Preprint Article Version 1 Preserved in Portico This version is not peer-reviewed

Characterization of Three Somatic Mutations in the 3'UTR of RRAS2 and Their Clinical Implications in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

Marta Lacuna
,
Alejandro M. Hortal
,
Claudia Cifuentes
ORCID logo ,
Tania Gonzalo
,
Miguel Alcoceba
,
Miguel Bastos
ORCID logo ,
Xose R Bustelo
ORCID logo ,
Marcos González
,
Balbino Alarcón
*
Version 1 : Received: 26 October 2023 / Approved: 26 October 2023 / Online: 27 October 2023 (12:17:15 CEST)

A peer-reviewed article of this Preprint also exists.

Lacuna, M.; Hortal, A.M.; Cifuentes, C.; Gonzalo, T.; Alcoceba, M.; Bastos, M.; Bustelo, X.R.; González, M.; Alarcón, B. Characterization of Three Somatic Mutations in the 3′UTR of RRAS2 and Their Inverse Correlation with Lymphocytosis in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Cells 2023, 12, 2687. Lacuna, M.; Hortal, A.M.; Cifuentes, C.; Gonzalo, T.; Alcoceba, M.; Bastos, M.; Bustelo, X.R.; González, M.; Alarcón, B. Characterization of Three Somatic Mutations in the 3′UTR of RRAS2 and Their Inverse Correlation with Lymphocytosis in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Cells 2023, 12, 2687.

Abstract

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a hematologic malignancy characterized by progressive accumulation of a rare population of CD5+ B lymphocytes in peripheral blood, bone marrow and lymphoid tissues. CLL exhibits remarkable clinical heterogeneity, with some patients presenting with indolent disease and others progressing rapidly to aggressive CLL. The significant heterogeneity of CLL underscores the importance of identifying novel prognostic markers. Recently, the RAS-related gene RRAS2 has emerged as both a driver oncogene and a potential marker for CLL progression, with higher RRAS2 expression associated with poorer disease prognosis. Although missense somatic mutations in the coding sequence of RRAS2 have not been described in CLL, this study reports the frequent detection of three somatic mutations in the 3' untranslated region (3'UTR) affecting positions +26, +53, and +180 downstream of the stop codon in the mRNA. An inverse relationship was observed between these three somatic mutations and RRAS2 mRNA expression, which correlated with lower blood lymphocytosis and better prognosis. These findings highlight the importance of RRAS2 overexpression in CLL development and prognosis and point to somatic mutations in its 3'UTR as novel mechanistic clues. Our results may contribute to the development of targeted therapeutic strategies and improved risk stratification for CLL patients.

Keywords

RRAS2; Somatic mutations; 3'-untranslated region; Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL); Clinical implications

Subject

Medicine and Pharmacology, Oncology and Oncogenics

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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