title: [A preliminary study on the implication of Apaf-1 promoter methylation and the expression of apoptosis inhibitor protein Apollon in adult acute leukemia].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the role of Apaf-1 gene promoter methylation and apoptosis inhibitor protein Apollon in pathogenesis of acute leukemia (AL) and their clinical significance.
  
  
  METHODS
  Methylation specific PCR (MSP) was used to detect the methylation status of Apaf-1 gene promoter in 53 AL patients (28 AML, 10 ALL and 15 relapsed) and 10 healthy or nonmalignant blood diseases patients as control. RT-PCR was used to detect the expression levels of Apaf-1 mRNA and immunocytochemistry to detect the expression levels of Apollon protein.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The abnromal methylation of Apaf-1 gene promotor in AL was 18/53(33.9%). No Apaf-1 mRNA was detected in methylation positive patients. Only one case in healthy and nonmalignant individuals was deletion of Apaf-1 mRNA expression without abnormal methylation. The positive methylation rate in AL bone marrow mononuclear cells was significantly higher than that in controls (P < 0.05). The expressin levels of Apollon protein in AL patients was higher than that in control (P < 0.05). The positive methylation ratio and Apollon protein level were higher in white blood cell count > 10 × 10(9)/L than in ≤ 10 × 10(9)/L (P < 0.05). There is a positive correlaiton between positive methylation ratio and Apollon protein expression in AL patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Abnormal methylation of Apaf-1 gene promotor and high expression of Apollon might involved in leukemogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Shandong Provincial Qianfoshan Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan 250014, China.
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Chuan-Sheng
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Wen-Wei
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.forename: Ke-Hong
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Bi
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D017209:Apoptosis; D019175:DNA Methylation; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000235:genetics; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger