ECOTROPIC VIRUS INTEGRATIONS SITE-1 GENE PREFERENTIALLY EXPRESSED IN POST-MYELODYSPLASIA ACUTE MYELOID-LEUKEMIA - POSSIBLE ASSOCIATION WITHGATA-1, GATA-2, AND STEM-CELL LEUKEMIA GENE-EXPRESSION

We investigated expression of the human ecotropic virus integration si te-1 (EVI1) gene in patients with leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrom e (MDS) using the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RI- PCR) method. The EVI1 transcripts were detected in 5 (10.0%) of 50 pat ients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML), including two AML pat ients with trilineage myelodysplasia, and in 8 (34.8%) of 23 patients with post-myelodysplastic syndrome AML (post-MDS AML). EVI1 expression was also detected in 6 (35.3%) of 17 MDS patients and three of six pa tients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in myelomegakaryoblast cris is. No EVI1 transcripts were detected in patients with acute lymphoid leukemia (n = 15) or CML in lymphoid blast crisis (n = 4). Chromosomal abnormalities at the 3q26 region, where the EVI1 gene is located, wer e found in one patient with MDS and two patients with CML myelomegakar yoblast crisis who had EVI1 expression. Our results showed that EVI1 e xpression was frequent in patients with post-MDS AML and AML with tril ineage myelodysplasia, regardless of the presence or absence of 3q26 a bnormalities. EVI1 expression was accompanied by expression of GATA-1 and GATA-2 and often by stem cell leukemia (SCL) gene expression. In p atients with post-MDS AML, EVI1 expression was not always associated w ith a 3q26 abnormality, whereas EVI1 expression in CML myelomegakaryob last crisis was often linked to a 3q26 abnormality. Our results sugges t that the leukemogenic role of EVI1 expression may differ between pos t-MDS AML and leukemia, with EVI1 expression associated with a 3q26 ab normality. (C) 1995 by The American Society of Hematology.