High expression of cytoskeletal protein drebrin in TEL/AML1pos B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia identified by a novel monoclonal antibody.

The expression of drebrin, a cytoskeletal protein newly estimated by expression profiling to correlate with the genotype and prognosis of B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL), was examined by independent methods. After demonstrating its higher expression in TEL/AML1(pos) BCP-ALL by quantitative reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, we developed an anti-drebrin monoclonal antibody (mAb). In a cohort of 86 children with BCP-ALL, we found increased expression of drebrin in TEL/AML1(pos) ALL. In conclusion, relationship of drebrin expression and prognosis or genotype can now be assessed using flow cytometry.