meta-analysis of gene expression profiles in acute promyelocytic leukemia reveals involved pathways

background: acute promyelocytic leukemia (apl) is a unique subtype of acute leukemia. apl is a curable disease; however, drug resistance, early mortality, disease relapse and treatment-related complications remain challenges in apl patient management. one issue underlying these challenges is that the molecular mechanisms of the disease are not sufficiently understood. materials and methods: in this study, we performed a meta-analysis of gene expression profiles derived from microarray experiments and explored the background of disease by functional and pathway analysis. results: our analysis revealed a gene signature with 406 genes that are up or down-regulated in apl. the pathway analysis determined that mapk pathway and its involved elements such as jun gene and ap-1 play important roles in apl pathogenesis along with insulin-like growth factor–binding protein-7. conclusions: the results of this meta-analysis could be useful for developing more effective therapy strategies and new targets for diagnosis and drugs.