Dynein, Axonemal, Light Chain 4 (DNAL4)

DNAL4 is a component of the dynein motor complex. The chimeric NUP98/HOXA9 transcript and protein, caused by a chromosomal rearrangement, is found in some human myeloid leukemias. To investigate the leukemogenic activity of NUP98/HOXA9 protein, Iwasaki et al. (2005) introduced NUP98/HOXA9 into the sensitive BXH2 mouse strain and found that NUP98/HOXA9 expression promoted the onset of retrovirus-induced myeloid leukemia. By examining common retrovirus integration sites, Iwasaki et al. (2005) found Dnalc4 was among a group of genes that appeared to cooperate with NUP98/HOXA4 in inducing myeloid leukemia. Using a transformation assay with mouse NIH3T3 cells, they confirmed that Dnalc4 cooperated with NUP98/HOXA9 in inducing the transformed phenotype, although alone it was not transforming.