Profiling Ten RHO GTPases in Myeloid Malignancies Reveals Distinct Expression Patterns and Prognostic Associations.

The RHO GTPase family regulates cytoskeleton-dependent processes, including proliferation and migration. Although their dysregulation is well described in solid tumors, little is known about their role in hematologic malignancies. We investigated the expression of ten RHO GTPase genes in bone marrow samples from patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic neoplasms (MDS) and analyzed TCGA AML data for prognostic associations. RHOBTB2, RND2, and RHOQ were differentially expressed compared with healthy controls. RHOBTB2 was elevated in both MDS and AML and associated with inferior overall and disease-free survival, including in intermediate-risk AML. Our findings reveal distinct dysregulation patterns of RHO GTPases in myeloid malignancies and confirm RHOBTB2 as a candidate prognostic marker in AML with a potential oncogenic role. These data support further investigation into the functional roles of RHO GTPases in leukemogenesis and their utility as emerging biomarkers in hematologic cancers.