Comparison of ADAM17 gene expression level in acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients

Abstract

Background and aims: In acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), large numbers of stem cells become lymphoblasts or lymphocytes. Among the genetic factors influencing cancer is the ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) gene family. Due to the important role of this family in cancer, this study aimed to compare the expression level of ADAM17 gene in patients with ALL and healthy individuals. Material and Methods: In this case-control study, 40 venous blood samples were taken from ALL patients referred to Omid hospital in Isfahan, Iran. Also, 40 venous blood samples were taken from healthy individuals in vitro. Lymphocyte isolation was performed using a ficol and cell RNA was isolated using an RNX-Plus kit. It was then converted to cDNA using the Yekta Tajhiz Azma kit. Finally, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique was used to evaluate the relative expression of ADAM17 gene in blood samples of healthy individuals and patients with leukemia, and the ratio was measured with the reference GAPDH gene. SPSS software version 22 and t test were used to analyze the data. Results: The expression level of ADAM17 gene in patients with ALL compared to the control group showed a significant increase, which was statistically significant (P=0.043). Conclusion: It seems that increasing the expression of ADAM17 gene in people with ALL is a suitable biomarker to diagnose this disease.