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Biomedical subjects

D G Gilliland

Publications and source records attributed to D G Gilliland.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

The TEL/PDGFbetaR fusion in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia signals through STAT5-dependent and STAT5-independent pathways.

The TEL/PDGFbetaR gene, which encodes a fusion protein containing the ETS-family member TEL fused to the protein-tyrosine kinase domain of the platelet-derived growth factor receptor-beta (PDGFbetaR), confers interleukin 3 (IL-3)-independent growth on Ba/F3 hematopoietic cells. TEL/PDGFbetaR mutants have been generated that contain tyrosine-to-phenylalanine (Tyr-->Phe) substitutions at phosphorylation sites present in the native PDGFbetaR to assess the role of these sites in cell transformation by TEL/PDGFbetaR. Similar to previous findings in a murine bone marrow transplantation model, full transformation of Ba/F3 cells to IL-3-independent survival and proliferation required the TEL/PDGFbetaR juxtamembrane and carboxy terminal phosphorylation sites. In contrast to previous reports concerning comparable mutants in the native PDGFbetaR, each of the TEL/PDGFbetaR mutants is fully active as a protein-tyrosine kinase. Expression of the TEL/PDGFbetaR fusion protein causes hyperphosphorylation and activation of signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT5), and this activation of STAT5 requires the juxtamembrane Tyr579 and Tyr581 in the TEL/PDGFbetaR fusion. Hyperphosphosphorylation of phospholipase Cgamma (PLCgamma) and the p85 subunit of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) requires the carboxy terminal tyrosine residues of TEL/PDGFbetaR. Thus, full transformation of Ba/F3 cells by TEL/PDGFbetaR requires engagement of PI3K and PLCgamma and activation of STAT5. Taken together with the growth properties of cells transformed by the TEL/PDGFbetaR variants, these findings indicate that a minimal combination of these signaling intermediates contributes to hematopoietic transformation by the wild-type TEL/PDGFbetaR fusion. (Blood. 2001;98:3390-3397)

Animals↗

The expression of ETV6/CBFA2 (TEL/AML1) is not sufficient for the transformation of hematopoietic cell lines in vitro or the induction of hematologic disease in vivo.

ETV6/CBFA2 (TEL/AML1) is the most frequent genetic abnormality associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemias in children, and is associated with a favorable prognosis. To investigate the influence of ETV6/CBFA2 on cellular transformation, the fusion gene was cloned into a murine ecotropic retroviral vector and transduced into IL-3-dependent Ba/F3 and 32Dcl.3 and IL-7-dependent IxN/2b murine hematopoietic cell lines. Different variants of ETV6/CBFA2, corresponding to CBFA2 alternatively spliced variants, and the reciprocal product CBFA2/ETV6, were stably expressed in each of these cell lines. However, although Western blot analysis demonstrated expression of each variant, none of the stable cell lines expressing CBFA2/ETV6 or the variants conferred factor-independent growth. We further investigated the effect of ETV6/CBFA2 expression in vivo by generating transgenic mice in which expression of the fusion was directed to lymphoid cells using the immunoglobulin heavy chain enhancer/promoter. Four founder mice were identified showing transmission and expression of the chimeric product. The mice were bred for five generations and followed for more than 24 months. The mice did not develop a malignant hematologic disorder, nor did they display histopathologic, morphologic, or immunophenotypic abnormalities, although ETV6/CBFA2 expression was confirmed in each line. We conclude that the expression of ETV6/CBFA2 alone is not sufficient for induction of growth factor independence in hematopoietic cell lines or hematologic disease in transgenic mice.

Animals↗

H4(D10S170), a gene frequently rearranged in papillary thyroid carcinoma, is fused to the platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta gene in atypical chronic myeloid leukemia with t(5;10)(q33;q22).

