Monitoring of WT-1 gene expression in peripheral blood of patients with acute leukemia by semiquantitative RT-PCR; possible marker for detection of minimal residual leukemia.
10.3349/ymj.1997.38.4.212
- Author:
Seong Cheol KIM
1
;
Nae Choon YOO
;
Jee Sook HAHN
;
Seok LEE
;
So Young CHONG
;
Yoo Hong MIN
;
Yun Woong KO
Author Information
1. Department of Internal Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul,Korea.
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Wilms' tumor gene (WT-1);
acute leukemia;
minimal residual
- MeSH:
Gene Expression/physiology*;
Human;
Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Acute/genetics*;
Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Acute/blood*;
Leukemia, Myelocytic, Acute/genetics*;
Leukemia, Myelocytic, Acute/blood*;
Neoplasm, Residual;
Nephroblastoma/genetics*;
Polymerase Chain Reaction;
Transcription, Genetic;
Tumor Markers, Biological
- From:Yonsei Medical Journal
1997;38(4):212-219
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
The expression of the WT-1 gene which is found exclusively in human leukemic blasts frequently disappears from bone marrow of leukemia patients in complete remission (CR). Using semiquantitative RT-PCR, we investigated the expression of the WT-1 gene in peripheral bloods (PBs) of 33 patients with acute leukemia (AML 26; ALL 7) and monitored its expression after achievement of CR. None of the 6 normal controls expressed detectable levels of WT-1 transcripts (< 10(-4), background level), whereas 31 (93.9%) of 33 patients expressed variable levels of WT-1 transcripts (range, 10(-4) to 10(1)) at diagnosis. The level of WT-1 expression was not different between AML and ALL. By monitoring WT-1 gene expression in PB of 31 patients during CR, 5 patients relapsed (two from the 18 patients with undetectable levels of WT-1 gene expression and three from the 13 with WT-1 gene expression in low levels). Three of the 5 relapsed patients showed preceding reappearance or rise of WT-1 gene expression. From these results, we reconfirmed that the WT-1 gene is a pan-acute leukemic marker, which can be used to monitor minimal residual leukemia (MRL) after chemotherapy or in patients with CR.
