Project description:To investigate the mechanism of telomerase regulation in BCR-ABL positive cells due to its clinical value, we studied the catalytic component of telomerase, TERT. Our results suggest that BCR-ABL plays an important role in regulating hTERT in K562 (BCR-ABL positive human leukemia) cells. When Gleevec inhibited the tyrosine kinase activity of BCR-ABL, phosphorylation of hTERT was downregulated, therefore suggesting a positive correlation between BCR-ABL and hTERT. Gleevec treatment inhibited hTERT at the mRNA level and significantly reduced telomerase activity (TA) in K562 cells, but not in HL60 or Jurkat cells. TRAP assay also revealed that Gleevec treatment significantly reduced TA specifically in K562 cells. Furthermore, translocation of hTERT from nucleoli to nucleoplasm was observed in K562 cells induced by Gleevec. Although Gleevec down-regulated hTERT mRNA level, the protein level of hTERT remained unchanged. Therefore, Gleevec-induced-TA decrease is not due to the alteration in telomerase subunits expression. It could be presumably due to posttranslational modification of hTERT, possibly through multiple signaling pathways. We have found that Gleevec reduced the tyrosine phosphorylation of hTERT by BCR-ABL, which is associated with the nucleoplasm localization of hTERT from nucleoli sequesters. These findings reveal unknown functions and regulations of telomerase by BCR-ABL. Using cRNA microarray, gene expression of Gleevec-treated and non-treated K562 (BCR-ABL positive) cells were compared against Gleevec-treated and non-treated HL60 (BCR-ABL deficient) cells.
Project description:Precursor B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (pre-B ALL) can be subdivided into different categories based on genetic abnormalities. One type of pre-B ALL is characterized by the presence of the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome, the derivative chromosome 22 that is one product of a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 22 and 9. The 22/9 translocation fuses the 5’ part of the BCR gene to the 3’ end of the c-ABL gene. The resulting BCR/ABL fusion encodes a Bcr/Abl protein with deregulated Abl kinase activity. Two major fusion proteins are found in Ph-positive leukemias which differ in molecular weight and the size of the Bcr moiety. The P190 Bcr/Abl protein is common in Ph-positive ALL. Targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as nilotinib are used therapeutically to treat this type of leukemia. The 22/9 translocation fuses the 5’ part of the BCR gene to the 3’ end of the c-ABL gene. The resulting BCR/ABL fusion encodes a Bcr/Abl protein with deregulated Abl kinase activity. Two major fusion proteins are found in Ph-positive leukemias which differ in molecular weight and the size of the Bcr moiety. The P190 Bcr/Abl protein is common in Ph-positive ALL. Targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as nilotinib are used therapeutically to treat this type of leukemia.
Project description:To investigate the mechanism of telomerase regulation in BCR-ABL positive cells due to its clinical value, we studied the catalytic component of telomerase, TERT. Our results suggest that BCR-ABL plays an important role in regulating hTERT in K562 (BCR-ABL positive human leukemia) cells. When Gleevec inhibited the tyrosine kinase activity of BCR-ABL, phosphorylation of hTERT was downregulated, therefore suggesting a positive correlation between BCR-ABL and hTERT. Gleevec treatment inhibited hTERT at the mRNA level and significantly reduced telomerase activity (TA) in K562 cells, but not in HL60 or Jurkat cells. TRAP assay also revealed that Gleevec treatment significantly reduced TA specifically in K562 cells. Furthermore, translocation of hTERT from nucleoli to nucleoplasm was observed in K562 cells induced by Gleevec. Although Gleevec down-regulated hTERT mRNA level, the protein level of hTERT remained unchanged. Therefore, Gleevec-induced-TA decrease is not due to the alteration in telomerase subunits expression. It could be presumably due to posttranslational modification of hTERT, possibly through multiple signaling pathways. We have found that Gleevec reduced the tyrosine phosphorylation of hTERT by BCR-ABL, which is associated with the nucleoplasm localization of hTERT from nucleoli sequesters. These findings reveal unknown functions and regulations of telomerase by BCR-ABL.
Project description:K562 cells were treated with the BCR-ABL kinase inhibitor dasatinib over an extended period of time to determine how BCR-ABL inhibition affects BCR-ABL-dependent negative feedback and erythropoietin receptor (EPO-R) signaling. Specifically, what types of changes (upregulation versus downregulation) occur in both the negative and positive regulators of growth-factor receptor signaling. Total RNA was extracted from K562 cells treated with 0.2% DMSO for 24hrs or 100nM dasatinib for 4hrs, 8hrs, and 24hrs.
Project description:Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a malignant stem cell disease characterized by a reciprocal translocation between chromosome 9 and 22. The selective bcr-abl tyrosine-kinase inhibitor Imatinib has become the therapy of choice for patients with newly diagnosed CML including those previously considered candidates for allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The tyrosine-kinase inhibitor Nilotinib is a derivate of Imatinib with higher potency. To examine the molecular and functional effects of Nilotinib and Imatinib in chronic myelogenous leukemia, we performed gene expression and functional analyses in K562 cells following treatment with the two tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Experiment Overall Design: Affymetrix U133A 2.0 microarrays were used to examine the gene expression profile of K562 cells after in vitro treatment with Imatinib (0.5 µM) or Nilotinib (0.05 µM) for 24 hours. Gene expression data of the treated cells were compared with data of untreated cells.
Project description:Tyrosine kinase activity is the crucial enzymatic activity driving all known functions of the BCR-ABL protein and is required for protection from apoptosis by BCR-ABL, therefore, targeting this enzyme is an effective approach for therapeutic strategies. Recently, a novel structural entity, imatinib (STI571; Novartis, Basel, Switzerland), a potent and selective inhibitor of the tyrosine kinase activity of BCR-ABL, has shown promise against Ph-positive leukemia in human clinical trials. However, the emergence of imatinib resistance in patients with acute forms of Ph-positive leukemia has highlighted the need for overriding chemotherapy to eradicate this disease. AMN107 and BMS-354825 are clinically active “next-generation” BCR-ABL inhibitors. One potentially powerful approach is to use these compounds in combination with imatinib. The rationale for such approaches is that an inhibitor cocktail may target the widest range of resistant clones and thereby delay the onset of acquired drug resistance. More potent BCR-ABL inhibitors would be to target residual leukemia that persists in patients in whom imatinib induces durable remission but failed to eradicate the disease. From these points, our studies are performed to determine (1) the differences of molecular signaling pathways between BMS-354825 and imatinib (2) the mechanisms by which drug resistance of BMS-354825 and imatinib occur except for point mutation of BCR-ABL kinase domain. Keywords: drug sensitivity
Project description:Aberrantly expressed long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been described in diverse human diseases and cancer development. Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a hematological malignancy induced by Bcr-Abl hybrid gene. Owing to the development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), especially the first-generation Imatinib, over 90% of CML patients can be cured in recent years. Here we attempt to identify Imatinib-inducible lncRNAs associated with CML by analyzing lncRNA expression profiles in K562 cells after Imatinib or control treatment. LncRNA microarray analysis revealed that numerous lncRNAs were differentially expressed in K562 cells after Imatinib treatment. In this study, we focus on a conserved, Imatinib-inducible lncRNA (IIR) family, named lncRNA-IIRX. Upregulation of lncRNA-IIRX has been detected in both human and mouse Abl-transformed cell lines after Imatinib treatment. Interestingly, lncRNA-IIRX levels were significantly lower in leukemic cells derived from Bcr-Abl-positive ALL patients than those in normal control group. Furthermore, altering lncRNA-IIRX expression remarkably affected survival of Abl-transformed leukemic cells, and tumorigensis induced by these leukemic cells in xenograft mouse model. Knockdown of lncRNA-IIRX in transgenic mice significantly promoted Bcr-Abl-mediated primary bone marrow transformation, and leukemia development in leukemia mouse model. These results indicate that lncRNA-IIRX functions as a suppressor gene in Bcr-Abl-induced tumorigenesis, and may provide novel insights into complicated mechanisms underlying cellular transformation by Bcr-Abl oncogene. This microarray was performed to identify Imatinib-inducible lncRNAs associated with CML.
Project description:Protein tyrosine phosphorylation (pY) is central to many cellular signaling pathways. Deregulation of pY can lead to malignancies such as leukemia. Thus, assigning kinase-substrate relations is imperative to understand disease alterations. However, such efforts are complicated by kinase redundancy, overlapping specificity and magnitude differences in enzymatic activity. BCR/ABL, the predominant oncogene in leukemia, drives malignant transformation by deregulated tyrosine kinase activity. In this study, phosphorylation activity and specificity of human ABL1 and BCR/ABL have been examined in yeast by state-of-the-art phosphoproteomics. Linear sequence motif scores were generated and used for cross-kingdom (fungi to metazoa) phosphorylation analysis. Phosphoproteomic analysis of ABL1 and BCR/ABL yielded a high-confidence pY-dataset of 1186 peptides covering 1127 sites on 821 proteins. Motif scores generated from this dataset allow for examination of ABL1 and BCR/ABL kinase activity in human cell lines, and clearly identified BCR/ABL p210 in the chronic myeloid leukemia cell line K562. This cross-kingdom approach offers valuable insights into the human phosphoproteome.
Project description:K562 cells were treated with the BCR-ABL kinase inhibitor dasatinib over an extended period of time to determine how BCR-ABL inhibition affects BCR-ABL-dependent negative feedback and erythropoietin receptor (EPO-R) signaling. Specifically, what types of changes (upregulation versus downregulation) occur in both the negative and positive regulators of growth-factor receptor signaling.
Project description:Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a malignant stem cell disease characterized by a reciprocal translocation between chromosome 9 and 22. The selective bcr-abl tyrosine-kinase inhibitor Imatinib has become the therapy of choice for patients with newly diagnosed CML including those previously considered candidates for allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The tyrosine-kinase inhibitor Nilotinib is a derivate of Imatinib with higher potency. To examine the molecular and functional effects of Nilotinib and Imatinib in chronic myelogenous leukemia, we performed gene expression and functional analyses in K562 cells following treatment with the two tyrosine kinase inhibitors.