title: Natural compounds and pharmaceuticals reprogram leukemia cell differentiation pathways.
abstract: In addition to apoptosis resistance and cell proliferation capacities, the undifferentiated state also characterizes most cancer cells, especially leukemia cells. Cell differentiation is a multifaceted process that depends on complex regulatory networks that involve transcriptional, post-transcriptional and epigenetic regulation of gene expression. The time- and spatially-dependent expression of lineage-specific genes and genes that control cell growth and cell death is implicated in the process of maturation. The induction of cancer cell differentiation is considered an alternative approach to elicit cell death and proliferation arrest. Differentiation therapy has mainly been developed to treat acute myeloid leukemia, notably with all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA). Numerous molecules from diverse natural or synthetic origins are effective alone or in association with ATRA in both in vitro and in vivo experiments. During the last two decades, pharmaceuticals and natural compounds with various chemical structures, including alkaloids, flavonoids and polyphenols, were identified as potential differentiating agents of hematopoietic pathways and osteogenesis.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du Cancer, Hôpital Kirchberg, 9, rue Edward Steichen, L-2540 Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: Franck
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Morceau
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du Cancer, Hôpital Kirchberg, 9, rue Edward Steichen, L-2540 Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: Sébastien
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chateauvieux
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du Cancer, Hôpital Kirchberg, 9, rue Edward Steichen, L-2540 Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: Marion
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orsini
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du Cancer, Hôpital Kirchberg, 9, rue Edward Steichen, L-2540 Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: Anne
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Trécul
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire du Cancer, Hôpital Kirchberg, 9, rue Edward Steichen, L-2540 Luxembourg, Luxembourg.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dicato
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-742, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: marcdiederich@snu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diederich
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001688:Biological Products / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D007938:Leukemia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051379:Mice; D009385:Neoplastic Processes; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D001688:Biological Products
keywords: Cancer; Differentiation therapy; Drug development; Gene expression; Leukemia; Natural compounds