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Characterization of the ETO and AML1-ETO proteins involved in 8;21 translocation in acute myelogenous leukemia.

The AML1 and ETO genes are disrupted by the nonrandom chromosomal translocation t(8;21) in acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). While the AML1 gene encodes a transcription factor indispensable for definitive hematopoiesis, the biological function of ETO is unknown. To understand the role of ETO and AML1-ETO in the pathogenesis of AML, the full length cDNAs of ETO and AML1-ETO were cloned and antibodies against AML1 and ETO proteins have been developed in our laboratory. Western blot analysis showed that ETO and AML1-ETO were identified as 70 kDa and 94 kDa proteins, respectively, and that both proteins, like AML1, were associated with the nuclear matrix. To examine whether the t(8;21)-positive AMLs expressed a 94-kDa AML1-ETO, protein fractions isolated from leukemia blasts of 10 patients with t(8;21)-positive AML and the Kasumi-1 cells were analyzed by Western blotting. The 94 kDa AML1-ETO fusion protein was detected in all samples. However, this fusion protein was not detectable in all 40 patients with t(8;21)-negative AMLs. The biological significance of AML1-ETO was examined in K562 cells, which stably overexpress AML1-ETO. We found that AML1-ETO blocked the erythroid differentiation of K562 cells induced by low doses of Ara-C. Thus, t(8;21)-positive AMLs appear to overexpress the AML1-ETO fusion protein, which may be responsible for differentiation block and leukemogenesis in AML.

3T3 Cells↗

Expression of a knocked-in AML1-ETO leukemia gene inhibits the establishment of normal definitive hematopoiesis and directly generates dysplastic hematopoietic progenitors.

The t(8;21)-encoded AML1-ETO chimeric product is believed to be causally involved in up to 15% of acute myelogenous leukemias through an as yet unknown mechanism. To directly investigate the role of AML1-ETO in leukemogenesis, we used gene targeting to create an AML1-ETO "knock-in" allele that mimics the t(8;21). Unexpectedly, embryos heterozygous for AML1-ETO (AML1-ETO/+) died around E13.5 from a complete absence of normal fetal liver-derived definitive hematopoiesis and lethal hemorrhages. This phenotype was similar to that seen following homozygous disruption of either AML1 or CBFbeta. However, in contrast to AML1- or CBFbeta-deficient embryos, fetal livers from AML1-ETO/+ embryos contained dysplastic multilineage hematopoietic progenitors that had an abnormally high self-renewal capacity in vitro. To further document the role of AML1-ETO in these growth abnormalities, we used retroviral transduction to express AML1-ETO in murine adult bone marrow-derived hematopoietic progenitors. AML1-ETO-expressing cells were again found to have an increased self-renewal capacity and could be readily established into immortalized cell lines in vitro. Taken together, these studies suggest that AML1-ETO not only neutralizes the normal biologic activity of AML1 but also directly induces aberrant hematopoietic cell proliferation.

Animals↗

AML1-ETO hijacks a distal enhancer of NAT10 to reprogram glutathione metabolism and sustain leukemia stem cell stemness.

Chromosomal translocations produce oncogenic fusion proteins such as AML1-ETO, which predominantly occupy gene promoters to induce transcriptional reprogramming in leukemia stem cells (LSCs), consequently driving the pathogenesis of t(8;21) acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, whether AML1-ETO is recruited to additional regulatory DNA elements to orchestrate oncogenic gene expression programs has not been fully addressed. Here, we define AML1-ETO and H3K27ac CUT&Tag landscapes in primary t(8;21) AML CD34+ cells and t(8;21) AML cell lines, revealing AML1-ETO binding at a distal enhancer of the RNA N4-acetylcytidine (ac4C) writer N-acetyltransferase 10 (NAT10), thereby driving its transcriptional activation. Genetic ablation or pharmacological inhibition of NAT10 restricted the survival and self-renewal of LSCs in primary t(8;21) AML CD34+ cells, as well as in a retroviral AML1-ETO9a-driven t(8;21) AML mouse model, establishing NAT10 as a potential therapeutic vulnerability. Mechanistically, NAT10 is recruited to glutathione S-transferase omega 2 (GSTO2) mRNA to catalyze ac4C modification, thereby enhancing transcript stability and reprogramming glutathione metabolism, as demonstrated by ac4C profiling, RNA immunoprecipitation (RIP), and dCas13b-NAT10-based analyses. Silencing of GSTO2 in primary t(8;21) AML CD34+ cells decreased intracellular reduced glutathione (GSH) levels and compromised LSC survival and self-renewal, whereas GSTO2 overexpression or GSH supplementation largely rescued LSC maintenance following NAT10 loss. Collectively, these findings enrich and extend the understanding of AML1-ETO regulatory programs by linking distal enhancer activity to a NAT10-GSTO2 ac4C-GSH axis that integrates epigenomic, posttranscriptional, and metabolic reprogramming to sustain LSC stemness, highlighting this circuit as a potential therapeutic vulnerability in t(8;21) AML.

Humans↗

Embryonic lethality and impairment of haematopoiesis in mice heterozygous for an AML1-ETO fusion gene.

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a major haematopoietic malignancy characterized by the proliferation of a malignant clone of myeloid progenitor cells. A reciprocal translocation, t(8;21)(q22;q22), observed in the leukaemic cells of approximately 40% of patients with the M2 subtype of AML disrupts both the AML1 (CBFA2) gene on chromosome 21 and the ETO (MTG8) gene on chromosome 8 (refs 3-5). A chimaeric protein is synthesized from one of the derivative chromosomes that contains the N terminus of the AML1 transcription factor, including its DNA-binding domain, fused to most of ETO, a protein of unknown function. We generated mice that mimic human t(8;21) with a "knock-in' strategy. Mice heterozygous for an AML1-ETO allele (AML1-ETO/+) die in midgestation from haemorrhaging in the central nervous system and exhibit a severe block in fetal liver haematopoiesis. This phenotype is very similar to that resulting from homozygous disruption of the AML1 (Cbfa2) or Cbfb genes, indicating that AML1-ETO blocks normal AML1 function. However, yolk sac cells from AML1-ETO/+ mice differentiated into macrophages in haematopoietic colony forming unit (CFU) assays, unlike Cbfa2-/- or Cbfb-/-cells, which form no colonies in vitro. This indicates that AML1-ETO may have other functions besides blocking wild-type AML1, a property that may be important in leukaemogenesis.

Animals↗

Polyclonal haemopoieses associated with long-term persistence of the AML1-ETO transcript in patients with FAB M2 acute myeloid leukaemia in continous clinical remission.

The t(8;21) (q22;q22) translocation is a recurring chromosomal abnormality observed in about 20-40% of AML patients with subtype FAB M2 (AML-M2). The molecular facet of this translocation is represented by the formation of a new hybrid gene, the AML1-ETO, which is regularly transcribed in a chimaeric mRNA and translated into a new fusion protein believed to have a key role in the pathogenesis of this type of leukaemia. We looked for the presence of AML1-ETO transcripts, by RT-PCR, in 49 unselected patients affected by AML-M2 diagnosed at various Italian Institutions. A hybrid transcript was detected in 11 cases (23%). Minimal residual disease status was investigated in three patients in continuous complete remission (CCR) after a median follow-up of 44 months; at least one sample from each subject was found positive for the AML1-ETO transcript suggesting a long-term persistence of t(8;21) leukaemic cells. In two female patients in CCR a 'clonality' analysis was performed on peripheral blood DNA by exploiting the X chromosome inactivation pattern of the human androgen-receptor gene (HUMARA); in both cases the results were consistent with the presence of a polyclonal haemopoiesis. Our data confirm that the persistence of residual cells expressing the AML1-ETO transcripts is a frequent occurrence even in patients with long-term remission; on the other hand, clonality assays indicate that in t(8;21) leukaemias long-term remission haemopoiesis is sustained by a polyclonal bone marrow reconstitution.

Adult↗

Inhibitors of histone deacetylase relieve ETO-mediated repression and induce differentiation of AML1-ETO leukemia cells.

The (8;21) translocation, found in 12% of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), creates the chimeric fusion product, AML1-ETO. Previously, we demonstrated that the ETO moiety recruits a transcription repression complex that includes the histone deacetylase (HDAC1) enzyme. Here, we used inhibitors of HDAC1 to study the pathophysiology of AML1-ETO. Both the potent inhibitor, trichostatin (TSA), and the well-known but less specific inhibitor, phenylbutyrate (PB), could partially reverse ETO-mediated transcriptional repression. PB was also able to induce partial differentiation of the AML1-ETO cell line, Kasumi-1. With the intention of developing a clinically useful protocol, we combined PB with a number of other agents that induced differentiation and apoptosis of Kasumi-1 cells. In summary, transcriptional repression mediated by AML1-ETO appears to play a mechanistic role in the t(8;21) AML, and relief of repression using agents such as PB (alone or in combination) may prove to be therapeutically useful.

3T3 Cells↗

Expression of AML1-ETO fusion transcripts and detection of minimal residual disease in t(8;21)-positive acute myeloid leukemia.

The t(8;21) translocation breakpoint, which is observed in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), has recently been cloned and a fusion transcript identified. We have now designed primer sets capable of amplifying the breakpoint junction of the fusion transcript by the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Primer set 821U/821D1 amplified a 200-bp DNA fragment, and primer set 821U/821D2 amplified a 1.2-kb DNA fragment in all t(8;21)-positive AML tested. Sequence analysis of the amplified DNA fragments demonstrated that all fusion transcripts were fused at exactly the same site, indicating that this translocation breakpoint occurs within a single intron of the AML1 and ETO genes. Forty-five cycles of RT-PCR were used to detect residual t(8;21)-positive leukemia cells in three patients who had been in complete remission for 1, 3 and 5 years. Minimal residual disease was found in all three samples. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that two fusion transcripts of 7 and 10 kb were expressed in the t(8;21)-positive AML and that the ETO gene is not normally expressed in the hematopoietic system. Expression of a normal 5.5-kb ETO mRNA was found in the lung. From these results we concluded that expression of the ETO gene in t(8;21)-positive AML was activated as a result of the translocation.

Base Sequence↗

Synergistic up-regulation of the myeloid-specific promoter for the macrophage colony-stimulating factor receptor by AML1 and the t(8;21) fusion protein may contribute to leukemogenesis.

AML1 is involved in the (8;21) translocation, associated with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML)-type M2, which results in the production of the AML1-ETO fusion protein: the amino-terminal 177 amino acids of AML1 and the carboxyl-terminal 575 amino acids of ETO. The mechanism by which AML1-ETO accomplishes leukemic transformation is unknown; however, AML1-ETO interferes with AML1 transactivation of such AML1 targets as the T-cell receptor beta enhancer and the granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor promoter. Herein, we explored the effect of AML1-ETO on regulation of a myeloid-specific AML1 target, the macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) receptor promoter. We found that AML1-ETO and AML1 work synergistically to transactivate the M-CSF receptor promoter, thus exhibiting a different activity than previously described. Truncation mutants within the ETO portion of AML1-ETO revealed the region of ETO necessary for the cooperativity between AML1 and AML1-ETO lies between amino acids 347 and 540. Endogenous M-CSF receptor expression was examined in Kasumi-1 cells, derived from a patient with AML-M2 t(8;21) and the promonocytic cell line U937. Kasumi-1 cells exhibited a significantly higher level of M-CSF receptor expression than U937 cells. Bone marrow from patients with AML-M2 t(8;21) also exhibited a higher level of expression of M-CSF receptor compared with normal controls. The upregulation of M-CSF receptor expression by AML1-ETO may contribute to the development of a leukemic state in these patients.

Animals↗

Molecular detection of t(8;21)/AML1-ETO in AML M1/M2: correlation with cytogenetics, morphology and immunophenotype.

The t(8;21) identifies a subgroup of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) with a relatively good prognosis which may merit different treatment. It is associated predominantly, but not exclusively, with AML M2, and corresponds to rearrangements involving the AML1 and ETO genes. AML1-ETO positive, t(8;21) negative cases are well recognized but their incidence is unknown. In order to determine optimal prospective AML1-ETO RT-PCR screening strategies, we analysed 64 unselected AML M1 and M2 cases and correlated the results with other biological parameters. Molecular screening increased the overall detection rate from 8% to 14%. AML1-ETO was found in 3% (1/32) of AML M1 and 25% (8/32) of M2, including three patients without a classic (8;21) but with chromosome 8 abnormalities. It was more common in younger patients. Correlation with morphology enabled development of a scoring system which detected all nine AML1-ETO-positive cases with a false positive rate of 7% (4/55). Although certain AML1-ETO-positive cases demonstrated characteristic immunological features (CD19 and CD34 expression, CD33 negativity), each of these markers was insufficiently specific to permit prediction in an individual case. We conclude that initial routine prospective molecular screening for AML1-ETO in all AMLs, combined with standardized morphological and immunological analysis, is desirable in order to produce improved prognostic stratification and to determine whether screening can ultimately be restricted to appropriate subgroups.

Adolescent↗

Simple variant t(8;21) acute myeloid leukemias harbor insertions of the AML1 or ETO genes.

We report on the molecular characterization of two acute myeloid leukemias (AML), one AML-M1 (patient 1) and one AML-M2 (patient 2) with t(8;21)(p21;q22) and t(8;20)(q22;p13), respectively, at diagnosis. The locations of the breakpoints, 21q22 in patient 1 and 8q22 in patient 2, prompted us to search for a cryptic t(8;21)(q22;q22) and involvement of the AML1 and ETO genes. Dual-color fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using whole chromosome painting probes for chromosomes 8, 20, and 21 confirmed the conventional cytogenetic karyotypes. However, dual-color FISH using appropriate ETO and AML1 probes disclosed an insertion of AML1 into 8q22 on the derivative chromosome 8 in patient 1 and of ETO into 21q22 on one chromosome 21 in patient 2, leading to AML1-ETO fusion signals. Both cases expressed an AML1-ETO transcript, shown by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction and cDNA sequencing. Creation of functional AML1-ETO fusion genes in these two simple variant t(8;21) probably occurred through complex mechanisms, combining translocation and insertion of chromosomal segments.

Adolescent↗

Aberrant recruitment of the nuclear receptor corepressor-histone deacetylase complex by the acute myeloid leukemia fusion partner ETO.

Nuclear receptor corepressor (CoR)-histone deacetylase (HDAC) complex recruitment is indispensable for the biological activities of the retinoic acid receptor fusion proteins of acute promyelocytic leukemias. We report here that ETO (eight-twenty-one or MTG8), which is fused to the acute myelogenous leukemia 1 (AML1) transcription factor in t(8;21) AML, interacts via its zinc finger region with a conserved domain of the corepressors N-CoR and SMRT and recruits HDAC in vivo. The fusion protein AML1-ETO retains the ability of ETO to form stable complexes with N-CoR/SMRT and HDAC. Deletion of the ETO C terminus abolishes CoR binding and HDAC recruitment and severely impairs the ability of AML1-ETO to inhibit differentiation of hematopoietic precursors. These data indicate that formation of a stable complex with CoR-HDAC is crucial to the activation of the leukemogenic potential of AML1 by ETO and suggest that aberrant recruitment of corepressor complexes is a general mechanism of leukemogenesis.

Cell Differentiation↗

CBF beta-SMMHC, expressed in M4Eo AML, reduced CBF DNA-binding and inhibited the G1 to S cell cycle transition at the restriction point in myeloid and lymphoid cells.

CBF beta-SMMHC is expressed from the inv(16) chromosome in M4Eo AML. Mice lacking CBF subunits or expressing the CBF beta-SMMHC or AML1-ETO oncoproteins failed to develop definitive hematopoiesis. To investigate these effects on hematopoiesis, we expressed CBF beta-SMMHC from the metallothionein promoter, in both 32D cl3 myeloid cells and Ba/F3 B-lymphoid cells. Addition of zinc increased CBF beta-SMMHC levels more than tenfold, with higher levels evident in Ba/F3 lines. Levels obtained in 32D cl3 cells were similar to those of endogenous CBF beta. Indirect immunofluorescence revealed zinc-inducible speckled, nuclear staining in Ba/F3 cells and diffuse nuclear staining in 32D cl3 cells. CBF beta-SMMHC reduced endogenous CBF DNA-binding fivefold in both cell types, increased cell generation time 1.9-fold, on average, in 32D cl3 cells and 1.5-fold in Ba/ F3 cells and decreased tritiated thymidine incorporation into DNA correspondingly. CBF beta-SMMHC increased the proportion of cells in G1 1.7-fold, on average, in 32D cl3 and Ba/F3 cells, and decreased the proportion of cells in S phase by a similar degree. CBF beta-SMMHC induced a marked increase in hypophosphorylated Rb, but did not alter IL-3 Receptor alpha or beta subunit levels. Neither apoptosis nor 32D differentiation was induced by zinc in IL-3 in these lines. Induction of CBF beta-SMMHC in 32D cl3 cells did not inhibit their differentiation to neutrophils or their expression of myeloperoxidase mRNA in G-CSF, and did not produce an eosinophilic phenotype. Additional, proliferative genetic changes in M4eo AMLs might potentiate inhibition of differentiation by CBF beta-SMMHC by allowing its increased expression.

