Articles in 2012

Pre-leukemic MLL-AF4 fusions arise prenatally and typically lead to overt acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) at or shortly after birth. In a recent study, Bueno and colleagues explored the effects of MLL-AF4 expression in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), with a focus on early hemato-endothelial development.

In patients with malaria, Plasmodium falciparum parasites multiply to enormous numbers in the bloodstream, initiating processes of erythrocyte destruction, endothelial activation and microvascular inflammation that cause devastating pathological effects on host tissues and organs. Recent research casts new light on a mechanism by which hemoglobin mutations may protect against these effects, and on a critical receptor-ligand interaction that provides fresh opportunities for the development of vaccines against blood-stage infection.

Many cancer cells depend on glutamine as a fuel for proliferation, yet the mechanisms by which glutamine supports cancer metabolism are not fully understood. Two recent studies highlight an important role for glutamine in the synthesis of lipids and provide novel insights into how glutamine metabolism could be targeted for cancer therapy.

A hallmark feature of pluripotent stem cells is the ability to proliferate indefinitely (immortal phenotype). Despite reactivation of telomerase during iPSC derivation, there exists considerable heterogeneity in telomere length amongst established iPSC cell lines. Both telomerase-dependent and -independent mechanisms have now been shown to be important for continuous self-renewal of iPSC via the maintenance or extension of telomere length.