Overexpression of long non-coding RNA ANRIL in B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Background: Dysregulation of LncRNA antisense non-coding RNA in the INK4 locus (ANRIL) expression is implicated in pathogenesis and disease progression of a variety of cancer types. However, the expression level of ANRIL in pediatric patients with B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) has not been elucidated, yet. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the expression level of ANRIL at different clinical stages in pediatric patients with BCP-ALL. Materials and Methods: This case-control study was conducted in Tehran, Iran on peripheral blood samples obtained at diagnosis, complete remission, and relapse phases from a total of 50 pediatric BCP-ALL patients who were admitted to Mahak Hospital and Rehabilitation Complex, and Rasul Akram Hospital. The ANRIL expression analysis was performed by the quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) method. To test the statistical significance, a nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test was used. Results: The mean fold-changes of ANRIL gene expression in newly diagnosed patients were [31.51 (18.28 to 44.75)] compared to the control group [1.06 (0.73 to 1.38)] indicating significant overexpression (P<0.001). ANRIL fold-changes significantly declined following achievement of complete remission [1.24 (0.80 to 1.69)] compared to the newly diagnosed patients (p<0.001) and increased as the patients experienced relapse [285.4 (269.70 to 301) (P<0.001)]. Conclusions: LncRNA ANRIL may contribute to BCP-ALL pathogenesis and disease progression; casting new light on the application of ANRIL as a potential biomarker or therapeutic target in BCP-ALL.