In the present study, we investigated the role of SPARC protein overproduction in the proliferation and apoptosis of SKM-1 cells, an acute myeloid leukemia cell line transformed from MDS.
However, the role of SPARC in other subtypes of myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is not fully understood, particularly in the del(5q) type with a complex karyotype, which has a high risk to transform into acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
We found that the leukemic cells of AML patients with MLL gene rearrangements express low to undetectable amounts of SPARC whereas normal hematopoietic progenitors and most AML patients express this gene.