Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a kind of blood cancer that results in an unregulated accumulation of white blood cells. Because of the bad prognosis of this disease, experts all over the world have been exploring for novel strategies to treat AML while still allowing for normal blood development.

A novel vulnerability of this malignancy that may be addressed with a class of investigational medications was disclosed in a study published in the journal Cancer Research. These medications target the SWI/SNF protein complex, which is needed by many cells to open and access DNA. By modulating the cells epigenetic state, DNA accessibility has a profound influence on gene expression.

The scientists demonstrate that medicines that block SWI/SNF cause a significant therapeutic response in AML cell lines, animal models, and human AML samples. In mice, this method resulted in tumor regression within days. When the researchers compared their findings with AML cells to normal blood cells, they discovered that the treatment targeting SWI/SNF induced particular modifications in blood formation. These adverse effects, however, were mild and promptly resolved following pharmacological therapy. 

The findings warrant future research into the use of this technique for AML. They discovered that AML cells hijack a gene regulatory pathway involving SWI/SNF and another protein known as PU.1. Normally, this program is utilized to generate healthy white blood cells. PU.1 marks the pathways that lead to genes of relevance to certain blood cells.

SWI/SNF arrives after PU.1 tags the doors but is unable to unlock them." SWI/SNF is a protein complex that regulates DNA access. Once PU.1 tags a location of interest, SWI/SNF enters and opens the door, allowing the oncogenes that support AML to be expressed. The researchers discovered that some AML samples are far more reliant on this process than normal blood cells.

Interestingly, the researchers observed that medications that inhibit SWI/capacity SNFs to activate genes in AML slow tumor development by interfering with the production of these oncogenes.

(Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/health/researchers-find-new-epigenetic-vulnerability-of-acute-myeloid-leukemia-496078)