Study of Wilms tumor 1 gene expression in patients with acute leukemia

Background Leukemias are a group of disorders characterized by the accumulation of malignant white blood cells in the bone marrow and blood. They are classified into two types: acute and chronic leukemia, which are further subdivided into lymphoid or myeloid categories according to the cell origin. The Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) gene product is a regulatory molecule of cell growth and differentiation. Wild-type WT1 gene is overexpressed in hematological cancers [acute myeloid leukemia (AML), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia]. Aim The aim of this study was to study the WT1 gene expression in patients with acute leukemia. Patients and methods This study was carried out on 30 patients with acute leukemia. They were selected from patients admitted to the Tanta University Hospital. All individuals were subjected to laboratory investigations. Complete blood picture, bone marrow aspiration examination, cytochemical staining, and immunophenotyping and specific investigations by study of WT1 gene expression by real-time PCR were done. Results Positive WT 1 gene expression was detected in 70% of studied patients and negative WT 1 expression in 30% of studied patients. Moreover, positive WT 1 gene expression was detected in 84.6% of patients with AML. However, positive WT 1 gene expression was detected in 42.9% of patients with ALL. Conclusion The WT1 gene expression was increased in patients with acute leukemia. Moreover, the level of WT1 gene expression was increased in AML than ALL. The level of WT1 gene expression is decreased in patients with acute leukemia after chemotherapy and in patients during remission than its level before chemotherapy and in relapsed patients after chemotherapy. WT1 gene positive expression may be a good prognostic factor in patients with acute leukemia.