[PDF][PDF] Wnt/Ca2+/NFAT signaling maintains survival of Ph+ leukemia cells upon inhibition of Bcr-Abl

MA Gregory, TL Phang, P Neviani, F Alvarez-Calderon… - Cancer cell, 2010 - cell.com
MA Gregory, TL Phang, P Neviani, F Alvarez-Calderon, CA Eide, T O'Hare, V Zaberezhnyy…
Cancer cell, 2010cell.com
Summary Although Bcr-Abl kinase inhibitors have proven effective in the treatment of
chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), they generally fail to eradicate Bcr-Abl+ leukemia cells. To
identify genes whose inhibition sensitizes Bcr-Abl+ leukemias to killing by Bcr-Abl inhibitors,
we performed an RNAi-based synthetic lethal screen with imatinib mesylate in CML cells.
This screen identified numerous components of a Wnt/Ca 2+/NFAT signaling pathway.
Antagonism of this pathway led to impaired NFAT activity, decreased cytokine production …
Summary
Although Bcr-Abl kinase inhibitors have proven effective in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), they generally fail to eradicate Bcr-Abl+ leukemia cells. To identify genes whose inhibition sensitizes Bcr-Abl+ leukemias to killing by Bcr-Abl inhibitors, we performed an RNAi-based synthetic lethal screen with imatinib mesylate in CML cells. This screen identified numerous components of a Wnt/Ca2+/NFAT signaling pathway. Antagonism of this pathway led to impaired NFAT activity, decreased cytokine production, and enhanced sensitivity to Bcr-Abl inhibition. Furthermore, NFAT inhibition with cyclosporin A facilitated leukemia cell elimination by the Bcr-Abl inhibitor dasatinib and markedly improved survival in a mouse model of Bcr-Abl+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Targeting this pathway in combination with Bcr-Abl inhibition could improve treatment of Bcr-Abl+ leukemias.
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