MYC is a
transcription factor that regulates many critical
genes for
cell proliferation, differentiation, and
biomass accumulation. MYC is one of the most prevalent
oncogenes found to be altered in
human cancer, being deregulated in about 50 % of
tumors. Although MYC deregulation has been more frequently associated to
lymphoma and
lymphoblastic leukemia than to myeloid
malignancies, a body of evidence has been gathered showing that MYC
plays a relevant
role in
malignancies derived from the myeloid compartment. The myeloid leukemogenic activity of MYC has been demonstrated in different murine models. Not surprisingly, MYC has been found to be amplified or/and deregulated in the three major types of myeloid
neoplasms acute myeloid leukemia,
myelodysplastic syndromes, and myeloproliferative
neoplasms, including
chronic myeloid leukemia. Here, we
review the recent
literature describing the involvement of MYC in myeloid
tumors (AU)