Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0023467 (acute myeloid leukemia)
 35,200 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells of subtypes M4 and M5 show enhanced expression of CD64 (FcgammaRI), the high-affinity receptor for IgG, which is normally expressed at high levels only on activated cells of the myeloid lineage. CD64 is therefore a prime target for the specific delivery of cytotoxic agents. A promising toxin candidate is granzyme B, a human serine protease originating from cytotoxic granules of CD8+ T lymphocytes and natural killer cells. After evaluating the sensitivity of the AML-related cell line U937 toward cytosolic granzyme B, we genetically fused granzyme B to H22, a humanized single-chain antibody fragment (scFv) specific for CD64, to obtain Gb-H22(scFv), a fusion protein lacking the immunogenic properties of nonhuman immunofusions. Gb-H22(scFv) was successfully expressed in human 293T cells, secreted, and purified from cell culture supernatants. The purified protein bound specifically to CD64+ U937 cells. Despite linkage to the binding domain, the proteolytic activity of functional Gb-H22(scFv) was identical to that of free granzyme B. Target cell-specific cytotoxicity was observed with a half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) between 1.7 and 17 nmol/L. In addition, the induction of apoptosis in U937 cells was confirmed by Annexin A5 staining and the detection of activated caspase-3 in the cytosol. Finally, apoptosis was observed in primary CD64+ AML cells, whereas CD64(-) AML cells were unaffected. This is the first report of a completely human granzyme B-based immunotoxin directed against CD64, with activity against an AML-related cell line and primary AML cells.
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PMID:Granzyme B-H22(scFv), a human immunotoxin targeting CD64 in acute myeloid leukemia of monocytic subtypes. 1879 Jul 73

The block of hematopoietic differentiation program in acute myeloid leukemia cells can be overcome by differentiating agent like retinoic acid, but it has several side effects. A study of other differentiation signaling pathways is therefore useful to predict potential targets of anti-leukemic therapy. We demonstrated previously that the co-treatment of HL-60 cells with Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) (1 ng/mL) and inhibitor of 5-lipoxygenase MK886 (5 microm) potentiated both monocytic differentiation and apoptosis. In this study, we detected enhanced activation of three main types of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) (p38, c-Jun amino-terminal kinase [JNK], extracellular signal-regulated kinase [ERK]), so we assessed their role in differentiation using appropriate pharmacologic inhibitors. The inhibition of pro-apoptotic MAPKs (p38 and JNK) suppressed the effect of MK886 + TNF-alpha co-treatment. On the other hand, down-regulation of pro-survival ERK pathway led to increased differentiation. Those effects were accompanied by increased activation of caspases in cells treated by MK886 + TNF-alpha. Pan-caspase inhibitor ZVAD-fmk significantly decreased both number of apoptotic and differentiated cells. The same effect was observed after inhibition of caspase 9, but not caspase 3 and 8. To conclude, we evidenced that the activation of apoptotic processes and pathways supporting apoptosis (p38 and JNK MAPKs) is required for the monocytic differentiation of HL-60 cells.
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PMID:Monocytic differentiation of leukemic HL-60 cells induced by co-treatment with TNF-alpha and MK886 requires activation of pro-apoptotic machinery. 1922 Apr 23

