[WT1 Gene and Leukemia]
WT1 is classified as a tumor suppressor gene that can repress transcription of many growth factor and growth factor receptor genes. However, WT1 is highly expressed in human leukemic cells and overexpression of WT1 correlates with poor prognosis. Furthermore, suppression of WT1 expression by the WT1 anti-sense oligonucleotide inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of leukemic cells. Constitutive WT1 expression in myeloid progenitor cells by the transfection of the wild-type WT1 gene promoted their proliferative response to G-CSF, but inhibited their differentiation. These findings suggested that WT1 gene might perform an oncogenic function in hematopoietic progenitor cells.
Wang
Rong
R
Department of Hematology, College of Medicine, Jinan University, Guangzhou 510632, China.