Chromosomal rearrangements involving the MLL gene are a characteristic feature of a variety of human leukemias, including acute lymphoid (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemias (AML) as well as secondary leukemias resulting from treatment with topoisomerase inhibitors.1 The MEIS1 and HOXA9 genes have been shown to be major downstream targets of MLL fusion proteins.2 The mammalian HOX genes encode DNA...

The adult mammalian heart has a limited capacity for replacing lost tissue following injury. Mammalian cardiomyocytes exit the cell cycle shortly after birth, where they undergo a final round of DNA synthesis, binucleate, and terminally differentiate. In addition, low levels of cardiomyocyte turnover in the aging heart or following injury seem to be mediated mostly by cardiomyocyte division. Al...

HOXA genes encode transcription factors, which are crucial for embryogenesis and tissue differentiation and are involved in the early stages of hematopoiesis. Aberrations in HOXA genes and their cofactor MEIS1 are found in human neoplasms, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The present study investigated the role of HOXA4, HOXA5 and MEIS1 promoter DNA methylation and mRNA expression in AML...

BACKGROUND Precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-cell ALL) is the most common neoplasm in children and is characterized by genetic and epigenetic aberrations in hematopoietic transcription factor (TF) genes. This study evaluated promoter DNA methylation and aberrant expression levels of early- and late-acting hematopoietic TF genes homeobox A4 and A5 (HOXA4 and HOXA5), Meis homeobox ...

We recently identified 68 genomic loci where common sequence variants are associated with platelet count and volume. Platelets are formed in the bone marrow by megakaryocytes, which are derived from hematopoietic stem cells by a process mainly controlled by transcription factors. The homeobox transcription factor MEIS1 is uniquely transcribed in megakaryocytes and not in the other lineage-commi...

Lens induction is a classical developmental model allowing investigation of cell specification, spatiotemporal control of gene expression, as well as how transcription factors are integrated into highly complex gene regulatory networks (GRNs). Pax6 represents a key node in the gene regulatory network governing mammalian lens induction. Meis1 and Meis2 homeoproteins are considered as essential u...

During limb development, expression of the TALE homeobox transcription factor Meis1 is activated by retinoic acid in the proximal-most limb bud regions, which give rise to the upper forelimb and hindlimb. Early subdivision of the limb bud into proximal Meis-positive and distal Meis-negative domains is necessary for correct proximo-distal (P-D) limb development in the chick, since ectopic Meis1 ...

Micro-ribonucleic acid-155 (miR-155) is one of the first described oncogenic miRNAs. Although multiple direct targets of miR-155 have been identified, it is not clear how it contributes to the pathogenesis of acute myeloid leukemia. We found miR-155 to be a direct target of Meis1 in murine Hoxa9/Meis1 induced acute myeloid leukemia. The additional overexpression of miR-155 accelerated the forma...

Sox3/SOX3 [SRY (sex determining region Y)-box 3] is considered to be one of the earliest neural markers in vertebrates, playing a role in specifying neuronal fate. We have previously reported characterization of the SOX3 promoter and demonstrated that the general transcription factors NF-Y (nuclear factor-Y), Sp1 (specificity protein 1) and USF (upstream stimulatory factor) are involved in tran...