Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0013080 (Down syndrome)
 14,180 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

TEL/AML1 gene fusion that results from a cryptic t(12;21) is the most common genetic aberration in childhood B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). While the translocation may initiate the leukemic process, critical secondary genetic events are currently believed to be pivotal for leukemogenesis. We investigated 12 cases of childhood ALL with TEL/AML1 gene fusion by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and documented additional or secondary genetic changes in seven patients (58%). Three patients showed extra copies of chromosome 21 including a case in which the trisomy 21 (+21) clone was distinct from the one harboring TEL/AML1 gene fusion. Interestingly, one patient without +21 showed amplification of the AML1 gene on chromosome 21q, supporting the contention that AML1 amplification may be an important additional genetic event. Gene expression study by semi-quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in two of these four patients showed an increase in AML1 transcripts that paralleled the increase in gene copy number. Deletion of the normal TEL allele was detected in two patients, with one of them showing loss of chromosome 12 together with duplication of the der(12)t(12;21). Finally, one patient showed duplication of the fusion signal. Our findings confirm that additional or secondary genetic changes including AML1 amplification are commonly encountered in childhood ALL with TEL/AML1 gene fusion, which are envisaged to play significant roles in disease progression.
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PMID:Characterization of additional genetic events in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia with TEL/AML1 gene fusion: a molecular cytogenetics study. 1151 5

The RUNX1/AML1 gene is known to be the most frequent target for chromosomal translocation in leukemia. In addition, recent studies have demonstrated point mutations in the RUNX1 gene as an another mode of genetic lesion resulting in leukemia. Of particular interest, sporadic point mutations of biallelic type are found in a tight association with either the acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) MO subtype or trisomy 21. Germline mutations give rise to a familial platelet disorder that results in a predisposition to acute myelogenous leukemia (FPD/AML). Most of the RUNX1 mutants were defective in DNA binding but still active in beta binding, a characteristic that is consistent with the 3-dimensional structural findings and may explain the dominant inhibitory effects. Although genuine haploinsufficiency of RUNX1 was observed in some cases, a greater majority of mutant RUNX1 proteins may also act in a dominant-negative manner, possibly creating a higher propensity for leukemia development. The stronger dominant-negative effect was also deduced to be the major mechanism of the chimeric genes created by chromosomal translocations. The decrement of RUNXI activity may be a common underlying cause for RUNX1-related leukemias. However, because these RUNX1 abnormalities per se are insufficient for leukemogenesis, cooperating genetic alteration(s) should be intensively sought for further mechanistic insights and future clinical applications.
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PMID:Point mutations of the RUNx1/AML1 gene in sporadic and familial myeloid leukemias. 1172 58

A patient with Down syndrome (DS) at the time of diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) had a relapse with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) after 4 years of complete remission. Although the diagnosis was AML, the leukemic blasts at relapse showed an immunoglobulin H rearrangement that turned out to be identical to that of the initial ALL blasts. It is thought that the leukemic precursor cells of this patient had the potential to differentiate into both lymphoid and myeloid lineages. This case is important for investigating target cells for leukemogenesis in DS.
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PMID:Lineage conversion from acute lymphoblastic leukemia to acute myeloid leukemia on rearrangement of the IgH gene in a patient with Down syndrome. 1213 99

As many as 10% of infants with Down syndrome (DS) present with transient myeloproliferative disorder (TMD) at or shortly after birth. TMD is characterized by an abundance of blasts within the peripheral blood and liver, and notably undergoes spontaneous remission in the majority of cases. TMD may be a precursor to acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL), with an estimated 30% of TMD patients developing AMKL within 3 years. We recently reported that mutations in the transcription factor GATA1 are associated with DS-AMKL. To determine whether the acquisition of GATA1 mutations is a late event restricted to acute leukemia, we analyzed GATA1 in DNA from TMD patients. Here we report that GATA1 is mutated in the TMD blasts from every infant examined. These results demonstrate that GATA1 is likely to play a critical role in the etiology of TMD, and mutagenesis of GATA1 represents a very early event in DS myeloid leukemogenesis.
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PMID:Mutagenesis of GATA1 is an initiating event in Down syndrome leukemogenesis. 1256 Feb 15

