title: Expression of erythroid-specific genes in megakaryoblastic disorders.
abstract: Currently available data indicate that erythroid and megakaryocytic differentiation pathways are closely related to each other, and there may exist progenitor cells common to those two lineages may exist. Acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AML-M7) and transient myeloproliferative disorder in Down's syndrome (TMD) are characterized by rapid growth of abnormal blast cells which express megakaryocytic markers. These blast cells express lineage-specific transcription factors such as GATA-1 common to these lineages and frequently express erythroid-specific mRNAs such as gamma-globin and erythroid delta-aminolevulinate synthase (ALAS-E), indicating that most of the blasts in M7 and TMD cases have erythroid and megakaryocytic phenotypes. These results suggest that blasts in M7 and TMD may correspond to progenitors of both erythroid and megakaryocytic lineages.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Hirosaki University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kasai
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arai
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yokoyama
mesh_terms: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics; D015672:Erythroid Precursor Cells / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D050981:Erythroid-Specific DNA-Binding Factors; D050982:GATA1 Transcription Factor; D050989:GATA2 Transcription Factor; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D007947:Leukemia, Megakaryoblastic, Acute / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D005719:gamma-Globulins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D050981:Erythroid-Specific DNA-Binding Factors; D050982:GATA1 Transcription Factor; C494688:GATA1 protein, human; D050989:GATA2 Transcription Factor; C494711:GATA2 protein, human; D014157:Transcription Factors; D005719:gamma-Globulins