The potential association of the transcription levels of the ABO gene with the disease phases in AML patients

Patients with AML may show ABO blood typing discrepancy, and the expression levels of the ABO antigens may show some alterations with the disease progression. To better understand this phenomenon, the blood samples of 25 AML patients and 25 healthy blood donors were examined. The serological ABO blood types of the patients were determined in different AML stages, and gene sequencing was performed to identify the precise ABO genotypes. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was carried out to detect the transcription levels of the antigens. The genotyping result showed that there were 4 patients with genotype A1O, 5 patients with B1O, and 16 patients with A1B1. RT-PCR results indicated that the transcription levels of the ABO gene in 76% (19/25) of the patients were significantly lower compared with those in controls (p < 0.05). After therapy, 3/4 patients with A1O returned to normal A, 4/5 patients with B1O returned to normal B, and 10/16 patients with A1B1 returned to normal AB. The patients who achieved complete remission (CR) showed no difference of transcription levels of the ABO gene from those of controls. The data indicated that the transcription levels of the ABO gene changed with the disease progression, suggesting its potential role in the progression of AML disease.