Expression Pattern and Prognostic Implication of SALL4 gene in acute Myeloid Leukemia

Abstract

cute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a clonal disorder arises from the differentiation arrest of myeloid precursor and malignant proliferation of a bone marrow derived, self-renewing stem or progenitor cells in the bone marrow (BM) and blood. It can be classified into different subtypes based on the cell type and the degree of maturity according to WHO classification of hematological diseases. SALL4 gene is a DNA binding protein with multiple conserved C2H2 zinc finger motifs. It is essential for the maintenance of pluripotency in human and murine embryonic stem (ES) cells and loss or overexpression of SALL4 protein can affect the “stemness” of ES cells. It is hypothesized that leukemic stem cells are not targeted using conventional chemotherapy regimens and therefore their presence predispose to drug resistance and disease relapse .Therefore, SALL4 may be considered as a potential molecular marker for higher relapse rates. This may warrant the use of more aggressive treatment induction protocols to eradicate the leukemic stem compartment represented with high SALL4 gene expression. Our study aimed to characterize the expression pattern of SALL4 gene in patients with acute myeloid leukemia and to determine its prognostic impact.