Chromosomal Translocations and Oncogenic Transcription Factors

Regulation of gene expression at the level of transcription is one of the major determinants of proper cellular proliferation and differentiation. The key players in these processes are sequence-specific DNA binding transcription factor proteins which coordinate programs of gene expression in the nucleus. The articles in this volume document the myriad of genetic and biochemical alterations sustained by human proto-oncogenic transcription factors which result in diverse neoplastic processes. This volume gives insights into how normal programs of gene expression can be subverted by the action of single transcription factors resulting in a specific tumor type. The book provides inspiration for exploiting these tumor-specific alterations as diagnostic, prognostic tools, or as selective therapeutic targets.

List of Contents.- Disruption of a Homolog of Trithorax by 11q23 Translocations: Leukemogenic and Transcriptional Implications.- E2A-Pbx1 Induces Growth, Blocks Differentiation, and Interacts with Other Homeodomain Proteins Regulating Normal Differentiation.- E2A-HLF Chimeric Transcription Factors in Pro-B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.- Transcription Factors of the bHLH and LIM Families: Synergistic Mediators of T Cell Acute Leukemia?.- The TEL Gene Contributes to the Pathogenesis of Myeloid and Lymphoid Leukemias by Diverse Molecular Genetic Mechanisms.- Characterisation of the PML/RAR? Rearrangement Associated with t(l5;17) Acute Promyelocytic Leukaemia.- Fusions Involving Paired Box and Fork Head Family Transcription Factors in the Pediatric Cancer Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma.- TLS-CHOP and the Role of RNA-Binding Proteins in Oncogenic Transformation.- Biology of EWS/FLI and Related Fusion Genes in Ewing’s Sarcoma and Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor.- Chromosome Translocation-Mediated Conversion of a Tumor Suppressor Gene into a Dominant Oncogene: Fusion of EWS1 to WT1 in Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumors.