Preleukemic mutations in human acute myeloid leukemia affect epigenetic regulators and persist in remission

Significance A growing body of evidence has determined that somatic mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) accumulate in self-renewing hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Thus, at the time of diagnosis, AML patients harbor preleukemic HSCs containing some, but not all, of the mutations in the downstream leukemia. Despite these findings, common patterns of preleukemic clonal evolution have not been determined, nor has the response of preleukemic HSCs to standard therapy been identified. This report addresses both of these questions determining that there are common patterns of preleukemic clonal evolution in AML, and that these preleukemic HSCs often survive standard induction chemotherapy. This study is of…

• NS
  National Science Foundation
• BW
  Burroughs Wellcome Fund
• CI
  California Institute of Regenerative Medicine

  Award: TG2-01159
• NI
  National Institutes of Health

  Awards: TG2-01159, U01HL099999