leukemia stem cells

[Oncogene] The authors used MLL-AF9-induced AML mouse models with interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7) knockout or overexpression and xenograft mouse models to explore the intrinsic effects of IRF7 in AML.

[Science Translational Medicine] Researchers demonstrated a mechanism of HSC malignant transformation through altered energy metabolism and provided a potential therapeutic strategy to treat patients with AML.

[Stem Cell Reviews and Reports] The authors review leukemia stem cell biology, particularly as it relates to the very heterogeneous nature of acute myeloid leukemia and to its high disease relapse rate.

[Nature Communications] Scientists identified Quinacrine (QC) as a sensitizer for Cytarabine (AraC) in treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and showed that QC enhanced AraC-mediated killing of ALL cells, and subsequently abrogated AraC resistance both in vitro and in an ALL-xenograft model.

[Nature Communications] The authors showed that miR-126 enhanced MYC activity through the SPRED1/PLK2-ERK-MYC axis. Genetic deletion of miR-126 significantly reduced acute myeloid leukemia rate and extended survival in CBFB-MYH11 knock-in mice.

[Advanced Science] The authors reported an adverse effect of NEAT1, showing that the short isoform, NEAT1_1 suppressed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) development. NEAT1_1 was downregulated in leukemia stem cells and its decreased expression correlated with recurrence in AML patients.