Forced expression of the Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) gene inhibits proliferation of human hematopoietic CD34(+) progenitor cells
The Wilms tumor gene (WT1) encodes a zinc-finger containing transcription factor present in primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells. WT1 is also highly expressed in most cases of acute myeloid leukemia. Moreover, WT1 can interfere with induced differentiation of leukemic cell lines. These data suggest a function of WT1 in the maintenance of a primitive phenotype and a role in leukemogenesis by in