Proteomics approaches to elucidate oncogenic tyrosine kinase signaling in myeloid malignancies.

Myeloid malignancies frequently harbor specific mutations in protein tyrosine kinases leading to oncogenic cell signaling. The most extensively investigated example is chronic myeloid leukemia, where the pathogenic tyrosine kinase fusion protein Bcr-Abl is a successful target for disease control by the specific inhibitor imatinib mesylate. In acute myeloid leukemia the receptor tyrosine kinase Flt3 is frequently mutated and inhibitors to impair the oncogenic signaling are in development. In this review we exemplify oncogenic signaling and how signal pathways can be unraveled with help from proteomics-based technologies. The distinction between cell extract and single cell approaches aiming at rigorous standardization and reliable quantitative aspects for future proteomics-based diagnostics is discussed.