Blockage of autophagic ux is associated with lymphocytosis and higher percentage of tumoral cells in chronic lymphocytic leukemia of B-cells

Póster presentado al 42nd Congress of the Spanish Society of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (SEBBM), celebrado en Madrid del 16 al 19 de julio de 2019.
[Objective] Autophagy has lately emerged as an important biological process with implications in several hematological pathologies. Recently, a growing body of evidence supports a putative role of autophagy in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, however no definitive clue has been established so far. To elucidate this issue, we have developed a pilot study to measure autophagic flux in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients, and explored its correlation with classical clinical/analytical parameters. [Methods/Patients] Thirty-three chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients participated in the study. Autophagic flux in peripheral blood mononuclear cells was determined by western blot measuring the levels of the proteins p62 and lipidated LC3. Moreover, p62 mRNA levels were studied by RT-qPCR. [Results] Lymphocytosis and the percentage of tumoral lymphocytes in chronic lymphocityc leukemia patients statistically correlates with a blocked autophagic flux. [Conclusion] Alterations in autophagic flux could play an important role in the physiopathology of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Fundación Leticia Castillejo Castillo, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad. Sociedad Castellano Manchega de Hematología y Hemoterapia. RSP and MJRH Research Institutes, and the work carried out in their laboratories received support from the European Community through the Regional Development Funding Program (FEDER).