The role of homeobox genes in normal hematopoiesis and hematological malignancies.

In the last decade it has become clear that homeobox containing genes (HOX genes) not only play a significant role in regulating body formation, but in addition, they are contributing to organization and regulation of hematopoiesis. Modern molecular technologies showed that deregulated expression or disruption of Hox genes can lead to altered characteristics of blood cells or disturbance of blood cell development. In this paper we review the role of HOX proteins in hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis and speculate about their possible target genes and involvement in lymphomagenesis.