We report the case of a newborn with Down syndrome (DS) associated with transient acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The leukemic presentation resolved spontaneously without treatment just 4 weeks after birth. An abnormal hematopoietic function is a well-known characteristic of DS; however, acute leukemia is rare in newborns with this genetic disorder. The presence of peripheral blast cells matched generally by an equivalent quantity in the bone marrow may be considered a true leukemia that, although transient, may predict the development of a generally megakaryoblastic AML within the first few years of life. This leukemia is not transient and must be treated accordingly. The cytogenetic and molecular abnormalities involving DS chromosome 21 in leukemogenesis in these patients are not well understood. In DS, AML, transient or not, generally shows cytogenetic and molecular aspects that differ from those of adult acute leukemias.
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PMID:Transient myeloproliferative syndrome/transient acute myeloid leukemia in a newborn with Down syndrome: a case report and literature review. 1266 26

Transient myeloproliferative disorder (TMD) is a leukemoid reaction occurring occasionally in Down syndrome newborn infants. Acute megakaryocytic leukemia (AMKL) develops in approximately 20% to 30% of the cases with TMD. Recently, acquired mutations in the N-terminal activation domain of the GATA-1 gene, encoding the erythroid/megakaryocytic transcription factor GATA-1, have been reported in Down syndrome-related AMKL (DS-AMKL). To understand the multistep leukemogenesis in Down syndrome, GATA-1 mutations were investigated in patients with TMD. We show here that mutations in the GATA-1 gene were detected in 21 of 22 cases with TMD. Most of the mutations in TMD were located in the regions including exon 2 and were essentially identical to those observed in DS-AMKL. In the DS-AMKL cell line, MGS, which itself expresses only a truncated mutant of GATA-1, expression of full-length GATA-1 induced the differentiation toward the erythroid lineage. However, expression of the short form of GATA-1 did not induce erythroid differentiation. These results indicate that expression of GATA-1 with a defective N-terminal activation domain contributes to the expansion of TMD blast cells and that other genetic changes contribute to the development of AMKL in Down syndrome.
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PMID:Frequent mutations in the GATA-1 gene in the transient myeloproliferative disorder of Down syndrome. 1281 63

GATA-1 is the founding member of a transcription factor family that regulates growth and maturation of a diverse set of tissues. GATA-1 is expressed primarily in hematopoietic cells and is essential for proper development of erythroid cells, megakaryocytes, eosinophils, and mast cells. Although loss of GATA-1 leads to differentiation arrest and apoptosis of erythroid progenitors, absence of GATA-1 promotes accumulation of immature megakaryocytes. Recently, we and others have reported that mutagenesis of GATA1 is an early event in Down syndrome (DS) leukemogenesis. Acquired mutations in GATA1 were detected in the vast majority of patients with acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (DS-AMKL) and in nearly every patient with transient myeloproliferative disorder (TMD), a "preleukemia" that may be present in as many as 10% of infants with DS. Although the precise pathway by which mutagenesis of GATA1 contributes to leukemia is unknown, these findings confirm that GATA1 plays an important role in both normal and malignant hematopoiesis. Future studies to define the mechanism that results in the high frequency of GATA1 mutations in DS and the role of altered GATA1 in TMD and DS-AMKL will shed light on the multistep pathway in human leukemia and may lead to an increased understanding of why children with DS are markedly predisposed to leukemia.
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PMID:Recent insights into the mechanisms of myeloid leukemogenesis in Down syndrome. 1451 21

