The expression levels of long non-coding RNA KIAA0125 are associated with distinct clinical and biological features in myelodysplastic syndromes

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have important functions in cancer biology. Among them, lncRNA KIAA0125 is one of the genes proposed to play a critical role in leukaemia stem cell (LSC). In this study, we aimed to investigate the clinical relevance of the expression levels of lncRNA KIAA0125 in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a disease with highly heterogeneous clinical and biological features. Using RNA arrays, we measured the expression of KIAA0125 in 176 primary MDS patients. We found that higher KIAA0125 expression was associated with higher risk MDS, based on the revised International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R), mutations in ASXL1 and NRAS, and predicted poorer overall survival (OS) and leukaemia-free survival (LFS). Multivariate analysis revealed that higher KIAA0125 expression was an independent, unfavourable prognostic factor for OS and LFS, irrespective of IPSS-R and mutation status. Further global gene expression profile analysis suggested a close association of higher KIAA0125 expressions with LSC signatures. The expression of KIAA0125 may be a potential biomarker to guide the treatment choice in MDS patients, especially those with lower risk subtypes, in whom palliative treatment is usually used.