The role of FLT3 in haematopoietic malignancies.
Article Details
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Stirewalt DL, Radich JP
The role of FLT3 in haematopoietic malignancies.
Nat Rev Cancer. 2003 Sep;3(9):650-65.
- PubMed ID
- 12951584 [ View in PubMed]
- Abstract
Normal haematopoietic cells use complex systems to control proliferation, differentiation and cell death. The control of proliferation is, in part, accomplished through the ligand-induced stimulation of receptor tyrosine kinases, which signal to downstream effectors through the RAS pathway. Recently, mutations in the FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) gene, which encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase, have been found to be the most common genetic lesion in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), occurring in approximately 25% of cases. Exploring the mechanism by which these FLT3 mutations cause uncontrolled proliferation might lead to a better understanding of how cells become cancerous and provide insights for the development of new drugs.