The role of FLT3 in haematopoietic malignancies

Normal haematopoietic cells use complex systems to control proliferation, differentiation and cell death. The control of proliferation is, in part, accomplished through the ligand-induced stimulation of receptor tyrosine kinases, which signal to downstream effectors through the RAS pathway. Recently, mutations in the FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) gene, which encodes a receptor tyrosine kinase, have been found to be the most common genetic lesion in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), occurring in similar to25% of cases. Exploring the mechanism by which these FLT3 mutations cause uncontrolled proliferation might lead to a better understanding of how cells become cancerous and provide insights for the development of new drugs.