The molecular cloning of the t(5;10)(q33;q22) associated with atypical chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is reported. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), Southern blot, and reverse transcriptase- polymerase chain reaction analysis demonstrated that the translocation resulted in an H4/platelet-derived growth factor receptor betaR (PDGFbetaR) fusion transcript that incorporated 5' sequences from H4 fused in frame to 3' PDGFbetaR sequences encoding the transmembrane, WW-like, and tyrosine kinase domains. FISH combined with immunophenotype analysis showed that t(5;10)(q33;q22) was present in CD13(+) and CD14(+) cells but was not observed in CD3(+) or CD19(+) cells. H4 has previously been implicated in pathogenesis of papillary thyroid carcinoma as a fusion partner of RET. The H4/RET fusion incorporates 101 amino acids of H4, predicted to encode a leucine zipper dimerization domain, whereas the H4/PDGFbetaR fusion incorporated an additional 267 amino acids of H4. Retroviral transduction of H4/PDGFbetaR, but not a kinase-inactive mutant, conferred factor-independent growth to Ba/F3 cells and caused a T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma in a murine bone marrow transplantation assay of transformation. Mutational analysis showed that the amino-terminal H4 leucine zipper domain (amino acids 55-93), as well as H4 amino acids 101 to 386, was required for efficient induction of factor-independent growth of Ba/F3 cells. Tryptophan-to-alanine substitutions in the PDGFbetaR WW-like domain at positions 566/593, or tyrosine-to-phenylalanine substitutions at PDGFbetaR positions 579/581 impaired factor-independent growth of Ba/F3 cells. H4/PDGFbetaR is an oncoprotein expressed in t(5;10)(q33;q22) atypical CML and requires dimerization motifs in the H4 moiety, as well as residues implicated in signal transduction by PDGFbetaR, for efficient induction of factor-independent growth of Ba/F3 cells. (Blood. 2001;97:3910-3918)

Carcinoma, Papillary↗

ARG tyrosine kinase activity is inhibited by STI571.

The tyrosine kinase inhibitor STI571 inhibits BCR/ABL and induces hematologic remission in most patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. In addition to BCR/ABL, STI571 also inhibits v-Abl, TEL/ABL, the native platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF)beta receptor, and c-KIT, but it does not inhibit SRC family kinases, c-FMS, FLT3, the epidermal growth factor receptor, or multiple other tyrosine kinases. ARG is a widely expressed tyrosine kinase that shares substantial sequence identity with c-ABL in the kinase domain and cooperates with ABL to regulate neurulation in the developing mouse embryo. As described here, ARG has recently been implicated in the pathogenesis of leukemia as a fusion partner of TEL. A TEL/ARG fusion was constructed to determine whether ARG can be inhibited by STI571. When expressed in the factor-dependent murine hematopoietic cell line Ba/F3, the TEL/ARG protein was heavily phosphorylated on tyrosine, increased tyrosine phosphorylation of multiple cellular proteins, and induced factor-independent proliferation. The effects of STI571 on Ba/F3 cells transformed with BCR/ABL, TEL/ABL, TEL/PDGFbetaR, or TEL/ARG were then compared. STI571 inhibited tyrosine phosphorylation and cell growth of Ba/F3 cells expressing BCR/ABL, TEL/ABL, TEL/PDGFbetaR, and TEL/ARG with an IC(50) of approximately 0.5 microM in each case, but it had no effect on untransformed Ba/F3 cells growing in IL-3 or on Ba/F3 cells transformed by TEL/JAK2. Culture of TEL/ARG-transfected Ba/F3 cells with IL-3 completely prevented STI571-induced apoptosis in these cells, similar to what has been observed with BCR/ABL- or TEL/ABL-transformed cells. These results indicate that ARG is a target of the small molecule, tyrosine kinase inhibitor STI571.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Induction of myeloproliferative disease in mice by tyrosine kinase fusion oncogenes does not require granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor or interleukin-3.

