[Hematopoietic cell death and leukemia]

Leukemogenesis is thought to be a multistep process involving changes in the expression or abnormalities in the function of proteins encorded by a number of genes within the same cell. Such abnormalities affect the balance among cell proliferation, differentiation, and programmed cell death (PCD), and this lead to an expansion of the malignant clone. Apoptosis (type I PCD) and autophagy (type II PCD) are any form of cell death, mediated by an intracellular program, and involved in cell homeostasis. However, the mechanism of apoptosis and autophagy is extremely complex in leukemia cells, and the molecular machinery is still obscure. Therefore, understanding the regulation of apoptotic and autophagic signaling pathways could provide important information for the development of novel therapies in leukemia cells.