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Huang W, Liu B, Eklund EA. Investigating the role of the innate immune response in relapse or blast crisis in chronic myeloid leukemia. Leukemia 2020; 34:2364-2374. [PMID: 32080344 PMCID: PMC7438233 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-020-0771-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2019] [Revised: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized by expression of the tyrosine kinase oncogene, Bcr–abl. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) induce prolonged remission in CML, and therapy discontinuation is an accepted approach to patients with reduction in Bcr–abl transcripts of four logs or greater. Half such individuals sustain a therapy free remission, but molecular mechanisms predicting relapse are undefined. We found relative calpain inhibition in CML cells with stabilization of calpain substrates, including βcatenin and Xiap1. Since the Survivin gene is activated by βcatenin, this identified two apoptosis-resistance mechanisms. We found that Survivin impaired apoptosis in leukemia stem cells (LSCs) and Xiap1 in CML granulocytes. Consistent with this, we determined treatment with an inhibitor of Survivin, but not Xiap1, prevented relapse during TKI treatment and after therapy discontinuation in a murine CML model. By transcriptome profiling, we identified activation of innate immune response pathways in murine CML bone marrow progenitors. This was increased by TKI treatment alone, but normalized with addition of a Survivin inhibitor. We found that activation of the innate immune response induced rapid blast crisis in untreated CML mice, and chronic phase relapse during a TKI discontinuation attempt. These results suggest that extrinsic stress exerts adverse effects on CML-LSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiqi Huang
- The Feinberg School, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA.,Jesse Brown Veterans Health Administration Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Bin Liu
- The Feinberg School, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Eklund
- The Feinberg School, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA. .,Jesse Brown Veterans Health Administration Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA.
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2
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Yu X, Zhang H, Yuan M, Zhang P, Wang Y, Zheng M, Lv Z, Odhiambo WO, Li C, Liu C, Ma Y, Ji Y. Identification and characterization of a murine model of BCR‑ABL1+ acute B‑lymphoblastic leukemia with central nervous system metastasis. Oncol Rep 2019; 42:521-532. [PMID: 31173268 PMCID: PMC6610040 DOI: 10.3892/or.2019.7184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 05/21/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Breakpoint cluster region (BCR)-Abelson murine leukemia (ABL)1+ acute B-lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is a disease associated with a dismal prognosis and a high incidence of central nervous system (CNS) metastasis. However, BCR-ABL1+ B-ALL with CNS infiltration has not been previously characterized, at least to the best of our knowledge. In the present study, a murine model of BCR-ABL1+ B-ALL with CNS metastasis was established using retroviral transduction. The vast majority of BCR-ABL1+ leukemic cells were found to be immature B cells with a variable proportion of pro-B and pre-B populations. The present results indicated that the BCR-ABL1+ B-leukemic cells expressed high levels integrin subunit alpha 6 (Itga6) and L-selectin adhesion molecules, and have an intrinsic ability to disseminate and accumulate in CNS tissues, predominantly in meninges. On the whole, these results provide an approach for addressing the mechanisms of BCR-ABL1+ B-ALL with CNS metastasis and may guide the development of novel therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaozhuo Yu
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Centre, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Hua Zhang
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Centre, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Meng Yuan
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Centre, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Ping Zhang
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Centre, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Yang Wang
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Centre, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Mingzhe Zheng
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Centre, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Zhuangwei Lv
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Centre, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Woodvine Otieno Odhiambo
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Centre, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Canyu Li
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Centre, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Chengcheng Liu
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Centre, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Yunfeng Ma
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Centre, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
| | - Yanhong Ji
- Department of Pathogenic Biology and Immunology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Xi'an Jiaotong University Health Science Centre, Xi'an, Shaanxi 710061, P.R. China
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3
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Tusa I, Cheloni G, Poteti M, Gozzini A, DeSouza NH, Shan Y, Deng X, Gray NS, Li S, Rovida E, Dello Sbarba P. Targeting the Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase 5 Pathway to Suppress Human Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells. Stem Cell Reports 2018; 11:929-943. [PMID: 30245209 PMCID: PMC6178886 DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2018.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2017] [Revised: 08/22/2018] [Accepted: 08/22/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKi) are effective against chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), but their inefficacy on leukemia stem cells (LSCs) may lead to relapse. To identify new druggable targets alternative to BCR/ABL, we investigated the role of the MEK5/ERK5 pathway in LSC maintenance in low oxygen, a feature of bone marrow stem cell niches. We found that MEK5/ERK5 pathway inhibition reduced the growth of CML patient-derived cells and cell lines in vitro and the number of leukemic cells in vivo. Treatment in vitro of primary CML cells with MEK5/ERK5 inhibitors, but not TKi, strikingly reduced culture repopulation ability (CRA), serial colony formation ability, long-term culture-initiating cells (LTC-ICs), and CD26-expressing cells. Importantly, MEK5/ERK5 inhibition was effective on CML cells regardless of the presence or absence of imatinib, and did not reduce CRA or LTC-ICs of normal CD34+ cells. Thus, targeting MEK/ERK5 may represent an innovative therapeutic approach to suppress CML progenitor/stem cells. ERK5 is constitutively active in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells ERK5 pathway inhibition reduces the growth of CML cells in vitro and in vivo ERK5 pathway inhibition strikingly reduces CML progenitor/stem cell maintenance The combination of ERK5i with imatinib reduces the expression of stem cell proteins
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Affiliation(s)
- Ignazia Tusa
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Università degli Studi di Firenze, viale G.B. Morgagni, 50, Firenze 50134, Italy; Istituto Toscano Tumori (ITT), Firenze 50134, Italy
| | - Giulia Cheloni
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Università degli Studi di Firenze, viale G.B. Morgagni, 50, Firenze 50134, Italy; Istituto Toscano Tumori (ITT), Firenze 50134, Italy
| | - Martina Poteti
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Università degli Studi di Firenze, viale G.B. Morgagni, 50, Firenze 50134, Italy
| | - Antonella Gozzini
- Hematology Unit, Careggi University Hospital (AOUC), Firenze 50134, Italy
| | - Ngoc Ho DeSouza
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Yi Shan
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Xianming Deng
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Nathanael S Gray
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Shaoguang Li
- Department of Medicine, University of Massachusetts, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Elisabetta Rovida
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Università degli Studi di Firenze, viale G.B. Morgagni, 50, Firenze 50134, Italy; Istituto Toscano Tumori (ITT), Firenze 50134, Italy.
| | - Persio Dello Sbarba
- Department of Experimental and Clinical Biomedical Sciences, Università degli Studi di Firenze, viale G.B. Morgagni, 50, Firenze 50134, Italy; Istituto Toscano Tumori (ITT), Firenze 50134, Italy.
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Targeting chronic myeloid leukemia stem cells with the hypoxia-inducible factor inhibitor acriflavine. Blood 2017; 130:655-665. [PMID: 28576876 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2016-10-745588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2016] [Accepted: 05/22/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a hematopoietic stem cell (HSC)-driven neoplasia characterized by expression of the constitutively active tyrosine kinase BCR/Abl. CML therapy based on tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) is highly effective in inducing remission but not in targeting leukemia stem cells (LSCs), which sustain minimal residual disease and are responsible for CML relapse following discontinuation of treatment. The identification of molecules capable of targeting LSCs appears therefore of primary importance to aim at CML eradication. LSCs home in bone marrow areas at low oxygen tension, where HSCs are physiologically hosted. This study addresses the effects of pharmacological inhibition of hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), a critical regulator of LSC survival, on the maintenance of CML stem cell potential. We found that the HIF-1 inhibitor acriflavine (ACF) decreased survival and growth of CML cells. These effects were paralleled by decreased expression of c-Myc and stemness-related genes. Using different in vitro stem cell assays, we showed that ACF, but not TKIs, targets the stem cell potential of CML cells, including primary cells explanted from 12 CML patients. Moreover, in a murine CML model, ACF decreased leukemia development and reduced LSC maintenance. Importantly, ACF exhibited significantly less-severe effects on non-CML hematopoietic cells in vitro and in vivo. Thus, we propose ACF, a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug for nononcological use in humans, as a novel therapeutic approach to prevent CML relapse and, in combination with TKIs, enhance induction of remission.
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Jin Y, Zhou J, Xu F, Jin B, Cui L, Wang Y, Du X, Li J, Li P, Ren R, Pan J. Targeting methyltransferase PRMT5 eliminates leukemia stem cells in chronic myelogenous leukemia. J Clin Invest 2016; 126:3961-3980. [PMID: 27643437 DOI: 10.1172/jci85239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2015] [Accepted: 08/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Imatinib-insensitive leukemia stem cells (LSCs) are believed to be responsible for resistance to BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors and relapse of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Identifying therapeutic targets to eradicate CML LSCs may be a strategy to cure CML. In the present study, we discovered a positive feedback loop between BCR-ABL and protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) in CML cells. Overexpression of PRMT5 was observed in human CML LSCs. Silencing PRMT5 with shRNA or blocking PRMT5 methyltransferase activity with the small-molecule inhibitor PJ-68 reduced survival, serial replating capacity, and long-term culture-initiating cells (LTC-ICs) in LSCs from CML patients. Further, PRMT5 knockdown or PJ-68 treatment dramatically prolonged survival in a murine model of retroviral BCR-ABL-driven CML and impaired the in vivo self-renewal capacity of transplanted CML LSCs. PJ-68 also inhibited long-term engraftment of human CML CD34+ cells in immunodeficient mice. Moreover, inhibition of PRMT5 abrogated the Wnt/β-catenin pathway in CML CD34+ cells by depleting dishevelled homolog 3 (DVL3). This study suggests that epigenetic methylation modification on histone protein arginine residues is a regulatory mechanism to control self-renewal of LSCs and indicates that PRMT5 may represent a potential therapeutic target against LSCs.
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MESH Headings
- 1-Naphthylamine/analogs & derivatives
- 1-Naphthylamine/pharmacology
- Aminoquinolines/pharmacology
- Animals
- Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology
- Carbazoles/pharmacology
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cell Proliferation
- Cell Survival
- Enzyme Induction
- Female
- Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl/metabolism
- Gene Expression
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
- Gene Knockdown Techniques
- HEK293 Cells
- Humans
- Imatinib Mesylate/pharmacology
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/drug therapy
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/enzymology
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/pathology
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Inbred NOD
- Mice, SCID
- Molecular Targeted Therapy
- Neoplastic Stem Cells/drug effects
- Neoplastic Stem Cells/enzymology
- Protein-Arginine N-Methyltransferases/antagonists & inhibitors
- Protein-Arginine N-Methyltransferases/genetics
- Protein-Arginine N-Methyltransferases/metabolism
- Pyrimidines/pharmacology
- RNA, Small Interfering/genetics
- STAT5 Transcription Factor/metabolism
- Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
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6
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Jin Y, Yao Y, Chen L, Zhu X, Jin B, Shen Y, Li J, Du X, Lu Y, Jiang S, Pan J. Depletion of γ-catenin by Histone Deacetylase Inhibition Confers Elimination of CML Stem Cells in Combination with Imatinib. Am J Cancer Res 2016; 6:1947-62. [PMID: 27570562 PMCID: PMC4997248 DOI: 10.7150/thno.16139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2016] [Accepted: 07/12/2016] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Quiescent leukemia stem cells (LSCs) that are insensitive to BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors confer resistance to imatinib in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Identifying proteins to regulate survival and stemness of LSCs is urgently needed. Although histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) can eliminate quiescent LSCs in CML, little is known about the underlying mechanism that HDACis kill LSCs. By fishing with a biotin-labeled probe, we identified that HDACi JSL-1 bound to the protein γ-catenin. γ-Catenin expression was higher in LSCs from CML patients than normal hematopoietic stem cells. Silencing γ-catenin in human CML CD34(+) bone-marrow (BM) cells sufficiently eliminated LSCs, which suggests that γ-catenin is required for survival of CML LSCs. Pharmacological inhibition of γ-catenin thwarted survival and self-renewal of human CML CD34(+) cells in vitro, and of murine LSCs in BCR-ABL-driven CML mice. γ-Catenin inhibition reduced long-term engraftment of human CML CD34(+) cells in NOD.Cg-Prkdc (scid) II2rg (tm1Sug)/JicCrl (NOG) mice. Silencing γ-catenin by shRNA in human primary CD34(+) cells did not alter β-catenin, implying a β-catenin-independent role of γ-catenin in survival and self-renewal of CML LSCs. Taken together, our findings validate that γ-catenin may be a novel therapeutic target of LSCs, and suppression of γ-catenin by HDACi may explain elimination of CML LSCs.
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7
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The role of Fas-associated phosphatase 1 in leukemia stem cell persistence during tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia. Leukemia 2016; 30:1502-9. [PMID: 26984787 DOI: 10.1038/leu.2016.66] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2015] [Revised: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 03/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized by expression of Bcr-abl, a tyrosine kinase oncogene. Clinical outcomes in CML were revolutionized by development of Bcr-abl-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), but CML is not cured by these agents. CML leukemia stem cells (LSCs) are relatively TKI insensitive and persist even in remission. LSC persistence results in relapse upon TKI discontinuation, or drug resistance or blast crisis (BC) during prolonged treatment. We hypothesize that increased expression of Fas-associated phosphatase 1 (Fap1) in CML contributes to LSC persistence and BC. As Fap1 substrates include Fas and glycogen synthase kinase-3β (Gsk3β), increased Fap1 activity in CML is anticipated to induce Fas resistance and stabilization of β-catenin protein. Resistance to Fas-induced apoptosis may contribute to CML LSC persistence, and β-catenin activity increases during BC. In the current study, we directly tested the role of Fap1 in CML LSC persistence using in an in vivo murine model. In TKI-treated mice, we found that inhibiting Fap1, using a tripeptide or small molecule, prevented TKI resistance, BC and relapse after TKI discontinuation; all events observed with TKI alone. In addition, Fap1 inhibition increased Fas sensitivity and decreased β-catenin activity in CD34(+) bone marrow cells from human subjects with CML. Therapeutic Fap1 inhibition may permit TKI discontinuation and delay in progression in CML.
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El Eit RM, Iskandarani AN, Saliba JL, Jabbour MN, Mahfouz RA, Bitar NMA, Ayoubi HRE, Zaatari GS, Mahon FX, De Thé HB, Bazarbachi AA, Nasr RR. Effective targeting of chronic myeloid leukemia initiating activity with the combination of arsenic trioxide and interferon alpha. Int J Cancer 2013; 134:988-96. [PMID: 23934954 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.28427] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2013] [Revised: 07/03/2013] [Accepted: 07/25/2013] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Imatinib is the standard of care in chronic meloid leukemia (CML) therapy. However, imatinib is not curative since most patients who discontinue therapy relapse indicating that leukemia initiating cells (LIC) are resistant. Interferon alpha (IFN) induces hematologic and cytogenetic remissions and interestingly, improved outcome was reported with the combination of interferon and imatinib. Arsenic trioxide was suggested to decrease CML LIC. We investigated the effects of arsenic and IFN on human CML cell lines or primary cells and the bone marrow retroviral transduction/transplantation murine CML model. In vitro, the combination of arsenic and IFN inhibited proliferation and activated apoptosis. Importantly, arsenic and IFN synergistically reduced the clonogenic activity of primary bone marrow cells derived from CML patients. Finally, in vivo, combined interferon and arsenic treatment, but not single agents, prolonged the survival of primary CML mice. Importantly, the combination severely impaired engraftment into untreated secondary recipients, with some recipients never developing the disease, demonstrating a dramatic decrease in CML LIC activity. Arsenic/IFN effect on CML LIC activity was significantly superior to that of imatinib. These results support further exploration of this combination, alone or with imatinib aiming at achieving CML eradication rather than long-term disease control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rabab M El Eit
- Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Physiology, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
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9
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Steinman RA, Yang Q, Gasparetto M, Robinson LJ, Liu X, Lenzner DE, Hou J, Smith C, Wang Q. Deletion of the RNA-editing enzyme ADAR1 causes regression of established chronic myelogenous leukemia in mice. Int J Cancer 2012; 132:1741-50. [PMID: 22987615 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.27851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2012] [Accepted: 08/24/2012] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) respond well to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) of the Bcr-Abl oncoprotein. However, intolerance and resistance to these agents remains a challenge, and TKIs are unable to eradicate rare leukemia-initiating cells. Leukemia treatment would benefit from a better understanding of molecular signals that are necessary for the survival of leukemia-initiating cells but dispensable for normal hematopoietic stem cells. Leukemia-initiating cells in CML can arise from myeloid progenitor cells, a population that we have reported in normal hematopoiesis to depend on the RNA-editing enzyme adenosine deaminase acting on RNA-1 (ADAR1). We now report that Bcr-Abl transformed leukemic cells were ADAR1-dependent in a conditional ADAR1 knockout mouse model. ADAR1 deletion reversed leukocytosis and splenomegaly, and preferentially depleted primitive Lin-Sca+Kit+ (LSK) leukemic cells but not LSK cells lacking the leukemic oncoprotein. ADAR1 deletion ultimately normalized the peripheral white blood count, eliminating leukemic cells as assessed by PCR. These results uncover a novel requirement for ADAR1 in myeloid leukemic cells and indicate that ADAR1 may comprise a new molecular target for CML-directed therapeutics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard A Steinman
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
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Sullivan C, Peng C, Chen Y, Li D, Li S. Targeted therapy of chronic myeloid leukemia. Biochem Pharmacol 2010; 80:584-91. [PMID: 20470758 DOI: 10.1016/j.bcp.2010.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2010] [Revised: 04/29/2010] [Accepted: 05/04/2010] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Inhibition of BCR-ABL with kinase inhibitors has become a well-accepted strategy for targeted therapy of Philadelphia-positive (Ph(+)) chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and has been shown to be highly effective in controlling the disease. However, BCR-ABL kinase inhibitors do not efficiently kill leukemic stem cells (LSCs), indicating that this therapeutic strategy does not lead to a cure of CML. Development of curative therapies of CML require the identification of genes/pathways that play critical roles in survival and self-renewal of LSCs. Targeting of these key BCR-ABL downstream genes provides an opportunity to eradicate LSCs, as shown in our work that identifies the Alox5 gene as a key regulator of the function of CML LSCs. Immediate clinical trials are necessary to test the effectiveness of targeting a key BCR-ABL downstream gene in eradicating LSCs in CML patients. In this review, we will discuss current targeted therapies of CML using BCR-ABL kinase inhibitors, with a focus on the importance of developing a targeted therapy of CML through identification of target genes in CML LSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Con Sullivan
- Maine Institute for Human Genetics and Health, 246 Sylvan Road, Bangor, ME 04401, USA
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