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Abstract
Nestin is a neuroepithelial stem cell marker that is expressed in some types of tumor cells. Recent reports suggest that Nestin may be closely related to malignant cell proliferation and migration. Acute leukemia (AL) is characterized by a lack of differentiation, which results in uncontrolled proliferation in the bone marrow and accumulation of immature cells. The expression and function of Nestin in AL is unclear. We investigated Nestin immunohistochemical patterns of 87 patients that included 47 cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and 40 cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), and 20 patients in complete remission (CR) from AML or ALL. We also investigated the clinico-pathological features of 87 cases of AL and their CR and overall survival (OS). Nestin was expressed in leukemic blasts and mature granulocytic cells in most cases (39/47) of AML. Conversely, Nestin was expressed in mature granulocytic cells in fewer cases (6/40) of ALL, but not in blasts. Nestin expression appeared in leukemic blasts of AML, but not ALL. Nestin expression in AML blast cells was not associated with CR or OS. We provide evidence that Nestin is expressed in AL and might be a useful immunohistochemical marker for identifying AML and ALL.
Acknowledgments
We thank Li Shunong, Center for Stem Cell Biology and Tissue Engineering, Sun Yat-sen University, and Li He and Luoqiong, Hematological Department of Guangdong Province People's Hospital, for providing technical guidance and statistical analysis. This work was supported by grants from The National Natural Science Fund (30900729, 81000177 and 81173577). Xin Du and Xuhui Yang are co-authors. Drs. Feng He and A. P. Xiang are co-corresponding authors.
Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this paper.