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Updated: Aug 7, 2026

Intracellular Phosphoflow Cytometry of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patient-Derived Xenotransplants
Published on: June 6, 2025
STAT1 acts as a tumor promoter for leukemia development
Boris Kovacic1, Dagmar Stoiber, Richard Moriggl
1Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of Vienna (MUW), Vienna A-1090, Austria.
Abstract:
The tumor suppressor STAT1 is considered a key regulator of the surveillance of developing tumors. Here, we describe an unexpected tumor-promoting role for STAT1 in leukemia. STAT1(-/-) mice are partially protected from leukemia development, and STAT1(-/-) tumor cells induce leukemia in RAG2(-/-) and immunocompetent mice with increased latency. The low MHC class I protein levels of STAT1(-/-) tumor cells enable efficient NK cell lysis and account for the enhanced tumor clearance. Strikingly, STAT1(-/-) tumor cells acquire increased MHC class I expression upon leukemia progression. These findings define STAT1 as a tumor promoter in leukemia development. Furthermore, we describe the upregulation of MHC class I expression as a general mechanism that allows for the escape of hematopoietic malignancies from immune surveillance.
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