Poster #059, University of California, San Diego
APOBEC3C Overexpression and Antibody Validation in Leukemia
Mentors: Jessica Pham B.S; Catriona Jamieson MD, PhD
Leukemia is a type of cancer caused by genetic mutation that causes abnormal cell growth. APOBEC3C is a cytidine deaminase that helps regulate genomic integrity through DNA editing, but dysregulation of APOBEC3C can cause clonal expansion and mutations. Defective APOBEC3C can cause DNA mutations that can contribute to cancer evolution. Recent evidence suggests that APOBEC3C may play a role in promoting leukemia stem cell growth. In this study we are looking at the influence APOBEC3C has on disease progression in blood cancers, specifically on leukemia stem cells. To study this we induced APOBEC3C in TF1a, a leukemia cell line. We then extract RNA and run a RT-qPCR to confirm the induction by comparing it to the control cells (PBS-treated). After confirming the induction by RT-qPCR, we use the cells to test an APOBEC3C antibody by flow cytometry to confirm protein expression and antibody specificity. Validating this antibody can be useful for checking protein levels of APOBEC3C in leukemia cells, helping to prove its role as a driver of leukemia stem cell growth.