Molecular Biology Commons^™

The Role Of Af9 And Af9-Mediated Protein Interactions In Hematopoiesis And Leukemogenesis, Alyson Anne Lokken

Dissertations

The AF9 protein is one of the most common chromosomal translocation partners of the MLL gene in MLL leukemia. Wild-type AF9 is a member of the pTEFb transcription elongation complex, and interacts with gene regulatory proteins such as AF4/AF5q31, DOT1L, Pc3/CBX8 and BCoR. These interactions are retained in the oncogenic MLL-AF9 fusion protein, and may be required for leukemic transformation.

Using bone marrow progenitor cells isolated from conditional Af9 knockout mice, we examined in vitro differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells to the erythroid, myeloid and megakaryocytic lineages in the presence or absence of Af9. Based on previously published studies, we …

Significance Of Protein Interactions In Mediating Af9 Function, Bhavna Malik

Dissertations

Rearrangements of the MLL gene at chromosome band 11q23 have been associated with a heterogeneous group of lymphoid, myeloid and mixed lineage leukemias. MLL rearrangements occur approximately in 70% of infant leukemias and are also common in therapy-related leukemias where patients were previously treated with topoisomerase II inhibitors. Unfortunately, these patients have a poor prognosis. MLL gene rearrangements give rise to chimeric proteins that contain the N-terminal portion of MLL fused to the C-terminal portion of over 50 different fusion partners. The chimeric proteins cause constitutive expression of some MLL target genes such as HOXA9 and MEIS1, and enhanced proliferation …

A Study Of The Therapeutic Potential Of Af4 Mimetic Peptides, Nisha N. Barretto

Dissertations

Mixed lineage leukemias (MLL) are a group of acute and aggressive leukemias. They account for over 70% of infant leukemias, and 10% of acute adult leukemias. Pediatric ALL and therapy related MLL leukemias carry poor prognosis in spite of several advancement in the field of leukemia research. Therefore, new therapies for MLL leukemias are needed.

Majority of MLL leukemias arise due to the balanced translocations of the MLL gene. As a result of these translocations, chimeric MLL fusion proteins are expressed. The most frequently occurring MLL fusion proteins are known to aberrantly recruit the super elongation complex (SEC) resulting in …