title: Signal transduction of oncogenic Flt3.
abstract: Activating mutations of Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (Flt3) are the most common genetic lesions in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and are present in approximately one third of AML patients. The 2 classes of Flt3 mutations are internal tandem duplications in the juxtamembrane domain and point mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain. In normal hematopoietic progenitor cells, Flt3 ligand induces the activation of several downstream signal-transduction mediators, including phosphoinositol 3-kinases, Src kinases, mitogen-activated protein kinases, and the phosphorylation of several adaptor proteins. Oncogenic mutations in Flt3 result in ligand-independent constitutive and deregulated activation of these signaling pathways. In addition, however, oncogenic mutations of Flt3 also result in the activation of aberrant signaling pathways, including strong activation of STAT5, induction of STAT target genes, and repression of myeloid transcription factors c/EBP-3 and Pu.1. Aberrant activation of these signaling pathways by oncogenic Flt3 may play a critical role in mutant Flt3-mediated leukemic transformation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Hematology/Oncology, University of Münster, Germany.
authors.forename: Chunaram
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Choudhary
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Müller-Tidow
authors.forename: Wolfgang E
authors.initials: WE
authors.lastname: Berdel
authors.forename: Hubert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Serve
mesh_terms: D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015973:Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic / Q000235:genetics; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D015470:Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D009154:Mutation; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000235:genetics