B-cell activating factor: variability of selected exonic regions and association with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in paediatric patients

• Authors: KALINA Dale Robert; NORDHEIM Vegard Aas-Aune; ŠPLÍCHAL Zbyněk; BIENERTOVÁ VAŠKŮ Julie; TOMANDL Josef; JURAJDA Michal; BIENERT Petr; KŘENOVÁ Zdenka; ŠTĚRBA Jaroslav; VAŠKŮ Anna
• Year of publication: 2012
• Type: Conference abstract
• MU Faculty or unit: Faculty of Medicine
• Description: Introduction: There is emerging evidence that B-lineage neoplasms have aberrant expression of B-cell activating factor (BAFF, TNFSF13B) that enables the B cells to escape apoptosis. The aim of our study was to investigate circulating levels of BAFF in paediatric malignancies related to B-cell growth, i.e. B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) and B-lineage lymphomas. Materials and methods: This cross-sectional study included the total of 18 children with B-lineage neoplasms whose serum levels of BAFF before the start of the treatment were examined using the ELISA-based methodology. Exons 1, 4 and 5 of BAFF gene were investigated using the direct sequencing in all patients. Results: We observed significant differences in circulating levels of BAFF between the B-ALL patients and B-cell lymphoma patients, the circulating levels of BAFF being substantially higher in B-ALL cases than in B-cell lymphoma cases. However, no genetic variability was observed in any of examined exonic regions of BAFF gene. Discussion: This is the first study to report elevated BAFF levels in acute lymphoblastic leukemia in children. Although highly limited in number of cases, our study provides a potential basis for further evaluation of BAFF as a diagnostic and/or prognostic marker in B-ALL.