Determinants of oncogenic transformation in acute promyelocytic leukemia: the hetero-union makes the force
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Updated: Jul 13, 2026

Intracellular Phosphoflow Cytometry of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patient-Derived Xenotransplants
Published on: June 6, 2025
Saverio Minucci1, Pier Giuseppe Pelicci
1Department of Experimental Oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Via Adamello 16, 20139 Milan, Italy. saverio.minucci@ifom-ieo-campus.it
Abstract:
Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is caused by chromosomal translocations that involve the retinoic acid receptor alpha (RAR) and several other genes to yield X-RAR fusion proteins. Unlike wild-type RARs, which require heterodimerization with the retinoid X receptor (RXR) for their function as DNA-binding transcriptional regulators, X-RAR fusion proteins bind DNA and deregulate transcription as homo-oligomers. In this issue of Cancer Cell, however, Zeisig et al. and Zhu et al. show that RXR recruitment is a critical determinant for the transforming potential of oligomeric X-RAR fusion proteins and explore the possibility for targeted interventions in APL with either RAR or RXR ligands.
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