Estimation of apoptosis controlling proteins, . 1 and B.ax - s in acute leukemic patients at diagnosis

Abstract

Mel-! (myeloid cell leukaemia-!), a 37.3-KD protein, IS anti­ apoptotic protein originally cloned from a differentiating myeloid leukaemia-! cell line. Structurally and functionaliy Mcl-1 belongs to the pro-survival Bcl-2 subfamily. Mcl-1 is expressed during human myeloid leukemic cells ML-1 differentiation and concomitant maintenance of viability but not on cell proliferation.

Bax, a 21Kd protein, is one of the proapoptotic proteins. Bax molecule seems to reside in the cytoplasm and responds to various stimuli by migration to the mitochondria where it is capable of initiating the apoptotic cascade.

The aim of the current study was to estimate levels of Mcl-1 and Bax m different types of acute leukemic patients at diagnosis and correlation of expression of these proteins with different risk factors in acute leukemia. The study was carried out on 30 patients suffering from acute leukemia and were classified into two groups, the first included 15 patients with ALL (group I) and the second included 15 patients with AML (group II) .16 patients of them was further studied after induction of chemotherapy and were classified into 9 patients with ALL (group III) and 7 patients with AML (group IV ).