p53 protein expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Alterations in the function of the p53 pathway are frequently described in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), mostly associated with deletion of 17p13 and/or mutations of the TP53 gene. In the present study, we investigated 103 CLLs for the impact of protein expression of full-length p53 and its isoforms beta and gamma. A strong correlation between deletions of 17p13 and an accumulation of full-length p53 protein was found and was associated with a worse outcome compared to CLL with normal p53 (treatment-free survival p < 0.001, overall survival p = 0.04). Interestingly, the relative expression levels between full-length p53 protein and its isoforms beta and gamma were significantly altered in CLL even without deletions of 17p13, compared to normal B-cells (p = 0.005). Furthermore, CLLs with higher p53 protein ratios showed worse clinical courses compared to CLLs with lower p53 protein ratios. Taken together, the differential expression of p53 isoforms could disrupt the p53 response and contribute to CLL pathogenesis.