Downregulation of γ-catenin inhibits CML cell growth and potentiates the response of CML cells to imatinib through β-catenin inhibition

Neuroprotective potential of imatinib in global ischemia-reperfusion-induced cerebral injury: possible role of Janus-activated kinase 2/signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 and connexin 43

The present study was aimed to explore the neuroprotective role of imatinib in global ischemia-reperfusion-induced cerebral injury along with possible mechanisms. Global ischemia was induced in mice by bilateral carotid artery occlusion for 20 min, which was followed by reperfusion for 24 h by restoring the blood flow to the brain. The extent of cerebral injury was assessed after 24 h of global ischemia by measuring the locomotor activity (actophotometer test), motor coordination (inclined beam walking test), neurological severity score, learning and memory (object recognition test) and cerebral infarction (triphenyl tetrazolium chloride stain). Ischemia-reperfusion injury produced significant cerebral infarction, impaired the behavioral parameters and decreased the expression of connexin 43 and phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (p-STAT3) in the brain. A single dose administration of imatinib (20 and 40 mg/kg) attenuated ischemia-reperfusion-induced behavioral deficits and the extent of cerebral infarction along with the restoration of connexin 43 and p-STAT3 levels. However, administration of AG490, a selective Janus-activated kinase 2 (JAK2)/STAT3 inhibitor, abolished the neuroprotective actions of imatinib and decreased the expression of connexin 43 and p-STAT3. It is concluded that imatinib has the potential of attenuating global ischemia-reperfusion-induced cerebral injury, which may be possibly attributed to activation of JAK2/STAT3 signaling pathway along with the increase in the expression of connexin 43.

Unraveling survivin expression in chronic myeloid leukemia: Molecular interactions and clinical implications

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disorder characterized by the BCR-ABL oncoprotein, known to drive leukemogenesis by orchestrating multiple signaling pathways ultimately involved in cell survival. Despite successful response rates of CML patients to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), resistance eventually arises due to BCR-ABL-dependent and independent mechanisms. Survivin is an inhibitor of apoptosis protein acting in the interface between apoptosis deregulation and cell cycle progression. In CML, high levels of survivin have been associated with late stages of disease and therapy resistance. In this review, we provide an overview of important aspects concerning survivin subcellular localization and expression pattern in CML patients and cell lines. Moreover, we highlight the relevance of molecular networks involving survivin for disease progression and treatment resistance. Finally, we discuss the mechanisms accounting for survivin overexpression, as well as novel therapeutic interventions that have been designed to counteract survivin-associated malignancy in CML.

γ-Catenin-Dependent Signals Maintain BCR-ABL1+ B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

The BCR-ABL1 fusion protein is the cause of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and of a significant fraction of adult-onset B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) cases. Using mouse models and patient-derived samples, we identified an essential role for γ-catenin in the initiation and maintenance of BCR-ABL1⁺ B-ALL but not CML. The selectivity was explained by a partial γ-catenin dependence of MYC expression together with the susceptibility of B-ALL, but not CML, to reduced MYC levels. MYC and γ-catenin enabled B-ALL maintenance by augmenting BIRC5 and enforced BIRC5 expression overcame γ-catenin loss. Since γ-catenin was dispensable for normal hematopoiesis, these lineage- and disease-specific features of canonical Wnt signaling identified a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of BCR-ABL1⁺ B-ALL.

Beyond cell-cell adhesion: Plakoglobin and the regulation of tumorigenesis and metastasis

Plakoglobin (also known as? -catenin) is a member of the Armadillo family of proteins and a paralog of β -catenin. Plakoglobin is a component of both the adherens junctions and desmosomes, and therefore plays a vital role in the regulation of cell-cell adhesion. Similar to β -catenin, plakoglobin is capable of participating in cell signaling in addition to its role in cell-cell adhesion. In this context, β -catenin has a well-documented oncogenic potential as a component of the Wnt signaling pathway. In contrast, while some studies have suggested a tumor promoting activity of plakoglobin in a cell/malignancy specific context, it generally acts as a tumor/metastasis suppressor. How plakoglobin acts as a growth/metastasis inhibitory protein has remained, until recently, unclear. Recent evidence suggests that plakoglobin may suppress tumorigenesis and metastasis by multiple mechanisms, including the suppression of oncogenic signaling, interactions with various proteins involved in tumorigenesis and metastasis, and the regulation of the expression of genes involved in these processes. This review is primarily focused on various mechanisms by which plakoglobin may inhibit tumorigenesis and metastasis.

