Expression of HOXA genes in patients with multiple myeloma.

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is an incurable B-cell malignancy characterized by uncontrolled growth of plasma cells (PCs) in the bone marrow. The pathogenesis of MM is complex and still not fully understood. The HOX genes encode a family of homeodomain containing transcription factors which are crucial for embryonic development and differentiation. The HOX genes are also involved in hematopoiesis and have been shown to be dysregulated in leukemia suggesting a role in leukemogenesis. We hypothesized that expression of the HOX genes might also be of importance in MM. We screened FACS-sorted malignant PCs from a panel of 32 MM patients for the expression of HOXA 2, 3, 4, 7, 9, 10, and 11 genes by RT-PCR assays specific for each gene. We found that 9.4% (3/32) of the MM patients expressed the tested HOX genes in their PCs suggesting that HOXA genes are frequently dysregulated and might have an oncogenic potential in MM.