; D064107:Aurora Kinase B; D064127:Aurora Kinases; D017346:Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases