Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0026986 (myelodysplastic syndrome)
 14,926 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The physiologic balance between the two regulatory subunit isoforms, RI and RII, of cAMP-dependent protein kinase is disrupted in cancer cells; growth arrest and differentiation of malignant cells can be achieved when the normal ratio of these intracellular signal transducers of cAMP is restored by the use of site-selective cAMP analogs. In this study we evaluated the effects of the site-selective cAMP analog 8-chloroadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-Cl-cAMP) on clonogenic growth of blast progenitors from 15 patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia and 3 patients affected by advanced myelodysplastic syndrome. Leukemic blast progenitors undergo terminal divisions, giving rise to colonies in methylcellulose. The self-renewal capacity of blast progenitors is conversely reflected in a secondary methylcellulose assay after exponential growth of clonogenic cells in suspension cultures. In all the samples tested, 8-Cl-cAMP, at micromolar concentrations (0.1-50 microM), suppressed in a dose-dependent manner both primary colony formation in methylcellulose and the recovery of clonogenic cells from suspension culture. Strikingly, in the samples from the entire group of patients, 8-Cl-cAMP was more effective in inhibiting the self-renewing clonogenic cells than the terminally dividing blast cells (P = 0.005). In addition, in four out of six cases studied, 8-Cl-cAMP was able to induce a morphologic and/or immunophenotypic maturation of leukemic blasts. An evident reduction of RI levels in fresh leukemic cells after exposure to 8-Cl-cAMP was also detected. Our results showing that 8-Cl-cAMP is a powerful inhibitor of clonogenic growth of leukemic blast progenitors by primarily suppressing their self-renewal capacity indicate that this site-selective cAMP analog represents a promising biological agent for acute myeloblastic leukemia therapy in humans.
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PMID:Inhibition of the self-renewal capacity of blast progenitors from acute myeloblastic leukemia patients by site-selective 8-chloroadenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate. 132 84

Vitamin A is essential for normal cellular growth and differentiation. A vast amount of laboratory data have clearly demonstrated the potent antiproliferative and differentiation-inducing effects of vitamin A and the synthetic analogues (retinoids). Recent in-vitro work has led to the exciting proposal that protein kinase-C may be centrally involved in many of retinoids' anticancer actions including the effects on ornithine decarboxylase induction, intracellular polyamine levels, and epidermal growth factor receptor number. Several intervention trials have clearly indicated that natural vitamin A at clinically tolerable doses has only limited activity against human neoplastic processes. Therefore, clinical work has focused on the synthetic derivatives with higher therapeutic indexes. In human cancer prevention, retinoids have been most effective for skin diseases, including actinic keratosis, keratoacanthoma, epidermodysplasia verruciformis, dysplastic nevus syndrome, and basal cell carcinoma. Several noncutaneous premaligancies, however, are currently receiving more attention in retinoid trials. Definite retinoid activity has been documented in oral leukoplakia, laryngeal papillomatosis, superficial bladder carcinoma, cervical dysplasia, bronchial metaplasia, and preleukemia. Significant therapeutic advances are also occurring with this class of drugs in some drug-resistant malignancies and several others that have become refractory, including advanced basal cell cancer, mycosis fungoides, melanoma, acute promyelocytic leukemia, and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin and of the head and neck. This report comprehensively presents the clinical data using retinoids as anticancer agents in human premalignant disorders and outlines the ongoing and planned studies with retinoids in combination and adjuvant therapy.
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PMID:Vitamin A derivatives in the prevention and treatment of human cancer. 306 55

Retinoids, the synthetic and natural analogs of vitamin A, frequently block the phenotypic expression of cancer in vitro; they also inhibit growth and induce differentiation in many animal and human malignant cell types. Only recently has it become possible to propose a unifying mechanism of retinoid action, which involves the protein kinase-C cascade system. This system may mediate retinoids' many diverse actions, including their effects on enzyme synthesis, membrane properties, growth factors, binding proteins, genomic and postgenomic expression, the extracellular matrix, and immunologic responses. Ongoing in vitro studies of retinoid structure-activity relationships, effects on oncogene expression, reversal of drug-resistance, and, especially, the protein kinase-C cascade system should help clarify the precise mechanism of their anticancer action. Many in vitro and in vivo assay systems are available for testing the 2000 + synthetic retinoids. These assays indicate specific drug sensitivities, which may help focus future clinical trials. In human cancer prevention, retinoids have been most effective for skin diseases, including actinic keratosis, keratoacanthoma, and basal cell carcinoma; however, nondermatologic premalignancies, such as oral leukoplakia, bronchial metaplasia, laryngeal papillomatosis, cervical dysplasia, myelodysplastic syndromes, and the urinary bladder, also respond to retinoid therapy. Significant therapeutic advances are also occurring with this class of drugs in refractory malignancies, including advanced cutaneous squamous and basal cell cancer, mycosis fungoides, and acute promyelocytic leukemia. Newer third-generation retinoids, such as the highly potent retinoidal benzoic acid derivatives, are demonstrating therapeutic indexes far higher than earlier-generation retinoids. Current in vitro testing is also demonstrating that retinoids have synergistic activity in combination with other agents (eg, biologic modifiers, hormones, and DNA synthesis inhibitors) and treatment modalities (eg, irradiation). Notwithstanding the progress already made with retinoids in human cancer, many in vitro questions remain, and clinical work is just beginning.
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PMID:Retinoids as preventive and therapeutic anticancer agents (Part I). 354 57

The proto-oncogenes c-fms and c-kit belong to a family of growth factor receptors possessing protein kinase activity. It has been shown that transfection of a c-fms gene carrying a point mutation at codon 301, leads to a ligand-independent transformation of mouse NIH3T3 cells. In human acute myeloid leukemia (AML), point mutations at codon 301 of the c-fms gene have been observed implying an important role in the transformation process. The possibility of a point mutation of the c-kit proto-oncogene was investigated. We sequenced a segment of the c-kit proto-oncogene coding for a part of the extracellular domain. This segment was 40.7% homologous to the c-fms region encompassing codon 301. c-DNA was prepared from peripheral blood or bone marrow cells from 25 patients with AML, from four patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and from three human myeloid cell lines. The region of interest was amplified with two rounds of polymerase chain reactions (PCR) with nested primers and directly sequenced. No point mutations were found in the investigated samples. Thus, point mutations in this segment of the c-kit gene do not seem to play an important role in the transformation process of human acute leukemia.
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PMID:Absence of point mutations in a functionally important part of the extracellular domain of the c-kit proto-oncogene in a series of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). 812 54

The myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a heterogeneous group of clonal blood disorders characterized by dyshematopoiesis with a frequent evolution to acute leukemia. Chromosomal deletions rather than translocations are the predominant karyotypic abnormalities in MDS, suggesting a recessive mechanism in the pathogenesis of MDS, such as inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. A group of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors, p15 (INK4B), p16 (INK4A), p18 (INK4C) and p19 (INK4D), are candidate tumor suppressor genes. To determine whether genetic alterations of these genes play an important role in the development and/or progression of MDS, we examined 46 samples from MDS patients by Southern blotting, single-strand-conformation polymorphism (SSCP) using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing of DNA. These samples included 13 refractory anemias (RA), four refractory anemias with ringed sideroblasts (RARS), 16 refractory anemias with an excess of blasts (RAEB), eight refractory anemias with an excess of blasts in transformation (RAEB-T) and five chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMMoL) samples. Except for allelic polymorphisms or silent point mutations, no alterations of coding regions of these four CDKI genes were identified. In summary, genetic abnormalities of the p15, p16, p18 and p19 genes are rare events in the development and/or progression of MDS.
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PMID:Molecular analysis of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor genes, p15, p16, p18 and p19 in the myelodysplastic syndromes. 911 Nov 68

