عباس قوطاسلو - Student Research Committee, Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
حسن بوستانی - Student Research Committee, Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
اسماعیل رستمی - Dept. of Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Para- Medicine, Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences, Sabzevar, Iran
امید کیانی قلعه سردی - Student Research Committee, Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
محمد هادی صادقیان - Cancer Molecular Pathology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Background and Objective: Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a disorder caused by the proliferation of malignant immature lymphoid cells. GRAF (GTPase regulator associated with focal adhesion kinase) which acts as a tumor suppressor gene is disabled in hematologic malignancies due to genetic and epigenetic abnormalities. In this study, GRAF gene expression was inspected in patients with B-ALL. Materials and Methods: Peripheral blood samples from ۶۰ patients with B-ALL and ۳۰ healthy controls were collected. DNA was extracted and cDNA was synthesized. GRAF gene expression was measured using Real-Time PCR and the relationship between GRAF expression and clinical and laboratory findings were investigated. Results: GRAF gene expression was significantly decreased in patients compared to the control group (۰.۸۷). The number of patients who had a reduction in their GRAF gene expression was ۷۳.۴% (۴۴ of ۶۰ patients). GRAF expression had no significant difference in the FAB morphological subtypes. Conclusion: Results of this study showed that GRAF gene expression is decreased in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The reduction in GRAF gene expression confirms its tumor suppressive role in this leukemia.

Key words: GRAF, Acute Leukemia, Real-Time PCR, ALL