HOTAIR Expression and Prognostic Impact in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients

Abstract

cute myeloid leukemia (AML) is characterized by abnormal proliferation of undifferentiated and non-functional hematopoietic cells (the leukemic blasts) in the bone marrow. AML develops by the accumulation of multiple genetic and epigenetic alterations in hematopoietic progenitors that are subjected to clonal evolution, with the result of considerable inter- and intraindividual heterogeneity of AML clones. HOTAIR is suggested to be upregulated in various AML cell lines. However; few studies were conducted to investigate HOTAIR expression and its role as a prognostic marker of leukemia. This study was conducted to measure the expression levels of lncRNA HOTAIR in AML patients and correlating its expression level with different clinicopathological variables and other prognostic indicators. Also the association between HOTAIR expression levels and response to treatment and EFS was tested. This study included 35 newly diagnosed adult AML patients (before initiation of therapy) and 30 non-leukemic adult patients who are candidates for bone marrow aspiration for causes other than hematological malignancies studied as controls. HOTAIR expression level on bone marrow or peripheral blood sample by qRT-PCR.