Important Insights Gained into Deadly Forms of Leaukaemia
10 March 2008 - Dr Eric So and colleagues have made two key discoveries about the molecular events that cause certain types of leukaemia. These findings open up new possibilities for the development of future treatments.
The first was a new insight into a cancer of the bone marrow called APL (Acute Promyelocytic Leukaemia). The research led by Dr So showed that recruitment of a protein called RXR by a group of cancer-causing genes, including PML/RARα, is required for APL. Dr So explains: “In APL, abnormal RARα proteins interfere with gene expression and prevent white blood cells behaving normally, leading them to become cancerous. We have demonstrated that reducing levels of a protein called RXR or preventing
its interaction with RARα proteins will inhibit the cancer formation process. More importantly, using small molecules that specifically target RXR function can also significantly compromise the ability of the cancerous cells to grow.”
The second discovery uncovered a link between an enzyme, code-named PRMT1, and MLL (Mixed Lineage Leukaemia), in an aggressive form of cancer that is particularly prevalent in babies and young children. Dr So, who collaborated with scientists in Belfast, Hong Kong and the US, said: “We have shown this enzyme plays a crucial role in causing certain types of leukaemia. We examined the role of the MLL gene and discovered that, when damaged, it caused cancer by working with two or three other proteins, one of which was PRMT1. Furthermore, when we reduced the amount of PRMT1 in early blood cells it prevented damaged MLL from turning them into leukaemia cells. This suggests that drugs that block the PRMT1 enzyme might be an effective treatment for several types of leukaemia.”
Dr Eric So leads the Leukaemogenesis Team in The Institute's Section of Haemato-Oncology
