Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0023418 (leukemia)
 93,477 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) basic leucine zipper factor (HBZ) is dispensable for HTLV-1-mediated cellular transformation in cell culture, but is required for efficient viral infectivity and persistence in rabbits. In most adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) cells, Tax oncoprotein expression is typically low or undetectable, whereas Hbz gene expression is maintained, suggesting that Hbz expression may support infected cell survival and, ultimately, leukemogenesis. Emerging data indicate that HBZ protein can interact with cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) and Jun family members, altering transcription factor binding and transactivation of both viral and cellular promoters. Herein, lentiviral vectors that express Hbz-specific short hairpin (sh)-RNA effectively decreased both Hbz mRNA and HBZ protein expression in transduced HTLV-1-transformed SLB-1 T cells. Hbz knockdown correlated with a significant decrease in T-cell proliferation in culture. Both SLB-1 and SLB-1-Hbz knockdown cells engrafted into inoculated NOD/SCID(gammachain-/-) mice to form solid tumors that also infiltrated multiple tissues. However, tumor formation and organ infiltration were significantly decreased in animals challenged with SLB-1-Hbz knockdown cells. Our data indicate that Hbz expression enhances the proliferative capacity of HTLV-1-infected T cells, playing a critical role in cell survival and ultimately HTLV-1 tumorigenesis in the infected host.
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PMID:Human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 antisense-encoded gene, Hbz, promotes T-lymphocyte proliferation. 1868 44

CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-alpha (CEBPA) belongs to a family of leucine zipper transcription factors necessary for late differentiation events of many cell types. CEBPA gene has recently been recognized as the target of genetic alterations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). CEBPA mutations and polymorphisms were determined in a large series of Southeast Asian AML (n = 247) using polymerase chain reaction and direct sequencing. Chromosome and FLT3 mutation analyses were also undertaken. Thirty-two distinct types of nucleotide changes (7 known and 25 novel mutations) were identified in 34 cases (13.8%). Three types of polymorphisms were found in 60 cases (24.3%) including a novel nt1401C>T polymorphism. All polymorphisms were located at the C-terminal region whereas the majority of mutations (62.5%) occurred at the N-terminal region. The most common polymorphism was the nt1175_1180dup resulting in the predicted P194_H195 duplication protein in 50 cases. Although CEBPA mutations were predominantly associated with a normal karyotype (76%), 15.7% of patients with an unfavorable risk and 4.3% of patients with a favorable risk also had the mutations. Moreover, CEBPA polymorphisms were similarly found across all cytogenetic risk groups and occurred in all leukemia subtypes. FLT3 mutations were comparably discovered among patients with CEBPA mutations, polymorphisms and wild-type (26-30%). In conclusion, CEBPA polymorphisms occurred more frequently than CEBPA mutations and could be identified across all prognostic risk groups. The high occurrence of CEBPA polymorphisms should be recognized in order not to include this group of patients with CEBPA polymorphisms for prognostic evaluation of CEBPA mutations in any clinical trials.
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PMID:CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-alpha polymorphisms occur more frequently than mutations in acute myeloid leukemia and exist across all cytogenetic risk groups and leukemia subtypes. 1872 93

CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein alpha (C/EBPalpha) is mutated in 10% of acute myeloid leukemias, resulting in either a truncated protein or an altered leucine zipper (C/EBPalphaLZ) that prevents DNA binding. C/EBPalpha induces bcl-2 in cooperation with nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) p50 to inhibit apoptosis. We now demonstrate that C/EBPalpha or a C/EBPalphaLZ oncoprotein binds the bcl-2 P2 promoter in chromatin immunoprecipitation assays and induces the promoter dependent on the integrity of a kappaB site. C/EBPalpha expressed as a transgene in B cells binds and activates the bcl-2 promoter, but not in nfkb1-/- mice lacking NF-kappaB p50. Bcl-2 is central to the intrinsic apoptotic pathway, whereas FLICE inhibitory protein (FLIP) modulates caspase-8, the initiator caspase of the extrinsic pathway. C/EBPalpha and C/EBPalphaLZ also bind the FLIP promoter and induce its expression dependent upon NF-kappaB p50. Moreover, induction of FLIP by C/EBPalpha protects splenocytes from Fas ligand-induced apoptosis, but only if p50 is present. We also demonstrate the direct interaction between bacterially produced C/EBPalpha and NF-kappaB p50, mediated by the C/EBPalpha basic region. These findings indicate that C/EBPalpha or its oncoproteins activate the bcl-2 and FLIP genes by tethering to their promoters through bound NF-kappaB p50. Targeting their interaction may favor apoptosis of transformed cells.
Leukemia 2009 Feb
PMID:C/EBPalpha or C/EBPalpha oncoproteins regulate the intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways by direct interaction with NF-kappaB p50 bound to the bcl-2 and FLIP gene promoters. 1898 66

Telomerase activity, which has fundamental roles in development and carcinogenesis, strongly depends on the expression of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), its catalytic subunit. In this report, we show that the basic helix-loop-helix factor, TAL1 (T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia 1), is a negative regulator of the hTERT promoter. Indeed, TAL1 overexpression leads to a decrease in hTERT mRNA abundance and hence to reduced telomerase activity. Conversely, suppression of TAL1 by RNA interference in Jurkat cells increases hTERT expression. Analysis by chromatin immunoprecipitation assays showed that TAL1 binds to the hTERT proximal promoter and recruits HDAC1. Considering the relationship recently established between TAL1 and the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) Tax protein, which was confirmed in T lymphocyte clones derived from adult T-cell leukemia patients, we analyzed the effect of TAL1 with respect to the earlier characterized effects of Tax and HBZ (HTLV-1 basic leucine zipper) on hTERT expression. TAL1 was observed to reinforce the negative effect of Tax, whereas hTERT transactivation by the HBZ-JunD complex was repressed by TAL1 overexpression. Moreover, HBZ was found to induce proteasome-mediated degradation of TAL1. These observations support a model in which Tax and TAL1 by repressing hTERT would initially favor genomic instability, whereas expression of factors such as HBZ allows at a later stage an increase in hTERT production and consequently in telomerase activity.
Leukemia 2009 Nov
PMID:Inhibition of the hTERT promoter by the proto-oncogenic protein TAL1. 1958 3

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and type 2 (HTLV-2) retroviruses infect T lymphocytes. The minus strand of the HTLV-1 genome encodes HBZ, a protein that could play a role in the development of leukemia in infected patients. Herein, we demonstrate that the complementary strand of the HTLV-2 genome also encodes a protein that we named APH-2 for "antisense protein of HTLV-2." APH-2 mRNA is spliced, polyadenylated, and initiates in the 3'-long terminal repeat at different positions. This transcript was detected in all HTLV-2-infected cell lines and short-term culture of lymphocytes obtained from HTLV-2 African patients tested and in 4 of 15 HTLV-2-infected blood donors. The APH-2 protein is 183 amino acids long, is localized in the cell nucleus, and is detected in vivo. Despite the lack of a consensus basic leucine zipper domain, APH-2 interacts with cyclic adenosine monophosphate-response element binding protein (CREB) and represses Tax2-mediated transcription in Tax2-expressing cells and in cells transfected with an HTLV-2 molecular clone. Altogether, our results demonstrate the existence of an antisense strand-encoded protein in HTLV-2, which could represent an important player in the development of disorders, such as lymphocytosis, which is frequently observed in HTLV-2 patients.
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PMID:Human T-cell leukemia virus type 2 produces a spliced antisense transcript encoding a protein that lacks a classic bZIP domain but still inhibits Tax2-mediated transcription. 1960 11

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) causes adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) and is also associated with a variety of lymphocyte-mediated diseases. The HTLV-1 basic leucine zipper (HBZ) gene, found to be consistently expressed in ATL, has recently been the subject of intensive research efforts. In this review, we summarize recent findings about HBZ and discuss its roles and functions not only in the virus life cycle, but also in HTLV-1 disease pathogenesis.
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PMID:The HBZ gene, a key player in HTLV-1 pathogenesis. 1965 Aug 92

Overproduction of interleukin (IL)-6 from synovial cells is critically involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (AMP) response element-binding protein (CREB), a leucine zipper transcription factor, is expressed at a high level in synovial cells of patients with RA. Although CREB transactivates IL-6 expression in vascular smooth muscle cells, the relation between CREB expression and IL-6 production from arthritic synovial cells remains unclear. In this study, to determine whether CREB is implicated in IL-6 production from arthritic synovial cells, a dominant negative molecule of activation transcription factor 1 (ATF-1) was transfected into synovial cells obtained from arthritic joints of env-pX rats. These transgenic rats carrying the env-pX gene of human T-cell leukemia virus type-1 develop destructive arthritis with high titers of serum rheumatoid factor and are thus regarded as a suitable model of RA. The dominant negative ATF-1 (ATF-1DN) constitutes a heterodimer with CREB and inhibits CREB function, as CREB/ATF-1DN heterodimers no longer bind to the target sequence of CREB. We showed that transfection of ATF-1DN significantly reduced IL-6 production from arthritic synovial cells. These findings suggest that CREB is implicated in IL-6 production from synovial cells and plays an important role in RA pathogenesis.
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PMID:Cyclic AMP response element-binding protein is implicated in IL-6 production from arthritic synovial cells. 1992 Oct 94

LMO2, a critical transcription regulator of hematopoiesis, is involved in human T-cell leukemia. The binding site of proline and acidic amino acid-rich protein (PAR) transcription factors in the promoter of the LMO2 gene plays a central role in hematopoietic-specific expression. E2A-HLF fusion derived from t(17;19) in B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has the transactivation domain of E2A and the basic region/leucine zipper domain of HLF, which is a PAR transcription factor, raising the possibility that E2A-HLF aberrantly induces LMO2 expression. We here demonstrate that cell lines and a primary sample of t(17;19)-ALL expressed LMO2 at significantly higher levels than other B-precursor ALLs did. Transfection of E2A-HLF into a non-t(17;19) B-precursor ALL cell line induced LMO2 gene expression that was dependent on the DNA-binding and transactivation activities of E2A-HLF. The PAR site in the LMO2 gene promoter was critical for E2A-HLF-induced LMO2 expression. Gene silencing of LMO2 in a t(17;19)-ALL cell line by short hairpin RNA induced apoptotic cell death. These observations indicated that E2A-HLF promotes cell survival of t(17;19)-ALL cells by aberrantly up-regulating LMO2 expression. LMO2 could be a target for a new therapeutic modality for extremely chemo-resistant t(17;19)-ALL.
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PMID:Aberrant induction of LMO2 by the E2A-HLF chimeric transcription factor and its implication in leukemogenesis of B-precursor ALL with t(17;19). 2051 28

MYB is a leucine zipper transcription factor that is essential for hematopoesis and for renewal of colonic crypts. There is also ample evidence showing that MYB is leukemogenic in several animal species. However, it was not until recently that clear evidence was presented showing that MYB actually is an oncogene rearranged in human cancer. In a recent study, a novel mechanism of activation of MYB involving gene fusion was identified in carcinomas of the breast and head and neck. A t(6;9) translocation was shown to generate fusions between MYB and the transcription factor gene NFIB. The fusions consistently result in loss of the 3'-end of MYB, including several highly conserved target sites for microRNAs that negatively regulate MYB expression. Deletion of these target sites may disrupt the repression of MYB, leading to overexpression of MYB-NFIB transcripts and protein and to transcriptional activation of critical MYB target genes associated with apoptosis, cell cycle control, cell growth/angiogenesis and cell adhesion. This study, together with previous and recent data showing rearrangements and copy number alterations of the MYB locus in T-cell leukemia and certain solid tumors, will be the main focus of this review.
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PMID:New tricks from an old oncogene: gene fusion and copy number alterations of MYB in human cancer. 2064 65

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) basic leucine zipper factor (HBZ) is transcribed from the antisense genomic DNA strand and functions differently in its RNA and protein forms. To distinguish between the roles of hbz mRNA and HBZ protein, we generated mutants in a proviral clone that specifically disrupt the hbz gene product. A proviral clone with a splice acceptor mutation that disrupts expression of the predominant hbz mRNA resulted in lower levels of tax mRNA. Heterologous hbz expression restored Tax activity in cells expressing this mutant clone. In contrast, proviral mutants that disrupt HBZ protein did not affect levels of tax mRNA. Expression of hbz resulted in lower levels of p30(II) mRNA. Mutation of p30(II) overcame the effects of the splice acceptor mutation of hbz, and restored tax expression. Thus, there is a complex interplay of viral regulatory proteins controlling levels of HTLV-1 gene expression.
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PMID:The HTLV-1 hbz antisense gene indirectly promotes tax expression via down-regulation of p30(II) mRNA. 2117 37


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