Decreased expression of autophagy-related genes in the complete remission phase of acute myeloid leukemia

Background: Autophagy is a conserved recycling process in cells. However, the effects of autophagy on the remission and treatment response of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients have not been clarified. Methods: The expression of MAP1LC3B, ATG5, ATG10, RB1CC1, and AMBRA1 genes was assessed in 32 newly diagnosed AML patients, 18 complete remission (CR) patients, and seven relapsed patients, as well as 15 controls, by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: The expression of all five genes was significantly higher in the newly diagnosed AML patients as compared to the controls (p < 0.0001). The MAP1LC3B, ATG5, ATG10, RB1CC1, and AMBRA1 gene expression significantly reduced in CR patients compared to newly diagnosed AML patients (p = 0.006, 0.003, 0.0002, 0.006, and 0.004, respectively). The AMBRA1 gene expression was significantly higher in the relapsed cases as compared to both newly diagnosed (p = 0.01) and CR patients (p = 0.03). Moreover, a significant positive correlation was observed between the expression of MAP1LC3B (r = 0.739, p = 0.000001), ATG5 (r = 0.682, p = 0.00001), and ATG10 (r = 0.586, p = 0.0004) genes and white blood cell (WBC) count in patients at diagnosis. Conclusion: The expression of MAP1LC3B, ATG5, ATG10, RB1CC1, and AMBRA1 genes can be examined to follow-up the remission of AML and the patient's response to treatment.