Some types of blood cancer develop as a result of genetic changes in the microenvironment surrounding blood cells, US scientists report in the journal Nature.
Their discovery has the potential to contribute to a better understanding and, in the future, treatment of leukemias.
David Scadden of the MGH Center for Regenerative Medicine in Boston and his colleagues discovered that the deletion or loss of a gene called Dicer1 from bone stem cell DNA disrupts the normal mechanism of blood cell formation, which can lead to the development of leukemia. The Dicer1 gene is involved in the metabolism of micro RNA.
In addition, researchers have shown that stem cells, which are part of the niche, or microenvironment surrounding blood cells, in people suffering from bone marrow diseases and leukemia have decreased levels of Sbds protein.
Scientists in Boston propose for the first time a model of oncogenesis that takes into account the role of cells in the microenvironment. According to the results of their work, signals from the environment of blood cells can become a target for the therapy of the prevention and treatment of leukemia. (PAP)