Abstract:ObjectiveTo study the expression and role of cyclic-AMP response binding protein (CREB) and Bcl-2 in children with acute leukemia. METHODS: Ninety-two children with acute leukemia (leukemia group) and 30 children with non-hematologic malignancies (control group) were enrolled. The mRNA and protein expression of CREB and Bcl-2 in bone marrow mononuclear cells were measured by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot. RESULTS: The mRNA and protein expression of CREB and Bcl-2 in the leukemia group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.01). There were no significant differences in the expression of CREB and Bcl-2 between acute lymphoblastic leukemia and acute myeloid leukemia subgroups. At the initial diagnosis, the mRNA and protein expression of CREB and Bcl-2 in children with extramedullary infiltration was higher than that in children without (P<0.05). In the leukemia group, the mRNA and protein expression of CREB and Bcl-2 in the complete remission subgroup was significantly lower than that in the non-complete remission subgroup (P<0.01). High mRNA expression of CREB and Bcl-2 in the leukemia group was positively correlated with peripheral blood leucocyte counts (r=0.62, 0.71 respectively, P<0.05). There was a positive correlation between mRNA and protein expression of CREB and Bcl-2 (r=0.75, 0.68 respectively; P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The expression of CREB and Bcl-2 may be correlated with the pathogenesis and clinical prognosis of childhood leukemia, however, their expression may not be associated with the classification of acute leukemia.［Chin J Contemp Pediatr, 2010, 12 (3):177-180］
