Selective killing of leukemia cells: Yamanaka factors’ new trick.

The four transcription factors of the Yamanaka cocktail (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and Myc, termed OSKM) are famously capable of reprogramming somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In a paper recently published in Nature Communications, Wang et al. now describe the unexpected discovery that short-term activation of OSKM expression in acute myeloid leukemia cells in vivo induces apoptosis while negligibly affecting normal hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. These findings have potential implications for novel anti-cancer strategies. © AlphaMed Press 2020 SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT: The four transcription factors of the Yamanaka cocktail (Oct4, Sox2, Klf4 and Myc, termed OSKM) are famously capable of reprogramming somatic cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). In a paper published Dec. 6 in Nature Communications, Wang et al. now describe the unexpected discovery that short-term activation of OSKM expression in acute myeloid leukemia cells in vivo induces apoptosis while negligibly affecting normal hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells1. These findings have potential implications for novel anti-cancer strategies.
© 2020 AlphaMed Press.