Effect of DLK1 on tumorigenesis in CD34+CD38− bone marrow cells in myelodysplastic syndromes

The myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) are a group of clonal stem cell disorders resulting from aberrations within hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), which may lead to the onset of a number of diseases, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Recent studies have demonstrated that the expression levels of the DLK1 gene are increased in MDS. In order to determine whether the addition of DLK1 affects tumorigenesis, small interfering (si)RNAs were designed to target DLK1 in order to knockdown its expression in CD34+CD38- bone marrow cells in MDS. A lower proliferative rate was observed in the CD34+CD38- bone marrow cells following this knockdown of DLK1 expression. The suppression of DLK1 expression resulted in a less aggressive MDS phenotype, which suggests that the upregulation of DLK1 expression may play an oncogenic role in CD34+CD38- bone marrow cells.