The role of EVI1 in normal and leukemic cells

One of the genes associated with both murine and human myeloid leukemia is EVI1 (ecotropic viral integration 1 site). EVI1 was first identified as a common locus of retroviral integration in myeloid tumors found in AKXD mice. The exact mechanism by which EVI1 induces leukemogenesis is not clear. Studies of the function of EVI1 in the bone marrow and in cell lines have shown that the inappropriate expression of EVI1 prohibits terminal differentiation of the bone marrow progenitor cells in granulocytes and erythroid cells, but strongly favors hematopoietic differentiation along the megakaryocytic lineage. We summarize recent data showing that EVI1 is a complex transcription factor with multiple functions, and this complexity is further demonstrated by the ability of EVI1 to interact with coactivators and corepressors and to abrogate cellular response to cytokines.