Masao Mizuki

Somatic mutations of the receptor tyrosine kinase Flt3 consisting of internal tandem duplications (ITD) occur in 20% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia. They are associated with a poor prognosis of the disease. In this study, we characterized the oncogenic potential and signaling properties of Flt3 mutations. We constructed chimeric molecules that consisted of the murine Flt3 backbone and a 510-base pair human Flt3 fragment, which contained either 4 different ITD mutants or the wild-type coding sequence. Flt3 isoforms containing ITD mutations (Flt3-ITD) induced factor-independent growth and resistance to radiation-induced apoptosis in 32D cells. Cells containing Flt3-ITD, but not those containing wild-type Flt3 (Flt3-WT), formed colonies in methylcellulose. Injection of 32D/Flt3-ITD induced rapid development of a leukemia-type disease in syngeneic mice. Flt3-ITD mutations exhibited constitutive autophosphorylation of the immature form of the Flt3 receptor. Analysis of the involved signal transduction pathways revealed that Flt3-ITD only slightly activated the MAP kinases Erk1 and 2 and the protein kinase B (Akt) in the absence of ligand and retained ligand-induced activation of these enzymes. However, Flt3-ITD led to strong factor-independent activation of STAT5. The relative importance of the STAT5 and Ras pathways for ITD-induced colony formation was assessed by transfection of dominant negative (dn) forms of these proteins: transfection of dnSTAT5 inhibited colony formation by 50%. Despite its weak constitutive activation by Flt3-ITD, dnRas also strongly inhibited Flt3-ITD-mediated colony formation. Taken together, Flt3-ITD mutations induce factor-independent growth and leukemogenesis of 32D cells that are mediated by the Ras and STAT5 pathways. (Blood. 2000;96:3907-3914)

The receptor tyrosine kinase Flt3 is expressed and functionally important in early myeloid progenitor cells and in the majority of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) blasts. Internal tandem duplications (ITDs) in the juxtamembrane domain of the receptor occur in 25% of AML cases. Previously, we have shown that these mutations activate the receptor and induce leukemic transformation. In this study, we performed genome-wide parallel expression analyses of 32Dcl3 cells stably transfected with either wild-type or 3 different ITD isoforms of Flt3. Comparison of microarray expression analyses revealed that 767 of 6586 genes differed in expression between FLT3-WT- and FLT3-ITD-expressing cell lines. The target genes of mutationally activated Flt3 resembled more closely those of the interleukin 3 (IL-3) receptor than those of ligand-activated Flt3. The serine-threonine kinase Pim-2 was up-regulated on the mRNA and the protein level in Flt3-ITD-expressing cells. Further experiments indicated that Pim-2 function was important for clonal growth of 32D cells. Several genes repressed by the mutations were found to be involved in myeloid gene regulation. Pu.1 and C/EBPalpha, both induced by ligand-activation of wild-type Flt3, were suppressed in their expression and function by the Flt3 mutations. In conclusion, internal tandem duplication mutations of Flt3 activate transcriptional programs that partially mimic IL-3 activity. Interestingly, other parts of the transcriptional program involve novel, IL-3-independent pathways that antagonize differentiation-inducing effects of wild-type Flt3. The identification of the transcriptional program induced by ITD mutations should ease the development of specific therapies.

Notch and HOXB4 have been reported to expand hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in vitro. However, their critical effector molecules remain undetermined. We found that the expression of c-myc, cyclin D2, cyclin D3, cyclin E, and E2F1 was induced or enhanced during Notch1- or HOXB4-induced self-renewal of murine HSCs. Since c-Myc can act as a primary regulator of G1/S transition, we examined whether c-Myc alone can induce self-renewal of HSCs. In culture with stem cell factor, FLT3 ligand, and IL-6, a 4-hydroxytamoxifen-inducible form of c-Myc (Myc/ERT) enabled murine Lin–Sca-1+ HSCs to proliferate with the surface phenotype compatible with HSCs for more than 28 days. c-Myc activated by 4-hydroxytamoxifen augmented telomerase activities and increased the number of CFU-Mix about 2-fold in colony assays. Also, in reconstitution assays, HSCs expanded by c-Myc could reconstitute hematopoiesis for more than 6 months. As for the mechanism of c-myc induction by Notch1, we found that activated forms of Notch1 (NotchIC) and its downstream effector recombination signal-binding protein-J κ (RBP-VP16) can activate the c-myc promoter through the element between –195 bp and –161 bp by inducing the DNA-binding complex. Together, these results suggest that c-Myc can support self-renewal of HSCs as a downstream mediator of Notch and HOXB4. Notch and HOXB4 have been reported to expand hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in vitro. However, their critical effector molecules remain undetermined. We found that the expression of c-myc, cyclin D2, cyclin D3, cyclin E, and E2F1 was induced or enhanced during Notch1- or HOXB4-induced self-renewal of murine HSCs. Since c-Myc can act as a primary regulator of G1/S transition, we examined whether c-Myc alone can induce self-renewal of HSCs. In culture with stem cell factor, FLT3 ligand, and IL-6, a 4-hydroxytamoxifen-inducible form of c-Myc (Myc/ERT) enabled murine Lin–Sca-1+ HSCs to proliferate with the surface phenotype compatible with HSCs for more than 28 days. c-Myc activated by 4-hydroxytamoxifen augmented telomerase activities and increased the number of CFU-Mix about 2-fold in colony assays. Also, in reconstitution assays, HSCs expanded by c-Myc could reconstitute hematopoiesis for more than 6 months. As for the mechanism of c-myc induction by Notch1, we found that activated forms of Notch1 (NotchIC) and its downstream effector recombination signal-binding protein-J κ (RBP-VP16) can activate the c-myc promoter through the element between –195 bp and –161 bp by inducing the DNA-binding complex. Together, these results suggest that c-Myc can support self-renewal of HSCs as a downstream mediator of Notch and HOXB4.

Stem cell factor (SCF) has crucial roles in proliferation, survival, and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells and mast cells through binding to c-Kit receptor (KIT). Chemotaxis is another unique function of SCF. However, little is known about the intracellular signaling pathway of SCF/KIT-mediated cell migration. To investigate the signaling cascade, we made a series of 22 KIT mutants, in which tyrosine (Y) residue was substituted for phenylalanine (F) in the cytoplasmic domain, and introduced into BAF3 cells or 293T cells. On stimulation with SCF, BAF3 expressing KIT(WT)(WT) showed cell migration and Ca(2+) mobilization. Among 22 YF mutants, Y567F, Y569F, and Y719F showed significantly reduced cell migration and Ca(2+) mobilization compared to WT. In Y567F, Lyn activation on SCF stimulation decreased and C-terminal Src kinase (Csk) suppressed KIT-mediated Ca(2+) influx and cell migration, suggesting that Y567-mediated Src family kinase (SFK) activation leads to Ca(2+) influx and migration. Furthermore, we found that p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) and Erk1/2 were also regulated by Y567/SFK and involved in cell migration, and that p38 MAPK induced Ca(2+) influx, thereby leading to Erk1/2 activation. In Y719F, the binding of phosphatidylinositol 3'-kinase (PI3K) to KIT was lost and KIT-mediated cell migration and Ca(2+) mobilization were suppressed by PI3K chemical inhibitors or dominant-negative PI3K, suggesting the involvement of Y719-mediated PI3K pathway in cell migration. Combination of Csk and the PI3K inhibitor synergistically reduced cell migration, suggesting the cooperation of SFK and PI3K. Taken together, these results indicate that 2 major KIT signaling pathways lead to cell migration, one is Y567-SFK-p38 MAPK-Ca(2+) influx-Erk and the other is Y719-PI3K-Ca(2+) influx.