Role of casein kinase 1 in the amoeboid migration of B-cell leukemic and lymphoma cells: A quantitative live imaging in the confined environment

The migratory properties of leukemic cells are commonly associated with their pathological potential and can significantly affect the disease progression. While the research in immunopathology mostly employed powerful indirect methods such as flow cytometry, these cells were rarely observed directly using live imaging microscopy. This is especially true for the malignant cells of the B-cell lineage, such as those originating from chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). In this study, we employed open-source image analysis tools to automatically and quantitatively describe the amoeboid migration of four B-cell leukemic and lymphoma cell lines and primary CLL cells. To avoid the effect of the shear stress of the medium on these usually non-adherent cells, we have confined the cells using a modified under-agarose assay. Surprisingly, the behavior of tested cell lines differed substantially in terms of basal motility or response to chemokines and VCAM1 stimulation. Since casein kinase 1 (CK1) was reported as a regulator of B-cell migration and a promoter of CLL, we looked at the effects of CK1 inhibition in more detail. Migration analysis revealed that CK1 inhibition induced rapid negative effects on the migratory polarity of these cells, which was quantitatively and morphologically distinct from the effect of ROCK inhibition. We have set up an assay that visualizes endocytic vesicles in the uropod and facilitates morphological analysis. This assay hints that the effect of CK1 inhibition might be connected to defects in polarized intracellular transport. In summary, 1) we introduce and validate a pipeline for the imaging and quantitative assessment of the amoeboid migration of CLL/MCL cells, 2) we provide evidence that the assay is sensitive enough to mechanistically study migration defects identified by the transwell assay, and 3) we describe the polarity defects induced by inhibition or deletion of CK1ε.

Lyn Phosphorylates and Controls ROR1 Surface Dynamics During Chemotaxis of CLL Cells

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) are malignancies characterized by the dependence on B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling and by the high expression of ROR1, the cell surface receptor for Wnt-5a. Both, BCR and ROR1 are therapeutic targets in these diseases and the understanding of their mutual cross talk is thus of direct therapeutic relevance. In this study we analyzed the role of Lyn, a kinase from the Src family participating in BCR signaling, as a mediator of the BCR-ROR1 crosstalk. We confirm the functional interaction between Lyn and ROR1 and demonstrate that Lyn kinase efficiently phosphorylates ROR1 in its kinase domain and aids the recruitment of the E3 ligase c-CBL. We show that ROR1 surface dynamics in migrating primary CLL cells as well as chemotactic properties of CLL cells were inhibited by Lyn inhibitor dasatinib. Our data establish Lyn-mediated phosphorylation of ROR1 as a point of crosstalk between BCR and ROR1 signaling pathways.

Local Wnt signalling in the asymmetric migrating vertebrate cells

Wnt signalling is known to generate cellular asymmetry via Wnt/planar cell polarity pathway (Wnt/PCP). Wnt/PCP acts locally (i) to orient membrane polarity and asymmetric establishment of intercellular junctions via conserved set of PCP proteins most specifically represented by Vangl and Prickle, and (ii) to asymmetrically rearrange cytoskeletal structures via downstream effectors of Dishevelled (Dvl). This process is best described on stable phenotypes of epithelial cells. Here, however, we review the activity of Wnt signalling in migratory cells which experience the extensive rearrangements of cytoskeleton and consequently dynamic asymmetry, making the localised effects of Wnt signalling easier to distinguish. Firstly, we focused on migration of neuronal axons, which allows to study how the pre-existent cellular asymmetry can influence Wnt signalling outcome. Then, we reviewed the role of Wnt signalling in models of mesenchymal migration including neural crest, melanoma, and breast cancer cells. Last, we collected evidence for local Wnt signalling in amoeboid cells, especially lymphocytes. As the outcome of this review, we identify blank spots in our current understanding of this topic, propose models that synthesise the current observations and allow formulation of testable hypotheses for the future research.