Benzene is a well-known environmental pollutant that can induce hematotoxicity, aplastic anemia, acute myelogenous leukemia, and lymphoma. However, although benzene metabolites are known to induce oxidative stress and disrupt the cell cycle, the mechanism underlying lympho/leukemogenicity is not fully understood. Caspase-4 (alias caspase-11) and -12 are inflammatory caspases implicated in inflammation and endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced apoptosis. The objectives of this study were to investigate the altered expression of caspase-4 and -12 in mouse bone marrow after benzene exposure and to determine whether their alterations are associated with benzene-induced bone marrow toxicity, especially cellular apoptosis. In addition, we evaluated whether the p53 gene is involved in regulating the mechanism, using both wild-type (WT) mice and mice lacking the p53 gene. For this study, 8-week-old C57BL/6 mice [WT and p53 knockout (KO)] were administered a benzene solution (150 mg/kg diluted in corn oil) via oral gavage once daily, 5 days/week, for 1 or 2 weeks. Blood and bone marrow cells were collected and cell counts were measured using a Coulter counter. Total mRNA and protein extracts were prepared from the harvested bone marrow cells. Then qRT-PCR and Western blotting were performed to detect changes in the caspases at the mRNA and protein level, respectively. A DNA fragmentation assay and Annexin-V staining were carried out on the bone marrow cells to detect apoptosis. Results indicated that when compared to the control, leukocyte number and bone marrow cellularity decreased significantly in WT mice. The expression of caspase-4 and -12 mRNA increased significantly after 12 days of benzene treatment in the bone marrow cells of benzene-exposed p53KO mice. However, apoptosis detection assays indicated no evidence of apoptosis in p53KO or WT mice. In addition, no changes of other apoptosis-related caspases, such as caspase-3 and -9, were found in WT or p53KO mice at the level of mRNA and proteins. These results indicated that upregulation of caspase-4 and -12 in mice lacking the p53 gene is not associated with cellular apoptosis. In conclusion, caspase-4 and -12 can be activated by benzene treatment without inducing cell apoptosis in mouse bone marrow, which are partly under the regulation of the p53 gene.
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PMID:Benzene activates caspase-4 and -12 at the transcription level, without an association with apoptosis, in mouse bone marrow cells lacking the p53 gene. 1932 98

Kit is a membrane-bound tyrosine kinase and receptor for stem cell factor (SCF) with a crucial role in hematopoiesis. Mutations of KIT occur in almost half of patients with core-binding factor leukemias, in which they have been associated with worse outcome. Development of new compounds targeting Kit may therefore hold promise for therapy. We investigated the activity and mechanism of action of APcK110, a novel Kit inhibitor, in the mastocytosis cell line HMC1.2 (KITV560G and KITD816V), acute myeloid leukemia (AML) lines OCIM2 and OCI/AML3 (both wild-type), and primary samples from patients with AML. We show that (a) APcK110 inhibits proliferation of the mastocytosis cell line HMC1.2 and the SCF-responsive cell line OCI/AML3 in a dose-dependent manner; (b) APcK110 is a more potent inhibitor of OCI/AML3 proliferation than the clinically used Kit inhibitors imatinib and dasatinib and at least as potent as cytarabine; (c) APcK110 inhibits the phosphorylation of Kit, Stat3, Stat5, and Akt in a dose-dependent fashion, showing activity of APcK110 on Kit and its downstream signaling pathways; (d) APcK110 induces apoptosis by cleavage of caspase-3 and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase; and (e) APcK110 inhibits proliferation of primary AML blasts in a clonogenic assay but does not affect proliferation of normal colony-forming cells. Although APcK110 activity may partly depend on cytokine responsiveness (e.g., SCF) and not exclusively KIT mutation status, it remains a potent inhibitor of AML and mastocytosis cell lines and primary AML samples. APcK110 and similar compounds should be evaluated in clinical trials of patients with AML.
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PMID:Kit inhibitor APcK110 induces apoptosis and inhibits proliferation of acute myeloid leukemia cells. 1938 25

Here, we synthesized two phospha sugar derivatives, 2,3,4-tribromo-3-methyl-1-phenylphospholane 1-oxide (TMPP) and 2,3-dibromo-3-methyl-1-phenylphospholane 1-oxide (DMPP) by reacting 3-methyl-1-phenyl-2-phospholene 1-oxide with bromine, and investigated their potential as antileukemic agents in cell lines. Both agents showed inhibitory effects on leukemia cell proliferation, with mean IC(50) values of 6.25 micromol/L for TMPP and 23.7 micromol/L for DMPP, indicating that inhibition appeared to be dependent on the number of bromine atoms in the structure. Further, TMPP at 10 micromol/L and DMPP at 20 micromol/L induced G2/M cell cycle block in leukemia cells, and TMPP at 20 micromol/L induced apoptosis in these cells. TMPP treatment effected a reduction in both cell cycle progression signals (FoxM1, KIS, Cdc25B, Cyclin D1, Cyclin A, and Aurora-B) and tumor cell survival (p27(Kip1) and p21(Cip1)), as well as induced the activation of caspase-3 and -9. Further, treatment with TMPP significantly reduced the viability of AML specimens derived from AML patients, but only slightly reduced the viability of normal ALDH(hi) progenitor cells. We also observed that FoxM1 mRNA was overexpressed in AML cells, and treatment with TMPP reduced FoxM1 mRNA expression in AML cells. Here, we report on the synthesis of TMPP and DMPP and demonstrate that these agents hinder proliferation of leukemia cells by FoxM1 suppression, which leads to G2/M cell cycle block and subsequent caspase-3-dependent apoptosis in acute leukemia cells. These agents may facilitate the development of new strategies in targeted antileukemic therapy.
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PMID:Development and pharmacologic characterization of deoxybromophospha sugar derivatives with antileukemic activity. 1943 53

The mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase is a key regulator of cell growth and proliferation. Overexpression of the mTOR signaling pathway has been described in several tumor cells, including the majority of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases. The anti-tumor efficacy of mTOR inhibitors was shown in several preclinical and clinical studies. In AML, however, the potential antineoplastic effect of mTOR inhibitors has received little attention thus far. In this in-vitro study of the human AML cell line, HL-60, we aimed to assess the antileukemic activity of rapamycin (RAPA), an mTOR inhibitor, alone and in combination with cytarabine (Ara-C). The study showed that RAPA in concentrations of 1-10 nmol/l arrested the cell cycle progression of Hl-60 cells in the G1 phase, without evident cytotoxic effect. This effect was associated with significant inhibition of cyclin E expression. At concentrations higher than 10 nmol/l, RAPA exerted a significant proapoptotic effect, with the collapse of mitochondrial potential and caspase-3 activation. The most prominent proapoptotic effect was observed for a combination of 1 nmol/l of RAPA and 50 nmol/l of Ara-C, especially when Ara-C was added at a 24-h interval after RAPA. In conclusion, these data indicate that RAPA might be effective in the treatment of acute leukemia patients, especially in combination with Ara-C, the drug routinely used in AML treatment. On the basis of these results, attempts to combine classical induction chemotherapy with an inhibitor of the mTOR kinase in AML treatment could be warranted.
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PMID:Rapamycin, the mTOR kinase inhibitor, sensitizes acute myeloid leukemia cells, HL-60 cells, to the cytotoxic effect of arabinozide cytarabine. 1958 9

A 22-week-old female 129/SvEv mouse suddenly died in the context of an experiment aimed at defining the efficacy of valproic acid in a mouse model of PML/RARalpha-induced acute myeloid leukemia. Histologic analysis confirmed the mouse as being affected by a progressive myeloid leukemia, with infiltration of the spleen, bone marrow, liver, kidneys, and lungs. Variably sized intravascular clumps (emboli) of dense basophilic material admixed with necrotic or lytic neoplastic cells were also observed in multiple organs. A positive reaction to Feulgen and Hoechst stain confirmed the high content in chromatin of these basophilic emboli. Cleaved caspase-3 activity was demonstrated both in the leukemic infiltrates and among the intravascular necrotic or lytic neoplastic cells accompanying the basophilic emboli. A diagnosis of acute tumor lysis syndrome related to therapy-induced massive necrosis and/or apoptosis of leukemic cells with subsequent dissemination of emboli of chromatin was proposed.
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PMID:Diagnostic exercise: sudden death in a mouse with experimentally induced acute myeloid leukemia. 1960 17

