Strong correlation between VEGF and MCL-1 mRNA expression levels in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Véronèse, Lauren; Tournilhac, Olivier; Verrelle, Pierre; Davi, Frédéric; Dighiero, Guillaume; Chautard, Emmanuel; Veyrat-Masson, Richard; Kwiatkowski, Fabrice; Goumy, Carole; Gouas, Laetitia; Bay, Jacques-Olivier; Vago, Philippe; Tchirkov, Andrei

doi:10.1016/j.leukres.2009.05.003

« Previous Next »Leukemia Research
Volume 33, Issue 12 , Pages 1623-1626, December 2009

Strong correlation between VEGF and MCL-1 mRNA expression levels in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Lauren Véronèse
- Univ Clermont 1, Fac Médecine, Histologie Embryologie Cytogénétique, Clermont-Ferrand F-63001, France
- CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Cytogénétique Médicale, Clermont-Ferrand F-63003, France
- Univ Clermont 1, Fac Médecine, EA 3846, Clermont-Ferrand F-63011, France
- Service d’Hématologie Clinique Adulte, CHU, Clermont-Ferrand F-63003, France
Olivier Tournilhac
- Univ Clermont 1, Fac Médecine, EA 3846, Clermont-Ferrand F-63011, France
- Service d’Hématologie Clinique Adulte, CHU, Clermont-Ferrand F-63003, France
Pierre Verrelle
- Univ Clermont 1, Fac Médecine, EA 3846, Clermont-Ferrand F-63011, France
- Département de Radiothérapie, Centre Jean Perrin, Clermont-Ferrand F-63011, France
Frédéric Davi
- Service d’Hématologie Biologique & Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Hôpital Pitié-Salpêtrière, Paris F-75013, France
Guillaume Dighiero
- Institut Pasteur de Montevideo, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay
Emmanuel Chautard
- Univ Clermont 1, Fac Médecine, EA 3846, Clermont-Ferrand F-63011, France
Richard Veyrat-Masson
- Univ Clermont 1, Fac Médecine, EA 3846, Clermont-Ferrand F-63011, France
- Service d’Hématologie Biologique, CHU, Clermont-Ferrand F-63003, France
Fabrice Kwiatkowski
- Service Statistiques et Communications Médicales, Centre Jean Perrin, Clermont-Ferrand F-63011, France
Carole Goumy
- Univ Clermont 1, Fac Médecine, Histologie Embryologie Cytogénétique, Clermont-Ferrand F-63001, France
- CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Cytogénétique Médicale, Clermont-Ferrand F-63003, France
Laetitia Gouas
- Univ Clermont 1, Fac Médecine, Histologie Embryologie Cytogénétique, Clermont-Ferrand F-63001, France
- CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Cytogénétique Médicale, Clermont-Ferrand F-63003, France
Jacques-Olivier Bay
- Univ Clermont 1, Fac Médecine, EA 3846, Clermont-Ferrand F-63011, France
- Service d’Hématologie Clinique Adulte, CHU, Clermont-Ferrand F-63003, France
Philippe Vago
- Univ Clermont 1, Fac Médecine, Histologie Embryologie Cytogénétique, Clermont-Ferrand F-63001, France
- CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Cytogénétique Médicale, Clermont-Ferrand F-63003, France
Andrei Tchirkov
- Univ Clermont 1, Fac Médecine, Histologie Embryologie Cytogénétique, Clermont-Ferrand F-63001, France
- CHU Clermont-Ferrand, Cytogénétique Médicale, Clermont-Ferrand F-63003, France
- Univ Clermont 1, Fac Médecine, EA 3846, Clermont-Ferrand F-63011, France
- Département de Radiothérapie, Centre Jean Perrin, Clermont-Ferrand F-63011, France
- Corresponding author at: Service de Cytogénétique Médicale, CHU, UFR Médecine, Place Henri Dunant - BP 38, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand Cedex 1, France. Tel.: +33 4 73 17 81 10; fax: +33 4 73 26 91 82.

Received 14 January 2009; received in revised form 30 April 2009; accepted 4 May 2009. published online 07 March 2011.

Abstract

Expression of the anti-apoptotic myeloid cell leukemia-1 (MCL-1) gene is a novel prognostic factor in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). Vascular and endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) are able to upregulate MCL-1 via autocrine signaling loops. In 88 B-CLL patients, we found a strong correlation of MCL-1 gene expression with VEGF (P<10⁻⁷) but not with IL-6 mRNA levels. VEGF but not IL-6 expression influenced patient prognosis. VEGF may be a positive autocrine in vivo regulator of MCL-1 in B-CLL. Inhibition of VEGF and its signaling may prove to be useful in the treatment of B-CLL patients.