Calreticulin mutated hematopoietic cells are vulnerable to ATR-CHK1 pathway inhibition

ABSTRACT: Disease frameshift mutations of calreticulin (CALR) are the second most prevalent driver mutations in essential thrombocythemia (ET) and primary myelofibrosis (PMF). To identify potential targeted therapies for CALR mutated myeloproliferative neoplasms, we aimed to search for small molecule drugs that selectively inhibit the growth of CALR mutated cells using high-throughput drug screening. We investigated 89,172 compounds using isogenic cell lines and identified several hits targeting the ATR-CHK1 pathway. The selective inhibitory effect of these candidate compounds was validated in a co-culture assay of CALR mutated and wild type cells. Of the tested hit compounds, CHK1 inhibitors potently depleted CALR mutated cells, allowing CALR wild type cell dominance in the co-culture over time. Neither CALR deficient cells nor JAK2V617F mutated cells showed hypersensitivity to the drug treatment, suggesting that the vulnerability to ATR-CHK1 inhibition is specifically caused by the oncogenic activation by the mutant CALR. CHK1 inhibitors induced replication stress in CALR mutated cells revealed by elevated pan-nuclear staining for γH2AX and hyperphosphorylation of RPA2. They also promoted S-phase cell cycle arrest and blocked the completion of DNA replication in CALR mutated cells. Transcriptomic and phosphoproteomic analyses revealed a replication stress signature caused by the oncogenic CALR mutation, suggesting an intrinsic vulnerability of these cells to CHK1 perturbation. This study indicates that ATR-CHK1 pathway is a potential therapeutic target in CALR mutated hematopoietic cells.

INSTRUMENT(S): Orbitrap Fusion Lumos

ORGANISM(S): Mus Musculus (mouse)

TISSUE(S): Blood Cell, Blood

DISEASE(S): Myeloproliferative Neoplasm

SUBMITTER: Andre Mueller  

LAB HEAD: Robert Kralovics

PROVIDER: PXD026803 | Pride | 2021-09-07

REPOSITORIES: pride