Aurora kinase A, also known as aurora A, is a serine/threonine kinase that plays critical roles in mitosis entry, chromosome alignment, segregation, and cytokinesis. Overexpression of aurora A has been observed in many solid tumors and some hematopoietic neoplasms, but little is known about its expression in myeloid diseases. Because cytogenetic abnormalities play an essential role in the pathogenesis of myeloid malignancies, we hypothesized that aurora A deregulation may be involved in myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia and contribute to the chromosomal instability observed in these diseases. We assessed aurora A mRNA levels in CD34(+) bone marrow blasts from nine patients with acute myeloid leukemia, 20 patients with myelodysplastic syndromes, and five normal patients serving as controls. CD34(+) blasts were isolated from bone marrow aspirate specimens using magnetic activated cell separation technology. RNA was extracted from purified CD34(+) cells, and quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction for aurora A was performed. Immunocytochemical analyses for total aurora A, phosphorylated aurora A, Ki-67, and activated caspase 3 were performed on cytospin slides made from purified CD34(+) cells in myelodysplastic syndrome patients using standard methods. Aurora A mRNA and protein levels were correlated, as was aurora A mRNA level, with blast counts, cytogenetic abnormalities, and International Prognostic Scoring System score. We found that CD34(+) cells in myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia expressed aurora A at significantly higher levels (P = 0.01 and P = 0.01, respectively) than normal CD34(+) cells. Aurora A mRNA levels correlated with total and phosphorylated protein levels (P = 0.0002 and P = 0.02, respectively). No significant correlation was found between aurora A mRNA level and blast count, blast viability, cytogenetic abnormalities, or the International Prognostic Scoring System score in patients with myelodysplastic syndromes. We conclude that aurora A is up-regulated in CD34(+) blasts from myeloid neoplasms.
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PMID:Analysis of Aurora kinase A expression in CD34(+) blast cells isolated from patients with myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia. 1966 17

Deregulation of cell cycle and apoptosis pathways are known contributors to the pathogenesis of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully clarified. The aim of our study was to examine mRNA expression levels of cell cycle and apoptosis regulatory genes, as well as the percentage of apoptotic and S phase cells and to correlate the findings with clinical characteristics and prognosis. Sixty patients with MDS, classified according to FAB (17 RA, five RARS, 19 RAEB, nine RAEBT, ten CMML) and WHO (ten RA, three RARS, seven RCMD, two RCMD-RS, 11 RAEBI, eight RAEBII, ten CMML, and nine AML) were included in the study. We found increased expression of anti-apoptotic bclxL and mcl1 genes and decreased expression of p21 gene in MDS patients. Moreover, we found increased expression of anti-apoptotic mcl1 gene in patients with higher than Intermediate-1 IPSS group. Multivariate analysis confirmed that combined expression of apoptotic caspases 8, 3, 6, 5, 2, 7, and Granzyme B was decreased in MDS patients. Regarding cell cycle regulatory genes expression, we demonstrated increased expression of cyclin D1 in patients with CMML Increased combined expression of cyclins B, C, D1, and D2 was found in patients with cytogenetic abnormalities. The two pathways seem to be interconnected as shown by the positive correlation between CDKs 1, 2, 4, p21 and the level of apoptosis and positive correlation between apoptotic caspase 3 expression and the percentage of S phase cells. In conclusion, our study showed altered expression of genes involved in apoptosis and cell cycle in MDS and increased expression of cyclin D1 in patients with CMML.
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PMID:Cell cycle and apoptosis regulatory gene expression in the bone marrow of patients with de novo myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). 1981 13

EVI1 is a nuclear zinc finger protein essential to normal development, which participates in acute myeloid leukaemia progression and transforms Rat1 fibroblasts. In this study we show that enforced expression of Evi1 in Rat1 fibroblasts protects from paclitaxel-induced apoptosis, consistent with previously published studies. Surprisingly, however, these cells show increased sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2))-induced apoptosis, demonstrated by elevated caspase 3 catalytic activity. This effect is caused by a reduction in carbonic anhydrase III (caIII) production. caIII transcripts are repressed by 92-97% by Evi1 expression, accompanied by a similar reduction in caIII protein. Reporter assays with the rat caIII gene promoter show repressed activity, demonstrating that Evi1 either directly or indirectly modulates transcription of this gene in Rat1 cells. Targeted knockdown of caIII alone, with Dicer-substrate short inhibitory RNAs, also increases the sensitivity of Rat1 fibroblasts to H(2)O(2), which occurs in the absence of any other changes mediated by Evi1 expression. Enforced expression of caIII in Evi1-expressing Rat1 cells reverts the phenotype, restoring H(2)O(2) resistance. Together these data show that Evi1 represses transcription of caIII gene expression, leading to increased sensitivity to H(2)O(2)-induced apoptosis in Rat1 cells and might suggest the basis for the development of a novel therapeutic strategy for the treatment of leukaemias and solid tumours where EVI1 is overexpressed.
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PMID:Enhanced sensitivity to hydrogen peroxide-induced apoptosis in Evi1 transformed Rat1 fibroblasts due to repression of carbonic anhydrase III. 2001 77


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