Overexpression of IL-3Rα on CD34+CD38- stem cells defines leukemia-initiating cells in Fanconi anemia AML.

ABSTRACT: Patients with Fanconi anemia (FA) have a high risk of developing acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In this study, we attempted to identify cell-surface markers for leukemia-initiating cells in FA-AML patients. We found that the IL-3 receptor-α (IL-3Rα) is a promising candidate as an leukemia-initiating cell-specific antigen for FA-AML. Whereas IL-3Rα expression is undetectable on normal CD34(+)CD38(-) HSCs, it is overexpressed on CD34(+)CD38(-) cells from FA patients with AML. We examined the leukemia-initiating cell activity of IL-3Rα-positive FA-AML cells in a "humanized" FA xenotransplant model in which we separated AML cells into IL-3Rα-positive and IL-3Rα-negative CD34 fractions and transplanted them into irradiated recipient mice. In all 3 FA-AML samples, only IL-3Rα-positive cells showe

SUBMITTER: Du W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3087476 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature