Role of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase (Alk) in Drosophila hematopoietic niche maintenance

Abstract

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (Alk)is a receptor tyrosine kinase protein with oncogenic potential. It is found in the activated form in different cancers, including blood cancers. However, this receptor's physiological role is not well elucidated in mammalian systems due to the lack of information regarding its ligand. Using the Drosophila blood system, we attempt to understand the blood specific role of this tyrosine receptor. The genetic study carried out employing both classical loss of function and RNAi mediated downregulation of the Alk function unravels its requirement in blood. The current study paves the way to initiate a more detailed molecular genetic analysis to unravel the blood specific function of Alk during development. This understanding, in turn, will provide deeper insights into the role of the receptor tyrosine kinase in oncogenesis