Acute lymphoblastic leukemia and developmental biology: A crucial interrelationship |
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| Authors: | Elena Campos-Sanchez Amparo Toboso-Navasa Isabel Romero-Camarero Marcos Barajas-Diego Isidro Sanchez-Garcia Cesar Cobaleda |
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| Institution: | 1.Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa; CSIC/Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; Campus de Cantoblanco; Madrid, Spain;2.Experimental Therapeutics and Translational Oncology Program; Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular del Cáncer; CSIC/Universidad de Salamanca; Campus M. de Unamuno; Salamanca, Spain |
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| Abstract: | The latest scientific findings in the field of cancer research are redefining our understanding of the molecular and cellular basis of the disease, moving the emphasis toward the study of the mechanisms underlying the alteration of the normal processes of cellular differentiation. The concepts best exemplifying this new vision are those of cancer stem cells and tumoral reprogramming. The study of the biology of acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALLs) has provided seminal experimental evidence supporting these new points of view. Furthermore, in the case of B cells, it has been shown that all the stages of their normal development show a tremendous degree of plasticity, allowing them to be reprogrammed to other cellular types, either normal or leukemic. Here we revise the most recent discoveries in the fields of B-cell developmental plasticity and B-ALL research and discuss their interrelationships and their implications for our understanding of the biology of the disease.Key words: leukemia, hematopoietic development, leukemic stem cells, lymphopoiesis, developmental plasticity, B cells, stem cells, cancer, B-ALL |
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