Cotreatment with 17-allylamino-demethoxygeldanamycin and FLT-3 kinase inhibitor PKC412 is highly effective against human acute myelogenous leukemia cells with mutant FLT-3

Cancer Res. 2004 May 15;64(10):3645-52. doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-04-0006.

Abstract

Presence of the activating length mutation (LM) in the juxtamembrane domain or point mutation in the kinase domain of FMS-like tyrosine kinase-3 (FLT-3) mediates ligand-independent progrowth and prosurvival signaling in approximately one-third of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). PKC412, an inhibitor of FLT-3 kinase activity, is being clinically evaluated in AML. Present studies demonstrate that treatment of human acute leukemia MV4-11 cells (containing a FLT-3 LM) with the heat shock protein 90 inhibitor 17-allylamino-demethoxy geldanamycin (17-AAG) attenuated the levels of FLT-3 by inhibiting its chaperone association with heat shock protein 90, which induced the poly-ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation of FLT-3. Treatment with 17-AAG induced cell cycle G(1) phase accumulation and apoptosis of MV4-11 cells. 17-AAG-mediated attenuation of FLT-3 and p-FLT-3 in MV4-11 cells was associated with decrease in the levels of p-AKT, p-ERK1/2, and p-STAT5, as well as attenuation of the DNA binding activity of STAT-5. Treatment with 17-AAG, downstream of STAT5, reduced the levels of c-Myc and oncostatin M, which are transactivated by STAT5. Cotreatment with 17-AAG and PKC412 markedly down-regulated the levels of FLT-3, p-FLT-3, p-AKT, p-ERK1/2, and p-STAT5, as well as induced more apoptosis of MV4-11 cells than either agent alone. Furthermore, the combination of 17-AAG and PKC412 exerted synergistic cytotoxic effects against MV4-11 cells. Importantly, 17-AAG and PKC412 induced more loss of cell viability of primary AML blasts containing FLT-3 LM, as compared with those that contained wild-type FLT-3. Collectively, these in vitro findings indicate that the combination of 17-AAG and PKC412 has high level of activity against AML cells with FLT-3 mutations.

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / pharmacology*
  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Benzoquinones
  • Cysteine Endopeptidases / metabolism
  • DNA, Neoplasm / metabolism
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • Drug Synergism
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / administration & dosage
  • Enzyme Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • G1 Phase / drug effects
  • HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Lactams, Macrocyclic
  • Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / drug therapy*
  • Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / enzymology
  • Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / genetics
  • Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / pathology
  • Milk Proteins*
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / metabolism
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases / metabolism
  • Multienzyme Complexes / metabolism
  • Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / genetics*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / genetics*
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / metabolism
  • Rifabutin / administration & dosage
  • Rifabutin / analogs & derivatives*
  • Rifabutin / pharmacology*
  • STAT5 Transcription Factor
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • Staurosporine / administration & dosage
  • Staurosporine / analogs & derivatives*
  • Staurosporine / pharmacology*
  • Trans-Activators / metabolism
  • Ubiquitin / metabolism
  • fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3

Substances

  • Benzoquinones
  • DNA, Neoplasm
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • Enzyme Inhibitors
  • HSP90 Heat-Shock Proteins
  • Lactams, Macrocyclic
  • Milk Proteins
  • Multienzyme Complexes
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • STAT5 Transcription Factor
  • Trans-Activators
  • Ubiquitin
  • Rifabutin
  • tanespimycin
  • FLT3 protein, human
  • Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases
  • fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3
  • AKT1 protein, human
  • Protein Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3
  • Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases
  • Cysteine Endopeptidases
  • Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex
  • Staurosporine
  • midostaurin