Depletion of γ-catenin by Histone Deacetylase Inhibition Confers Elimination of CML Stem Cells in Combination with Imatinib

Quiescent leukemia stem cells (LSCs) that are insensitive to BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors confer resistance to imatinib in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Identifying proteins to regulate survival and stemness of LSCs is urgently needed. Although histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) can eliminate quiescent LSCs in CML, little is known about the underlying mechanism that HDACis kill LSCs. By fishing with a biotin-labeled probe, we identified that HDACi JSL-1 bound to the protein γ-catenin. γ-Catenin expression was higher in LSCs from CML patients than normal hematopoietic stem cells. Silencing γ-catenin in human CML CD34(+) bone-marrow (BM) cells sufficiently eliminated LSCs, which suggests that γ-catenin is required for survival of CML LSCs. Pharmacological inhibition of γ-catenin thwarted survival and self-renewal of human CML CD34(+) cells in vitro, and of murine LSCs in BCR-ABL-driven CML mice. γ-Catenin inhibition reduced long-term engraftment of human CML CD34(+) cells in NOD.Cg-Prkdc (scid) II2rg (tm1Sug)/JicCrl (NOG) mice. Silencing γ-catenin by shRNA in human primary CD34(+) cells did not alter β-catenin, implying a β-catenin-independent role of γ-catenin in survival and self-renewal of CML LSCs. Taken together, our findings validate that γ-catenin may be a novel therapeutic target of LSCs, and suppression of γ-catenin by HDACi may explain elimination of CML LSCs.

The clinical significance of γ-catenin in acute myeloid leukemia

Dysregulation of γ-catenin may function as an oncogenic factor in various malignancies. We investigated γ-catenin expression in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and explored its role in the pathogenesis of AML. γ-Catenin was significantly overexpressed in AML patients compared to healthy donors. The γ-catenin expression in AML patients with lower white blood cells (<30×10⁹/L) was significantly higher than those with higher white blood cells (≥30×10⁹/L). The expression levels of γ-catenin in AML patients with mutated CEBPα were significantly higher than those with unmutated CEBPα. AML patients with lower γ-catenin levels were more likely to achieve complete remission compared with patients who have higher γ-catenin levels. In K562 cells, γ-catenin knockdown suppressed cellular proliferation, while the cellular migration was greatly enhanced. Moreover, knocking down of γ-catenin enhanced the cytotoxicity of decitabine in K562 cells. Our investigation has indicated a potential role of γ-catenin in the pathogenesis of AML.

Bioinformatic mining of kinase inhibitors that regulate autophagy through kinase signaling pathways

The aim of this study was to predict the kinase inhibitors that may regulate autophagy. A total of 62 kinases were obtained through text mining by importing the keyword 'autophagy' and a 'protein kinase' Excel file to PubMed. Subsequently, 146 kinases were derivated through screening in the PubMed database by importing the 'autophagy‑associated gene' and 'protein kinase' files. Following intersection of the above two methods, 54 candidate autophagy‑associated kinases were obtained. Enrichment analysis indicated that these candidate autophagy‑associated kinases were mainly enriched in pathways such as the calcium, Wnt, HIF‑1 and mTOR signaling pathways. Among the 54 kinases, 24 were identified through text mining to have specific kinase inhibitors that regulate the corresponding functions; a total of 56 kinase inhibitors were found to be involved in the regulation of these 24 kinases. In total, nine of these 56 kinase inhibitors identified had been widely reported in autophagy regulation studies, 23 kinase inhibitors had been seldom reported and 24 had never been reported. Therefore, introducing these kinases into autophagy regulation analysis in subsequent studies may produce important results.