Differential Expression of SLC25A38 Gene in Patients of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

SLC25A38 gene produces a protein that belongs to the mitochondrial solute carrier family, SLC25. It is implicated in apoptotic pathways, which regulate intrinsic caspase-dependent apoptosis. The present study evaluates the expression of the SLC25A38 gene in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients. Among 30 leukemia patients, 25 were adult males and 5 were adult females. An average of 5.3-fold high expression of SLC25A38 gene among the ALL patients that was normalized to GAPDH relative to normal healthy volunteer was observed. There was a direct positive correlation between blast cell abundance and level of expression (r = 0.408, p = 0.025). The expression level was found to be associated with the proportion of blast cells in the bone marrow. The present results show that expression of SLC25A38 is a common feature in ALL and may be a novel biomarker for prognosis and diagnosis, as well as a potential therapeutic target for ALL.