title: The role of CREB as a proto-oncogene in hematopoiesis.
abstract: Cyclic-AMP response element binding protein (CREB) is a transcription factor that functions in glucose homeostasis, growth-factor- dependent cell survival, proliferation and memory. Signaling by hematopoietic growth factors, such as GM-CSF, results in activation of CREB and upregulation of CREB target genes. Data from our laboratory shows that a majority of patients with acute lymphoid and myeloid leukemia overexpress CREB in the bone marrow. CREB overexpression is associated with poor initial outcome of clinical disease in AML patients. To study its role in hematopoiesis, we overexpressed CREB in leukemia cell lines and in mice. CREB overexpression resulted in increased survival and proliferation of myeloid cells and blast-transformation of bone marrow progenitor cells from transgenic mice expressing CREB in the myeloid lineage. CREB transgenic mice also develop myeloproliferative disease after one year. Thus, CREB acts as a proto-oncogene to regulate hematopoiesis and contributes to the leukemia phenotype. Our results suggest that CREB-dependent pathways may serve as targets for directed therapies in leukemia in the future.
authors.affiliation: Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Mattel Children's Hospital, Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, California, USA.
authors.forename: Kentaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kinjo
authors.forename: Salemiz
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sandoval
authors.forename: Kathleen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: Deepa B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Shankar
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D005947:Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000378:metabolism; D006410:Hematopoiesis; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000378:metabolism; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism; D010641:Phenotype; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000378:metabolism; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000737:chemistry; D015398:Signal Transduction; D015854:Up-Regulation
chemical_list: D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; D005947:Glucose