Overexpression/enhanced kinase activity of BCR/ABL and altered expression of Notch1 induced acute leukemia in p210BCR/ABL transgenic mice

Oncogene. 2008 May 29;27(24):3465-74. doi: 10.1038/sj.onc.1211007. Epub 2008 Jan 14.

Abstract

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a hematopoietic disorder, which begins as indolent chronic phase but inevitably progresses to fatal blast crisis. p210BCR/ABL, a constitutively active tyrosine kinase, is responsible for disease initiation but molecular mechanism(s) underlying disease evolution remains largely unknown. To explore this process, we employed retroviral insertional mutagenesis to CML-exhibiting p210BCR/ABL transgenic mice (Tg). Virus infection induced acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in p210BCR/ABL Tg with a higher frequency and in a shorter latency than wild-type littermates, and inverse PCR detected two retrovirus common integration sites (CISs) in p210BCR/ABL Tg tumors. Interestingly, one CIS was the transgene itself, where retrovirus integrations induced upregulation of p210BCR/ABL and production of truncated BCR/ABL with an enhanced kinase activity. Another CIS was Notch1 gene, where retrovirus integrations resulted in overexpression of Notch1 and generation of Notch1 lacking the C-terminal region (Notch1DeltaC) associated with stable expression of its activated product, C-terminal-truncated Notch intracellular domain (NICD Delta C). In addition, generation of Tg for both p210BCR/ABL and Notch1DeltaC developed ALL in a shortened period with Stat5 activation, demonstrating the cooperative oncogenicity of Notch1DeltaC/NICD Delta C with p210BCR/ABL involving Stat5-mediated pathway. These results demonstrated that overexpression/enhanced kinase activity of BCR/ABL and altered expression of Notch1 induces acute leukemia in a transgenic model for CML.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Animals, Newborn
  • B-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • B-Lymphocytes / pathology
  • B-Lymphocytes / virology
  • Blotting, Northern
  • Blotting, Southern
  • Blotting, Western
  • Female
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / genetics*
  • Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Immunoprecipitation
  • Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / genetics*
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Moloney murine sarcoma virus / pathogenicity
  • Mutagenesis, Insertional / physiology
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / etiology*
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / metabolism
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / pathology
  • Receptor, Notch1 / genetics*
  • Receptor, Notch1 / metabolism
  • Retroviridae / physiology
  • STAT5 Transcription Factor / metabolism
  • Survival Rate
  • T-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • T-Lymphocytes / pathology
  • T-Lymphocytes / virology
  • Virus Integration / physiology*

Substances

  • Notch1 protein, mouse
  • Receptor, Notch1
  • STAT5 Transcription Factor
  • Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl