Calreticulin expression in the clonal plasma cells of patients with systemic light-chain (AL-) amyloidosis is associated with response to high-dose melphalan.

ABSTRACT: In high doses with stem-cell transplantation, melphalan is an effective but toxic therapy for patients with systemic light-chain (AL-) amyloidosis, a protein deposition and monoclonal plasma cell disease. Melphalan can eliminate the indolent clonal plasma cells that cause the disease, an achievement called a complete response. Such a response is usually associated with extended survival, while no response (a less than 50% reduction) is not. Gene-expression studies and a stringently supervised analysis identified calreticulin as having significantly higher expression in the pretreatment plasma cells of patients with systemic AL-amyloidosis who then had a complete response to high-dose melphalan. Calreticulin is a pleiotropic calcium-binding protein found in the endoplasmic reticulum and the

SUBMITTER: Zhou P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2200859 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature