Anti-MSI2 monoclonal antibody, clone 3G21

IntroductionThe Musashi-2 gene (MSI2) is implicated in leukemogenesis, and high MSI2 expression has been associated with decreased survival in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL), suggesting its use as a new prognostic marker. We aimed to validate the prognostic significance of MSI2 in ALL. MethodsMSI2 expression was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction in 140 adult B-ALL patients and compared to controls. ResultsMSI2 expression level in patients was significantly higher when compared to the control group (P=0.001). High MSI2 expression did not correlate with the clinical characteristics of patients. However, patients with high MSI2 expression had significantly lower incidence of complete remission (CR) (P=0.03), inferior overall survival (P=0.018), and shorter disease-free survival (P=0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that high MSI2 expression was an independent prognostic factor for adult BCR-ABL1-negative B-ALL patients. ConclusionThese results confirm the association of MSI2 expression with outcome in adult B-ALL and demonstrate the utility of MSI2 as a clinical prognostic biomarker.

Musashi-2 (Msi2) is considered to have a crucial role in regulating various key cellular functions. However, the clinical significance and biological role of Msi2 in bladder cancer remains unknown. We examined the expression of Msi2 in bladder cancer cell lines in 167 clinical samples and the biological role of Msi2 in bladder cancer cells. Western blotting was used to investigate the possible mechanism of Msi2-induced migration and invasion in bladder cancer. Msi2 was significantly upregulated in bladder cancer cells and tissues compared with normal bladder urothelial cells and tissues. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed high expression of Msi2 in 57 of 167 (34.1%) bladder cancer specimens. Statistical analysis showed a significant correlation of Msi2 expression with advanced clinical stage, lymph node metastasis, and poor prognosis. Overexpression and ablation of Msi2 promoted and inhibited, respectively, the migration and invasion of bladder cancer cells. Furthermore, we found that Msi2 activated the JAK2/STAT3 pathway and promoted expression of genes downstream of JAK2/STAT3 in bladder cancer. This study demonstrates that Msi2 can induce bladder cancer cell migration and invasion by activating the JAK2/STAT3 pathway, and that Msi2 may be a valuable prognostic biomarker for bladder cancer patients.