Imatinib-sensitive K562 Research Articles

Bioinformatic analysis of the expression profile and identification of RhoGDI2 as a biomarker in imatinib-resistant K562 cells

ABSTRACTObjectivesChronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is an aggressive malignancy originating from hematopoietic stem cells. Imatinib (IM), the first-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor, has greatly improved theliving quality of CML patients. However, owing to the recurrence and treatment failure coming from tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKIs) resistance, some CML patients still bear poor prognosis. Therefore, we aimed to seek potential signaling pathways and specific biomarkers for imatinib resistance.MethodsWe performed mRNA and miRNA expression profiling in imatinib-sensitive K562 cells (IS-K562) and imatinib-resistant K562 cells (IR-K562). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified and pathway enrichment analyses were performed to explore the potential mechanism. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) network and miRNA-mRNA regulatory network were constructed to explore potential relationships among these genes. RT-qPCR, western blot and CCK8 were used for further experiments.ResultsA total of 623 DEGs and 61 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified. GO revealed that DEGs were mainly involved in cell adhesion, cell migration, differentiation, and inflammatory response. KEGG revealed that DEGs were typically enriched in the Rap1 signaling pathway, focal adhesion, proteoglycans and transcriptional misregulation in cancer, signaling pathways regulating pluripotency of stem cells and some immune-related pathways. The protein–protein interaction (PPI) network and miRNA-mRNA regulatory network revealed a web of diverse connections among genes. Finally, we proved that RHoGDI2 played a critical role in imatinib resistance.ConclusionThe dynamic interplay between genes and signaling pathways is associated with TKIs resistance and RHoGDI2 is identified as a biomarker in IR-K562.

MiR-145-5p and miR-203a-5p overcome imatinib resistance in myelogenous leukemic cells through metabolic reprogramming

Imatinib is the most effective therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), but many patients eventually develop resistance to it after an initial satisfactory response. This study investigated the potential of three miRNAs (miR-106b-5p, miR-145-5p, miR-203a-5p) in overcoming imatinib resistance in leukemic cells. The imatinib-resistant K562 (IR-K562) cells were developed and transfected with one of the three miRNAs to evaluate their potency in overcoming imatinib resistance. The changes in the metabolic profile were studied using flux balance analysis (FBA) and the data was validated using qRT-PCR.Among the three miRNAs, the ectopic expression of either miR-145-5p or miR-203a-5p was able to sensitize the IR-K562 cells to imatinib. The concentration of key oncometabolites; glucose, lactate, and glutamine, in the culture media of the miR-transfected IR-K562 cells, reverted to the same levels as seen in imatinib-sensitive K562 cells. In addition, the FBA analysis revealed that the metabolism of lipid, fatty acids, and electron transport chain were significantly altered in resistant cells. The FBA data was also validated at the molecular level. Interestingly, the imatinib treatment coupled with the transfection of miR-145-5p or miR-203a-5p cells could reverse the metabolic flux of IR-K562 to the levels seen in imatinib-sensitive K562 cells. This study highlights the key metabolic changes that occur during development of imatinib resistance. It also identifies the specific miRNAs which can be targeted to overcome imatinib resistance in CML.

Curcumin Decreases Viability and Inhibits Proliferation of Imatinib-Sensitive and Imatinib-Resistant Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cell Lines.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative haematological malignancy characterized by constitutive activation of BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase in the majority of patients. BCR-ABL1 expression activates signaling pathways involved in cell proliferation and survival. Current treatment options for CML include tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) with resistance as a major issue. Various treatment options for overcoming resistance are being investigated. Among them, phytochemical curcumin could play an important role. Curcumin has been found to exhibit anti-cancerous effects in various models, including CML, through regulation of multiple molecular signaling pathways contributing to tumorigenesis. We have evaluated curcumin's effects on imatinib-sensitive LAMA84S and K562, as well as imatinib-resistant LAMA84R cell lines. Our results indicate a significant dose-dependent decrease in cell viability and proliferation of imatinib-sensitive and imatinib-resistant cell lines after curcumin treatment. Suppression of key signaling molecules regulating metabolic and proliferative events, such as Akt, P70S6K and NF-kB, was observed. Increased expression of caspase-3 suggests the potential pro-apoptotic effect of curcumin in the imatinib-resistant CML model. Additional in silico molecular docking studies revealed binding modes and affinities of curcumin with different targets and the results are in accordance with in vitro findings. Altogether, these results indicate the potential role of curcumin in the treatment of CML.

Antileukemic Activity of hsa-miR-203a-5p by Limiting Glutathione Metabolism in Imatinib-Resistant K562 Cells.

Imatinib has been the first and most successful tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), but many patients develop resistance to it after a satisfactory response. Glutathione (GSH) metabolism is thought to be one of the factors causing the emergence of imatinib resistance. Since hsa-miR-203a-5p was found to downregulate Bcr-Abl1 oncogene and also a link between this oncogene and GSH metabolism is reported, the present study aimed to investigate whether hsa-miR-203a-5p could overcome imatinib resistance by targeting GSH metabolism in imatinib-resistant CML cells. After the development of imatinib-resistant K562 (IR-K562) cells by gradually exposing K562 (C) cells to increasing doses of imatinib, resistant cells were transfected with hsa-miR-203a-5p (R+203). Thereafter, cell lysates from various K562 cell sets (imatinib-sensitive, imatinib-resistant, and miR-transfected imatinib-resistant K562 cells) were used for GC-MS-based metabolic profiling. L-alanine, 5-oxoproline (also known as pyroglutamic acid), L-glutamic acid, glycine, and phosphoric acid (Pi)-five metabolites from our data, matched with the enumerated 28 metabolites of the MetaboAnalyst 5.0 for the GSH metabolism. All of these metabolites were present in higher concentrations in IR-K562 cells, but intriguingly, they were all reduced in R+203 and equated to imatinib-sensitive K562 cells (C). Concludingly, the identified metabolites associated with GSH metabolism could be used as diagnostic markers.

Restoration of miR-23a expression by chidamide sensitizes CML cells to imatinib treatment with concomitant downregulation of CRYAB

ABSTRACT MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in various processes from the initiation and development of cancers, including chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). In this report, we aimed to investigate the roles of miR-23a in the regulation of imatinib mesylate (IM) sensitivity in CML cells and the possible mechanisms involved in this process. We demonstrated that the expression of miR-23a was markedly low in bone marrow mononuclear cells from patients in whom IM treatment had failed and imatinib-resistant K562/G01 cells when compared to patients with optimal responses and imatinib-sensitive K562 cells, respectively. Overexpression of miR-23a was shown to induce apoptosis of K562/G01 cells and sensitize these cells to imatinib treatment. With the aid of bioinformatics analysis, we revealed that CRYAB could be a potential downstream effector of miR-23a, contributing to miR-23a-mediated IM resistance. We also observed that the expression of CRYAB was inversely correlated with miR-23a expression in CML cell lines and patient samples. Importantly, chidamide upregulated miR-23a expression and reversed the IM resistance of CML cells. Together, these findings strongly suggest that miR-23a acts as a tumor suppressor by downregulating CRYAB expression. Restoration of miR-23a by chidamide may therefore have a therapeutic effect in controlling the sensitivity of CML cells to imatinib.

RanBP3 Regulates Proliferation, Apoptosis and Chemosensitivity of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells via Mediating SMAD2/3 and ERK1/2 Nuclear Transport.

Abnormal subcellular localization of proteins is an important cause of tumorigenesis and drug resistance. Chromosome region maintenance 1 (CRM1), the nuclear export regulator of most proteins, has been confirmed to be over-expressed in various malignancies and is regarded as an efficient target. But the potential role of the CRM1 cofactor RanBP3 (Ran Binding Protein 3) is left unrevealed in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Here, we first detected the level of RanBP3 in CML and found an elevated RanBP3 expression in CML compared with control. Then we used shRNA lentivirus to down-regulated RanBP3 in imatinib sensitive K562 cells and resistant K562/G01 cells and found RanBP3 silencing inhibited cell proliferation by up-regulating p21, induced caspase3-related cell apoptosis, and enhanced the drug sensitivity of IM in vitro. Notably, we observed that RanBP3 silencing restored imatinib sensitivity of K562 cells in NOD/SCID mice. Mechanistically, the nuclear aggregation of SMAD2/3 revealed that tumor suppressor axis (TGF-β)-SMAD2/3-p21 was the anti-proliferation program related to RanBP3 knockdown, and the decrease of cytoplasmic ERK1/2 caused by RanBP3 interference leaded to the down-regulation of anti-apoptosis protein p(Ser112)-BAD, which was the mechanism of increased cell apoptosis and enhanced chemosensitivity to imatinib in CML. In summary, this study revealed the expression and potential role of RanBP3 in CML, suggesting that targeting RanBP3 alone or combined with TKIs could improve the clinical response of CML.

Anti-Leukemic Properties of Aplysinopsin Derivative EE-84 Alone and Combined to BH3 Mimetic A-1210477.

Aplysinopsins are a class of marine indole alkaloids that exhibit a wide range of biological activities. Although both the indole and N-benzyl moieties of aplysinopsins are known to possess antiproliferative activity against cancer cells, their mechanism of action remains unclear. Through in vitro and in vivo proliferation and viability screening of newly synthesized aplysinopsin analogs on myelogenous leukemia cell lines and zebrafish toxicity tests, as well as analysis of differential toxicity in noncancerous RPMI 1788 cells and PBMCs, we identified EE-84 as a promising novel drug candidate against chronic myeloid leukemia. This indole derivative demonstrated drug-likeness in agreement with Lipinski’s rule of five. Furthermore, EE-84 induced a senescent-like phenotype in K562 cells in line with its cytostatic effect. EE-84-treated K562 cells underwent morphological changes in line with mitochondrial dysfunction concomitant with autophagy and ER stress induction. Finally, we demonstrated the synergistic cytotoxic effect of EE-84 with a BH3 mimetic, the Mcl-1 inhibitor A-1210477, against imatinib-sensitive and resistant K562 cells, highlighting the inhibition of antiapoptotic Bcl-2 proteins as a promising novel senolytic approach against chronic myeloid leukemia.

Cytotoxic effect of 6-Shogaol in Imatinib sensitive and resistant K562 cells.

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is a clonal hematopoietic malignancy characterized by the formation of BCR-ABL fusion protein. Imatinib (IMA) is a BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), which exhibited a high rate of response for newly diagnosed CML patients. Emergence of IMA resistance considered as a major challenge in CML therapy. Recent studies reported the anti-cancer effect of natural extracts such as 6-Shogaol (6-SG) which is extracted from ginger and the mechanisms involved in targeting of cancer cells. In the present study, we aimed to explore the potential anticancer effect of 6-SG on K562S (Imatinib sensitive) and K562R (Imatinib resistant) cells. K562S and K562R cells were incubated with increasing concentrations of 6-SG (5μM- 50μM) to determine its cytotoxic and apoptotic effects. Cell viability and apoptosis were investigated with spectrophotometric MTT assay and flow cytometric Annexin V staining, respectively. The mRNA expression levels of apoptotic related genes (BAX and BCL-2) and drug transporter (MDR-1 and MRP-1) genes were evaluated with qRT-PCR. According to our results, 6-SG treatment inhibited cell viability, induced apoptosis in both K562S and K562R cells. Based on our RT-PCR results, 6-SG enhanced pro-apoptotic BAX gene and decreased anti-apoptotic BCL-2 gene expression levels significantly in both treated K562S and K562R cells. Furthermore, 6-SG increased MDR-1 mRNA expression level in K562S and K562R cells in comparison with their control counterparts. Whereas, 6-SG decrease MRP-1 mRNA expression level in K562S cells significantly. It is the first study that reveals the apoptotic effect of 6-SG in CML cell line and IMA resistance. Therefore, 6-SG treatment can be suggested as a promising strategy for CML therapy.

Aurora Kinase a/MDM2-Mediated SETD2 Loss of Function in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients in Blast Crisis Can be Therapeutically Targeted Inducing Apoptotic Cell Death in a Caspase-Dependent Way

Aurora Kinase a/MDM2-Mediated SETD2 Loss of Function in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients in Blast Crisis Can be Therapeutically Targeted Inducing Apoptotic Cell Death in a Caspase-Dependent Way

C1206, a novel curcumin derivative, potently inhibits Hsp90 and human chronic myeloid leukemia cells in vitro.

4-(4-Pyridinyl methylene) curcumin (C1206) is a new derivative of curcumin that is more active than curcumin in inhibition of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) and antitumor action. In this study we investigated the relationship between C1206-induced inhibition of Hsp90 and its anti-leukemic effects. The fluorescence quenching experiments showed that C1206 seemed to bind the middle dimerization domain of Hsp90. The interaction between C1206 and Hsp90 was driven mainly by electrostatic interaction. In in vitro enzyme activity assay, C1206 dose-dependently inhibited Hsp90 ATPase activity with an IC50 value of 4.17 μmol/L. In both imatinib-sensitive K562 chronic myeloid leukemia cells and imatinib-resistant K562/G01 chronic myeloid leukemia cells, C1206 (0.4-3.2 μmol/L) dose-dependently caused the degradation of Hsp90 client proteins and downstream proteins (AKT, MEK, ERK, C-RAF, P-AKT, P-MEK and P-ERK). Furthermore, C1206 (0.4-3.2 μmol/L) dose-dependently induced apoptosis of K562 and K562/G01 cells through triggering mitochondrial pathway. Consistent with this result, C1206 inhibited the proliferation of K562 and K562/G01 cells with IC50 values of 1.10 and 0.60 μmol/L, respectively. These results suggest that C1206 is a novel Hsp90 inhibitor and a promising therapeutic agent for chronic myeloid leukemia.

EPS8 regulates proliferation, apoptosis and chemosensitivity in BCR-ABL positive cells via the BCR-ABL/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway.

Although the introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors greatly improved the survival of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), drug resistance remains a problem. Thus, mechanism-based novel therapeutic targets warrant exploration. Recently, epidermal growth factor receptor kinase substrate 8 (EPS8), which has been identified as an oncogene and plays an important role in a broad spectrum of solid tumours, was reported to be related to poor prognosis or chemoresistance in acute leukemia patients. However, its role in CML remains unclear. In the present study, using q-RT-PCR, we demonstrated that CML patients expressed a higher level of EPS8 mRNA in bone marrow mononuclear cells than healthy controls. Then, to determine the effect of EPS8 on the biological functions of CML cells, EPS8 expression was knocked down in the human CML cell line K562. Reduced proliferation, increased apoptosis, impaired adhesion and migration were observed in K562 cells after EPS8 silencing. Notably, attenuation of EPS8 increased chemosensitivity both in imatinib-sensitive K562 cells and in the imatinib-resistant murine BCR-ABL+ 32D-p210BCR/ABL-T315I cells. Mechanistically, knockdown of EPS8 downregulated p-BCR/ABL and its downstream AKT/mTOR signalling pathway. Finally, knockdown of EPS8 attenuated K562 cell proliferation in BALB/c nude mice. These data indicated that EPS8 regulated the proliferation, apoptosis and chemosensitivity in BCR-ABL positive cells via the BCR-ABL/PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway. Targeting EPS8 alone or combined with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor may be a promising alternative therapeutic strategy.

Persistent STAT5-mediated ROS production and involvement of aberrant p53 apoptotic signaling in the resistance of chronic myeloid leukemia to imatinib.

The persistent activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription5 (STAT5) may principally be attributed to breakpoint cluster region (BCR)-Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog1 (ABL1), and have multi-faceted effects in the development of chronic myeloid leukemia(CML). The p53 protein network regulates important mechanisms in DNA damage repair, cell cycle regulation/checkpoints, and cell senescence and apoptosis, as demonstrated by its ability to positively regulate the expression of various pro-apoptotic genes, including B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and Bcl-2-associated Xprotein(Bax). In the present study, it was observed that the mRNA levels of STAT5A and STAT5B were upregulated in patients with imatinib-resistant CML and in the imatinib-resistant K562/G CML cell line. In addition, increased expression of STAT5 was observed in the BCR-ABL1 mutation group, compared with that in the non-BCR-ABL1 mutation group, regardless of patient imatinib resistance state. Elevated levels of reactive oxygen species(ROS) and DNA double-strand breaks were identified in K562/G cells using flow cytometric and phosphorylated H2AX(γ-H2AX) foci immunofluorescence assays, respectively, compared with the imatinib-sensitive K562 cells. The levels of intracellular ROS and γ-H2AX were decreased by the ROS scavenger (N-acetylcysteine), and ROS levels were also markedly reduced by STAT5 inhibitor (SH-4-54). In addition, imatinib significantly inhibited the proliferation of K562 and K562/G cells, with half maximal inhibitory concentration values of 0.17±0.07 and 14.78±0.43µM, respectively, and the levels of apoptosis were significantly different between K562 and K562/G cells following treatment with imatinib. The mRNA and protein levels of STAT5 and mouse double minute2 homolog(MDM2) were upregulated, whereas those of Bax were downregulated in K562/G cells, as determined using western blot analysis. Additionally, although the two cell lines exhibited relatively low protein expression levels of p53, lower levels of p53 and TPp53BP1 transcripts were detected in the K562/G cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that the resistance of CML to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, imatinib, may be associated with persistent STAT5-mediated ROS production, and the abnormality of the p53 pathway.

Anti-Leukemia Effect and Mechanism of Oridonin on Imatinib-Sensitive and Imatinib-Resistant K562 Cells

To explore the molecular mechanism of resistance to imatinib in K562 cells(K562-R) and the anti-proliferative effect of oridonin (OR), as well as its mechanism in imatinib-sensitive and imatinib-resistant K562 cells (K562-S and K562-R cells). The expression of p-Lyn in K562-S and K562-R cells were detected by Western blot. The anti-proliferative effect of OR in K562-S and K562-R cells was assayed by MTT, the morphological changes were examined with microscope, the cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry, the expressions of BCL-2 and Akt/mTOR signaling pathway were detected by Western blot. The over-expression of p-Lyn was detcected in K562-R cells, OR inhibited the proliferation of K562-S and K562-R cells and the value of IC50 was 4.23±1.30, 4.97±2.23 µmol/L, respectively. The apoptotic rate was obviously enhanced after OR treatment for 24 h, compared with control group. OR down-regulated the expression of p-Lyn, mTOR signaling pathway and BCL-2 protein. Over-expression of p-Lyn may be involved in the mechanism of resistance to imatinib. OR can inhibit the proliferation of K562-S and K562-R cells through down-regulating p-Lyn, inhibiting mTOR signaling pathway and down-regulating expression of BCL-2 protein.

Erratum to: A novel tubulin polymerization inhibitor, MPT0B206, downregulates Bcr-Abl expression and induces apoptosis in imatinib-sensitive and imatinib-resistant CML cells.

Imatinib, a Bcr-Abl-specific inhibitor, is effective for treating chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), but drug resistance has emerged for this disease. In this study, we synthesized a novel tubulin polymerization inhibitor, MPT0B206 (N-[1-(4-methoxy-benzenesulfonyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-indol-7-yl]-formamide), and demonstrated its apoptotic effect and mechanism in imatinib-sensitive K562 and imatinib-resistant K562R CML cells. Western blotting and immunofluorescence microscopy showed that MPT0B206 induced microtubule depolymerization in K562 and K562R cells. MPT0B206 inhibited the growth of these cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. It did not affect the viability of normal human umbilical vein endothelial cells. MPT0B206 induced G2/M cell cycle arrest and the appearance of the mitotic marker MPM-2 in K562 and K562R cells, which is associated with the upregulation of cyclin B1 and the dephosphorylation of Cdc2. Treatment of K562 and K562R cells with MPT0B206 induced apoptosis and reduced the protein levels of procaspase-9 and procaspase-3 and increased caspase-3 activity and PARP cleavage. MPT0B206 also reduced the levels of the antiapoptotic proteins Mcl-1 and Bcl-2 and increased the level of the apoptotic protein Bax. Additional experiments showed that MPT0B206 markedly downregulated Bcr-Abl mRNA expression and total and phosphorylated Bcr-Abl protein levels and inhibited the phosphorylation of its downstream proteins STAT5, MAPK, and AKT, and the protein level of c-Myc in K562 and K562R cells. Furthermore, MPT0B206 triggered viability reduction and apoptosis in CML cells carrying T315I-mutated Bcr-Abl. Together, these results suggest that MPT0B206 is a promising alternative for treating imatinib-resistant CML.

Downregulation of miR-224 and let-7i contribute to cell survival and chemoresistance in chronic myeloid leukemia cells by regulating ST3GAL IV expression

Acquired resistance to imatinib is frequently associated with poor clinical outcome of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patient. To date, evidence indicates that protein glycosylation and its upstream regulators might be implicated in tumorigenesis and chemoresistance occurrence. In current study we initially explored N-glycan profiles on the surface of CML cell lines and bone marrow mononuclear cells (BMMC) of CML patients by using mass spectrometry (MS) analysis. An elevated sialylation was detected in K562R cells (CML cells with imatinib resistance phenotype) compare to K562 cells. By quantitative real time-PCR (qRT-PCR) and western blotting analysis we observed that imatinib resistant K562R cells exhibited marked high levels of CMP-N-acetylneuraminate-beta-galactosamide-alpha-2,3-sialyltransferase (ST3Gal IV) as compared to imatinib sensitive K562 cells. Further studies revealed that manipulated expression of ST3GAL IV led to the significant alterations of cell cycle distribution, apoptotic signal, cell proliferation and the effectiveness of imatinib treatment. Using microRNA array, miRNA database searching and luciferase reporter assay, we identified that miR-224 and let-7i directly regulate the expression of ST3GAL IV gene. Moreover, engineered expression of miR-224 and let-7i in K562 and K562R cells could significantly affect ST6Gal IV-induced proliferation rate and drug-resistance. Thus we propose that miR-224 and let-7i regulate the proliferation and chemosensitivity of CML cells probably via targeting ST3GAL IV.

A novel tubulin polymerization inhibitor, MPT0B206, downregulates Bcr-Abl expression and induces apoptosis in imatinib-sensitive and imatinib-resistant CML cells.

Imatinib, a Bcr-Abl-specific inhibitor, is effective for treating chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), but drug resistance has emerged for this disease. In this study, we synthesized a novel tubulin polymerization inhibitor, MPT0B206 (N-[1-(4-methoxy-benzenesulfonyl)-2,3-dihydro-1H-indol-7-yl]-formamide), and demonstrated its apoptotic effect and mechanism in imatinib-sensitive K562 and imatinib-resistant K562R CML cells. Western blotting and immunofluorescence microscopy showed that MPT0B206 induced microtubule depolymerization in K562 and K562R cells. MPT0B206 inhibited the growth of these cells in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. It did not affect the viability of normal human umbilical vein endothelial cells. MPT0B206 induced G2/M cell cycle arrest and the appearance of the mitotic marker MPM-2 in K562 and K562R cells, which is associated with the upregulation of cyclin B1 and the dephosphorylation of Cdc2. Treatment of K562 and K562R cells with MPT0B206 induced apoptosis and reduced the protein levels of procaspase-9 and procaspase-3 and increased caspase-3 activity and PARP cleavage. MPT0B206 also reduced the levels of the antiapoptotic proteins Mcl-1 and Bcl-2 and increased the level of the apoptotic protein Bax. Additional experiments showed that MPT0B206 markedly downregulated Bcr-Abl mRNA expression and total and phosphorylated Bcr-Abl protein levels and inhibited the phosphorylation of its downstream proteins STAT5, MAPK, and AKT, and the protein level of c-Myc in K562 and K562R cells. Furthermore, MPT0B206 triggered viability reduction and apoptosis in CML cells carrying T315I-mutated Bcr-Abl. Together, these results suggest that MPT0B206 is a promising alternative for treating imatinib-resistant CML.

Differentiation inducing factor 3 mediates its anti-leukemic effect through ROS-dependent DRP1-mediated mitochondrial fission and induction of caspase-independent cell death.

Differentiation-inducing factor (DIF) defines a group of chlorinated hexaphenones that orchestrate stalk-cell differentiation in the slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum (DD). DIF-1 and 3 have also been reported to have tumor inhibiting properties; however, the mechanisms that underlie the effects of these compounds remain poorly defined. Herein, we show that DIF-3 rapidly triggers Ca2+ release and a loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) in the absence of cytochrome c and Smac release and without caspase activation. Consistently with these findings, we also detected no evidence of apoptosis in cells treated with DIF-3 but instead found that this compound induced autophagy. In addition, DIF-3 promoted mitochondrial fission in K562 and HeLa cells, as assessed by electron and confocal microscopy analysis. Importantly, DIF-3 mediated the phosphorylation and redistribution of dynamin-related protein 1 (DRP1) from the cytoplasmic to the microsomal fraction of K562 cells. Pharmacological inhibition or siRNA silencing of DRP1 not only inhibited mitochondrial fission but also protected K562 cells from DIF-3-mediated cell death. Furthermore, DIF-3 potently inhibited the growth of imatinib-sensitive and imatinib-resistant K562 cells. It also inhibited tumor formation in athymic mice engrafted with an imatinib-resistant CML cell line. Finally, DIF-3 exhibited a clear selectivity toward CD34+ leukemic cells from CML patients, compared with CD34− cells. In conclusion, we show that the potent anti-leukemic effect of DIF-3 is mediated through the induction of mitochondrial fission and caspase-independent cell death. Our findings may have important therapeutic implications, especially in the treatment of tumors that exhibit defects in apoptosis regulation.

A molecular and biophysical comparison of macromolecular changes in imatinib-sensitive and imatinib-resistant K562 cells exposed to ponatinib.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a type of hematological malignancy that is characterized by the generation of Philadelphia chromosome encoding BCR/ABL oncoprotein. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), imatinib, nilotinib, and dasatinib, are used for the frontline therapy of CML. Development of resistance against these TKIs in the patients bearing T315I mutation is a major obstacle in CML therapy. Ponatinib, the third-generation TKI, is novel drug that is effective even in CML patients with T315I mutation. The exact mechanism of ponatinib in CML has been still unknown. In this study, we aimed to determine the potential mechanisms and structural metabolic changes activated by ponatinib treatment in imatinib-sensitive K562 human CML cell lines and 3μM-imatinib-resistant K562/IMA3 CML cell lines generated at our lab. Apoptotic and antiproliferative effects of ponatinib on imatinib-sensitive and 3μM-imatinib-resistant K562/IMA3 CML cells were determined by proliferation and apoptosis assays. Additionally, the effects of ponatinib on macromolecules and lipid profiles were also analyzed using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). Our results revealed that ponatinib inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis as determined by loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, increased caspase-3 enzyme activity, and transfer of phosphatidylserine to the plasma membrane in both K562 and K562/IMA-3 cells. Furthermore, cell cycle analyses revealed that ponatinib arrested K562 and K562/IMA-3 cells at G1 phase. Moreover, ponatinib treatment created a more ordered nucleic acid structure in the resistant cells. Although the lipid to protein ratio increased in imatinib-sensitive K562 cells with a little decrease in the K562/IMA-3 cells, ponatinib treatment indicated significant changes in the lipid composition such as a significant increase in the cellular cholesterol amounts much more in the K562/IMA-3 cells than the sensitive counterparts. Unsaturation in lipids was higher in the resistant cells; however, increases in lipids without phosphate and the number of acyl chains were much higher in the K562 cells. Taken together, all these results showed powerful antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of ponatinib in both imatinib-sensitive and imatinib-resistant CML cells in a dose-dependent manner, and hence, the use of ponatinib for the treatment of TKI-resistant CML patients may be an effective treatment approach in the clinic. More importantly, these results showed that FTIR spectroscopy can detect drug-induced physiological changes in cancer drug resistance.

Proteasome inhibitor MG-132 enhances histone deacetylase inhibitor SAHA-induced cell death of chronic myeloid leukemia cells by an ROS-mediated mechanism and downregulation of the Bcr-Abl fusion protein.

Recently, there has been progress in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). However, novel therapeutic strategies are required in order to address the emerging problem of imatinib resistance. Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) and proteasome inhibitors are promising alternatives, and may be amenable to integration with current therapeutic approaches. However, the mechanisms underlying the interaction between these two agents remain unclear. The present study assessed the cytotoxic effect of the HDACi, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), in combination with the proteasome inhibitor, MG-132, in imatinib-sensitive K562 and imatinib-resistant K562G cells, and investigated the mechanism underlying this effect. Cell viability was measured using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide method and protein expression levels were determined by western blotting. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation levels were observed under a fluorescence microscope The results indicated that SAHA and MG-132 act in a synergistic manner to induce cell death in K562 and K562G cells. This effect was associated with Bcr-Abl downregulation and the production of ROS. Notably, the ROS scavenger, N-acetyl-L-cysteine, almost fully reversed the cell death and Bcr-Abl downregulation that was induced by the combination of SAHA and MG-132. By contrast, the pan-caspase inhibitor, z-VAD-fmk, only partially reversed the cell death induced by these two drugs in CML cells. These results indicated that increased intracellular ROS levels are important in the induction of cell death and the downregulation of Bcr-Abl. In conclusion, the present results suggested that combined SAHA and MG-132 may be a promising treatment for CML.

Abstract 1822: Novel potent inhibitor of Bcr-Abl mutated imatinib resistant chronic myeloid leukemia cell lines

Abstract The hallmark of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is the presence of Bcr-Abl oncoprotein that is essential for leukemogenesis and accumulation of neoplastic cells. The Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib mesylate (Gleevec) represents the standard treatment for CML. However, a number of CML patients develop imatinib resistance and several mechanisms of resistance have been described. While most mutant forms are sensitive to second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors, the T315I mutation remains completely refractory to imatinib, as well as to these agents. Treatment of CML patients harboring T315I mutation is still an unmet medical need in the imatinib and post-imatinib era. We have identified P2745, a novel orally bioavailable small molecule that is effective in imatinib resistant mutations and particularly T315I mutation form to address this unmet medical need. In vitro P2745 showed potent cytotoxicity (IC50 0.8-5 μM) in twelve Bcr-Abl mutated imatinib resistant cell lines including T315I compared to wild type Bcr-Abl cell lines. P2745 did not show cytotoxicity upto 30 μM in normal fibroblasts (MRC-5 and WI-38) and normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells thus indicating specificity towards cancerous cells. P2745 inhibited pCrkLTyr207 in imatinib-resistant CML cell lines accompanied with down regulation of Bcr-Abl protein levels. Additionally, it up regulated tumor suppressor protein SMAR-1 which resulted in negative regulation TGF-β/SMAD-dependent pathway as demonstrated by low phosphorylated levels of SMAD2 and SMAD3, two key players implicated in the preservation of the malignant progenitor population, and partly responsible for the resistance to treatments targeting Bcr-Abl. P2745 also induced significant apoptosis in imatinib resistant cell lines (Y253F, T315I and E255V) but not in normal MRC-5 cell line. In addition, like imatinib it induced 80-90 % apoptosis in cells derived from CML patients. In vivo studies demonstrated significant (p<0.001), dose dependent efficacy in imatinib resistant T315I cells xenograft in SCID mice. It also demonstrated significant in vivo efficacy in Bcr-Abl wild type imatinib sensitive K-562 (p<0.05) and Ba/F3 (p<0.001) xenografts in SCID mice. PK-PD evaluation in imatinib resistant xenograft experiments indicated that at the efficacious dose, P2745 modulated proteins responsible for CML pathogenesis (60-80 %), which correlates with the levels of P2745 in the tumors. This unique mechanism of action makes P2745 a promising clinical candidate for CML patients harboring T315I mutation. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1822. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-1822