Angiopoietin-2 mRNA expression is increased in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients with poor prognostic features
Abstract
Elevated expression of angiopoietin-2 (Ang-2), was recently reported in CLL. We quantitated Ang-2 mRNA in purified mononuclear cells of 33 untreated CLL patients and compared the transcript levels to traditional as well as modern prognostic factors in patients with CLL.
Elevated Ang-2 mRNA concentrations were detected in 12 cases; 21 patients had very low or undetectable levels of Ang-2 transcript. There was significant association between high Ang-2 mRNA levels and unmutated IgVH genes (n=27, P=0.010) and with CD38 expression (n=32, P=0.011), but not with ZAP-70 expression (n=32,P=0.784), Rai stage (n=33, P=0.305) or stable versus progressive clinical course (n=33,P=0.443).
There was a trend towards shorter progression-free survival in patients with high Ang-2 expression; however, it did not reach statistical significance (P=0.090). Our pilot data show that Ang-2 mRNA is differentially expressed in patients with CLL and its increased expression appears to be associated with poor prognostic features.