BCR-ABL1 fusion messenger RNA (BCR-ABL1 mRNA)

BCR-ABL1 fusion mRNA is the chimeric transcript resulting from the reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22, known as the Philadelphia chromosome (1.3.1, 1.3.5). This fusion event joins the Breakpoint Cluster Region (BCR) gene with the Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog 1 (ABL1) gene, creating a transcript that encodes a constitutively active tyrosine kinase (1.1.2, 1.3.3). This oncoprotein drives the pathogenesis of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) and a subset of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) by promoting uncontrolled cell proliferation and suppressing apoptosis (1.3.2, 1.3.4). In clinical practice, the mRNA transcript is the primary biomarker used for diagnosis and monitoring minimal residual disease (MRD) via quantitative real-time PCR (1.4.1, 1.4.3). While current standard-of-care therapies, such as Imatinib and other tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), target the resulting protein product, the mRNA itself is an emerging target for RNA-based therapeutics (1.2.1, 1.5.2). Experimental approaches using small interfering RNA (siRNA) and antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) aim to silence the gene at the transcript level to overcome TKI resistance (1.2.3, 1.2.4). Monitoring BCR-ABL1 mRNA levels is essential for assessing treatment efficacy and determining eligibility for treatment-free remission (1.4.2, 1.5.4).

Other names

Philadelphia chromosome transcriptBCR-ABL transcriptbcr-abl fusion transcriptBCR-ABL1 chimeric transcriptBCR-ABL1 fusion gene transcript

Translation into a constitutively active tyrosine kinase; targeted by RNA interference (experimental) or by inhibiting the resulting protein product.