Unique Role for Blood Formation Gene Found

U.S. cancer geneticists have discovered all blood cell production in human adults depends on a gene that, if lost, results in early bone marrow failure.

The researchers at Dartmouth University Medical School said their research revealed an unexpected role for the gene called MLL in sustaining the adult blood-forming system. The finding might lead to novel strategies for targeting the gene, which is often involved in a type of childhood leukemia.

We have identified a new pathway that is essential for blood stem cell turnover, said team leader Assistant Professor Patricia Ernst. The pathway could be exploited for treating a rare, but aggressive, infant leukemia, she added.

The investigators created a mouse model to track the function of MLL, which stands for Mixed Lineage Leukemia. The gene acts in bone marrow stem cells and controls key aspects of their growth to generate all the mature blood cells. If disrupted, it cannot work properly, and leukemia can ensue.

The findings by Ernst, graduate students Craig Jude, Diyong Xu and Erika Artinger, research assistant Leslie Climer and Jill Fisher of the Dana Farber Cancer Institute are reported in the journal Cell Stem Cell.