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The Extracellular Matrix (ECM) is a complex network of cross-linked proteins providing architectural support for cells and it is also an element of the tumor microenvironment. It has been proposed that Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) arises from the Leukemia Stem Cells (LSCs), which has been shown to alter elements of the ECM. The direct contribution of LSCs to the ECM niche has not been investigated yet, hence the rationale for this study.
In a Letter to the Editor of Haematologica, Valerio Izzi from the University of Oulu, Finland, and colleagues investigated the transcriptional profile of ECM-related genes in LSCs and their prognostic significance in AML patients.
Raw microarray profiles of normal Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs), committed progenitors, Multipotent Progenitors (MPPs) and LSCs from the NCBI Gene Expression (GEO) repository were analyzed and validated in AML patient data from GEO (GSE10358) and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) AML Cohorts.
The authors highlighted that their study is the first to show “the existence of an ECM signature that is shared between leukemia precursor cells and circulating AML cells from patients”. Additionally, the authors added that “increased CD44 in definitive leukemic cells indicates a crucial step in the progression of leukemic cells towards an aggressive phenotype”.
Izzi et al., concluded by stating that “the correlation of the ECM signature with AML outcome and leukemic precursor subtypes suggests a central role for ECM alteration in AML biology and encourages further studies to understand the regulatory mechanisms controlling it”.
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