Introduction and Classification of Leukemias

Causal relationship between branched-chain amino acids and leukemia risk: insights from a two-sample Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND

Branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), including leucine, isoleucine, and valine, are essential amino acids involved in protein synthesis, energy metabolism, and immune regulation. While BCAAs are known to influence cancer biology, their role in leukemia remains unclear. This study employs Mendelian randomization (MR) analysis to explore the causal relationship between BCAA levels and four leukemia subtypes: acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

METHODS

Data from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) were used to select single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as instrumental variables (IVs) for BCAA levels. The inverse-variance weighted (IVW) method served as the primary analytical approach, with heterogeneity assessed via Cochran's Q test and pleiotropy through MR-Egger intercept. Sensitivity analysis was performed using leave-one-out analysis.

RESULTS

A significant inverse association was observed between total BCAA levels, leucine, valine, and ALL risk. Total BCAA levels showed an odds ratio (OR) of 0.16 (95% CI: 0.05-0.54, p=0.003), leucine 0.17 (95% CI: 0.04-0.61, p=0.007), and valine 0.21 (95% CI: 0.07-0.61, p=0.004). No significant associations were found for AML, CLL, or CML.

CONCLUSION

This study suggests that BCAAs, particularly leucine and valine, may protect against ALL, offering insights into leukemia metabolic regulation and potential targets for prevention and therapy.

Role of Long Intergenic Noncoding RNAs in Cancers with an Overview of MicroRNA Binding

Long intergenic noncoding RNAs are transcripts originating from the regions without annotated coding genes. They are located mainly in the nucleus and regulate gene expression. Long intergenic noncoding RNAs can be also found in the cytoplasm acting as molecular sponges of certain microRNAs. This is crucial in various biological and signaling pathways. Expression levels of many long intergenic noncoding RNAs are disease related. In this article, we focus on the long intergenic noncoding RNAs and their relation to different types of cancer. Studies showed that abnormal expression of long intergenic noncoding RNA deregulates signaling pathways due to the disrupted free microRNA pool. Hampered signaling pathways leads to abnormal cell proliferation and restricts cell death, thus resulting in oncogenesis. This review highlights promising therapeutic targets and enables the identification of potential biomarkers specific for a certain type of cancer. Moreover, we provide an outline of long intergenic noncoding RNAs/microRNA axes, which might be applied in further detailed experiments broadening our knowledge about the cellular role of those RNA species.