Abstract
Genome sequencing is revealing a vast mutational landscape in leukemia, offering new opportunities for treatment with targeted therapy. Here, we identify two patients with acute myelogenous leukemia and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia whose tumors harbor point mutations in the ALK kinase. The mutations reside in the extracellular domain of ALK and are potently transforming in cytokine-independent cellular assays and primary mouse bone marrow colony formation studies. Strikingly, both mutations conferred sensitivity to ALK kinase inhibitors, including the FDA-approved drug crizotinib. On the basis of our results, we propose that tumors harboring ALK mutations may be therapeutically tractable for personalized treatment of certain aggressive leukemias with ALK inhibitors.
©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.
Publication types
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Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
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Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
MeSH terms
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Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase
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Animals
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Cell Line, Tumor
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Crizotinib
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Drug Resistance, Neoplasm / genetics
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High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing
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Humans
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Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / drug therapy
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Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / genetics*
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Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute / pathology
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Mice
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Molecular Targeted Therapy*
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Mutation
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Precision Medicine
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Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / drug therapy
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Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / genetics*
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Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / pathology
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Protein Kinase Inhibitors / administration & dosage
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Pyrazoles / administration & dosage
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Pyridines / administration & dosage
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Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / antagonists & inhibitors
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Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / genetics*
Substances
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Protein Kinase Inhibitors
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Pyrazoles
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Pyridines
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Crizotinib
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ALK protein, human
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Alk protein, mouse
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Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase
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Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases