title: Effects of C/EBPalpha and C/EBPbeta in BCR/ABL-expressing cells: differences and similarities.
abstract: C/EBPalpha and C/EBPbeta, two transcription factors of the C/EBP family play important roles in the proliferation and differentiation of various cell types including myeloid progenitors. Expression of C/EBPalpha and C/EBPbeta is repressed in myeloid blast crisis of Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia by mechanisms that involve translation repression which depends on the interaction of RNA-binding proteins with conserved binding sites in the 5'UTR of c/ebpalpha and c/ebpbeta mRNA. Ectopic expression of C/EBPalpha and C/EBPbeta in myeloid progenitors expressing the BCR/ABL oncogene inhibits proliferation, induces differentiation and suppresses leukemogenesis in mice, but C/EBPalpha is markedly more effective than C/EBPbeta. The more potent effects of C/EBPalpha probably depends on protein-protein interaction with cell-cycle regulatory proteins, but the pattern of genes modulated by C/EBPalpha and C/EBPbeta is not completely overlapping. This suggests that transcription-dependent and -independent effects are both involved and support the therapeutic potential of reactivating C/EBPalpha and C/EBPbeta expression in leukemic cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
authors.forename: Clara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Guerzoni
authors.forename: Giovanna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ferrari-Amorotti
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bardini
authors.forename: Samanta A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Mariani
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Calabretta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D022763:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Protein-alpha / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D022782:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Protein-beta / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / Q000378:metabolism*; D015870:Gene Expression; D006801:Humans; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D022763:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Protein-alpha; D022782:CCAAT-Enhancer-Binding Protein-beta; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D008565:Membrane Proteins; C093413:lamina-associated polypeptide 2; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl