The expression of P16 protein in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia
ZHU Yiping LIAO Qingkui LI Qinbo
(Second Affiliated Hospital, West China University of Medical Sciences, Chengdu 610041, China)
【Abstract】 Objective The tumor suppressor gene p16 mapped at 9p21. as a negative regulatory protein of cell cycle plays a role in inhibition of cell division and proliferation. Recently, it has been reported that the homozygous deletion of p16 gene was much higher in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL), especially in T-ALL, than other types of leukemia. But it is difficult to find the abnormalities of the gene regulation sequence with the ordinary molecular biological techniques. Study on protein activity could finally reflect gene function in tumor cells. Thereafter, we detected the expression of P16 protein, and explored the relationship with immunophenotypes in childhood ALL and the significance in the pathogenesis of ALL.Methods Fifty-two recently diagnosed childhood ALL patients aged from 1 year 2 months to 14 years including 31 boys and 21 girls were selected as experiment group. Twenty healthy children aged from 2 months to 9 years, 13 boys and 7 girls, were in the control group. The patients included 10 T-ALL, 9 early pre-B ALL, 14 C-ALL, 4 pre-B ALL, and 4 B-cell ALL. The biotin-streptavidin method was used to detect the P16 protein. Cell samples were pre-incubated with hydrogen peroxide (3%) for 20 min at room temperature, and with non-immune goat serum (10%) for 20 min at 37℃. Primary antibodies (polyclonal antibody, Santa Crue, dilution 1:50) were applied and incubated for 12hr at 4℃. The secondary antibodies were biotinylated goat anti-rabbit IgG (1∶50 dilution)and incubated for 30 min at 37℃, after that the streptavidin-biotinylated-peroxidase (SP) complex (dilution 1:200, 30 min, 37℃) was added. Finally, peroxidase activity was visualized by adding DAB, which formed a yellowish-brown product, counterstain was performed with hematoxylin. The staining was graded as negative (-), weakly positive (+), positive(++) and strongly positive (+++).Results The positive expression rate of P16 protein in childhood ALL patients was 42%, obviously lower than that in normal group (95%, P<0.001). The lower level expression (+) of P16 protein in normal group was 80%, while in ALL, the ratio of strongly positive (+++) over positive expressions was 73% (16/22), the ratio of weak positive (+) over positive expression was 5% (1/22). The deletion of P16 protein expression was found in 8/10 of T-lineage ALL (80%) and in 18/31 of B-lineage ALL (58%) patients, respectively (P>0.05). In the subtype of B-lineage ALL, the deletion of P16 protein expression occurred in 3/9 of early pre-B ALL (33%), 7/14 of C-ALL (50%), 4/4 of pre-B ALL (100%) and 4/4 of B-cell ALL (100%) . The degree of P16 protein expression in pre-B ALL and B-cell was lower than that in pre-B ALL and C-ALL by Ridit analysis. The strong positive expression of P16 protein was revealed in 77% of B-lineage ALL.Conclusion The P16 inactivation could suppress the function of G1/S checkpoint in cell cycle, which plays a very important role in the leukemogenesis and progression of leukemia. The enhanced expression of P16 protein may also be related to the leukemogenesis in some groups of B-lineage ALL by via inhibition of apotosis; in contrast, P16 inactivation which results in the higher proliferative activity may be associated closely with the development of cancer in T-lineage ALL.
【Key words】 Leukemia, lympholcytic, acute;Genes p16; protein P16;Gene deletion
由于p16基因缺失者多见于T系ALL,而T系ALL常与高危因素相伴,故p16基因缺失者预后差是否由T系表型所致,值得注意。Diccianni等[4]对比分析了103例小儿T系ALL p16基因缺失者与非缺失者后认为p16基因缺失的T系ALL复发后生存期明显缩短,推测p16基因缺失加之T系表型促进了肿瘤细胞的增殖和恶化。Kees等[5]随访小儿 ALL 4年以上,结果表明p16基因缺失组的复发率与死亡率明显高于非缺失组,并提出p16基因缺失是评估小儿ALL复发与死亡的重要预后因素。目前复发是小儿ALL治疗失败的主要原因,因此将p16基因缺失作为判断预后、指导治疗的指标,具有一定的临床意义。
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