MYB - A regulatory factor in hematopoiesis

MYB is a transcription factor which was identified in birds as a viral oncogene (v-MYB). Its cellular counterpart was subsequently isolated as c-MYB which has three functional domains - DNA binding domain, transactivation domain and negative regulatory domain. c-MYB is essential for survival, and deletion of both alleles of the gene results in embryonic death. It is highly expressed in hematopoietic cells, thymus and neural tissue, and required for T and B lymphocyte development and erythroid maturation. Additionally, aberrant MYB expression has been found in numerous solid cancer cells and human leukemia. Recent studies have also implicated c-MYB in the regulation of expression of fetal hemoglobin which is highly beneficial to the beta-hemoglobinopathies (beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease). These findings suggest that MYB could be a potential therapeutic target in leukemia, and possibly also a target for therapeutic increase of fetal hemoglobin in the beta-hemoglobinopathies.