Trisomic dose of several chromosome 21 genes perturbs haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell differentiation in Down's syndrome

Abstract excerpt

Children with Down's syndrome (DS) have 20-50-fold higher incidence of all leukaemias (lymphoid and myeloid), for reasons not understood. As incidence of many solid tumours is much lower in DS, we speculated that disturbed early haematopoietic differentiation could be the cause of increased leukaemia risk. If a common mechanism is behind the risk of both major leukaemia types, it would have to arise before the...