Tyrosine kinase fusion oncogenes that occur as a result of chromosomal translocations have been shown to activate proliferative and antiapoptotic pathways in leukemic cells, but the importance of autocrine and paracrine expression of hematopoietic cytokines in leukemia pathogenesis is not understood. Evidence that leukemic transformation may be, at least in part, cytokine dependent includes data from primary human leukemia cells, cell culture experiments, and murine models of leukemia. This report demonstrates that interleukin (IL)-3 plasma levels are elevated in myeloproliferative disease (MPD) caused by the TEL/tyrosine kinase fusions TEL/platelet-derived growth factor beta receptor (PDGFbetaR), TEL/Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), and TEL/neurotrophin-3 receptor (TRKC). Plasma granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) levels were elevated by TEL/PDGFbetaR and TEL/JAK2. However, all of the fusions tested efficiently induced MPD in mice genetically deficient for both GM-CSF and IL-3, demonstrating that these cytokines are not necessary for the development of disease in this model system. Furthermore, in experiments using normal marrow transduced with TEL/PDGFbetaR retrovirus mixed with marrow transduced with an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) retrovirus, the MPD induced in these mice demonstrated minimal stimulation of normal myelopoiesis by the TEL/PDGFbetaR-expressing cells. In contrast, recipients of mixed GM-CSF-transduced and EGFP-transduced marrow exhibited significant paracrine expansion of EGFP-expressing cells. Collectively, these data demonstrate that, although cytokine levels are elevated in murine bone marrow transplant models of leukemia using tyrosine kinase fusion oncogenes, GM-CSF and IL-3 are not required for myeloproliferation by any of the oncogenes tested.

Animals↗

Interleukin 3 and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor are not required for induction of chronic myeloid leukemia-like myeloproliferative disease in mice by BCR/ABL.

Primitive hematopoietic progenitors from some patients with Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) express aberrant transcripts for interleukin 3 (IL-3) and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), and exhibit autonomous proliferation in serum-free cultures that is inhibited by anti-IL-3 and anti-IL-3 receptor antibodies. Expression of the product of the Ph chromosome, the BCR/ABL oncogene, in mice by retroviral bone marrow transduction and transplantation induces CML-like leukemia, and some leukemic mice have increased circulating IL-3, and perhaps granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). These observations raise the possibility of autocrine or paracrine cytokine production in the pathogenesis of human CML. Mice with homozygous inactivation of the Il-3 gene, the Gm-csf gene, or both, were used to test the requirement for these cytokines for induction of CML-like disease by BCR/ABL. Neither IL-3 nor GM-CSF was required in donor, recipient, or both for induction of CML-like leukemia by p210 BCR/ABL. Use of novel mice deficient in both IL-3 and GM-CSF demonstrated that the lack of effect on leukemogenesis was not due to redundancy between these hematopoietic growth factors. Analysis of cytokine levels in leukemic mice where either donor or recipient was Il-3(-/-) indicated that the increased IL-3 originated from the recipient, suggestive of a host reaction to the disease. These results demonstrate that IL-3 and GM-CSF are not required for BCR/ABL-induced CML-like leukemia in mice and suggest that autocrine production of IL-3 does not play a role in established chronic phase CML in humans.

Animals↗

Molecular genetics of acute myeloid leukaemia.

Elucidation of the molecular genetic basis of leukaemias has relied on the cloning and characterization of recurring chromosomal translocations. A common theme in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) associated with balanced reciprocal translocations is the involvement of transcription factors as one or both of the fusion partners. Transcription factors commonly involved in chromosomal translocations include core binding factor (CBF), retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARalpha), ETS family of transcription factors and homeobox gene (HOX) family members. In addition, the recruitment of transcriptional co-activators and co-repressors by these transcription factors suggests that these proteins also may play a critical role in leukaemogenesis. In support of this hypothesis' at least three fusions associated with leukaemias and involving transcriptional co-activators CBP and p300 have been recently cloned. However expression of transcription factor fusion proteins is not sufficient to induce a leukaemic phenotype, as evidenced in part by the long latencies required for disease development in the murine models of the disease. An emerging paradigm is the co-operation between constitutively activated tyrosine kinase molecules, such as FLT3, and transcription factor fusions in the pathogenesis of AML. In such a model, the activated tyrosine kinase confers proliferation and/or anti-apoptotic activity to the hematopoietic cells, while the transcription factor fusion impairs normal differentiation pathways with limited effect on cellular proliferation.

