New molecular marker in AML: DNA-fingerprint differences between leukemic phase and remission in acute myeloid leukemia.

DNA-fingerprint (DNA-F) analysis, based on the polymorphism of the tandem repeats of minisatellite areas in human genome, has a capacity to reveal minor changes in dispersed areas of human genome. In this study we have applied DNA-F analysis to the detection of differences between leukemic phase and remission in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In order to identify normal and leukemic cell populations we used two molecular probes: Jeffreys' minisatellite probes 33.6 + 33.15 and M13 wild-type phage probe. Comparison of varying minisatellite fragments between remission and diagnosis/relapse was performed by Southern blot hybridization in 21 patients with AML. The results demonstrate that Southern hybridization with minisatellite probes can detect differences in DNA-fingerprints between leukemic phase and remission in 44% of AML patients. Thus differences in DNA-fingerprinting provides a new molecular marker, which can be useful in the detection of residual disease as well as in the study of the pathogenesis of AML.