Transcriptional analysis of BMP2 and BMP6 in patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a highly heterogenous disease with diverse outcomes across patients. Stratifying patients is a promising approach to predict their clinical outcomes. However, despite notable progress in stratification systems, there is still a need for further optimization. Combining the existing staging parameters with molecular approaches could offer a better understanding of 'high risk' disease and guide treatment decisions. Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) represent a group of proteins, which are members of the TGF-β superfamily that are now considered to be multifunctional cytokines. BMPs are mostly differentiation factors that are involved in bone metabolism, tissue development and carcinogenesis. In MM, BMP signaling is less well characterized and its association with the pathogenesis of MM is still under investigation. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate BMP2 and BMP6 expression and to study the clinical impact of their expression. BMP2 and BMP6 expression was quantified using reverse transcription-quantitative PCR post-RNA extraction from bone marrow mononuclear cells derived from patients with MM and healthy donors. According to the observations in a group of patients with newly diagnosed MM, neither BMP2 nor BMP6 were able to serve as prognostic biomarkers for patients.