Assessment of the pathway of apoptosis involving PAR-4, DAXX and ZIPK proteins in CLL patients and its relationship with the principal prognostic factors

• Main Authors: Jacek Roliński, Anna Dmoszyńska, Sylwia Chocholska, Agata Surdacka, Maria Luiza Kusz, Ewa Wąsik-Szczepanek, Iwona Hus, Małgorzata Sieklucka, Agnieszka Bojarska-Junak
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Via Medica 2011-04-01
• Series: Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica
• Subjects: PAR-4; DAXX; ZIPK; BCL-2; CD38; apoptosis; chronic lymphocytic leukemia
• Online Access: http://czasopisma.viamedica.pl/fhc/article/view/4149
• ISSN: 0239-8508; 1897-5631

Par-4 (prostate apoptosis response-4) protein was originally found upregulated in prostate tumor cells undergoing apoptosis. Then it was further identified as a proapoptotic protein upregulated both in normal and leukemic lymphocytes. The aim of our study was to assess PAR-4 protein expression in the B cells of CLL patients and to examine its relationship with the expression of other proteins involved in the apoptosis process, such as DAXX, ZIPK and BCL-2. We found a positive relationship between PAR-4 and BCL-2 protein expression. Additionally, there was a positive correlation between PAR-4 and both DAXX and ZIPK protein expression. The results of our research were also analyzed in association with the principal CLL prognostic factors. There was a positive correlation between the expression of PAR-4 protein and the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) serum concentration (p < 0.005). The expression of PAR-4 protein in B cells correlated positively with the percentage of CD38<sup>+</sup> cells (p < 0.05), as well as with CD38<sup>+</sup>/ZAP-70<sup>+</sup> cells (p < 0.05). Moreover, we found a close relationship between LPL protein expression or LPL/ADAM29 MFI ratio and PAR-4 protein expression. Our results confirm the significance of apoptosis deregulation in CLL, and suggest a possible relationship between PAR-4 expression and the clinical course of the disease. This however requires further investigation. <i>(Folia Histochemica et Cytobiologica 2011; Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 98–103)