@article{Raquel Malumbres_Vicente Fresquet_Jose Roman-Gomez_Miriam Bobadilla_Eloy F. Robles_Giovanna G. Altobelli_M.ª José Calasanz_Erlend B. Smeland_Maria Angela Aznar_Xabier Agirre_Vanesa Martin-Palanco_Felipe Prosper_Izidore S. Lossos_Jose A. Martinez-Climent_2011, place={Pavia, Italy}, title={LMO2 expression reflects the different stages of blast maturation and genetic features in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and predicts clinical outcome}, volume={96}, url={https://haematologica.org/article/view/6027}, DOI={10.3324/haematol.2011.040568}, abstractNote={<strong>Background</strong> <em>LMO2</em> is highly expressed at the most immature stages of lymphopoiesis. In T-lymphocytes, aberrant <em>LMO2</em> expression beyond those stages leads to T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, while in B cells <em>LMO2</em> is also expressed in germinal center lymphocytes and diffuse large B-cell lymphomas, where it predicts better clinical outcome. The implication of <em>LMO2</em> in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia must still be explored.<strong>Design and Methods</strong> We measured <em>LMO2</em> expression by real time RT-PCR in 247 acute lymphoblastic leukemia patient samples with cytogenetic data (144 of them also with survival and immunophenotypical data) and in normal hematopoietic and lymphoid cells.<strong>Results</strong> B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cases expressed variable levels of <em>LMO2</em> depending on immunophenotypical and cytogenetic features. Thus, the most immature subtype, pro-B cells, displayed three-fold higher <em>LMO2</em> expression than pre-B cells, common-CD10+ or mature subtypes. Additionally, cases with <em>TEL-AML1</em> or <em>MLL</em> rearrangements exhibited two-fold higher <em>LMO2</em> expression compared to cases with <em>BCR-ABL</em> rearrangements or hyperdyploid karyotype. Clinically, high <em>LMO2</em> expression correlated with better overall survival in adult patients (5-year survival rate 64.8% (42.5%–87.1%) <em>vs</em>. 25.8% (10.9%–40.7%), <em>P</em>= 0.001) and constituted a favorable independent prognostic factor in B-ALL with normal karyotype: 5-year survival rate 80.3% (66.4%–94.2%) <em>vs.</em> 63.0% (46.1%–79.9%) (<em>P</em>= 0.043).<strong>Conclusions</strong> Our data indicate that <em>LMO2</em> expression depends on the molecular features and the differentiation stage of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. Furthermore, assessment of <em>LMO2</em&gt; expression in adult patients with a normal karyotype, a group which lacks molecular prognostic factors, could be of clinical relevance.}, number={7}, journal={Haematologica}, author={Raquel Malumbres and Vicente Fresquet and Jose Roman-Gomez and Miriam Bobadilla and Eloy F. Robles and Giovanna G. Altobelli and M.ª José Calasanz and Erlend B. Smeland and Maria Angela Aznar and Xabier Agirre and Vanesa Martin-Palanco and Felipe Prosper and Izidore S. Lossos and Jose A. Martinez-Climent}, year={2011}, month={Jun.}, pages={980-986} }