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A comparative study of various FLT3-ITDs in relation to function and signaling
Linköping University, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Cell Biology. Linköping University, Faculty of Health Sciences.
Linköping University, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine. Linköping University, Faculty of Health Sciences.
Linköping University, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine. Linköping University, Faculty of Health Sciences.
Linköping University, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Experimental Hematology. Linköping University, Faculty of Health Sciences.
(English)Manuscript (preprint) (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Internal tandem duplications (ITD) in the FMS like tyrosine kinase (FLT3) receptor are one of the most common classes of mutations in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which presence indicates a poor prognosis. Lengths of FLT3-ITD mutations found in patients can vary from 3 up to hundreds of nucleotides and may be located either in the juxtamembrane domain or the tyrosine kinase-1 domain (TKD1). There are contradicting opinions whether the length of the ITD has an impact on the clinical situation and whether tyrosines duplicated are of any significance for oncogenic signaling. Considering the substantial differences in lengths as well as the variability of start and end points of ITDs, we have performed a study of various FLT3-ITD mutations isolated from AML-patients. The ITD region from leukemic blasts of nine AML patients were sequenced and cloned by PCR into the human wildtype FLT3 cDNA, inserted to a retroviral GFP-containing vector. The hematopoietic progenitor cell line FDC-P1 was used to elucidate the impact of the different ITDs on growth, survival, signal transduction, and resistance to the FLT3-targeting inhibitor PKC412. Interestingly, the shortest and the longest ITDs were two of the three mutations that lead to the poorest survival of cells upon cytokine-deprivation, indicating that ITD size may not influence the transforming potential of cells. Furthermore one ITD that starts and ends relatively 3´ positioned, and comprises the 5´-part of the TKD1 showed both a survival advantage in starvation experiments and a significantly higher proliferation potential in comparison to several other mutations. Two other ITDs spanning this region, but with more 5´localized starting points, displayed less sensitivity to PKC412 treatment. However, this was not associated to STAT5 activity and MCL-1 upregulation as suggested by previous report. Taken together, this study suggests that different FLT3-ITD mutations may induce distinct signaling and response towards FLT3 targeting drugs, dependent of FLT3-ITD composition and not length.

Keywords [en]
FLT3-ITD, proliferation, apoptosis, tyrosine kinase inhibitor, resistance
National Category
Medical and Health Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-88200OAI: oai:DiVA.org:liu-88200DiVA, id: diva2:602072
Available from: 2013-01-31 Created: 2013-01-31 Last updated: 2013-01-31Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. The FLT3 Tyrosine Kinase in Leukemia: Deciphering the Downstream Signaling Events and Drug-Escape Mechanisms
Open this publication in new window or tab >>The FLT3 Tyrosine Kinase in Leukemia: Deciphering the Downstream Signaling Events and Drug-Escape Mechanisms
2013 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a severe disease, which originates in blood-forming cells. Although major advances in understanding the biology of AML, the majority of patients eventually succumb to the disease. The tyrosine kinase receptor FLT3 has become an attractive therapeutic target AML for two major reasons; 1) It is one of the most frequently mutated genes in AML (about 30%). 2) Most of these mutations (FLT3-ITDs) correlate with an increased risk of relapse and poor overall survival. Small targeting inhibitors towards FLT3 have been designed and evaluated in clinical trials. However, the experiences from clinical trials are that drug resistance develops in a substantial number of patients. To overcome these resistance-associated problems it its important to improve the understanding of how FLT3 mutations function and how they respond to targeting drugs. This was addressed in this thesis by elucidating FLT3-ITD cell transformation mechanisms, identifying key downstream target molecules of mutated FLT3 and exploring the effect of various targeting inhibitors. The major finding of my thesis is that FLT3-targeting drugs elicit apoptosis through a FOXO3a-dependent upregulation of proapoptotic BH3-only protein Bim via inactivation of the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway. Furthermore, we have identified an interesting apoptotic mechanism, linked to increased ROS levels caused by expressing hyperactivated AKT in hematopoietic stem cells and bone marrow progenitor cells from FLT3-ITD transgenic mice. These findings are interesting from a therapeutic point of view. We have also shown that canertinib, an inhibitor of the ERBB receptor family, targets mutated FLT3 in vitro and in vivo. The irreversible binding mechanism of canertinib, as well as its multikinase activity, is attractive features. Overall, the results presented herein could provide basis for future directions in treatment of FLT3 mutant positive AML patients. Finally, we studied nine different FLT3-ITD mutations ranging in length from 6-33 amino acids. Data from this study suggest that different FLT3-ITDs may induce distinct degrees of transformation and that they respond differentially to FLT3-targeting drugs. These differences were not associated with size of the duplication but rather the mutational composition. In conclusion, this thesis explores the biologic features of FLT3 mutations and therapeutic targeting opportunities.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Linköping: Linköping University Electronic Press, 2013. p. 69
Series
Linköping University Medical Dissertations, ISSN 0345-0082 ; 1355
National Category
Medical and Health Sciences
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-88202 (URN)978-91-7519-685-5 (ISBN)
Public defence
2013-02-26, Nils Holgersalen, Hälsouniversitetet, Campus US, Linköpings universitet, Linköping, 13:15 (Swedish)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2013-01-31 Created: 2013-01-31 Last updated: 2023-02-07Bibliographically approved

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Nordigården, AmandaTang, YanjuanHalvarsson, CamillaJönsson, Jan-Ingvar

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