Differential Expression Analysis of RNA-Binding Proteins in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Progression

Abstract

Background: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) progresses from chronic phase (CP) to blast phase (BP) through poorly understood molecular mechanisms. Previous transcriptomic studies identified widespread splicing alterations in CML, yet systematic analysis of RNA-binding protein (RBP) expression patterns across disease stages remains limited. Methods: We performed computational analysis of RNA-seq data from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of 5 CP patients, 5 BP patients, and 5 healthy controls. Expression data for 540 RBPs were extracted and compared between groups using a significance threshold of p < 0.05. Results were visualized using scatter plots, bar graphs, and Venn diagrams. Results: Analysis identified 107 significantly dysregulated RBPs in CP versus controls and 61 in BP versus controls. Venn diagram analysis revealed only 39 RBPs (30.2%) were commonly dysregulated across both stages, with 68 RBPs unique to CP and 22 unique to BP. Key dysregulated RBPs included spliceosome components SF3B1 and U2AF1 in CP, and metabolism-associated factors HNRNPC and NPM1 in BP. Conclusions: RBP dysregulation occurs early in CML pathogenesis and undergoes substantial remodeling during disease progression. Stage-specific RBP expression patterns suggest distinct post-transcriptional regulatory mechanisms operate at different disease phases.