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ZAP‐70 is highly expressed in most cases of childhood pre‐B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Author(s) -
WANDROO F.,
BELL A.,
DARBYSHIRE P.,
PRATT G.,
STANKOVIC T.,
GORDON J.,
LAWSON S.,
MOSS P.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international journal of laboratory hematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.705
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1751-553X
pISSN - 1751-5521
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-553x.2007.00915.x
Subject(s) - jurkat cells , lymphoblast , cancer research , leukemia , cell culture , b cell , acute lymphocytic leukemia , bone marrow , biology , medicine , cell , t cell , immunology , microbiology and biotechnology , lymphoblastic leukemia , antibody , immune system , genetics
Summary The tyrosine kinase ZAP‐70 plays a critical role in signal transduction in T cells and NK cells but has limited expression in primary human B cells. ZAP‐70 is, however, expressed in adult B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia where it correlates with a poor prognosis. We wished to determine if ZAP‐70 is also expressed in pediatric B cell malignancy. A quantitative PCR assay for ZAP‐70 expression was established and ZAP‐70 expression in a range of human B cell lines was compared with expression in the Jurkat T cell line. ZAP‐70 expression was then determined in bone marrow lymphoblasts obtained from 12 patients with pre‐B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). ZAP‐70 expression was not detected in mature B cell lines but was detected in pre‐B cell lines at a level comparable to that seen in T cells. ZAP‐70 expression was strongly expressed in nine of the 12 cases of primary pre‐B cell lymphoblastic leukemia. The T cell‐associated protein kinase ZAP‐70 is highly expressed in pre‐B lineage cells and most cases of pre‐B acute lymphoblastic leukemia. ZAP‐70 expression may hold prognostic value for pre‐B ALL and raises the prospect of a novel therapeutic target.