Identification of a Potently Oncogenic CALM-AF10 Minimal-Fusion Mutant (mRNA)

The t(10;11) p (13;q14) translocation, giving rise to CALM-AF10, is a recurring chromosomal translocation observed in several types of acute leukemias as well as in lymphoma. We have previously demonstrated that the expression of the human CALM/AF10 fusion gene in murine bone marrow stem and progenitor cells results in an aggressive acute myeloid leukemia in vivo. In this study, we have screened the various domains essential for CALM-AF10 function and leukemogenicity. Our study identifies a mutant of CALM-AF10 that greatly enhances the clonogenic potential of hematopoietic progenitors while retaining key characteristics of disease induced by the full length CALM-AF10 fusion. Global gene expression of bone marrow cells transduced with various constructs were compared. We used the empty vector, MIG, as a control and baseline. Four samples are tested with three biological replicates each.