High HMGN1 levels drive leukemia in Down syndrome
Nature Genetics
2014년4월21일
A genetic cause of the link between Down syndrome and B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) in both mice and human cells is reported in a paper published online this week in Nature Genetics. The study identifies a promising drug target to treat B-ALL in Down syndrome.
People with Down syndrome are at a 20-fold risk of developing a type of B-ALL, an aggressive cancer of the white blood cells. David Weinstock and colleagues found that having three copies of a small region of 31 genes on chromosome 21 was sufficient to drive the cancer. Using a combination of experiments in mice and human cells, they found that increased levels of a specific protein, HMGN1, turns on the group of genes needed for the cancer to spread. The increase in HMGN1 levels was specific to Down syndrome B-ALL, but not other types of ALL.
The authors speculate that drugs that inhibit HMGN1 could prove useful for treating B-ALL in Down syndrome patients.
doi: 10.1038/ng.2949
리서치 하이라이트
-
6월24일
Sport science: New wearable sensor to measure neck strain may detect potential concussionScientific Reports
-
6월23일
Scientific community: Women credited less than men in scientific paper authorshipNature
-
6월17일
Health technology: New cost-effective smartphone test for middle ear functionCommunications Medicine
-
6월16일
An exercise-inducible molecule that suppresses appetiteNature
-
6월16일
Cancer: Signatures of structural genomic variation in cancerNature
-
6월10일
Animals: Genetic clues to how dogs became man’s best friendsScientific Reports