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Acute Leukemia Forum 2000, Advances and Controversies in the Therapy of Acute Myelogenous Leukemia

Abnormalities of the CEBP alpha transcription factor: a major target in acute myeloid leukemia

Leukemia volume 15, pages 688–689 (2001)Cite this article

In many cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), genetic abnormalities occur in transcriptional control elements, leading to uncontrolled proliferation and a block in differentiation. Chromosomal translocations have been shown to create either fusion gene products, such as AML1/ETO, or dysregulation, as in the case of the retinoic acid in acute promyelocytic leukemia (PML). However, in a significant number of patients, no chromosomal translocation is identified. In these cases, mutations or aberrant post-transcriptional events in regulatory proteins have been postulated.

The most prevalent transcriptional regulatory element in which mutations have been identified in AML is the CCAAT-enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBP-α).1 A significant percentage of AML patients without chromosomal translocations have demonstrated abnormalities in C/EBP-α protein or function, suggesting that loss of transcriptional control is a common mechanism of leukemogenesis. Even in the setting of other proleukemogenic genetic abnormalities, such as the (8;21) translocation, C/EBP-α has been demonstrated to be aberrantly regulated, in this case by downregulation of expression.2

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References

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  1. Harvard Institutes of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

    DG Tenen

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  1. DG Tenen
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Tenen, D. Abnormalities of the CEBP alpha transcription factor: a major target in acute myeloid leukemia. Leukemia 15, 688–689 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.leu.2402088

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