Inverse correlation between Flt3 and PU.1 expression in acute myeloblastic leukemias

Over-expression of the Flt3 is prevalent in acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML), playing a role in leukemogenesis while decreased expression of PU.1 induces AML in mice model. Therefore, we speculated that there is an inverse relationship between these two factors. To clarify this, we measured the expression level of Flt3 and PU.1 in 24 primary AML specimens. As a result, there is a significant negative correlation between Flt3 and PU.1 (r = −0.43, p < 0.05). Furthermore, we revealed that flt3 gene promoter is suppressed by the over-expression of PU.1, suggesting that PU.1 is a potential suppressor of flt3 gene promoter.