Acute Disease↗

Socs-1 inhibits TEL-JAK2-mediated transformation of hematopoietic cells through inhibition of JAK2 kinase activity and induction of proteasome-mediated degradation.

TEL-JAK2 fusion proteins, which are a result of t(9;12)(p24;p13) translocations associated with human leukemia, activate Stat5 in vitro and in vivo and cause a myelo- and lymphoproliferative disease in a murine bone marrow transplant model. We report that Socs-1, a member of the SOCS family of endogenous inhibitors of JAKs and STATs, inhibits transformation of Ba/F3 cells by TEL-JAK2 but has no effect on Ba/F3 cells transformed by BCR-ABL, TEL-ABL, or TEL-platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta. TEL-JAK2, in addition to activating Stat5, associates with Shc and Grb2 and induces activation of Erk2, and expression of Socs-1 inhibits engagement of each of these signaling molecules. TEL-JAK2 kinase activity is inhibited by Socs-1, as assessed by in vitro kinase assays. In addition, Socs-1 induces proteasomal degradation of TEL-JAK2. Mutational analysis indicates that the SOCS box of Socs-1 is required for proteasomal degradation and for abrogation of growth of TEL-JAK2-transformed cells. Furthermore, murine bone marrow transplant assays demonstrate that expression of Socs-1 prolongs latency of TEL-JAK2-mediated disease in vivo. Collectively, these data indicate that Socs-1 inhibits TEL-JAK2 in vitro and in vivo through inhibition of kinase activity and induction of TEL-JAK2 protein degradation.

Animals↗

Translocation (2;8)(p12;q24) associated with a cryptic t(12;21)(p13;q22) TEL/AML1 gene rearrangement in a child with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

We report a case of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia with the simultaneous occurrence of a t(2;8)(p12;q24) typically associated with mature B cell or Burkitt leukemia, and a t(12;21)(p13;q22) exclusively associated with pre-B cell ALL. The lymphoblasts were characterized as L2 morphology by the French-American-British classification. However, there were atypical morphologic findings for L2 ALL, including vacuolization in some cells. The lymphoblasts were periodic acid-Schiff positive and myeloperoxidase negative. Immunophenotypic analysis revealed that the majority of lymphoblasts were TdT+, CD10+, CD19+, CD20-, and cytoplasmic mu+. These features were consistent with an immature pre-B cell leukemia phenotype with some characteristics of a mature B-cell leukemia. A t(2;8)(p12;q24)(p12;q24), characteristic of mature B-cell leukemia or Burkitt type leukemia, was detected by conventional cytogenetics with no other cytogenetic abnormalities. However, diagnostic peripheral blood and bone marrow specimens demonstrated simultaneous occurrence of a cryptic t(12;21)(p13;q22) by both FISH and RT-PCR. The simultaneous occurrence of these translocations in a pediatric patient have implications for the pathogenesis of leukemias with t(2;8)(p12;q24) as well as t(12;21)(p12;q22). Analysis of additional cases of leukemia with translocations involving the MYC locus on 8q24 will be required to determine the frequency of association with the cryptic t(12;21)(p13;22), and the prognostic significance of the simultaneous occurrence of the translocations.

Base Sequence↗

Divergent roles of STAT1 and STAT5 in malignancy as revealed by gene disruptions in mice.

Stat proteins are latent transcription factors activated by tyrosine phosphorylation downstream of cytokine and growth factor receptors and have been implicated in a variety of cell growth regulatory pathways. Constitutive phosphorylation has also been observed in various transformed cell line and in primary malignant tissue, suggesting that Stat protein activation may contribute to the transformed phenotype. One method to distinguish between a causative role in malignancy as opposed to bystander phosphorylation from the increased tyrosine phosphorylation that accompanies transformation is to investigate cell growth and malignancy in the absence of particular Stat proteins using targeted gene disruptions in transgenic mice. Such studies show that Stat1 primarily mediates growth inhibitory signals and contributes to the host rejection of tumors, and that its activation in transformed cells is not necessary for malignancy. Activation of Stat5 can be both necessary and sufficient for malignant transformation, and single Stat5-target genes have been identified that are critical for heightened proliferation. Nonetheless, some malignancies that are characterized by constitutively phosphorylated Stat5 are not altered by the loss of Stat5 protein. Its role in these cases may be redundant with other transforming events that are in themselves sufficient to cause disease, rendering tyrosine phosphorylation of Stat5 unnecessary in these transformed cells. Oncogene (2000).

