FHIT promoter DNA methylation and expression analysis in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Significance and implications of FHIT gene expression and promoter hypermethylation in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL)

BACKGROUND

Fragile histidine triad (FHIT) has been documented to play a vital role in various cancers including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Keeping in view the plausible role of FHIT gene, we aimed to examine DNA promoter hypermethylation and mRNA expression in ALL cases in Kashmir (North India).

METHODS

A total of 66 cases of ALL were analyzed for FHIT mRNA expression and promoter methylation by qRT-PCR and Methylation Specific-PCR (MS-PCR) respectively.

RESULTS

FHIT mRNA expression showed significantly decreased expression in ALL cases with mean fold change of 9.24 ± 5.44 as compared to healthy controls (p = 0.01). The pattern of FHIT deregulation in ALL cases differed significantly between decreased and increased expression (p < 0.0001). A threefold decreased expression was observed in 75% of ALL cases than healthy controls (- 3.58 ± 2.32). ALL patients with FHIT gene promoter hypermethylation presented significantly higher in 80% (53/66) of cases (p = 0.0005). The association of FHIT gene hypermethylation and its subsequent expression showed FHIT mRNA expression as significantly lower in ALL cases with hypermethylation (p = 0.0008). B-ALL cases exhibited a highly significant association between the methylation pattern and its mRNA expression (p = 0.000). In low range WBC group, a significant association was found between increased expression (26%) of the cases and methylated (4%)/unmethylated group 86% (p = 0.0006).

CONCLUSION

The present study conclude that FHIT gene hypermethylation and its altered expression may be linked in the pathogenesis of ALL and provide an evidence for the role of FHIT in the development of ALL.

The Role of Methylation in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Its Prognostic and Therapeutic Impacts in the Disease: A Systematic Review

Epigenetic regulation has been thoroughly investigated in recent years and has emerged as an important aspect of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) biology. Characteristic aberrant features such as methylation patterns and global DNA hypomethylation were the early findings of the research during the last decades. The investigation in this field led to the identification of a large number of genes where methylation features correlated with important clinical and laboratory parameters. Gene-specific analyses investigated methylation in the gene body enhancer regions as well as promoter regions. The findings included genes and proteins involved in key pathways that play central roles in the pathophysiology of the disease. Τhe application of these findings beyond the theoretical understanding can not only lead to the creation of prognostic and predictive models and scores but also to the design of novel therapeutic agents. The following is a review focusing on the present knowledge about single gene/gene promoter methylation or mRNA expression in CLL cases as well as records of older data that have been published in past papers.

Exosomal DNMT1 mRNA transcript is elevated in acute lymphoblastic leukemia which might reprograms leukemia progression

DNMT1 (DNA-methyltransferase 1) is an enzyme which contributes to the process of normal embryonic development, and aberrant expression of DNMT1 leads to tumor/leukemia progression by inducing significant changes in DNA methylation and epigenetics. We found that DNMT1 mRNA transcript is elevated in Exo-PALL compared to Exo-HD. We also confirmed and showed heightened levels of DNMT1 mRNA transcript in Exo-CM of leukemia cell lines. Co-culture of Exo-PALL with target cells (leukemia B cells) showed transfer of exosomal DNMT1 mRNA transcript into the target cells, which may reprogram the biological nature of normal healthy cells and leukemia cells.

Genetics of blood malignancies among Iranian population: an overview

BACKGROUND

Blood malignancies are among the leading causes of cancer related deaths in the world. Different environmental and genetic risk factors are involved in progression of blood malignancies. It has been shown that the lifestyle changes have affected the epidemiological patterns of these malignancies. Hematologic cancers are the 5th common cancer among Iranian population. It has been observed that there is a rising trend of blood malignancies incidences during the recent decades. Therefore, it is required to design novel diagnostic methods for the early detection of such malignancies in this population.

MAIN BODY

In present review we have summarized all of the significant genes which have been reported among Iranian patients with blood malignancies. The reported genes were categorized based on their cell and molecular functions to clarify the molecular biology and genetics of blood malignancies among Iranian patients.

CONCLUSION

It was observed that the epigenetic and immune response factors were the most frequent molecular processes associated with progression of blood malignancies among Iranian population. This review paves the way of introducing a population based panel of genetic markers for the early detection of blood malignancies in this population.