Soluble Sema4D Level Is Positively Correlated with Sema4D Expression in PBMCs and Peripheral Blast Number in Acute Leukemia

Abstract

Semaphorin 4D (Sema4D) is highly expressed in various cancers and leukemia. It is involved in the development of acute leukemia. A high level of soluble Sema4D is also present in the plasma of acute leukemia patients. However, it remains unknown whether Sema4D is associated with the clinical characteristics of acute leukemia. In this study, Sema4D expression was examined in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMCs) of patients with acute leukemia, and it was highly expressed in the PBMCs of B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), T-ALL, and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients and in the BMMCs of B-ALL and AML patients but not in the BMMCs of T-ALL patients. Sema4D expression was higher in the PBMCs of T-ALL patients than in the PBMCs of B-ALL or AML patients. In addition, Sema4D expression in BMMCs was reduced in B-ALL patients during the chemotherapy process. It was lower in remission patients than in newly diagnosed and patients without remission. In acute leukemia, soluble Sema4D level in serum is positively correlated with Sema4D expression in PBMCs, leukocyte number, and peripheral blast number. Those results suggest that the levels of Sema4D and its soluble form are associated with acute leukemia development and may be regarded as a potential biomarker in pediatric acute leukemia.

Circulating Biomarkers Associated with the Diagnosis and Prognosis of B-Cell Progenitor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

“…Sema4D was highly expressed in patients with BCP-ALL, TCP-ALL, and AML compared to controls. There was a positive correlation between Sema4D levels in PBMCs and in serum ( p = 0.0249), and between Sema4D levels in PBMCs, and the leukocyte count ( p = 0.0002) and the peripheral blast number ( p = 0.0036) [ 106 ]. As per the study conducted by Jian et al [ 105 ], it was not observed that the difference in Sema4D expression varied according to the cell type.…”

“…That pattern was also observed in vivo and correlated with the level of expression. It is assumed that Sema4D plays a crucial role in leukemia development by regulating the PI3k/AKT and ERK signaling pathways and may be a biomarker for ALL prognosis [ 105 , 106 ].…”