The inhibition of HL-60 cell growth is mediated partly through the induction of Bax/Bcl-2 apoptosis and by telomerase inhibition through suppression of c-myc, which is a promoter of hTERT.
To identify genetic changes that cooperate with PML-RARA in leukemogenesis, we performed spectral karyotyping analysis of myeloid leukemias from hMRP8-PML-RARA mice (11 cases) and from mice coexpressing PML-RARA and BCL2 (8 cases).
We have therefore analyzed 21 bone marrow aspirates from untreated childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and 2 from myeloid leukaemia for mutations in box and bcl-2.
The presence of bcl-2 in myeloid leukemias has been associated with a decrease in therapy-induced apoptosis, reduced patient survival and in vitro autonomous growth of leukemic cells.