Figure 4.

NOTCH1 transcriptional effects in CLL cells. NOTCH1 signaling is aberrantly activated in CLL cells, resulting in transcriptional regulation of several genes, in turn impacting different biological aspects of the neoplastic cells. Increased NOTCH1 activity contributes to leukemic cell growth, protection from apoptosis, metabolic switching toward a glycolytic metabolism, increased migration in response to specific chemokines and facilitates interactions with microenvironment. Moreover, it upregulates several genes encoding proteins insisting on the BCR signaling pathway, the driving force for CLL cells.