Animals↗

Signal transduction and transforming properties of the TEL-TRKC fusions associated with t(12;15)(p13;q25) in congenital fibrosarcoma and acute myelogenous leukemia.

The TEL-TRKC fusion is expressed as a consequence of t(12;15)(p13;q25), and is associated with two human cancers: congenital fibrosarcoma and acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). We report that the T/T(F) and T/T(L) fusion variants associated with congenital fibrosarcoma and AML, respectively, are constitutively tyrosine phosphorylated, and confer factor-independent growth to the murine hematopoietic cell line Ba/F3. Retroviral transduction of T/T(L) causes a rapidly fatal myeloproliferative disease in a murine bone marrow transplant (BMT) model, whereas T/T(F) causes a long-latency, pre-B-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. TEL-TRKC variants are potent activators of the MAP kinase pathway, but neither variant activates Stat5 or other Stat family members. T/T(L), but not T/T(F), induces tyrosine phosphorylation of phospholipase Cgamma (PLCgamma), phosphoinositol-3 kinase and SHC. However, mutation analysis demonstrates that PLCgamma tyrosine phos phorylation by T/T(L) is dispensable for induction of the myeloproliferative phenotype by T/T(L). Collectively, these data demonstrate that the TEL-TRKC fusion variants are oncoproteins that activate the MAP kinase pathway, and do not require activation of either PLCgamma or Stat5 for efficient induction of a myeloproliferative phenotype in the murine BMT model.

3T3 Cells↗

Effect of recombinant human erythropoietin combined with granulocyte/ macrophage colony-stimulating factor in the treatment of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome. GM/EPO MDS Study Group.

This randomized, placebo-controlled trial was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of therapy with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and erythropoietin (epoetin alfa) in anemic, neutropenic patients with myelodysplastic syndrome. Sixty-six patients were enrolled according to the following French-American-British classification: refractory anemia (20), refractory anemia with excess blasts (35), refractory anemia with ringed sideroblasts (9), and refractory anemia with excess blasts in transformation (2). Patients were stratified by their serum erythropoietin levels (less than or equal to 500 mU/mL, n = 37; greater than 500 mU/mL, n = 29) and randomized, in a 2:1 ratio, to either GM-CSF (0.3-5.0 microg/kg.d) + epoetin alfa (150 IU/kg 3 times/wk) or GM-CSF (0.3-5.0 microg/kg.d) + placebo (3 times/wk). The mean neutrophil count rose from 948 to 3831 during treatment with GM-CSF +/- epoetin alfa. Hemoglobin response (increase greater than or equal to 2 g/dL, unrelated to transfusion) occurred in 4 of 45 (9%) patients in the GM-CSF + epoetin alfa group compared with 1 of 21 (5%) patients with GM-CSF + placebo group (P = NS). Percentages of patients in the epoetin alfa and the placebo groups requiring transfusions of red blood cells were 60% and 92%, respectively, for the low-endogenous erythropoietin patients and 95% and 89% for the high-endogenous erythropoietin patients (P = NS). Similarly, the average numbers of units of red blood cells transfused during the 12-week study in the epoetin alfa and the placebo groups were 5.9 and 9.5, respectively, in the low-endogenous erythropoietin patients and 9.7 and 8.6 in the high-endogenous erythropoietin patients (P = NS). GM-CSF +/- epoetin alfa had no effect on mean platelet count. Treatment was well tolerated in most patients, though 10 withdrew from the study for reasons related predominantly to GM-CSF toxicity. (Blood. 2000;95:1175-1179)

Anemia↗

TEL/PDGFbetaR fusion protein activates STAT1 and STAT5: a common mechanism for transformation by tyrosine kinase fusion proteins.

