scholarly journals Druggable Biochemical Pathways and Potential Therapeutic Alternatives to Target Leukemic Stem Cells and Eliminate the Residual Disease in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (22) ◽  
pp. 5616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabien Muselli ◽  
Jean-François Peyron ◽  
Didier Mary

Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is a disease arising in stem cells expressing the BCR-ABL oncogenic tyrosine kinase that transforms one Hematopoietic stem/progenitor Cell into a Leukemic Stem Cell (LSC) at the origin of differentiated and proliferating leukemic cells in the bone marrow (BM). CML-LSCs are recognized as being responsible for resistances and relapses that occur despite the advent of BCR-ABL-targeting therapies with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs). LSCs share a lot of functional properties with Hematopoietic Stem Cells (HSCs) although some phenotypical and functional differences have been described during the last two decades. Subverted mechanisms affecting epigenetic processes, apoptosis, autophagy and more recently metabolism and immunology in the bone marrow microenvironment (BMM) have been reported. The aim of this review is to bring together the modifications and molecular mechanisms that are known to account for TKI resistance in primary CML-LSCs and to focus on the potential solutions that can circumvent these resistances, in particular those that have been, or will be tested in clinical trials.

Blood ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 126 (23) ◽  
pp. 5559-5559
Author(s):  
Jiajia Xin ◽  
Dandan Yin ◽  
Wei Fu ◽  
Hui-Jie Zhang ◽  
Yaozhen Chen ◽  
...  

Abstract Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloid proliferative disorder mainly result from chimeric protein BCR-ABL1 encoded by a fusion gene at the t(9;22) (q34;q11) chromosomal translocation. Intrinsically, this recombined protein results in an increased tyrosine kinase (TK) activity that directly related to hematopoietic stem cell malignant proliferation. Consequently, the drugs derived from tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) have been developed as an infective therapy, and greatly improved patients survival in clinic. Unfortunately, single TKI administration led to toxicities or tolerance in long-term treated CML patients. Even worse is, about 5% CML patients were not caused by bcr-abl gene mutation. Thus better medicines are badly needed to compensate CML therapy. Herein, we investigated the undefined function of a biscoumarins. The new synthesized compound exhibited a null toxicity on HUVECs but intensive toxicity on K562 leukemic cells. Subsequent results demonstrated that it efficiently inhibited the expansion of human CML cell line and bone marrow cells of SCL-tTA-BCL/ABL transgenic model mice via increased apoptosis. Critically, we also showed that CD34+ bone marrow leukemic cells collected from patients underwent more apoptosis after treated by the biscoumarins derivate. To extend these results into vivo, we observed a prolonged survival of bcr-abl transgenic mice treated by derivate mono-therapy or combination with imatinib compared to those of untreated or imatinib-treated CML mice. All together, these results indicated that this biscoumarins derivate may have novel potential as a therapeutic agent against CML. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2020 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 411-418 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sylvain Lefort ◽  
Véronique Maguer-Satta

The bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) pathway regulates the fate and proliferation of normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) as well as interactions with their niche. While BMP2 and BMP4 promote HSC differentiation, only BMP4 maintains HSC pool and favors interactions with their niche. In myeloid leukemia, we have identified intrinsic and extrinsic dysregulations of the BMP pathway in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) and Acute Myeloid leukemia (AML) responsible for leukemic stem cells (LSC) survival. In AML, BMP pathway alterations sustain and promote resistant immature-like leukemic cells by activating a new signaling cascade. Binding of BMP4 to BMPR1A leads to ΔNp73 expression, which in turn induces NANOG, altogether associated with a poor patient's prognosis. Despite efficient targeted therapies, like Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKI) in CML, many patients retain LSCs. Our laboratory demonstrated that the BMP pathway sustains a permanent pool of LSCs expressing high levels of BMPR1B receptor, that evolve upon treatment to progressively implement a BMP4 autocrine loop, leading to TKI-resistant cells. Single cell RNA-Seq analysis of TKI-persisting LSCs showed a co-enrichment of BMP with Jak2-signaling, quiescence and stem cell (SC) signatures. Using a new model of persisting LSCs, we recently demonstrated that BMPR1B+ cells display co-activated Smad1/5/8 and Stat3 pathways and could be targeted by blocking BMPR1B/Jak2 signal. Lastly, a specific BMPR1B inhibitor impaired BMP4-mediated LSC protection against TKIs. Altogether, data based on various studies including ours, indicate that BMP targeting could eliminate leukemic cells within a protective bone marrow microenvironment to efficiently impact residual resistance or persistence of LSCs in myeloid leukemia.


Blood ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 119 (6) ◽  
pp. 1501-1510 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashley Hamilton ◽  
G. Vignir Helgason ◽  
Mirle Schemionek ◽  
Bin Zhang ◽  
Svetlana Myssina ◽  
...  

Abstract Recent evidence suggests chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) stem cells are insensitive to kinase inhibitors and responsible for minimal residual disease in treated patients. We investigated whether CML stem cells, in a transgenic mouse model of CML-like disease or derived from patients, are dependent on Bcr-Abl. In the transgenic model, after retransplantation, donor-derived CML stem cells in which Bcr-Abl expression had been induced and subsequently shut off were able to persist in vivo and reinitiate leukemia in secondary recipients on Bcr-Abl reexpression. Bcr-Abl knockdown in human CD34+ CML cells cultured for 12 days in physiologic growth factors achieved partial inhibition of Bcr-Abl and downstream targets p-CrkL and p-STAT5, inhibition of proliferation and colony forming cells, but no reduction of input cells. The addition of dasatinib further inhibited p-CrkL and p-STAT5, yet only reduced input cells by 50%. Complete growth factor withdrawal plus dasatinib further reduced input cells to 10%; however, the surviving fraction was enriched for primitive leukemic cells capable of growth in a long-term culture-initiating cell assay and expansion on removal of dasatinib and addition of growth factors. Together, these data suggest that CML stem cell survival is Bcr-Abl kinase independent and suggest curative approaches in CML must focus on kinase-independent mechanisms of resistance.


2006 ◽  
Vol 63 (4) ◽  
pp. 364-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milica Strnad ◽  
Goran Brajuskovic ◽  
Natasa Strelic ◽  
Biljana Zivanovic-Todoric ◽  
Ljiljana Tukic ◽  
...  

Background/Aim. Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) represents a malignant myeloproliferative disease developed out of pluripotent hematopoietic stem cell that contains the fusion bcr-abl gene. Disorders that occur in the process of apoptosis represent one of the possible molecular mechanisms that bring about the disease progress. The aim of our study was to carry out the analysis of the presence of the amplification of the cmyc oncogene, as well as the analysis of the changes in the expression of Bcl-2 in the patients with CML. Methods. Our study included 25 patients with CML (18 in chronic phase, 7 in blast transformation). Using an immunohistochemical alkaline phosphatase-anti-alkaline phosphatase (APAAP) method, we analyzed the expression of cell death protein in the mononuclear bone marrow cells of 25 CML patients. By a differential PCR (polymerase chain reaction) method, we followed the presence of amplified c-myc gene in mononuclear peripheral blood cells. Results. The level of the expression of Bcl-2 protein was considerably higher in the bone marrow samples of the patients undergoing blast transformation of the disease. The amplification of c-myc gene was detected in 30% of the patients in blast transformation of the disease. Conclusion. The expression of Bcl-2 protein and the amplification of c-myc gene are in correlation with the disease progression.


Blood ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 801-807 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Leemhuis ◽  
D Leibowitz ◽  
G Cox ◽  
R Silver ◽  
EF Srour ◽  
...  

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a malignant disorder of the hematopoietic stem cell. It has been shown that normal stem cells coexist with malignant stem cells in the bone marrow of patients with chronic-phase CML. To characterize the primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells within CML marrow, CD34+DR- and CD34+DR+ cells were isolated using centrifugal elutriation, monoclonal antibody labeling, and flow cytometric cell sorting. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of RNA samples from these CD34+ subpopulations was used to detect the presence of the BCR/ABL translocation characteristic of CML. The CD34+DR+ subpopulation contained BCR/ABL(+) cells in 11 of 12 marrow samples studied, whereas the CD34+DR- subpopulation contained BCR/ABL(+) cells in 6 of 9 CML marrow specimens. These cell populations were assayed for hematopoietic progenitor cells, and individual hematopoietic colonies were analyzed by PCR for their BCR/ABL status. Results from six patients showed that nearly half of the myeloid colonies cloned from CD34+DR- cells were BCR/ABL(+), although the CD34+DR- subpopulation contained significantly fewer BCR/ABL(+) progenitor cells than either low-density bone marrow (LDBM) or the CD34+DR+ fraction. These CD34+ cells were also used to establish stromal cell-free long-term bone marrow cultures to assess the BCR/ABL status of hematopoietic stem cells within these CML marrow populations. After 28 days in culture, three of five cultures initiated with CD34+DR- cells produced BCR/ABL(-) cells. By contrast, only one of eight cultures initiated with CD34+DR+ cells were BCR/ABL(-) after 28 days. These results indicate that the CD34+DR- subpopulation of CML marrow still contains leukemic progenitor cells, although to a lesser extent than either LDBM or CD34+DR+ cells.


Blood ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 801-807 ◽  
Author(s):  
T Leemhuis ◽  
D Leibowitz ◽  
G Cox ◽  
R Silver ◽  
EF Srour ◽  
...  

Abstract Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a malignant disorder of the hematopoietic stem cell. It has been shown that normal stem cells coexist with malignant stem cells in the bone marrow of patients with chronic-phase CML. To characterize the primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells within CML marrow, CD34+DR- and CD34+DR+ cells were isolated using centrifugal elutriation, monoclonal antibody labeling, and flow cytometric cell sorting. Polymerase chain reaction analysis of RNA samples from these CD34+ subpopulations was used to detect the presence of the BCR/ABL translocation characteristic of CML. The CD34+DR+ subpopulation contained BCR/ABL(+) cells in 11 of 12 marrow samples studied, whereas the CD34+DR- subpopulation contained BCR/ABL(+) cells in 6 of 9 CML marrow specimens. These cell populations were assayed for hematopoietic progenitor cells, and individual hematopoietic colonies were analyzed by PCR for their BCR/ABL status. Results from six patients showed that nearly half of the myeloid colonies cloned from CD34+DR- cells were BCR/ABL(+), although the CD34+DR- subpopulation contained significantly fewer BCR/ABL(+) progenitor cells than either low-density bone marrow (LDBM) or the CD34+DR+ fraction. These CD34+ cells were also used to establish stromal cell-free long-term bone marrow cultures to assess the BCR/ABL status of hematopoietic stem cells within these CML marrow populations. After 28 days in culture, three of five cultures initiated with CD34+DR- cells produced BCR/ABL(-) cells. By contrast, only one of eight cultures initiated with CD34+DR+ cells were BCR/ABL(-) after 28 days. These results indicate that the CD34+DR- subpopulation of CML marrow still contains leukemic progenitor cells, although to a lesser extent than either LDBM or CD34+DR+ cells.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document