Distinguishing Acute Leukemia Subtypes: The Role of hsa_circ_0012152 and hsa_circ_0020093 in Peripheral Blood

Abstract

Abstract Acute leukemia (AL), a rapidly advancing hematological malignancy, originates from the bone marrow and is hallmarked by an excess production of abnormal white blood cells. It is primarily subclassified into acute myelocytic leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are non-coding RNA molecules associated with various diseases. However, their role in AL remains incompletely understood. Obtaining bone marrow samples can be challenging due to various reasons, including dilution or inaccessibility. Therefore, our study focused on identifying novel diagnostic biomarkers for AL subgroups in peripheral blood. To validate the distinct circRNA expression patterns distinguishing AML from ALL in peripheral blood, we employed reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The diagnostic accuracy of hsa_circ_0020093 and hsa_circ_0012152 was then assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, and hsa_circ_0020093 was selected for further exploration using Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis. Our findings revealed that the expression patterns of hsa_circ_0020093 and hsa_circ_0012152 clearly differentiate ALL from AML in peripheral blood. The potential target genes of hsa_circ_0020093 are associated with critical biological processes such as formation of cell and basal junctions, protein serine kinase activity, and cadherin binding. Furthermore, these genes are involved in signaling pathways including MAPK and mTOR. We hypothesize that hsa_circ_0020093 plays a pivotal role in the initiation and progression of ALL by regulating downstream target genes via hsa-miR-153-3p or hsa-miR-194-5p. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that hsa_circ_0020093 and hsa_circ_0012152 hold significant promise as diagnostic biomarkers for subclassifying AL into ALL or AML in peripheral blood. This discovery represents a significant step forward in the field and paves the way for future research exploring the role of circRNAs in AL pathogenesis and treatment.