OBJECTIVE: TEL/PDGFbetaR is a tyrosine kinase fusion protein associated with the pathogenesis of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. The following experiments were undertaken to understand the mechanisms whereby TEL/PDGFbetaR transforms cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Activation of JAK and STAT proteins was studied in an interleukin 3 (IL-3)-dependent cell line, Ba/F3, transformed to IL-3 independence by TEL/PDGFbetaR. RESULTS: TEL/PDGFbetaR activates STAT1 and STAT5 in transformed Ba/F3 cells through a JAK-independent pathway. Activation of STAT proteins requires the kinase activity of TEL/PDGFbetaR. JAK1, JAK2, JAK3, and TYK2 are not phosphorylated by TEL/PDGFbetaR. However, TEL/PDGFbetaR can phosphorylate STAT5 in transiently transfected COS cells, suggesting that TEL/PDGFbetaR may itself be the kinase involved in tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT proteins. In contrast, native PDGFbetaR stimulated by PDGF ligand does not activate STAT proteins to a significant degree in this hematopoietic context. STAT1 and STAT5 also are activated by TEL/ABL and TEL/JAK2 fusion proteins associated with human leukemia. CONCLUSIONS: STAT activation may be a common mechanism of transformation by leukemogenic tyrosine kinase fusion proteins.

Cell Line↗

Stat5 is essential for the myelo- and lymphoproliferative disease induced by TEL/JAK2.

STAT5 is activated in a broad spectrum of human hematologic malignancies. We addressed whether STAT5 activation is necessary for the myelo- and lymphoproliferative disease induced by TEL/JAK2 using a genetic approach. Whereas mice transplanted with bone marrow transduced with retrovirus expressing TEL/JAK2 develop a rapidly fatal myelo- and lymphoproliferative syndrome, reconstitution with bone marrow derived from Stat5ab-deficient mice expressing TEL/JAK2 did not induce disease. Disease induction in the Stat5a/b-deficient background was rescued with a bicistronic retrovirus encoding TEL/JAK2 and Stat5a. Furthermore, myeloproliferative disease was induced by reconstitution with bone marrow cells expressing a constitutively active mutant, Stat5a, or a single Stat5a target, murine oncostatin M (mOSM). These data define a critical role for Stat5a/b and mOSM in the pathogenesis of TEL/JAK2 disease.

Animals↗

Fatal myeloproliferation, induced in mice by TEL/PDGFbetaR expression, depends on PDGFbetaR tyrosines 579/581.

The t(5;12)(q33;p13) translocation associated with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) generates a TEL/PDGFbetaR fusion gene. Here, we used a murine bone marrow transplant (BMT) assay to test the transforming properties of TEL/PDGFbetaR in vivo. TEL/PDGFbetaR, introduced into whole bone marrow by retroviral transduction, caused a rapidly fatal myeloproliferative disease that closely recapitulated human CMML. TEL/PDGFbetaR transplanted mice developed leukocytosis with Gr-1(+) granulocytes, splenomegaly, evidence of extramedullary hematopoiesis, and bone marrow fibrosis, but no lymphoproliferative disease. We assayed mutant forms of the TEL/PDGFbetaR fusion protein - including 8 tyrosine to phenylalanine substitutions at phosphorylated PDGFbetaR sites to which various SH2 domain-containing signaling intermediates bind - for ability to transform hematopoietic cells. All of the phenylalanine (F-) mutants tested conferred IL-3-independence to a cultured murine hematopoietic cell line, but, in the BMT assay, different F-mutants displayed distinct transforming properties. In transplanted animals, tyrosines 579/581 proved critical for the development of myeloproliferative phenotype. F-mutants with these residues mutated showed no sign of myeloproliferation but instead developed T-cell lymphomas. In summary, TEL/PDGFbetaR is necessary and sufficient to induce a myeloproliferative disease in a murine BMT model, and PDGFbetaR residues Y579/581 are required for this phenotype.

Animals↗