PML-RARα can be cleaved by neutrophil elastase (NE) in several positions in cells in the promyelocytic stage, nuclear location signal (NLS)-negative PML and NLS-RARα may be the products of PML-RARα by NE.
Studies have reported that neutrophil elastase(NE) cleaved bcr-1-derived PML-RARα in early myeloid cells leading to the removal of nuclear localization signal (NLS) from PML.