Epigenetic Landscape in Leukemia and Its Impact on Antileukemia Therapeutics

Epigenomic landscape mapping in leukemia cells supports germ line mutation studies to understand pathogenicity and treatment plans. The differential regulation of gene expression and heterogeneity between cell types during hematopoiesis and leukemia development is important in understanding oncogenesis. Oncogenesis in leukemia occurs at both genomic and epigenomic levels in order for hematological cells to evade lineage commitment. To ensure that therapies target the entire malignancy, it is important to consider the regulatory network that drives malignancy caused by mutations. Therapies tailored to respond to a patient-specific epigenetic landscape have the potential to minimize risk in administering chemo-therapies that may not work. In this chapter, a focused study on childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) will be used as an example of the current research in the field of epigenetics in leukemia and the impact it carries on our understanding of the disease and treatment plans.