Kruppel-like Factor 4 Supports the Expansion of Leukemia Stem Cells in MLL-AF9-driven Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

ABSTRACT: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive malignancy of the bone marrow with 5-year overall survival of less than 10% in patients over the age of 65. Limited progress has been made in the patient outcome because of the inability to selectively eradicate the leukemic stem cells (LSC) driving the refractory and relapsed disease. Herein, we investigated the role of the reprogramming factor KLF4 in AML because of its critical role in the self-renewal and stemness of embryonic and cancer stem cells. Using a conditional Cre-lox Klf4 deletion system and the MLL-AF9 retroviral mouse model, we demonstrated that loss-of-KLF4 does not significantly affect the induction of leukemia but markedly decreased the frequency of LSCs evaluated in limiting-dose transplantation studies. Loss of KLF4 in leuk

SUBMITTER: Lewis AH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9406610 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature