BACKGROUND: Through high-throughput next-generation sequencing of promoters of solute carrier and ATP-binding cassette genes, which encode drug transporters, we aimed to identify SNPs associated with the response to imatinib administered for first-line treatment of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. METHODS: In silico analysis using publicly available databases was done to select the SLC and ABC genes and their promoters for the next-generation sequencing. SNPs associated with the imatinib response were identified using Fisher's exact probability tests and subjected to the linkage disequilibrium analyses with regulatory loci of concerned genes. We analyzed cumulative achievement of major molecular response and probability of event free survival in relation to identified SNP genotypes in 129 CML patients and performed multivariate analysis for determination of genotypes as independent predictors of outcome. Gene expression analysis of eight cell lines naturally carrying different genotypes was performed to outline an impact of genotypes on the gene expression. RESULTS: We observed significant differences in the frequencies of the rs460089-GC and rs460089-GG (SLC22A4) genotypes among rs2631365-TC (SLC22A5) genotype carriers that were associated with optimal and non-optimal responses, respectively. Loci rs460089 and rs2631365 were in highly significant linkage disequilibrium with 12 regulatory loci in introns of SLC22A4 and SLC22A5 encoding imatinib transporters. Genotype association analysis with the response to imatinib indicated that rs460089-GC carriers had a significantly higher probability of achieving a stable major molecular response (BCR-ABL1 transcript level below or equal to 0.1% in the international scale). In contrast, the rs460089-GG represented a risk factor for imatinib failure, which was significantly higher in rs460089-GG_rs2631365-TC carriers. CONCLUSIONS: This exploratory study depicted potentially important genetic markers predicting outcome of imatinib treatment, which may be helpful for tailoring therapy in clinical practice.

4th Department of Internal Medicine Hematology Charles University Faculty Hospital and Faculty of Medicine Hradec Kralove Czech Republic

CELL the Czech Leukemia Study Group for Life Brno Czech Republic

European Molecular Biology Laboratory Genomics Core Facility Heidelberg Germany

Faculty of Science Charles University Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Clinical and Experimental Hematology 1st Medicine Faculty Charles University Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion U Nemocnice 1 12820 Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Pathophysiology 1st Medicine Faculty Charles University Prague Czech Republic

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