Ecotropic Virus Integration Site-l Gene Preferentially Expressed in Post-Myelodysplasia Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Possible Association With GATA-1, GATA-2, and Stem Cell Leukemia Gene Expression

We investigated expression of the human ecotropic virus integration site-l (EVI1) gene in patients with leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) using the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. The EVl l transcripts were detected in 5 (10.0%) of 50 patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML), including two AML patients with trilineage myelodysplasia, and in 8 (34.8%) of 23 patients with post-myelodysplastic syndrome AML (post-MDS AML). EVl l expression was also detected in 6 (35.3%) of 17 MDS patients and three of six patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in myelomegakaryoblast crisis. No EVl l transcripts were detected in patients with acute lymphoid leukemia (n = 15) or CML in lymphoid blast crisis (n = 4). Chromosomal abnormalities at the 3q26 region, where the EV l l gene is located, were found in one