# Inside the Battle Against Acute Myeloid Leukemia: Biology, Breakthroughs, and Hope

**Authors:** Jiayang Bao, Oliver Freund, Logan Sund, Wei Du

PMC · DOI: 10.3390/cells15040338 · 2026-02-13

## TL;DR

This paper reviews the biology of acute myeloid leukemia and highlights new research methods and potential treatments.

## Contribution

The paper provides an integrated framework for understanding AML pathobiology and emerging analytical paradigms.

## Key findings

- AML is characterized by genetic and epigenetic heterogeneity, leading to rapid progression and relapse.
- Emerging technologies like single-cell and multi-omics approaches are reshaping AML research.
- Therapeutic strategies are being developed based on a deeper understanding of AML biology.

## Abstract

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a biologically heterogeneous and clinically aggressive hematologic malignancy defined by the clonal expansion of immature myeloid progenitors, resulting in progressive bone marrow (BM) failure, peripheral cytopenias, and fatal infectious or hemorrhagic sequelae. The adverse clinical outcomes associated with AML arise from the combined effects of disrupted physiological hematopoiesis, persistence of therapy-refractory leukemic stem cells (LSCs), and extensive inter- and intratumoral genetic and epigenetic heterogeneity that underlies rapid disease progression and relapse. AML constitutes a prototypical disorder of hematopoietic dysregulation, wherein aberrant self-renewal capacity and arrested differentiation programs drive malignant transformation through the integrated influence of recurrent genomic lesions, epigenetic reprogramming, metabolic alterations, dysregulated signaling cascades, and reciprocal interactions with the BM microenvironment. These processes collectively reconfigure transcriptional landscapes and cellular hierarchies within the leukemic compartment. The objectives of this review are to provide an integrated framework for understanding AML pathobiology encompassing chromosomal abnormalities, transcriptional and epigenetic regulatory networks, and microenvironmental cues and to emphasize emerging analytical paradigms, including integrative multi-omics, single-cell and spatial technologies, and system-level approaches, which are reshaping conceptual models of malignant hematopoiesis and accelerating the development of mechanism-based therapeutic strategies.

## Linked entities

- **Diseases:** Acute myeloid leukemia (MONDO:0015667), AML (MONDO:0018874)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** CTLA4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4) [NCBI Gene 1493] {aka ALPS5, CD, CD152, CELIAC3, CTLA-4, GRD4}, POU2F3 (POU class 2 homeobox 3) [NCBI Gene 25833] {aka Epoc-1, OCT-11, OCT11, OTF-11, PLA-1, PLA1}, MTOR (mechanistic target of rapamycin kinase) [NCBI Gene 2475] {aka FRAP, FRAP1, FRAP2, RAFT1, RAPT1, SKS}, SP1 (Sp1 transcription factor) [NCBI Gene 6667], METTL16 (methyltransferase 16, RNA N6-adenosine) [NCBI Gene 79066] {aka METT10D}, HOXA9 (homeobox A9) [NCBI Gene 3205] {aka ABD-B, HOX1, HOX1.7, HOX1G}, ADGRG1 (adhesion G protein-coupled receptor G1) [NCBI Gene 9289] {aka BFPP, BPPR, CDCBM14B, CDCBM15A, GPR56, TM7LN4}, FERMT3 (FERM domain containing kindlin 3) [NCBI Gene 83706] {aka KIND3, MIG-2, MIG2B, UNC112C, URP2, URP2SF}, BCL2L1 (BCL2 like 1) [NCBI Gene 598] {aka BCL-XL/S, BCL2L, BCLX, Bcl-X, PPP1R52}, METTL14 (methyltransferase 14, N6-adenosine-methyltransferase non-catalytic subunit) [NCBI Gene 57721] {aka hMETTL14}, BCL2 (BCL2 apoptosis regulator) [NCBI Gene 596] {aka Bcl-2, PPP1R50}, ASXL1 (ASXL transcriptional regulator 1) [NCBI Gene 171023] {aka BOPS, MDS}, HDAC3 (histone deacetylase 3) [NCBI Gene 8841] {aka HD3, KDAC3, RPD3, RPD3-2}, SF3B1 (splicing factor 3b subunit 1) [NCBI Gene 23451] {aka Hsh155, MDS, PRP10, PRPF10, SAP155, SF3b155}, KMT2A (lysine methyltransferase 2A) [NCBI Gene 4297] {aka ALL-1, ALL1, CXXC7, GAS7, HRX, HTRX}, PTS (6-pyruvoyltetrahydropterin synthase) [NCBI Gene 5805] {aka PTPS}, PRC1 (protein regulator of cytokinesis 1) [NCBI Gene 9055] {aka ASE1, MAP65}, IL6 (interleukin 6) [NCBI Gene 3569] {aka BSF-2, BSF2, CDF, HGF, HSF, IFN-beta-2}, SPI1 (Spi-1 proto-oncogene) [NCBI Gene 6688] {aka AGM10, OF, PU.1, SFPI1, SPI-1, SPI-A}, SMC3 (structural maintenance of chromosomes 3) [NCBI Gene 9126] {aka BAM, BMH, CDLS3, CSPG6, HCAP, SMC3L1}, MYH11 (myosin heavy chain 11) [NCBI Gene 4629] {aka AAT4, FAA4, SMHC, SMMHC, SMMS-1, VSCM2}, KRAS (KRAS proto-oncogene, GTPase) [NCBI Gene 3845] {aka 'C-K-RAS, C-K-RAS, CFC2, K-RAS2A, K-RAS2B, K-RAS4A}, ZFP36L2 (ZFP36 like 2 zinc finger CCCH-type) [NCBI Gene 678] {aka BRF2, ERF-2, ERF2, OOMD13, OZEMA13, RNF162C}, RAD21 (RAD21 cohesin complex component) [NCBI Gene 5885] {aka CDLS4, HR21, HRAD21, MCD1, MGS, NXP1}, METTL3 (methyltransferase 3, N6-adenosine-methyltransferase complex catalytic subunit) [NCBI Gene 56339] {aka IME4, M6A, MT-A70, Spo8, hMETTL3}, CTNNB1 (catenin beta 1) [NCBI Gene 1499] {aka CTNNB, EVR7, MRD19, NEDSDV, armadillo}, CBL (Cbl proto-oncogene) [NCBI Gene 867] {aka C-CBL, CBL2, FRA11B, NSLL, RNF55}, GFI1 (growth factor independent 1 transcriptional repressor) [NCBI Gene 2672] {aka GFI-1, GFI1A, SCN2, ZNF163}, NUP98 (nucleoporin 98 and 96 precursor) [NCBI Gene 4928] {aka ADIR2, NUP196, NUP96, Nup98-96}, HRK (harakiri, BCL2 interacting protein) [NCBI Gene 8739] {aka DP5, HARAKIRI}, PML (PML nuclear body scaffold) [NCBI Gene 5371] {aka MYL, PP8675, RNF71, TRIM19}, RNF2 (ring finger protein 2) [NCBI Gene 6045] {aka BAP-1, BAP1, DING, HIPI3, LUSYAM, RING1B}, CSF1 (colony stimulating factor 1) [NCBI Gene 1435] {aka CSF-1, MCSF, PG-M-CSF}, VCAM1 (vascular cell adhesion molecule 1) [NCBI Gene 7412] {aka CD106, INCAM-100}, RARA (retinoic acid receptor alpha) [NCBI Gene 5914] {aka NR1B1, RAR, RARalpha}, FAS (Fas cell surface death receptor) [NCBI Gene 355] {aka ALPS1A, APO-1, APT1, CD95, FAS1, FASTM}, MEG3 (maternally expressed 3) [NCBI Gene 