Regulation of expression of MLAA-34 gene through transcriptional factors E2F1 and MZF-1

Approximately 20% of adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia fail to achieve remission with initial induction chemotherapy, and around half ultimately experience relapse after achieving complete remission. Relapse continues to be a major hurdle in achieving cure after obtaining remission with induction chemotherapy in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. In last two decades, the immunogenic vaccine, involving peptide, protein, or DNA, has brought new perspectives for tumor immunotherapy. MLAA-34 is a newly identified monocytic leukemia-associated antigen. Downregulation of MLAA-34 expression significantly suppressed the proliferation of U937 cells in vitro and increased the spontaneous apoptosis of leukemia. However, the regulatory mechanisms of MLAA-34 gene are still unknown at present. Analysis of the promoter region of the MLAA-34 gene and reporter gene assays revealed that 600 bp core region was responsible for its regulation. In addition, our study indicated that E2F1 acts as a transcription repressor and MZF-1 acts as a transcription activator of the MLAA-34 gene.