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THE CASE A 40-and-2/7 week gestational age boy was born to a 30-year-old G4P0121 mother via vaginal delivery. The mother's past medical history is significant for preeclampsia, previous opiate and [...]

Many types of cancers are characterized by elevated glutamine consumption. Glutaminaseis a therapeutic target to arrest cancer cell development. Ikaros (IKZF1) is a DNA-binding, zinc finger protein that functions as a transcriptional regulator and a tumor suppressor in leukemia. Ikaros activity is essential for normal hematopoiesis and immune development and is expressed at high levels in most hematopoietic cells. Deletion of IKZF1 leads to the downregulation and upregulationof many important genes and is a predictor of poor outcomes in leukemia. We hypothesize that upregulation of glutaminase in cancer cells with IKZF1 deletion may be a mechanism whereby high-risk leukemias convey chemotherapy resistance. Conversely, Ikaros may help keep healthy hematopoietic cells in-check by preventingover-expression of glutaminase.