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High-mobility group A (HMGA) genes: from solid to liquid tumours?

Leukemia volume 19, pages 195–196 (2005)Cite this article

This invited commentary is addressed at the paper by Odero et al published in this issue of Leukemia.1 It may come as a surprise to haematologists to see the high-mobility group A (HMGA) genes described as some of the most commonly dysregulated genes in human neoplasia, highlighting a role in growth control.2 So what are the HMGA genes, what is their role in cancer and what is their involvement in leukaemia?

The HMGA family of proteins, encoded by two related genes HMGA1 and HMGA2, play important functions in transcriptional regulation, DNA replication and chromatin structure, and are frequently referred to as architectural transcription factors.3 These proteins establish a network of protein–protein and protein–DNA interactions, resulting in the formation of enhanceosomes at promoters and enhancers regulating the expression of several genes.4 It is well recognised that HMGA2, in particular, plays a major role in embryonic and foetal growth and development. Inactivation of HMGA2 in the mouse has been shown to impede growth, leading to a ‘pygmy phenotype’, stressing the importance of this gene in growth control and regulation.5

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  1. LRF Molecular Haematology Unit, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK

    J Boultwood & J S Wainscoat

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Boultwood, J., Wainscoat, J. High-mobility group A (HMGA) genes: from solid to liquid tumours?. Leukemia 19, 195–196 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2403606

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