Publication Date:
2010-11-19
Description:
Abstract 704 Interleukin (IL)-15 is critical for the differentiation, proliferation, activation and survival of large granular lymphocytes (LGL). Malignant blasts from patients with acute LGL leukemia (LGLL) can express membrane bound IL-15 and often require IL-15 or IL-2 to survive and expand in vitro, suggesting a pivotal role of IL-15 in the genesis of LGLL in vivo. Indeed, 30% of mice engineered to over express IL-15 develop LGLL (J Exp Med 193:219-231, 2001), suggesting that IL-15 is a proto-oncogene. The present study examined the mechanism by which this may occur in mouse and in man. We observed ~2.5-fold increased levels of DNA methyltransferase 3b (Dnmt3b) in IL-15tg mice with LGLL compared to wild type (Wt) splenocytes (2.6 ± 0.6 -fold higher, N = 3 each, P =.03) and a ~2-fold increased levels of global DNA methylation (GDM) compared to Wt splenocytes (% global DNA levels measured by mass spec as % 5mC/(5mC+2dC): 3.6 ± 0.11%, N = 4 for IL-15tg LGLL; 1.5 ± 0.08%, N = 4 for Wt, P
Print ISSN:
0006-4971
Electronic ISSN:
1528-0020
Topics:
Biology
,
Medicine
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