PNAS-2: a novel gene probably participating in leukemogenesis.

OBJECTIVE:As(4)S(4) is an effective drug for the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia but its mechanism of action remains largely unknown. In a previous study, we identified a human apoptosis-related protein gene, using gene expression profiling. In this study, we tried to clarify the role of in apoptosis and leukemogenesis. METHODS:NB4 and U937 leukemia cell lines and serial clinical samples were studied. RNA interference and RNA overexpression were used to address the potential role of duanyu1535S-2 in apoptosis. duanyu1535S-2 expression was examined using Northern blot in multiple tissues, and real-time PCR was applied to analyze duanyu1535S-2 expression in various patient samples. RESULTS:Functional analyses of duanyu1535S-2 by and RNA overexpression indicate duanyu1535S-2 is an anti-apoptosis gene. duanyu1535S-2 expression is significantly increased in de novo or relapsed acute leukemia, but in patients in complete remission duanyu1535S-2 levels decrease to levels comparable to those found in normal controls. In carcinomas, duanyu1535S-2 expression was not upregulated, indicating that duanyu1535S-2 overexpression was specific for leukemia. CONCLUSION:Based on the preliminary data, we suggest that the duanyu1535S-2 gene functions as an anti-apoptotic gene and probably participates in leukemogenesis.

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