p15(INK4b) gene is an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4 and CDK6 whose expression is induced by transforming growth factor (TGF)beta. Recent reports suggest frequent methylation of the p15(INK4b) gene promoter in leukemias, and it has been proposed that this methylation could be necessary for leukemic cells to escape TGF beta regulation. We investigated the methylation status of p15(INK4b) gene in 53 myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) cases, including nine that had progressed to acute myeloid leukemia (AML), using a recently described sensitive method where polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is preceded by bisulfite modification of DNA (methylation specific PCR). p15(INK4b) methylation was observed in 20 of 53 (38%) of the cases. Twenty of the 24 patients with greater than 10% bone marrow blasts had p15(INK4b) methylation (including all nine patients who had progressed to AML) as compared with none of MDS patients with <10% bone marrow blasts. No correlation between karyotypic abnormalities and methylation status was found. Patients with p15(INK4b) methylation had a worse prognosis, but the prognostic significance of p15(INK4b) methylation was no more found by multivariate analysis, due to its strong correlation to the percentage of marrow blasts. In 10 MDS cases, sequential DNA samples were available. In five of them, methylation of the p15(INK4b) gene was detected at leukemic transformation, but not at diagnosis. Our results showed that methylation of the p15(INK4b) gene in MDS is correlated with blastic bone marrow involvement and increases with disease evolution toward AML. It suggests that proliferation of leukemic cells might require an escape of regulation of the G1 phase of the cell cycle, and possibly of TGF beta inhibitory effect.
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PMID:Methylation of the p15(INK4b) gene in myelodysplastic syndromes is frequent and acquired during disease progression. 953 10

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors known as p15, p16, p18 and p19 have been suggested as candidates for tumor suppressor genes. The main genetic alterations are deletions (bi- or monoallelic) or 5' CpG island methylation of p15 and p16; very few cases or cell lines had p18 or p19 deletions or hypermethylation. Hypermethylation and homozygous deletions of tumor suppressor genes establish a new paradigm of inactivation by lack of expression, in contrast to the previously identified tumor suppressors which are predominantly inactivated by point mutations followed by loss of the wild-type allele. Here, the literature data on alterations of this gene family in more than 4700 primary cases of leukemia or lymphoma and some 320 continuous leukemia-lymphoma cell lines are summarized. Among hematopoietic malignancies, the highest frequencies of p15del and p16del were seen in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (>30%) with striking rates in T-ALL (>50%), but also high rates in B cell precursor (BCP)-ALL (>20%); the rates of deletions in chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL), multiple myeloma, acute and chronic myeloid leukemia (AML and CML), and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) were rather low, only some B cell and T cell lymphomas showed increased frequencies. Results are quite different with regard to the second mode of inactivation, hypermethylation of the promoter region. Here, p15 is most often inactivated, at particularly high frequencies in the disorders lacking any p15/p16 deletions: 40-80% p15met in AML, MDS and multiple myeloma. Also p15met rates in BCP- and T-ALL cases were high (c. 40%). There is controversy concerning the prognostic impact of p15 and p16 aberrations with some studies describing a significant correlation between inactivation of these genes and poor prognosis, while most others did not detect any prognostic relevance, at least in pediatric ALL; there may be a worse prognosis for adults with B or T cell lymphomas. Despite the small number of cases studied, paired sequential analyses suggested that disease progression is associated with loss of p15/p16 activity in a certain percentage of adult patients. p15del/p16del and p15met/p16met were also detected in the large panel of leukemia-lymphoma cell lines studied. In general, the results in cell lines reproduce the data seen in primary cells with the important difference that the rates of p15/p16 inactivation are clearly higher in the cultured cells compared with the freshly explanted cells. Retrovirus- or electroporation-mediated ectopic gene transfer of p16 wild-type into p16-deficient cell lines led to growth inhibition, arrest in G1 (without apoptosis) and occasionally to differentiation, suggesting that the malignant phenotype of p16-/- cell lines can, at least partially, be reversed by restoring p16 gene expression. A striking inverse correlation between the absence of p16 (due to deletion) and presence of wild-type retinoblastoma gene was observed in cell lines confirming a common growth suppressor pathway; no comparable relationship of p16 inactivation with p53 was detected. Paired analysis of cell lines and corresponding primary cell material showed that in all instances tested both populations carried the same gene configuration of p15 and p16. Thus, p15del or p16del did not occur during establishment of the cell lines or during prolonged culture. It is likely that p15 or p16 deletions already acquired in vivo provide a dramatic growth advantage for the immortalization process in vitro, thus increasing the success rate for cell line establishment which is commonly extremely difficult. In conclusion, the present review suggests an involvement of the p15 and p16 tumor suppressor genes in leukemo- and lymphomagenesis. Future studies will determine their exact role in the development and progression of hematopoietic neoplasms. These genes may represent interesting targets for new therapeutic strategies.
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PMID:Review of alterations of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor INK4 family genes p15, p16, p18 and p19 in human leukemia-lymphoma cells. 963 10

