Promyelocytic leukemia protein

Article By:

Borden, Katherine L. B. Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada.

Culjkovic-Kraljacic, Biljana Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada.

Last reviewed:2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB120291

The promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) is found in all mammalian cells that have been investigated, and the biomedical importance of PML arises from its role as a tumor suppressor. As such, PML plays roles in the control of cell proliferation, the suppression of oncogenic transformation, the promotion of apoptosis (programmed cell death), and cellular senescence. The PML protein is disrupted in 98% of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and is targeted by many different types of viruses, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus (LCMV), as a means to evade cellular antiviral responses. PML forms nuclear bodies (see illustration), and it is this ability to form these bodies that is linked to most of PML's biological functions. Many different biochemical activities have been proposed to underlie these processes.

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