55384] {aka FP504, GTL2, LINC00023, Lnc-DLK1-35, NCRNA00023, PRO0518}, BCL2L10 (BCL2 like 10) [NCBI Gene 10017] {aka BCL-B, Boo, Diva, bcl2-L-10}, JAK1 (Janus kinase 1) [NCBI Gene 3716] {aka AIIDE, JAK1A, JAK1B, JTK3}, MRC1 (mannose receptor C-type 1) [NCBI Gene 4360] {aka CD206, CLEC13D, CLEC13DL, MMR, MRC1L1, bA541I19.1}, KIT (KIT proto-oncogene, receptor tyrosine kinase) [NCBI Gene 3815] {aka C-Kit, CD117, MASTC, PBT, SCFR}, BID (BH3 interacting domain death agonist) [NCBI Gene 637] {aka FP497}, SUZ12 (SUZ12 polycomb repressive complex 2 subunit) [NCBI Gene 23512] {aka CHET9, IMMAS, JJAZ1}, TGFB1 (transforming growth factor beta 1) [NCBI Gene 7040] {aka CAEND1, CED, DPD1, IBDIMDE, LAP, TGF-beta1}, ALKBH1 (alkB homolog 1, histone H2A dioxygenase) [NCBI Gene 8846] {aka ABH, ABH1, ALKBH, alkB, hABH}, CD47 (CD47 molecule) [NCBI Gene 961] {aka IAP, MER6, OA3}, MIR21 (microRNA 21) [NCBI Gene 406991] {aka MIRN21, hsa-mir-21, miR-21, miRNA21}, FTO (FTO alpha-ketoglutarate dependent dioxygenase) [NCBI Gene 79068] {aka ALKBH9, BMIQ14, GDFD, IFEX9}, JAK2 (Janus kinase 2) [NCBI Gene 3717] {aka JTK10}, UCA1 (urothelial cancer associated 1) [NCBI Gene 652995] {aka CUDR, LINC00178, NCRNA00178, UCAT1, onco-lncRNA-36}, MEIS1 (Meis homeobox 1) [NCBI Gene 4211], BBC3 (BCL2 binding component 3) [NCBI Gene 27113] {aka JFY-1, JFY1, PUMA}, HES1 (hes family bHLH transcription factor 1) [NCBI Gene 3280] {aka HES-1, HHL, HRY, bHLHb39}, LMO2 (LIM domain only 2) [NCBI Gene 4005] {aka LMO-2, RBTN2, RBTNL1, RHOM2, TTG2}, CXCR4 (C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4) [NCBI Gene 7852] {aka CD184, D2S201E, FB22, HM89, HSY3RR, LCR1}, MIRLET7B (microRNA let-7b) [NCBI Gene 406884] {aka LET7B, MIRNLET7B, hsa-let-7b, let-7b}, CD274 (CD274 molecule) [NCBI Gene 29126] {aka ADMIO5, B7-H, B7H1, PD-L1, PDCD1L1, PDCD1LG1}, CSF1R (colony stimulating factor 1 receptor) [NCBI Gene 1436] {aka BANDDOS, C-FMS, CD115, CSF-1R, CSFR, FIM2}, RELA (RELA proto-oncogene, NF-kB subunit) [NCBI Gene 5970] {aka AIF3BL3, CMCU, NFKB3, p65}, STAG2 (STAG2 cohesin complex component) [NCBI Gene 10735] {aka HPE13, MKMS, NEDXCF, SA-2, SA2, SCC3B}
- **Diseases:** cytopenia (MESH:D006402), Leukemia (MESH:D007938), inv(3) (MESH:C580205), cytotoxicity (MESH:D064420), t(3;3) AML (MESH:D054198), LSC (MESH:D015458), lymphomas (MESH:D008223), injury to (MESH:D014947), inflammatory (MESH:D007249), CH (MESH:C536227), chromosomal abnormalities (MESH:D002869), cancer (MESH:D009369), hemorrhagic (MESH:D006470), hypoxic (MESH:D002534), bone marrow (BM) failure (MESH:D000080983), AML (MESH:D015470), blood cancer (MESH:D019337)
- **Chemicals:** alpha-KG (MESH:D007656), BioRender (-), TCA (MESH:D014238), etoposide (MESH:D005047), fatty acid (MESH:D005227), lipid (MESH:D008055), m6A (MESH:C005955), GSH (MESH:D005978), cytarabine (MESH:D003561), glutamine (MESH:D005973), ROS (MESH:D017382), oxygen (MESH:D010100), 2-HG (MESH:C019417), N6-methyladenosine (MESH:C010223), BH3 (MESH:C006008), venetoclax (MESH:C579720), ADE (MESH:C060154), 5-methylcytosine (MESH:D044503), daunorubicin (MESH:D003630), BCAA (MESH:D000597), kynurenines (MESH:D007737)
- **Species:** Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Mus musculus (house mouse, species) [taxon 10090]
- **Mutations:** R882, R882H
- **Cell lines:** U937 — Homo sapiens (Human), Adult acute monocytic leukemia, Cancer cell line (CVCL_0007)

## Figures

4 figures with captions in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12939906/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12939906