A Study Of PTEN Gene Expression And Its Significance In Adult Leukemia

[Objiective] To determine the significance of the expression of PTENgene in adult acute and chronic leukemia, and to explore the role which PTEN gene plays in leukemia.[Methods]The expression of PTEN gene in K562 cells, 44 patients withacute leukemia (AL) who were all newly diagnosed, including 34 acute myeloid leukemia(AML) patients and 10 acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL) patients, 8 AL in complete remission(AL-CR), 15 chronic myelogous leukemia(CML) and 12 controls were assayed by RT-PCR. Also monitor the expression of PTEN gene in 4 AML-M₃ patients after they had been cured by ATRA to complete remission. The objective of the experiment is to analyze the expression rules of PTEN gene and its clinical significance in leukemia.[Results] PTEN gene was positive in K562 cells.And PTEN gene wasexpressed in 83．3%(n=10) controls, 60%(n=9) CML patients, 25%(n=2) AL-CR and 4．5%(n=2) AL patients. The expression ratio of PTEN gene between controls and CML had no statistical difference(P>0．05) . The expression ratios of PTEN gene in AL-CR(25%) and AL(4．5%) were significaly lower than in controls (P<0．05) , in addition, AL had a lower expression ratio than that of AL-CR(P<0．05) . But the expression ratio of PTEN gene between AML(2．9%) and ALL(10%) had no statistical difference(P>0．05) .The deletion of PTEN had no significant correlation with the sex of AL patients, but had positive correlation with the WBC count in peripheral blood and with the extramedullary infiltration. In 4 AML-M₃ pati-ents, PTEN gene was negative when they were newly diagnosed. After the cure of ATRA to complete remission, PTEN gene was positive in one of them while PTEN gene was still negative in the others.[Conclusion] The expression ratios of PTEN gene in AL-CR and AL weresignificantly lower than in controls and CML. PTEN gene may be correlated with the curralation and the evolution of acute leukemia, and may be possibly related with the multiplication of tumor cells and their infiltration and transfer-ation. In acute leukemia, whether the clinical application of ATRA arise the expression ratio of PTEN or not is to be studied.