The Role of IL-34 in Leukemia

The mechanisms that facilitate cross talk between the bone marrow niche and leukemic cells remain largely unexplored. Using mRNA profiling to find clues, they discovered that these osteoclasts released high levels of IL-34 - a cytokine known to bind to the same receptor as CSF1. The authors next used a combination of approaches to identify the receptor involved in IL-34 mediated suppression of leukemia. They identified TREM2, or triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells too, as a target with a high score.