A gene homologous to human endogenous retrovirus overexpressed in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

To clarify the mechanism of progression and acquired drug resistance of leukemia, we searched for an overexpressed gene in drug-resistant leukemia cells and identified an approximately 5-kb transcript by using the subtraction method. The nucleotide sequence of the gene was highly homologous to those of human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) transcripts. Reverse transcriptase - polymerase chain reaction (RT - PCR) revealed that the gene was overexpressed in cells from 6 childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients (60%) but not in bone marrow cells at remission. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from normal controls (n = 11) and bone marrow cells from non-leukemia patients (n = 13) did not express the gene. These findings indicate that the gene may play a role in leukemogenesis and may be a novel leukemia marker. Further studies on the functional role of the gene are needed.