Role for c-jun N-terminal kinase in treatment-refractory acute myeloid leukemia (AML): signaling to multidrug-efflux and hyperproliferation.

A relationship was proved between constitutive activity of leukemic cell c-jun-N-terminal kinase (JNK) and treatment failure in AML. Specifically, early treatment failure was predicted by the presence of constitutive JNK activity. The mechanistic origins of this association was sought. A multidrug resistant leukemic cell line, HL-60/ADR, characterized by hyperexpression of c-jun and JNK activity, was transfected with a mutant c-jun vector, whose substrate N-terminal c-jun serines were mutated. Down-regulated expression occurred of c-jun/AP-1-dependent genes, catalase and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) pi, which participate in cellular homeostasis to oxidative stress and xenobiotic exposure. MRP-efflux was abrogated in HL-60/ADR cells with dominant-negative c-jun, perhaps because MRP1 protein expression was also lost. Heightened sensitivity to daunorubicin resulted in cells subjected to this change. Biochemical analysis in 67 primary adult AML samples established a statistical correlation between cellular expression of c-jun and JNK activity, JNK activity with hyperleukocytosis at presentation of disease, and with exuberant MRP efflux. These findings reflect the survival role for c-jun/AP-1 and its regulatory kinase previously demonstrated for yeast in homeostatic response to oxidative stress and in operation of ATP-binding cassette efflux pumps, and may support evolutionary conservation of such function. Thus, JNK and c-jun may be salient drug targets in multidrug resistant AML.

Transformation of interleukin-3-dependent cells without participation of Stat5/bcl-xL: cooperation of akt with raf/erk leads to p65 nuclear factor kappaB-mediated antiapoptosis involving c-IAP2.

Tyrosine kinase oncogenes such as p210BCR-ABL activate multiple signal pathways. As a result, it is difficult to infer the functional relevance of a pathway acting alone or in cooperation with another. One or 2 second-tier kinases represented in the p21ras and phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI-3-kinase) pathways (activated RafCAAX and gag-akt, respectively) were expressed in parental H7 interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent myeloid cells. IL-3-dependent cells served, independently, as recipients of p210BCR-ABL, which activated p21ras and PI-3-kinase pathways, including raf/erk and akt, respectively, en route to transformation. By contrast, neither RafCAAX nor gag-akt when expressed in parental cells in isolation produced factor-independent cells. On the other hand, H7 cells expressing both RafCAAX and gag-akt (H7gag-akt/RafCAAX) were transformed. Such transformation in H7gag-akt/RafCAAX was accomplished in the absence of active versions of Shc or cbl, and there was no evidence of Stat activity and only modest amounts of bcl-xL, a Stat5 transcriptional target protein, all of which characterized the cells transformed by BCR-ABL. However, H7gag-akt/RafCAAX cells and H7BCR-ABL cells cultured in the absence of IL-3 shared strikingly increased p65 nuclear factor kappaB (NFkappaB) activity. Treatment of cells with a specific NFkappaB inhibitor, parthenolide, led to loss of NFkappaB activity and down-regulation of antiapoptotic c-IAP2. In cells with only gag-akt/RafCAAX, this was sufficient to allow polyADP ribosyltransferase (PARP)-degradative apoptosis, but in cells with p210BCR-ABL, apoptosis was blocked, possibly by a Stat5/bcl-xL-dependent mechanism. Therefore, one hematopoietic antiapoptotic program, among others, available to certain tyrosine kinase oncogenes involves a cooperative response between raf/erk and akt, unambiguous components of p21ras and PI-3-kinase pathways, to induce p65 NFkappaB and c-IAP2.

Regulation of the c-jun gene in p210 BCR-ABL transformed cells corresponds with activity of JNK, the c-jun N-terminal kinase.

