Di. Marks et al., HIGH-INCIDENCE OF POTENTIAL P53 INACTIVATION IN POOR OUTCOME CHILDHOOD ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC-LEUKEMIA AT DIAGNOSIS, Blood, 87(3), 1996, pp. 1155-1161
Previous studies have indicated that p53 gene mutations were an uncomm
on event in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children. In one ser
ies of 330 patients, p53 mutations were seen in fewer than 3%. We anal
yzed bone marrow mononuclear cells derived from 10 children with ALL a
t diagnosis who subsequently failed to achieve a complete remission or
who developed relapse within 6 months of attaining complete remission
for p53 gene mutations and mdm-2 overexpression. We found that three
children had p53 gene mutations, and four overexpressed mdm-2. Also, e
xperiments comparing relative levels of mdm-2 RNA and protein in these
patients demonstrated that mdm-2 overexpression can occur at the tran
scriptional and posttranscriptional level in primary leukemic cells. A
lthough we were unable to link Waf-1 RNA expression with p53 status in
childhood ALL, our data show potential p53 inactivation by multiple m
echanisms in a large percentage of these patients and demonstrate that
these alterations can be detected at diagnosis. Inactivation of the p
53 pathway may, therefore, be important in children with ALL who fail
to respond to treatment and may be useful for the early identification
of children requiring alternative therapies. (C) 1996 by The American
Society of Hematology.