Fig 4.

Relative expression levels of CXCL12, KITLG, FOXC1 and EBF3 mRNAs are reduced in human CXCL12^hi/LEPR⁺ cells in correlation with increased CML burden. (A) Relative expression levels of CXCL12, KITLG, FOXC1 and EBF3 mRNAs in CXCL12^hi/LEPR⁺ cells from control patients (n = 14), newly diagnosed polycythaemia vera (PV) patients (n = 14), newly diagnosed essential thrombocythaemia (ET) patients (n = 7), newly diagnosed chronic‐phase chronic myeloid leukaemia (CP‐CML) patients (n = 9) and CP‐CML patients in complete cytogenetic response (CCyR; n = 5), as determined by quantitative real‐time (qRT)‐polymerase chain reaction (PCR). (B) Negative correlations of CXCL12, KITLG, FOXC1 and EBF3 mRNA expression levels in CXCL12^hi/LEPR⁺ cells with peripheral blood white blood cell (WBC) counts in newly diagnosed CP‐CML patients (n = 9). MannºWhitney U tests were used to assess statistical significance (A; *, P < 0·05; **, P < 0·01). Pearson correlation coefficients were used to measure the statistical relationship between the two continuous variables (B).