Animals↗

Presence of t(8;21)(q22;q22) in myeloperoxidase-positive, myeloid surface antigen-negative acute myeloid leukemia.

Although acute myeloid leukemias (AMLs) cytochemically negative for myeloperoxidase are now well recognized, myeloid surface antigen-negative AMLs are rare. The morphologic, cytochemical, immunologic, and cytogenetic or molecular features of such cases are described in four adults aged 19 to 60 years. All had AML with maturation (FAB M2) and were myeloperoxidase positive. Immunologic studies showed all to be HLA-DR positive but negative for the CD13, CD14, and CD33 antigens. Two of four were CD34 antigen positive. Cytogenetic studies were performed in three patients, and all demonstrated t(8;21)(q22;q22). In studies using the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in two patients, including the patient in whom karytypic analysis was not performed, the AML1-ETO fusion product of t(8;21) was identified. These findings suggest an association between the lack of myeloid antigen expression in myeloperoxidase-positive AML and the presence of t(8;21). In addition, the results demonstrate the continued need for cytochemical studies in the evaluation of acute leukemias.

Adult↗

PEBP2/CBF, the murine homolog of the human myeloid AML1 and PEBP2 beta/CBF beta proto-oncoproteins, regulates the murine myeloperoxidase and neutrophil elastase genes in immature myeloid cells.

The myeloperoxidase (MPO) and neutrophil elastase genes are expressed specifically in immature myeloid cells. The integrity of a polyomavirus enhancer core sequence, 5'-AACCACA-3', is critical to the activity of the murine MPO proximal enhancer. This element binds two species, myeloid nuclear factors 1 alpha and 1 beta (MyNF1 alpha and -beta), present in 32D cl3 myeloid cell nuclear extracts. The levels of the MyNF1s increase during early 32D cl3 cell granulocytic differentiation. Both MyNF1 alpha and -beta supershift with an antiserum raised by using a peptide derived from the N terminus of polyomavirus enhancer-binding protein 2/core-binding factor (PEBP2/CBF) alpha subunit. The specific peptide inhibits these supershifts. In vitro-translated PEBP2/CBF DNA-binding domain binds the murine MPO PEBP2/CBF site. An alternate PEBP2/CBF consensus site, 5'-GACCGCA-3', but not a simian virus 40 enhancer core sequence, 5'-TTCCACA-3', binds the MyNF1s in vitro and activates a minimal murine MPO-thymidine kinase promoter in vivo. The murine neutrophil elastase gene 100-bp 5'-flanking sequences contain several functional elements, including potential binding sites for PU.1, C/EBP, c-Myb, and PEBP2/CBF. The functional element 5'-GGCCACA-3' located at positions -66 to 72 differs from the PEBP2/CBF consensus (5'-PuACCPuCA-3') only by an A-to-G transition at position 2. This DNA element binds MyNF1 alpha and -beta weakly. The N terminis of two PEBP2/CBF alpha subunit family members, PEBP2 alpha A and PEBP2 alpha B (murine AML1), are nearly identical, and 32D c13 cl3 cells contain both corresponding mRNAs. Since t(8;21), t(3;21), and inv(16), associated with myeloid leukemias, disrupt subunits of PEBP2/CBF, we speculate that the resulting oncoproteins, AML1-ETO, AML1-EAP, AML1-Evi1, and CBF beta-MYH11, inhibit early myeloid differentiation.

Animals↗

Core binding factor cannot synergistically activate the myeloperoxidase proximal enhancer in immature myeloid cells without c-Myb.

The myeloperoxidase (MPO) gene is transcribed specifically in immature myeloid cells and is regulated in part by a 414-bp proximal enhancer. Mutation of a core binding factor (CBF)-binding site at -288 decreased enhancer activity 30-fold in 32D cl3 myeloid cells cultured in granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF). A novel functional analysis, linking the CBF-binding site to an enhancer deletion series, located at -147 an evolutionarily conserved c-Myb-binding site which was required for optimal enhancer activity and synergy with CBF in 32D cells. These sites cooperated in isolation and independent of a precise spacing. Deletional analysis carried out in the absence of the c-Myb-binding site at -147 located at -301 a second c-Myb-binding site which also synergized with CBF to activate the enhancer. A GA-rich region at -162 contributed to cooperation with CBF when the adjacent c-Myb-binding site was intact. Mutation of both c-Myb-binding sites in the context of the entire enhancer greatly impaired activation by endogenous CBF in 32D cells. Similarly, activation by c-Myb was impaired in constructs lacking the CBF-binding site. CBF and c-Myb were required for induction of MPO proximal enhancer activity when 32D cells differentiated in response to G-CSF. A fusion protein containing the Gal4 DNA-binding domain and the AML-1B activation domain, amino acids 216 to 480, activated transcription alone and cooperatively with c-Myb in nonmyeloid CV-1 cells. Determining how CBF and c-Myb synergize in myeloid cells might contribute to our understanding of leukemogenesis by the AML1-ETO, AML1-MDS1, CBFbeta-SMMHC, and v-Myb oncoproteins.

Animals↗

A novel ubiquitin-specific protease, UBP43, cloned from leukemia fusion protein AML1-ETO-expressing mice, functions in hematopoietic cell differentiation.

Using PCR-coupled subtractive screening-representational difference analysis, we have cloned a novel gene from AML1-ETO knockin mice. This gene is highly expressed in the yolk sac and fetal liver of the knockin mice. Nucleotide sequence analysis indicates that its cDNA contains an 1,107-bp open reading frame encoding a 368-amino-acid polypeptide. Further protein sequence and protein translation analysis shows that it belongs to a family of ubiquitin-specific proteases (UBP), and its molecular mass is 43 kDa. Therefore, we have named this gene UBP43. Like other ubiquitin proteases, the UBP43 protein has deubiquitinating enzyme activity. Protein ubiquitination has been implicated in many important cellular events. In wild-type adult mice, UBP43 is highly expressed in the thymus and in peritoneal macrophages. Among nine different murine hematopoietic cell lines analyzed, UBP43 expression is detectable only in cell lines related to the monocytic lineage. Furthermore, its expression is regulated during cytokine-induced monocytic cell differentiation. We have investigated its function in the hematopoietic myeloid cell line M1. UBP43 was introduced into M1 cells by retroviral gene transfer, and several high-expressing UBP43 clones were obtained for further study. Morphologic and cell surface marker examination of UBP43/M1 cells reveals that overexpression of UBP43 blocks cytokine-induced terminal differentiation of monocytic cells. These data suggest that UBP43 plays an important role in hematopoiesis by modulating either the ubiquitin-dependent proteolytic pathway or the ubiquitination state of another regulatory factor(s) during myeloid cell differentiation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Rapid disappearance of AML1/ETO fusion transcripts in patients with t(8;21) acute myeloid leukemia following bone marrow transplantation and chemotherapy.

To assess the clinical significance of monitoring minimal residual disease in t(8;21)(q22;q22) AML, RT-PCR assay was conducted during the clinical course of 12 patients who had undergone BMT or conventional chemotherapy. Two cases relapsed after BMT and chimeric RNA was detected soon after BMT in their bone marrow cells. The other three cases, in whom chimeric RNA was not detected after BMT, are in CR at 21 to 33 months following BMT. Similarly, four out of 7 cases who showed negative chimeric RNA after completion of chemotherapy have been in CR at 11 to 34 months following completion of chemotherapy. The present findings appear different from other studies which reported the detection of AML1-ETO chimeric RNA in long-term CR patients.

Adolescent↗

Molecular diversity in AML1/ETO fusion transcripts in patients with t(8;21) positive acute myeloid leukaemia.

Patients with acute myeloid leukaemia with maturation (AML-M2) that carried the t(8;21) were tested for the presence of chimeric AML1/ETO mRNA. After RT-PCR, an expected band of 208 bp was observed on gel, as well as some slower migrating bands. The base composition of one of the additional products was determined and was found to contain a new 68-bp ETO sequence present at the fusion of AML1 and ETO genes. The derived protein sequence results in a truncated AML1 gene still containing the putative DNA binding domain. Molecular diversity in the AML1-ETO transcripts will have consequences for the detection of minimal residual disease and antisense studies.

Base Sequence↗