SOX7 promotes the maintenance and proliferation of B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic cells

B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) is the most frequent type of cancer in children. Despite progresses in curative treatment, intensive chemotherapy regimens still cause life threatening complications. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying the emergence and maintenance of BCP-ALL is fundamental for the development of novel therapies. Here, we establish that SOX7 is frequently and specifically expressed in BCP-ALL and that the expression of this transcription factor does not correlate with any specific cytogenetic abnormalities. Using human leukemia model systems, we establish that the down-regulation of SOX7 in BCP-ALL causes a significant decrease in proliferation and clonogenicity in vitro that correlates with a delay in leukemia initiation and burden in vivo. Overall, these results identify a novel and important functional role for the transcription factor SOX7 in promoting the maintenance of BCP-ALL.