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1: Leukemia. 2004 Feb;18(2):219-26.Click here to read Links

Interleukin-3 receptor in acute leukemia.

Testa U, Riccioni R, Diverio D, Rossini A, Lo Coco F, Peschle C.

Department of Hematology and Oncology, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena 299, Rome, Italy. u.testa@iss.it

Recent studies indicate that abnormalities of the interleukin-3 receptor (IL-3R) are frequently observed in acute myeloid leukemias (AMLs) and may contribute to the proliferative advantage of leukemic blasts. This review analyzes the evidences indicating that the IL-3R represents one of the target molecules involved in the stimulation of proliferation of AMLs, and the overexpression of the IL-3Ralpha chain may represent one of the mechanisms contributing to the development of a highly malignant leukemic phenotype. Furthermore, there is evidence that the IL-3Ralpha is a marker of leukemic stem cells, at variance with normal stem cells that are IL-3Ralpha-. Finally, the IL-3R may represent an important target for the development of new antileukemic drugs.

PMID: 14671644 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]