NFATc1 Is Transcriptionally Activated in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) By Promotor DNA-Hypomethylation Which Correlates with in-Vitro Vulnerability to Calcineurin Inhibitors

Abstract Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most frequent adult leukemia in Western countries, is characterized by progressive accumulation of mature, monoclonal B lymphocytes in blood, bone marrow, and lymphoid tissues. In the pathogenesis and treatment of CLL, B cell receptor (BCR) signaling plays a crucial role, and aberrations in downstream pathways that become activated in CLL need to be better defined. One downstream target of BCR signaling is NFATc1, a transcription factor with a high oncogenic and transforming potential. Employing a genome-wide comparative DNA methylation analysis the NFATc1 5’ region was identified to be DNA hypomethylated in CLL patient samples. The pilot ser…