A review of the Wilms' tumor 1 gene (WT1) and its role in hematopoiesis and leukemia.
One of the first clones of the Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) gene, WT33, was isolated from a B cell leukemia cell line in 1990. Now, 12 years on, WT1 has emerged as a potentially important target for antileukemic therapies. Our understanding of the role that WT1 plays during normal hematopoiesis is still limited, and there is a large amount of conflicting data concerning the precise manner in which WT1 gene expression contributes to leukemogenesis. However, interest in this field has intensified in the past 5 years. This review surveys the progress made in this area.
Algar
Elizabeth
E
Department of Clinical Haematology and Oncology and the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, The Royal Children's Hospital, Parkville, Victoria, Australia, 3052. algare@cryptic.rch.unimelb.edu.au
D006410:Hematopoiesis / Q000235:genetics*; D006801:Humans; D007680:Kidney Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics*; D007938:Leukemia / Q000235:genetics* / Q000503:physiopathology; D015448:Leukemia, B-Cell / Q000235:genetics; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D025721:WT1 Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D009396:Wilms Tumor / Q000235:genetics*
D025721:WT1 Proteins