engleski

Involvement of Notch in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia

The Notch signaling pathway influences decisions during tissue development in many organisms, including humans. In the immune system, the effects of Notch have been shown to affect hematopoietic stem cells as well as committed progenitors. In these cells, Notch guides lineage specification, cell progression and survival. Notch signaling is critical during lymphocyte development, and deregulation of the pathway can give rise to leukemia. Notch has been found in T- cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia but its role has also been studied in myelopoiesis and myeloid leukemias. B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) is the most common type of leukemia affecting adults in the Western world. The disease occurs in lymph nodes, as well as in bone marrow, and it is manifested circularly in the periphery. It is a heterogenic disease which accounts for the differences in patient survival. Although there is evidence that Notch signaling is active in B-CLL, the precise role of Notch in this disease is unclear. Here we used FACS analysis to determine which Notch receptors and ligands are present in patient samples diagnosed as B-CLL. Considering the fact that Notch is an important regulator of cell faith and differentiation, clarifying its role could be potentially beneficial in understanding the mechanisms of development of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia and, subsequently, improve its treatment.

Notch ; B-cell ; leukemia

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