open access

Vol 52, No 4 (2021)
Review article
Submitted: 2021-07-07
Accepted: 2021-07-14
Published online: 2021-08-31
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Leukemic stem cells: clone wars

Wiesław Wiktor Jędrzejczak1
DOI: 10.5603/AHP.2021.0052
·
Acta Haematol Pol 2021;52(4):268-271.
Affiliations
  1. Department of Hematology, Transplantation and Internal Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland

open access

Vol 52, No 4 (2021)
REVIEW ARTICLE
Submitted: 2021-07-07
Accepted: 2021-07-14
Published online: 2021-08-31

Abstract

Leukemic stem cells arise as the effect of mutations of normal hematopoietic cells and overgrow normal hematopoietic tissue. They may also infiltrate other organs. While they begin their life from mutations, they continue to mutate, creating daughter leukemic stem cells that harbor two, three, or more mutations, and these mutations can be different in different daughter stem cells of the same parental line in the same individual. These daughter stem cells then compete between themselves as to which one will overgrow the host tissues with its progeny, and finally will contribute to the host’s death. This process can be shaped by therapy, which may preferentially eliminate some subclones and simultaneously favor others. To eliminate such stem cells, therapy is needed that will preferentially attack their self-renewal.

Abstract

Leukemic stem cells arise as the effect of mutations of normal hematopoietic cells and overgrow normal hematopoietic tissue. They may also infiltrate other organs. While they begin their life from mutations, they continue to mutate, creating daughter leukemic stem cells that harbor two, three, or more mutations, and these mutations can be different in different daughter stem cells of the same parental line in the same individual. These daughter stem cells then compete between themselves as to which one will overgrow the host tissues with its progeny, and finally will contribute to the host’s death. This process can be shaped by therapy, which may preferentially eliminate some subclones and simultaneously favor others. To eliminate such stem cells, therapy is needed that will preferentially attack their self-renewal.

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Keywords

stem cells, self-renewal, oncogenic mutations

About this article
Title

Leukemic stem cells: clone wars

Journal

Acta Haematologica Polonica

Issue

Vol 52, No 4 (2021)

Article type

Review article

Pages

268-271

Published online

2021-08-31

Page views

127

Article views/downloads

177

DOI

10.5603/AHP.2021.0052

Bibliographic record

Acta Haematol Pol 2021;52(4):268-271.

Keywords

stem cells
self-renewal
oncogenic mutations

Authors

Wiesław Wiktor Jędrzejczak

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