Çocukluk Çağı T-ALL Hastalarında PTEN ve AKT1 Gen Anlatım Düzeyleri

Abstract

Objective: Impaired activation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway has been associated with tumor development. The PTEN/AKT pathway plays a critical role in cell growth and survival and has been associated with chemotherapy resistance in leukemia. In this study, PTEN and AKT1 gene expression were determined in childhood T-ALL patients, and the effect was investigated on the prognosis of the disease. Materials and Methods: Bone marrow samples from 39 childhood cases were obtained at the time of diagnosis and screened with real-time quantitative PCR for PTEN and AKT1 genes. Results: In our study, no difference between T-ALL patients compared to controls was observed in PTEN gene expression whereas AKT1 gene expression was significantly increased (p<0.0001). There was no significant relationship between gene expression and clinical features of the patients, overall and disease-free survival rates while induction therapy-related survival analyzes revealed a significant relationship between PTEN and AKT1 gene expression and overall survival rates (p=0.026 and p=0.034 Cox regression analysis, respectively). Conclusion: In our study, the presence of increased AKT1 gene expression was demonstrated in T-ALL patients independent of PTEN expression. Future studies will reveal whether it will be a suitable candidate for targeted therapies.