RNA interference and deep sequencing as tools for identifying new genes involved in leukemogenesis

The establishment of the molecular mechanisms of occurrence and progression of oncological diseases and the development of effective tools to combat them is an important field of modern biomedicine. Today, the complete set of genes involved in carcinogenesis is not known for the majority of types of malignant tumors. Leukemia is a group of oncological diseases of the hemopoietic system. A considerable part of human leukemias is represented by acute myeloid leukemias (AML). Malignization is a multistep process: the activation of protoncogenes as a result of mutations triggers a cascade of genes and, consequently, disturbs the coordination of the molecular mechanisms responsible for the differentiation of hematopoietic cells and normal hematopoiesis. All this significantly complicates the diagnosis of leukemias and the selection of effective treatment schemes. The problem is additionally complicated by the fact that many genes that control the growth and differentiation of hematopoietic cells and the degree of their involvement in the process of malignant transformation remain unknown.