# Detection of novel PPP1R1B::STARD3 fusion transcript in acute myeloid leukemia: a case report

## TL;DR

A new fusion gene, PPP1R1B::STARD3, was found in a child with acute myeloid leukemia, suggesting a potential role in cancer progression and treatment.

## Contribution

This is the first report of the PPP1R1B::STARD3 fusion transcript in acute myeloid leukemia.

## Key findings

- PPP1R1B::STARD3 fusion transcript was detected in an AML patient using RNA sequencing.
- The fusion transcript may influence cholesterol metabolism and cancer progression via lipid metabolite alterations.
- The PPP1R1B promoter may drive the expression of the PPP1R1B::STARD3 fusion transcript.

## Abstract

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is the second most common type of leukemia in children. Although prognostic and diagnostic tests of AML patients have improved, there is still a great demand for new reliable clinical biomarkers for AML. Read-through fusion transcripts (RTFTs) are complex transcripts of adjacent genes whose molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. This is the first report of the presence of the PPP1R1B::STARD3 fusion transcript in an AML patient. Here, we investigated the presence of PPP1R1B::STARD3 RTFT in a case of AML using paired-end RNA sequencing (RNA-seq).

A Persian 12-year-old male was admitted to Dr. Sheikh Hospital of Mashhad, Iran, in September 2019 with the following symptoms, including fever, convulsions, hemorrhage, and bone pain. The patient was diagnosed with AML (non-M3-FAB subtype) based on cell morphologies and immunophenotypical features. Chromosomal analysis using the G-banding technique revealed t (9;22) (q34;q13).

Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) analysis suggested that the PPP1R1B promoter may be responsible for the PPP1R1B::STARD3 expression. Alterations in the level of lipid metabolites implicate cancer development, and this fusion can play a crucial role in the cholesterol movement in cancer cells. PPP1R1B::STARD3 may be considered a candidate for targeted therapies of the cholesterol metabolic and the PI3K/AKT signaling pathways involved in cancer development and progression.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13256-024-04536-w.