c-myc and c-fos expression during interferon-alpha therapy for hairy cell leukemia

Blood. 1986 Oct;68(4):967-70.

Abstract

Low-dose interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy is consistently effective in the treatment of hairy cell leukemia (HCL). In two cases of resistance to IFN-alpha administration, we diagnosed variant HCL, a form of HCL with intermediate features between typical HCL and B cell prolymphocytic leukemia. We tried to distinguish variant and typical hairy cells (HCs) by Northern blot analysis of the oncogenes expressed in vivo. We report that variant HCs contain c-myc transcripts in contrast to typical HCs, whereas c-fos transcripts are detected in both cell types. We also report that the mRNA levels of c-myc are not modified in variant HCs by IFN-alpha treatment, whereas the level of c-fos mRNA is modulated in both types of HCs. Our findings suggest that the failure to modulate c-myc expression in vivo might indicate the limits of low-dose IFN-alpha therapy.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cell Cycle
  • Gene Expression Regulation
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy
  • Interferon Type I / therapeutic use*
  • Leukemia, Hairy Cell / genetics
  • Leukemia, Hairy Cell / therapy*
  • Nucleoproteins / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / genetics*
  • Proto-Oncogenes*
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Neoplasm / genetics

Substances

  • Interferon Type I
  • Nucleoproteins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • RNA, Messenger
  • RNA, Neoplasm