Grb7 expression and cellular migration in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: a comparative study of early and advanced stage disease

Grb7, a noncatalytic intracellular adaptor protein involved in cell migration, is overexpressed in certain invasive and metastatic solid tumors. We found a highly significant difference in the level of expression of Grb7 between chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells obtained from stage I and stage IV patients ( P<0.001). Using semiquantitative RT-PCR, we detected high levels of Grb7 in 88% of stage IV patients vs only 18% in stage I patients. A corresponding increase was found in the in vitro migration of stage IV CLL cells in comparison to stage I cells. The statistically significant difference in the expression of Grb7 between stage IV and stage I patients was preserved even when tested specifically in the ZAP70-positive group ( P<0.01). These findings show that Grb7 levels reflect the severity of the disease, and may be used, in conjunction with ZAP70, to predict disease progression.