The evaluation of the TGF- beta 1 and T beta RII gene expression in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Abstract

Background: Tumor suppressors are key molecules involved in the malignant process. TGF-beta is one of the most important suppressor genes with a complex role in intracellular processes. Although TGF-beta is a traditional tumor suppressor; recent evidence has shown its promoter role in solid tumors. However, it is not determined whether TGF-beta has a tumor suppressor or tumor promoter role in hematologic malignancies. In this study we evaluated the expression of TGF-beta and its receptor in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, as an important hematologic malignancy. Material and Method: In this study, the expression of TGF-beta and T beta RII was analyzed in 52 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in comparison with 13 normal controls; all of them informed volunteers. The mononuclear cell was separated using Ficoll for RNA isolation. After synthesis of c-DNA, the gene expression was measured using cyber green RQPCR. Results: Our results showed that the expression level of TGF-beta (3.6 fold) and T beta RII (7.7 fold) was significantly decreased in all patient groups in comparison with healthy controls. Reduction in TGF-beta was significantly correlated to blast count; TGF-BRII reduction also had correlation with chromosomal translocation, however, we did not observe any correlation with other parameters such as age, gender and leukemic cell immunophenotype. Conclusion: Altogether our findings suggest defeated TGF-beta signaling in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and it seems that the targeting of TGF-beta signaling component is one of the basic and essential mechanisms in cancer development. More research in this field can help us to design novel methods for ALL diagnosis, classification, monitoring and treatment.