Death associated protein kinase-1 gene methylation pattern in some leukemic patients attending Zagazig University hospitals: is it a clue?

Background: Leukemia is a type of cancer arising from white blood cells (WBCs) and resulting from malignant transformation of different types of white blood cell precursors. The objective was to study the DAPK-1 gene methylation pattern in leukemic patients and to through some light on its possible role as a risk factor for leukemia.Methods: Forty-one patients diagnosed as leukemic patients and 41 age-matched healthy unrelated volunteers taken as a control group. The analysis of aberrant promoter DAPK1 gene methylation was done by specific polymerase chain reaction.Results: The results of the present study showed that there was a significant association of methylated DAPK-1 promoter area among leukemic group than in control group Chi-square (X2) was 21.98, or value patients was 10.46 and there was a significant association when compared with the control group (p <0.001). And there was no significant association when compared according to gender Chi-square (X2) was 0.43 and (p=0.51). Our results revealed in the AML group DAPK-1 promoter area were methylated with percentage of 73.9%. or value for AML patients was 13.76 and there was a significant association when compared with the control group (p <0.001), in the ALL group 4 patients had methylated DAPK-1 promoter area with percentage of 57.1% or value for all patients was 6.47 and there was a significant association when compared with the control group (p=0.03) and in the CLL group 7 patients had methylated DAPK-1 promoter area with percentage of 63.6%. OR value for CCL patients was 8.5 and there was a significant association when compared with the control group (p=0.004). On the contrary, we didn’t observe any significant associations between DAPK-1 promoter area methylation and the type of leukemia (p = 0.65).Conclusions: These results suggested that DAPK1 promoter methylation might play a significant role in the pathogenesis of different types of leukemia. And the DAPK1 promoter methylation has a predictive value in the prediction of leukemia occurrence.