Expression and clinical significance of phospholipase D1 in de novo acute myeloid leukemia

Objective: Phospholipase D (PLD) is known to participate in several aspects of cellular processes including cell mitosis, migration, phagocytosis, and membrane vesicle trafficking. The role of PLD has been investigated in multiple cancers except hematologic malignances. Methods: We enrolled 291 patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and detected PLD1 mRNA expression levels of their bone marrow samples by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Clinical relevance of PLD1 was assessed using Kaplan-Meier analysis, univariate analysis, and multivariate analysis. Results: Compared to healthy donors, AML patients had higher mRNA levels of PLD1, which was significantly associated with FAB classification. Importantly, patients with low levels of PLD1 had impaired overall survival and event-free survival. Moreover, univariate and multivariate analyses confirmed that PLD1 expression was an independent prognostic factor for AML. Conclusion: PLD1 represented a useful diagnostic marker and prognostic factor for AML.