Alternative definition : KEGG: Two major types of genetic events are crucial for the molecular pathogenesis
of acute myeloid leukemias (AML): activating mutations of signal transduction intermediates
and alterations in myeloid transcription factors governing hematopoietic differentiation.
Both aberrant and constitutive activation of signal transduction molecules are found
in about 50% of primary AML bone marrow samples, and seem to contribute to the increased
proliferation and apoptosis resistance. The most common of these activating events
were observed in the RTK Flt3, in N-Ras and K-Ras, in Kit, and sporadically in other
RTKs. Specific haematopoietic transcription factors are crucial for differentiation
to particular lineages during normal differentiation, but are frequently disrupted
in AML. Some mechanisms of disruption involve the effect of fusion proteins that are
generated by chromosomal translocations on haematopoietic transcription factors. In
other cases, the transcription factors themselves are mutated.;