Leukemia, like many other cancers, is thought to arise from a small population of stem cells that have the capacity to self-renewal extensively and to initiate, sustain or regenerate the disease. Elimination of the le...Leukemia, like many other cancers, is thought to arise from a small population of stem cells that have the capacity to self-renewal extensively and to initiate, sustain or regenerate the disease. Elimination of the leukemia stem cells （LSCs） will likely be essential, and probably sufficient, for curing this disease.Recent studies have shown that LSCs can be derived from early hematopoietic progenitors as well as more differentiated derivatives; the key feature being these cells have acquired an increased proliferative capacity and the ability to self-renew extensively. Genes that make this possible are attractive drug targets for treating leukemia. In our laboratory we have developed a novel in vitro genetic screen that uses retroviral insertional mutagenesis as a tool for identifying genes that are able to convert both normal hematoooietic progenitors and committed mveloid progenitor cells into cells that resemble LSCs.展开更多
Cancer gene discovery continues to drive current cancer research with the promise of identifying new diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets by elucidating novel genetic interactions that promote or sustain tumor f...Cancer gene discovery continues to drive current cancer research with the promise of identifying new diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets by elucidating novel genetic interactions that promote or sustain tumor formation. Sleeping Beauty（SB） transposoniated insertional mutagenesis has emerged as an exciting approach to identify novel cancer-causing genes in the mouse. The SB transposon faithfully ＂hops＂ throughout the genome by a cut-and-paste mechanism mediated by the ubiquitous expression of the SB transposase. Initial tumor data generated using an SB transposon harboring the MSCV promoter demonstrated a bias towards hematopoietic tumors. More recently, experiments using a modified SB transposon containing the CAG promoter have generated cohorts of mice with solid tumors, primarily carcinomas, which in some cases metastasize. Many animals also develop multiple, inde- pendent primary tumors. These data demonstrate the utility of the SB transposition system for cancer gene discovery across organ systems.展开更多
文摘Leukemia, like many other cancers, is thought to arise from a small population of stem cells that have the capacity to self-renewal extensively and to initiate, sustain or regenerate the disease. Elimination of the leukemia stem cells （LSCs） will likely be essential, and probably sufficient, for curing this disease.Recent studies have shown that LSCs can be derived from early hematopoietic progenitors as well as more differentiated derivatives; the key feature being these cells have acquired an increased proliferative capacity and the ability to self-renew extensively. Genes that make this possible are attractive drug targets for treating leukemia. In our laboratory we have developed a novel in vitro genetic screen that uses retroviral insertional mutagenesis as a tool for identifying genes that are able to convert both normal hematoooietic progenitors and committed mveloid progenitor cells into cells that resemble LSCs.
文摘Cancer gene discovery continues to drive current cancer research with the promise of identifying new diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets by elucidating novel genetic interactions that promote or sustain tumor formation. Sleeping Beauty（SB） transposoniated insertional mutagenesis has emerged as an exciting approach to identify novel cancer-causing genes in the mouse. The SB transposon faithfully ＂hops＂ throughout the genome by a cut-and-paste mechanism mediated by the ubiquitous expression of the SB transposase. Initial tumor data generated using an SB transposon harboring the MSCV promoter demonstrated a bias towards hematopoietic tumors. More recently, experiments using a modified SB transposon containing the CAG promoter have generated cohorts of mice with solid tumors, primarily carcinomas, which in some cases metastasize. Many animals also develop multiple, inde- pendent primary tumors. These data demonstrate the utility of the SB transposition system for cancer gene discovery across organ systems.
