1003-LB

Abstract

The present study was proposed to investigate whether or not KIR genes may influence the outcome of leukemia. To this purpose, KIRs were determined in a series of 100 healthy control individuals and 55 leukemia patients. KIR genotyping was performed by PCR sequence - specific primers method - and by means of a KIR Typing Kit. 100 healthy controls, thirty patients with acute malignancy, 17 patients with ALL, 13 with AML and 25 with Chronic Leukemia were investigated. The association of KIR genes with ALL, AML and CML was analyzed by logistic regression, one for each type of leukemia, using the stepwise technique. Initially, using the odds ratio measure, we identified the genes associated with ALL, AML and CML. The associated genes were taken to the logistic regression model, in which the “answer” variable was the risk that the person had leukemia and the “predictor” variables were the previously identified genes. The adopted significance level was 0.05. Leukemia Risk Model ALL -1,65 + 0,97(K2DL4) +0,81(K2DS3) ALM -2,04 + 0,75(K3DS1) CML -1,49 - 0,96(K2DL1) + 0,76 (K2DS3) + 0,68 (K2DL3) These data could be interpreted as a possible mechanism of association with KIR2DL1 as a protection in Chronic Leukemia and KIR2DS3, KIR2DL3 are positively associated to CML. Our findings could be associated to the etiology of Chronic Leukemia. Further investigation will be carried out and current data will be updated with the data obtained in additional patients recruited for our study.