Human acute leukemia and myelodysplasia are often associated with an interstitial deletion in chromosome arm 5q. The deleted region is hypothesized to contain tumor suppressor loci that are critical to the maintenance of normal hematopoiesis. We have identified NKIAMRE, a novel cyclin-dependent kinase-related molecule that is closely related to the rat serine/threonine kinase NKIATRE. Human NKIAMRE localizes to chromosome band 5q31.1, centromeric to the interleukin 9 locus and telomeric to IFN response factor-1. NKIAMRE was deleted at both alleles in 9 of 18 leukemic samples with chromosome band 5q31 abnormalities studied by fluorescence in situ chromosomal hybridization. NKIAMRE loss may be an important determinant of dysmyelopoiesis.
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PMID:Identification of NKIAMRE, the human homologue to the mitogen-activated protein kinase-/cyclin-dependent kinase-related protein kinase NKIATRE, and its loss in leukemic blasts with chromosome arm 5q deletion. 1046 9

The paper presents a review of data on the localization of interferons (IFNs) and IFN system genes and their relationship with human diseases, mainly cancer. Genes of interferon system proteins are located at the sites of breakpoints of the structural chromosome aberrations in cancer. Thus, any of them are rearranged or translocated in various tumor types. As the activity of these genes plays a role in cancer development, their rearrangements may be one of the crucial points in the pathogenesis of some cancer types. Besides, they also take part in organism immunity against viral infections. Transfection experiments with IFN system genes have proved the influence of these genes on cancer behavior and may serve as a basis for clinical gene therapy. IFN-alpha and IFN-beta genes are located at 9p21-22, the site of frequent homozygotic deletions in cancer. Their loss sensitizes cells to the growth inhibitory actions of exogenous IFNs. The IFN-gamma gene, a representative of class II genes, is located at 12q24.1. Transfection of class II IFNs genes to cancer cell lines causes cell proliferation arrest and augments the expression of HLA antigens, which may be clinically useful in stimulating the immune destruction of tumor cells. The interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1) gene is located at 5q31, the site of common deletions in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and secondary leukemias. The loss of heterozygosity of this gene was found in MDS, which proves that IRF-1 may be a tumor suppressor. A transfection of its gene causes neoplastic transformation arrest. The double-stranded RNA-activated protein kinase (PKR) gene is located at 2p21-22, a region which is frequently rearranged in leukemia. Transfection of a wild type PKR gene reverses neoplastic transformation caused by transfection of a mutated PKR gene, proving that PKR acts as a dominant negative cancer suppressor.
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PMID:The genes of interferons and interferon-related factors: localization and relationships with chromosome aberrations in cancer. 1080 49

Adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and the myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) remain a formidable therapeutic challenge. Although 30-40% of young adults with AML may have prolonged remissions, following either intensive chemotherapy or bone marrow transplantation, the remainder relapse and ultimately die of their disease. Older adults, or those with leukemia following an antecedent hematologic disorder such as MDS, experience only brief remissions with modern chemotherapy, and in this population the rate of long-term disease-free survival is less than 10%. Treatment of MDS consists mainly of supportive care with antibiotics and transfusion therapy, and only a small minority of patients are cured with allogeneic stem cell transplantation. As the biology of the acute leukemias and MDS has unfolded, new potential targets for arresting malignant cell growth and restoring normal hematopoiesis have been identified. This article will discuss the relevance of the ras-raf signaling pathway in the pathogenesis of myeloid leukemia, and describes some early results in the use of novel small molecule inhibitors of farnysltransferase and raf protein kinase in leukemia therapy.
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PMID:Inhibition of raf kinase in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia. 1236 51


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