Stromal cell derived factor-1 (CXCL12) chemokine gene variant in myeloid leukemias.

Background: Acute and chronic myeloid leukemia are initiated and sustained by a small, self-renewing population of leukemic stem cells, which produce progeny of a heterogeneous population of progenitor cells. CXCL12, a chemokine abundantly produced by the bone marrow microenvironment, and its receptor CXCR4 have crucial roles in malignant cell trafficking. We set out to determine the CXCL12 gene polymorphism at codon G801A and evaluate its influence on malignant cell dissemination and tissue infiltration in myeloid leukemias.