Activity of the c-jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) has been shown in hematopoietic cells transformed by p210 BCR-ABL. However, analysis has not been reported for hematopoietic cells on the consequences of this activity for c-jun promoter regulation within its distinctive proximal 8-base consensus CRE-like element, an element linked to JNK-mediated increase in c-jun transcription. In the present study, regulation of the proximal c-jun promoter was studied in murine myeloid cells transformed by p210 BCR-ABL. Promoter regulation in p210 BCR-ABL transformed cells was compared with regulation of the promoter in nontransformed interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent parental cells. The composition of nuclear AP-1 proteins contained within cells with p210 BCR-ABL, and their binding to the c-jun promoter proximal CRE-like element, was compared with the composition and binding of AP-1 proteins in IL-3-treated parental cells without p210 BCR-ABL. The present analysis found fivefold increased c-jun transcription occurring in p210 BCR-ABL transformed murine myeloid cells possessing a corresponding magnitude of increased kinase activity of JNK, compared with IL-3-stimulated parental cells. Augmented JNK activity was accompanied by increased nuclear abundance of c-jun and c-fos proteins that bound specifically to the proximal c-jun promoter CRE element. Also, representative human leukemic cell lines expressing p210 BCR-ABL and possessing abundant kinase activity of JNK, when compared with parental cells that were deficient in JNK activity, had increased c-jun and c-fos proteins. Finally, to show the relevance of these observations in model systems, we studied blast cells from patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute leukemic transformation, and observed comparable activities of JNK catalysis and c-jun/AP-1 protein relative to the cell lines that possessed p210 BCR-ABL and JNK activity. These studies provide a basis for investigating the set of downstream genes which augmented c-jun/AP-1 activity enlists in the process of transformation by p210 BCR-ABL.

Cyclic AMP negatively controls c-myc transcription and G1 cell cycle progression in p210 BCR-ABL transformed cells: inhibitory activity exerted through cyclin D1 and cdk4.

Raised intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) has been demonstrated to exert an antiproliferative effect in myeloid cells. How the antiproliferative activity of cAMP is exerted in p210 BCR-ABL transformed myeloid cells was the subject of this investigation. It was hypothesized that cyclin dependent kinase 4, cdk4, might be a critical target enzyme to affect the related events of c-myc transcription and progression through G1 phase of the cell cycle within cells transformed by p210 BCR-ABL, and further, that cdk4 might be downregulated by cAMP to inhibit proliferation. In order to investigate the regulatory role of cdk4, synchronized cells were studied. In p210 BCR-ABL transformed cells transiting early G1 phase, treatment with a cAMP analogue led to inhibition of cyclin D1 synthesis, and marked reduction of cdk4 kinase activity. Within cells in which cdk4 was inhibited by cAMP, there was augmented interaction of E2F1 with the retinoblastoma protein, pRb in a nuclear matrix-associated cell fraction. As a result of E2F1 sequestration, raised intracellular cAMP was found to inhibit c-myc transcription in p210 BCR-ABL transformed myeloid cells synchronously transiting the early G1 phase of the cell cycle. A target of this transcriptional suppression exerted by cAMP was the E2F site of the c-myc P2 promoter. On the other hand, cyclin D1 content was not reduced by cAMP in these cells when it was applied at a later cell cycle stage at the interface between G1 and S. Corresponding to lack of cyclin D1 inhibition in these later G1-to-S phase cells, cdk4 activity was only modestly suppressed, and c-myc mRNA expression was also inhibited to a lesser degree. These studies show that Rb interaction with E2F1 is regulated by cdk4 and cyclin D1 within p210 BCR-ABL transformed leukemia cells in early G1 phase of the cell cycle. In this context, both cyclin D1 and cdk4 are subject to the level of intracellular cAMP. This interaction between Rb and E2F1, which is subject to the level of cAMP, is critical to transcriptional control of c-myc. Further, pRb regulation of E2F activity affects cellular potential for G1-S phase transition in p210 BCR-ABL transformed myeloid cells, in part, via its effect on c-myc transcription.

Role for E2F1 in p210 BCR-ABL downstream regulation of c-myc transcription initiation. Studies in murine myeloid cells.

Experiments were performed to elucidate the mechanism through which p210 BCR-ABL, by its downstream signals, regulates c-myc messenger RNA expression in hematopoietic cells. We studied a model system in which stable expression of p210 BCR-ABL in interleukin-3 (IL-3) dependent murine myeloid cell lines led to growth factor independent transformation. Active c-myc transcription was observed in p210 BCR-ABL transformed cells by nuclear run-on assay, and in heterologous reporter assays performed with the 5' regulatory region of murine c-myc linked to firefly luciferase. Transcription initiation occurred primarily from the P2 promoter in p210 BCR-ABL transformed cells. Cis and trans elements responsible for transcription initiation from the c-myc P2 promoter were studied. Expression of E2F1 protein in p210 BCR-ABL transformed cells accounted, in part, for binding to the E2F site of the P2 c-myc promoter. The functional importance of E2F1 expression in p210 BCR-ABL transformed cells toward c-myc transcription was established in reporter assays performed with the P2 c-myc promoter containing either wild-type or mutant E2F sites. Mutation of the E2F motif of P2 5' c-myc reduced activity of the promoter by 50%. By gel mobility shift, E2F1 was found in P2 c-myc band shift complexes along with the cyclin-dependent kinase 2. Therefore, coupling of E2F to components of the retinoblastoma-cyclin pathway defines a route from p210 BCR-ABL to c-myc transcription, which is required for p210 BCR-ABL transformation.

p210 bcr-abl confers overexpression of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase: an intrinsic pathway to drug resistance mediated by oncogene.

The p210 bcr-abl fusion protein tyrosine kinase oncogene has been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic granulocytic leukemia (CGL). Specific intracellular functions performed by p210 bcr-abl have recently been delineated. We considered the possibility that p210 bcr-abl may also regulate the abundance of inosine 5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH) which is a rate-limiting enzyme for de novo guanylate synthesis. We performed studies of the inhibition of IMPDH by tiazofurin, which acts as a competitive inhibitor through its active species that mimics nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD), i.e. thiazole-4-carboxamide adenine dinucleotide (TAD). The mean inhibitory concentration (IC50) of tiazofurin for cellular proliferation inhibition was 2.3-2.8-fold greater in cells expressing p210 bcr-abl than in their corresponding parent cells proliferating under the influence of growth factors or in growth factor-independent derivative cells not expressing detectable p210 bcr-abl. IMPDH activity was 1.5-2.3-fold greater within cells expressing p210 bcr-abl than in their parent cells. This increase in enzyme activity was a result of 2-fold increased IMPDH protein as determined by immunoblotting. In addition, an increase in the Km value for NAD utilization by IMPDH was observed in p210 bcr-abl transformed cells, but this increase was within the range of resident NAD concentrations observed in the cells. Increased IMPDH protein in p210 bcr-abl transformed cells was traced to an increased level of IMP dehydrogenase II messenger RNA. Thus, regulation of IMPDH gene expression is mediated at least in part by the bcr-abl gene product and may therefore be indicative of a specific mechanism of intrinsic resistance to tiazofurin.

Role of p21 RAS in p210 bcr-abl transformation of murine myeloid cells.

The p21 RAS product has been implicated as part of the downstream signaling of certain nonreceptor tyrosine kinase oncogenes and several growth factor receptor-ligand interactions. We have reported that the chronic myelogenous leukemia oncogene p210 bcr-abl transforms a growth-factor-dependent myeloid cell line NFS/N1.H7 to interleukin-3 (IL-3) independence. In these p210 bcr-abl-transformed cells (H7 bcr-abl.A54) and in two other murine myeloid cell lines transformed to IL-3 independence by p210 bcr-abl, endogenous p21 RAS is activated as determined by an elevated ratio of associated guanosine triphosphate (GTP)/guanosine diphosphate (GDP), assayed by thin-layer chromatography of the nucleotides eluted from p21 RAS after immunoprecipitation with the Y13-259 antibody. Treatment of p210 bcr-abl-transformed cells with a specific tyrosine kinase inhibitor herbimycin A resulted in diminished tyrosine phosphorylation of p210 bcr-abl and associated proteins, without major reduction in expression of the p210 bcr-abl protein itself. Inhibition of p210 bcr-abl-dependent tyrosine phosphorylation resulted in a reduction of active p21RAS-GTP complexes in the transformed cells, in diminished expression of the nuclear early response genes c-jun and c-fos, and in lower cellular proliferation rate. To further implicate p21 RAS in these functional events downstream of p210 bcr-abl tyrosine phosphorylation, we targeted G-protein function directly by limiting the availability of GTP with the inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase inhibitor, tiazofurin (TR). In p210 bcr-abl-transformed cells treated for 4 hours with TR, in which the levels of GTP were reduced by 50%, but GDP, guanosine monophosphate, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) were unaffected, p210 bcr-abl tyrosine phosphorylation was at control levels. However, expression of c-fos and c-jun nuclear proto-oncogenes were strongly inhibited and p21 RAS activity was downregulated. These findings show that p210 bcr-abl transduces proliferative signals, in part, through downstream activation of p21 RAS. Furthermore, p21 RAS activity is linked to pathways that regulate c-jun and c-fos expression.

Dissociation of nuclear events on p21 RAS transformation of FDC-P1 myeloid cells: c-jun/AP-1 expression versus c-myc transcription.

We have previously reported transformation to growth factor-independent proliferation in the interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent cell line FDC-P1 by high-level expression of the valine 12 Harvey RAS oncogene, following from a nonautocrine mechanism. The present study was undertaken to examine nuclear tertiary messenger, transcriptional response gene expression to deduce the intracellular signaling pathways responsible for this autonomous proliferation. We confirmed other reports that transformed p21RAS-expressing cells constitutively express the transcription factor complex jun/AP-1, in this case resulting from the ongoing expression of the c-jun and c-fos genes in the absence of IL-3. However, the ongoing growth factor independent expression of c-myc by a transcriptional mechanism in FDC-P1 cells expressing p21 RAS cannot be explained by intracellular signaling in the jun/AP-1 (protein kinase C) pathway. This conclusion derives from the observation that c-jun expression mediated via protein kinase C activation with phorbol ester (12-0-tetra decanoylphorbol-13-acetate, TPA) treatment does not lead to c-myc expression in parent FDC-P1 cells. On the contrary, FDC-P1 cells stably transfected with a c-myc gene controlled under the influence of a metallothionein IIA promoter (containing the TPA-responsive element [TRE]) express the transfected MTIIA-c-myc and downregulate the endogenous c-myc in response to protein kinase C activation with TPA. Further, nuclear proteins derived from cells expressing p21 RAS, which bind specifically to the purified c-myc P2 promoter, are not competed in their binding to the motif-rich P2 element by AP-1 oligonucleotide. Therefore, expression of the Harvey RAS oncogene in FDC-P1 myeloid cells leads to at least two pathways of cytoplasmic signaling. One pathway involves protein kinase C and c-jun/AP-1, but another pathway that is protein kinase C-independent appears to mediate c-myc transcription.

Interleukin-3 dependent mitogenesis in murine cells involves a predominant non-protein kinase C (pKC) dependent pathway for c-myc transcription. Role of a myc expression vector in rescuing pKC dependent mitogenesis.

