Dissertation committee:
Δημήτριος Γουργιώτης, Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Ιατρικής, ΕΚΠΑ
Δημήτριος Καφετζής, Ομότιμος Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Ιατρικής, ΕΚΠΑ
Μαρία Τσολιά, Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Ιατρικής, ΕΚΠΑ
Βασιλική Παπαευαγγέλου, Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Ιατρικής, ΕΚΠΑ
Ανδρεάς Σκορίλας, Καθηγητής, Τμήμα Βιολογίας, ΕΚΠΑ
Μαρία Μοσχόβη, Επίκουρη Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Ιατρικής, ΕΚΠΑ
Λυδία Κόσσυβα, Επίκουρη Καθηγήτρια, Τμήμα Ιατρικής, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
The aim of the present thesis was to study the expression of BCL2, BAX and BCL2L12 genes in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Bone marrow specimens were obtained at the time of diagnosis and on day 33 following BFM-ALLIC treatment from patients and healthy children. Following extraction, total RNA was reverse transcribed and genes’ levels were determined by quantitative real-time PCR. BCL2, BCL2/BAX and BCL2L12 were upregulated in ch-ALL compared to healthy children and were correlated with favorable prognostic disease features. Increased levels of BCL2 and BAX were associated with disease remission and poor survival outcome, whereas increased levels of BCL2L12 were associated with better survival outcome. Moreover, the upregulation of BCL2 and BAX following BFM treatment induction was shown to represent an independent predictor of patients’ short term relapse, which was further confirmed in ch-ALL patients with favorable prognostic features. These results demonstrate that these genes may be considered as novel prognostic markers in ch-ALL and that BCL2L12 might have a proapoptotic role in ch-ALL.
Keywords:
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Childhood, BFM, Apoptosis, Tumor markers
