The role of RAS effectors in BCR/ABL induced chronic myelogenous leukemia

Front Med. 2013 Dec;7(4):452-61. doi: 10.1007/s11684-013-0304-0. Epub 2013 Nov 21.

Abstract

BCR/ABL is the causative agent of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Through structure/function analysis, several protein motifs have been determined to be important for the development of leukemogenesis. Tyrosine177 of BCR is a Grb2 binding site required for BCR/ABL-induced CML in mice. In the current study, we use a mouse bone marrow transduction/transplantation system to demonstrate that addition of oncogenic NRAS (NRASG12D) to a vector containing a BCR/ABL(Y177F) mutant "rescues" the CML phenotype rapidly and efficiently. To further narrow down the pathways downstream of RAS that are responsible for this rescue effect, we utilize well-characterized RAS effector loop mutants and determine that the RAL pathway is important for rapid induction of CML. Inhibition of this pathway by a dominant negative RAL is capable of delaying disease progression. Results from the present study support the notion of RAL inhibition as a potential therapy for BCR/ABL-induced CML.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biomarkers, Tumor / metabolism*
  • Blotting, Western
  • Bone Marrow Transplantation
  • Carcinogenesis / metabolism*
  • Flow Cytometry
  • Fluorescent Antibody Technique
  • Genetic Vectors
  • Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / metabolism*
  • Mice
  • NIH 3T3 Cells
  • Retroviridae
  • ral GTP-Binding Proteins / metabolism*
  • ral Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor / metabolism*
  • ras Proteins / metabolism*

Substances

  • Biomarkers, Tumor
  • ral Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor
  • ral GTP-Binding Proteins
  • ras Proteins