The signaling pathways used by interleukin-3 (IL-3) and by active phorbol ester (12-0-tetradecanoyl phorbol-13-acetate, TPA) to stimulate mitogenesis in the growth factor dependent myeloid cell line FDC-P1 were studied by 'reporter' analysis of nuclear proto-oncogene expression. These studies revealed that IL-3 strongly stimulated c-myc expression by a transcriptional mechanism but IL-3 poorly stimulated c-jun expression, a measure of protein kinase C dependent signals. On the other hand, the protein kinase C agonist, TPA, strongly activated c-jun expression but poorly promoted expression (transcription) of c-myc in FDC-P1. These findings appeared to correlate with the poor mitogenic capacity of TPA for FDC-P1. However, stable transfection of FDC-P1 with a c-myc expression vector driven by a human methallothionein IIA promoter containing the TPA responsive element (TRE), led to a cell clone, FDMT myc.A1, in which TPA mediated selective transcription of the transfected TRE driven c-myc vector and down-regulated expression of the endogenous c-myc gene. IL-3 selectively failed to stimulate expression of the TRE driven c-myc vector in FDMT myc.A1. Augmented TPA dependent vector derived c-myc expression was accompanied by enhanced mitogenesis of the cell line FDMT myc.A1 compared with FDC-P1. In addition, TPA mediated expression of the transfected c-myc gene in FDMT myc.A1 was accompanied by augmented transcription of c-jun and c-fos in response to TPA. These studies show the importance of a non-protein kinase C dependent pathway for IL-3 mediated c-myc transcription. However, these studies reveal that protein kinase C mediated pathways can be promitogenic, especially when complemented by unregulated c-myc expression (in this case driven by an alternative, TRE containing promoter).

A novel mast cell growth factor (MCGF-3) produced by marrow-adherent cells that synergizes with interleukin 3 and interleukin 4.

A clonal marrow-adherent stromal cell line, +/+-1 LDA11, was derived and found to produce hemopoietic stimulatory activity for an interleukin 3 (IL-3)-dependent mast cell line, NFS/N1. This factor-dependent mast cell line displayed restricted growth factor responsiveness to only IL-3, interleukin 4 (IL-4), and the stromal cell-produced factor. The factor produced by stromal cells was distinguished from IL-3 and IL-4 and was characterized biochemically. This factor appears to be a novel mast cell growth factor (MCGF-3) capable of synergizing with IL-3 and IL-4. It may have broader reactivity in hemopoiesis than simply IL-3-dependent mast cells, and it may prove relevant to stromal cell-mediated hemopoiesis.

Role for cyclic AMP in the postreceptor control of cytokine-stimulated stromal cell growth factor production.

We examined the role of augmented formation of intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) in the mediation of stromal cell growth factor production that occurs constitutively or upon cytokine stimulation. Clonal murine marrow adherent cell lines were stimulated under serum-free conditions by interleukin-1 (IL-1) or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and one (+/+ -1.LDA11) was found to produce low quantities of granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). GM-CSF identity was confirmed by the ability of supernatants from stromal cells to promote proliferation of the factor-dependent cell line FDC-P1, neutralization of this activity by antiserum to GM-CSF, and by Northern blot analysis. However, optimal concentrations of IL-1 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), in combination, led to synergistic (greater than 5-fold higher quantity) GM-CSF production compared with either stimulus alone in the +/+ -1. LDA11 cell line, capable of GM-CSF production after only single stimulation with IL-1 or LPS. In addition, synergistic stimulation by IL-1 and TNF-alpha led to equivalent high amounts of GM-CSF in another cell line incapable of GM-CSF production after induction with only IL-1 or LPS. Any of several means to raise intracellular cAMP levels, including addition of 8-bromo-cyclic AMP (8Br cAMP) (0.25-1mM), pertussis toxin (20-100 ng/ml), or addition of prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) (1 microM), failed to stimulate GM-CSF production alone and strongly inhibited GM-CSF production in stromal cells stimulated by IL-1, LPS, or the synergistic combination of IL-1 and TNF-alpha. In addition, PGE1 and pertussis intoxication were agonists of adenylate cyclase in membranes of marrow adherent cells, whereas IL-1 and LPS were not. The role for regulators of intracellular cAMP was specific because any of the cAMP agonists alone, or in the presence of cytokine stimulators of stromal cells, strongly enhanced IL-6 production, an event known to be cAMP-responsive. Thus, acute formation of intracellular cAMP is a negative regulator of stromal cell GM-CSF production mediated by cytokines, but positively regulates IL-6 production and may be an important determinant of cytokine-directed marrow microenvironmental function. These findings on the requirement for augmentation versus inhibition of cytokine-mediated production of hemopoietic growth factors might be applied to an analysis of marrow stromal cell heterogeneity.

A RAS oncogene imparts growth factor independence to myeloid cells that abnormally regulate protein kinase C: a nonautocrine transformation pathway.

The factor-dependent cell line FDC-P1 has been utilized as a model of interleukin 3 (IL-3)-dependent myeloid cell proliferation. However, it has been recently observed that active phorbol esters (e.g., phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate) may entirely replace IL-3 to promote its proliferation. These observations reveal abnormal regulation of protein kinase C (pkC) (absence of downregulation or overexpression). This property allowed a test of the hypothesis that the T24 RAS (codon 12) oncogene acts by constitutive and persistent pkC activation, driving proliferation. FDC-P1 cells were transfected by electroporation with the T24 RAS-containing vector pAL 8, or with a control vector pSVX Zip Neo, and neomycin-resistant clones were selected. Multiple RAS-transfectant clones were categorized for their growth factor requirement and incorporation of the 6.6-kb human mutant H-RAS genome. IL-3-independent clones had incorporated multiple (more than two) copies of the entire 6.6-kb RAS genome. The incorporation of multiple 6.6-kb RAS genomes was correlated with high-level p21 RAS expression. No evidence for autostimulatory growth factor production by clones containing the RAS oncogene was observed. Thus, acquisition of growth factor independence in myeloid cells by abundant expression of a RAS oncogene is linked, in part, to abnormal regulation of pkC, which acts as a collaborating oncogene.

A mutant RAS gene acts through protein kinase C to augment interleukin-3 dependent proliferation in a fastidious immortal myeloid cell line.

The functional role of a mutant RAS gene in immortal myeloid cell proliferation was examined in a fastidious interleukin-3 (IL-3) dependent cell line (NFS/N1.H7) formed by forced proliferation in IL-3 of marrow cells of the NFS/N mouse. The NFS/N1.H7 cell line was strictly dependent upon IL-3 for growth, and the cell line could be activated by phorbol esters (PMA) to augment IL-3 dependent proliferation, but when pKC was downregulated, diminished IL-3 proliferative response resulted. Transfection (electroporation) of the T24 RAS-containing vector pAL8 to NFS/N1.H7 led to clones (H7 NeoRas.F3, H7 NeoRas.E2) that had incorporated the entire 6.6 Kb human mutant H-RAS genome. The mutant RAS-containing clones demonstrated greater proliferation than parent cells or cells containing a control (neo-resistance) vector over a range of suboptimal IL-3 does and in optimal IL-3 concentrations had a faster doubling rate than parent cells. The clone H7 NeoRas.F3 was studied biochemically, and found to constitutively form 3-fold more 3H-diacylglycerol than the parent cell line upon exposure to 3H-glycerol. PMA could partially repair the proliferative defect of NFS/N1.H7 compared to the RAS-expressor. These studies affirm a secondary, accelerating role for a mutant RAS gene product acting through pKC to promote clonal expansion of immortal myeloid cells stimulated by IL-3.

Suspected inherited cerebellar neuroaxonal dystrophy in collie sheep dogs.

A cerebellar neuroaxonal dystrophy in working collie sheep dogs from two properties in New Zealand and one property in Australia is described. Clinical signs developed from 2-4 months of age and included hypermetria, wide-based stance, difficulty in maintaining balance, intention tremor and ataxia. Numerous spheroids, associated with mild Wallerian degeneration, were present in the central cerebellar, adjacent peduncular and folia white matter, and associated cerebellar roof and lateral vestibular nuclei. The history of several affected pups in litters from successive matings of the same sire and dam is suggestive of an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance.