Expression of receptor-Ck and SREBP genes in mononuclear cells from acute leukemia patients.

We have recently shown that Receptor-Ck regulated genes, involved in cellular growth and death through a transcriptional factor (SREBP) which has affinity for sterol regulatory element (SRE) present in the promoter region of these genes. The present study revealed that blasts, derived from both ALL and AML patients, were unable to express SREBP gene product although they had the capacity to express Receptor-Ck gene product. These results which depict defective Receptor-Ck-dependent signalling are in conformity with our previous results which showed that lymphocytes from CML patients as well as other human leukemic cell lines are unable to express gene coding for Receptor-Ck leading again to a state of impaired Receptor-Ck-dependent signalling. On the basis of these results, we propose that deregulated Receptor-Ck-dependent signalling may have an important role in leukemogenesis.