Mutations in transcription factors often contribute to human leukemias by providing a block to normal differentiation. To determine whether mutations in the hematopoietic transcription factor GATA1 are associated with leukemia, we assayed for alterations in the GATA1 gene in bone marrow samples from patients with various subtypes of acute leukemia. Here we summarize our findings that GATA1 is mutated in the leukemic blasts of patients with Down syndrome acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (DS-AMKL). We did not find mutations in GATA1 in leukemic cells of DS patients with other types of acute leukemia, or in other patients with AMKL who did not have DS. Furthermore, we did not detect GATA1 mutations in DNAs from over 75 other patients with acute leukemia or from 21 healthy individuals. Since the GATA1 mutations were restricted to DS-AMKL, we also investigated whether GATA1 was altered in the "preleukemia" of DS, transient myeloproliferative disorder (TMD). TMD is a common myeloid disorder that affects 10% of DS newborns and evolves to AMKL in nearly 30% patients. We detected GATA1 mutations in TMD blasts from every infant examined. Together, these results demonstrate that GATA1 is likely to play a critical role in the etiology of TMD and DS-AMKL, and that mutagenesis of GATA1 represents a very early event in DS myeloid leukemogenesis. We hypothesize that disruption of normal GATA-1 function is an essential step in the initiation of megakaryoblastic leukemia in DS.
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PMID:Mutations in GATA1 in both transient myeloproliferative disorder and acute megakaryoblastic leukemia of Down syndrome. 1463 51

A combination of fluorescence-activated cell sorting and interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) techniques was used to detect a clonal chromosomal marker in blasts, granulocytes, and T and B lymphocytes of the peripheral blood from a patient with Down syndrome and acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL) associated with trisomy 8 as a karyotypic abnormality. Immunophenotypic studies with flow cytometry showed two populations of leukemic blasts distinguished by their expression of the CD34 antigen. Interphase FISH studies revealed clonal trisomy 8 FISH signals in almost all blast cells, regardless of CD34 expression, as well as in a small subpopulation of granulocytes. Normal chromosome 8 signal patterns were detected in T and B cells and in a great majority of granulocytes. The present study provides evidence for the clonal involvement of leukemic blasts in AMKL of Down syndrome, indicating that a trisomy 8 abnormality may be a primary event in leukemogenesis. The transformation occurs in progenitor cells with limited myeloid differentiation and without involvement of lymphoid lineage cells.
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PMID:Interphase cytogenetic analysis of clonality in peripheral blood cells from a patient with Down syndrome and acute megakaryoblastic leukemia. 1473 26

It has been recognized that chromosomal abnormalities in childhood leukemia, are linked to both leukemogenesis and segregate patients into prognostic treatment groups. This is best exemplified in cases of children with Down syndrome (DS), who have significantly higher risks of developing leukemia compared to non-DS children and distinctive treatment outcomes, particularly in cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The high event-free survival (EFS) rates of DS AML patients and in particular, patients with megakaryocytic leukemia (AMkL), at least in part reflects an increased sensitivity to cytosine arabinoside (ara-C) secondary to increased expression of the chromosome 21-localized gene, cystathionine-beta-synthase, and potentially global mechanisms which increase the susceptibility of cells to undergo apoptosis. Somatic mutations of the X-linked transcription factor gene, GATA1, have been detected uniformly and exclusively in DS AMkL cases, which may lead to altered expression of GATA1 target genes and alter the metabolism of drugs including ara-C. Hyperdiploid acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells with extra copies of chromosome 21, generate higher levels of the active methotrexate (MTX) metabolite, MTX polyglutamates. This is on account of increased intracellular transport of MTX via the reduced folate carrier (RFC) whose gene is localized to chromosome 21 and may also account for the increased MTX-associated toxicity of DS ALL patients. Microarray technology should lead to the identification of additional gene targets linked to the treatment response of specific cytogenetic leukemia subgroups.
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PMID:Down syndrome, drug metabolism and chromosome 21. 1539 Mar 7


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