Nestin基因在髓系白血病的表达及意义

Expression and Role of Nestin in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Nestin蛋白是一种神经干细胞标志物,参与组织修复,并且在一些肿瘤细胞中表达。最近研究报道称nestin可能参与肿瘤细胞恶性增殖及细胞侵袭。在急性淋巴细胞白血病(acute lymphoid leukemia,ALL)小鼠模型中,白血病增殖细胞(leukemia-propagating cells,LPCs)可形成一个抗药性niche,其中nestin阳性细胞参与该niche形成。为探索nestin基因在白血病患者的临床表达情况,通过RT-PCR和Western-blot实验方法 ,检测了50位髓系白血病患者的nestin基因的临床表达情况。结果发现,在50位髓系白血病患者(38位AML,12位CML)中,42位患者表达nestin基因mRNA,6位患者表达nestin蛋白,并且nestin基因表达水平和患者血红蛋白、血小板、细胞因子和T淋巴细胞数并不存在相关性,但是高白细胞白血病患者表现出nestin基因mRNA水平高表达。虽然nestin基因和患者完全缓解率(complete remission,CR)并不存在联系,但是nestin基因在髓系白血病异常表达,说明其可能作为一种诊断AML或CML的生物标记物。

Nestin, a neural stem cell marker taking part in tissue regeneration, is expressed in some types of tumor cells. It was reported that nestin may be closely related to malignant cell proliferation and migration. In a mouse model of acute lymphoid leukemia （ALL）, leukemia-propagating cells （LPCs）, in response to chemothera- py, could build a protective niche surrounded by sheaths of supporting cells containing nestin-positive cells. To study the clinical expression of nestin gene in leukemia patients, the nestin expression in 50 patients （38 AML and 12 CML） was tested by RT-PCR and Western-blot. The results showed that nestin mRNA was ex- pressed in most of the patients （42/50）, but nestin protein was expressed in 6 patients. The expression level of nestin mRNA in patients with AML or CML was not associated with the levels of the hemoglobin, thrombo- cyte, cytokines as well as T-lymphocytes. The overexpression of nestin mRNA was strongly correlated with the hyperleukocytosis myeloid leukemia. Nestin expression in AML and CML was not related with complete remission （CR）. It provides important information that abnormal expression of nestin mRNA may be a biomark- er of myeloid leukemia.