MicroRNA-146a and AMD3100, two ways to control CXCR4 expression in acute myeloid leukemias.

CXCR4 is a negative prognostic marker in acute myeloid leukemias (AMLs). Therefore, it is necessary to develop novel ways to inhibit CXCR4 expression in leukemia. AMD3100 is an inhibitor of CXCR4 currently used to mobilize cancer cells. CXCR4 is a target of microRNA (miR)-146a that may represent a new tool to inhibit CXCR4 expression. We then investigated CXCR4 regulation by miR-146a in primary AMLs and found an inverse correlation between miR-146a and CXCR4 protein expression levels in all AML subtypes. As the lowest miR-146a expression levels were observed in M5 AML, we analyzed the control of CXCR4 expression by miR-146a in normal and leukemic monocytic cells and showed that the regulatory miR-146a/CXCR4 pathway operates during monocytopoiesis, but is deregulated in AMLs. AMD3100 treatment and miR-146a overexpression were used to inhibit CXCR4 in leukemic cells. AMD3100 treatment induces the decrease of CXCR4 protein expression, associated with miR-146a increase, and increases sensitivity of leukemic blast cells to cytotoxic drugs, this effect being further enhanced by miR-146a overexpression. Altogether our data indicate that miR-146a and AMD3100, acting through different mechanism, downmodulate CXCR4 protein levels, impair leukemic cell proliferation and then may be used in combination with anti-leukemia drugs, for development of new therapeutic strategies.

PLZF-mediated control on c-kit expression in CD34(+) cells and early erythropoiesis.

The promyelocytic leukemia zinc-finger protein (PLZF) is a transcription factor and c-kit is a receptor tyrosine kinase associated with human disease, particularly in hematopoietic cells. MicroRNAs (miRs) are post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression, and c-kit has been described as a target of miRs-221 and -222 in erythropoiesis. In the present study, we identified c-kit as a target of PLZF in normal and leukemic cells. Particularly, in erythropoietic (E) culture of CD34(+) progenitors, PLZF is downregulated, whereas c-kit expression at both the mRNA and protein levels inversely increases during the first days of E differentiation. In functional experiments, PLZF transfection induces c-kit downregulation, inhibits E proliferation and delays differentiation, whereas PLZF knockdown induces opposite effects, independently of miRs-221 and -222 expression. The inverse correlation between PLZF and c-kit expression was found in normal CD34(+)38(+/-) hematopoietic progenitor/stem cells and in acute myeloid leukemias of M0/M1 French-American-British subtypes, suggesting that the control of PLZF on c-kit expression may be crucial at the level of the stem cell/progenitor compartment. Altogether, our data indicate a new mechanism of regulation of c-kit expression that involves a transcriptional control by PLZF in CD34(+) cells and early erythropoiesis.

PLZF-mediated control on VLA-4 expression in normal and leukemic myeloid cells.

The promyelocytic leukemia zinc-finger protein (PLZF) is a transcriptional repressor. To investigate the role of PLZF in the regulation of cytoadhesion molecules involved in the mobilization of hemopoietic cells, we have analysed PLZF and very late antigen 4 (VLA-4) expression in normal and leukemic cells. In hematopoiesis, we found a negative correlation between PLZF and VLA-4 expression, except for the megakaryocytic lineage. In contrast, we observed a positive correlation between PLZF and VLA-4 expression in a panel of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) samples. In K562 cells expressing PLZF (K562-PLZF), we found that the expression of VLA-4 and c-kit was downmodulated. We have investigated the possibility for VLA-4 or the c-kit receptor to be direct target genes of PLZF in K562-PLZF cells and identified a PLZF DNA-binding site within the VLA-4 promoter. Furthermore, decrease in VLA-4 expression was associated with loss of adhesion on fibronectin-coated plates, which promotes drug-induced apoptosis of K562-PLZF cells. Our findings indicate that VLA-4 is a potential target gene of PLZF. However, in primary AMLs the control of PLZF on VLA-4 expression is lost. Altogether, we suggest that VLA-4 modulation by PLZF may represent an important step in the control of normal and leukemic cell mobilization.

Expression and role of PML gene in normal adult hematopoiesis: functional interaction between PML and Rb proteins in erythropoiesis.

The expression of the PML gene was investigated in purified early hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) induced to unilineage erythroid or granulocytic differentiation. PML mRNA and protein, while barely detectable in quiescent HPCs, are consistently induced by growth factor stimulation through the erythroid or granulocytic lineage. Thereafter, PML is downmodulated in late granulocytic maturation, whereas it is sustainably expressed through the erythroid pathway. In functional studies, PML expression was inhibited by addition of antisense oligomers targeting PML mRNA (alpha-PML). Interestingly, early treatment (day 0 HPCs) with alpha-PML reduced the number of both erythroid and granulocytic colonies, whereas late treatment (day 5 culture) reduced erythroid, but not granulocytic, clonogenesis. These findings suggest that PML is required for early hematopoiesis and erythroid, but not granulocytic maturation. The pattern of PML expression in normal hematopoiesis mimics that of retinoblastoma pRb 105. Combined treatment of HPCs with alpha-PML and alpha-Rb oligomers inhibited both PML and Rb protein expression and completely blocked erythroid colony development. Furthermore, PML and pRb 105 were co-immunoprecipitated in cellular lysates derived from erythroid precursors indicating that this functional interaction may have a biochemical basis. These results suggest a key functional role of PML in early hematopoiesis and late erythropoiesis: the latter phenomenon may be related to the molecular and functional interaction of PML with pRb 105.

Differential expression and functional role of GATA-2, NF-E2, and GATA-1 in normal adult hematopoiesis.

We have explored the expression of the transcription factors GATA-1, GATA-2, and NF-E2 in purified early hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) induced to gradual unilineage erythroid or granulocytic differentiation by growth factor stimulus. GATA-2 mRNA and protein, already expressed in quiescent HPCs, is rapidly induced as early as 3 h after growth factor stimulus, but then declines in advanced erythroid and granulocytic differentiation and maturation. NF-E2 and GATA-1 mRNAs and proteins, though not detected in quiescent HPCs, are gradually induced at 24-48 h in both erythroid and granulocytic culture. Beginning at late differentiation/early maturation stage, both transcription factors are further accumulated in the erythroid pathway, whereas they are suppressed in the granulopoietic series. Similarly, the erythropoietin receptor (EpR) is induced and sustainedly expressed during erythroid differentiation, although beginning at later times (i.e., day 5), whereas it is barely expressed in the granulopoietic pathway. In the first series of functional studies, HPCs were treated with antisense oligomers targeted to transcription factor mRNA: inhibition of GATA-2 expression caused a decreased number of both erythroid and granulocyte-monocytic clones, whereas inhibition of NF-E2 or GATA-1 expression induced a selective impairment of erythroid colony formation. In a second series of functional studies, HPCs treated with retinoic acid were induced to shift from erythroid to granulocytic differentiation (Labbaye et al. 1994. Blood. 83:651-656); this was coupled with abrogation of GATA-1, NF-E2, and EpR expression and conversely enhanced GATA-2 levels. These results indicate the expression and key role of GATA-2 in the early stages of HPC proliferation/differentiation. Conversely, NF-E2 and GATA-1 expression and function are apparently restricted to erythroid differentiation and maturation: their expression precedes that of the EpR, and their function may be in part mediated via the EpR.

Retinoic acid downmodulates erythroid differentiation and GATA1 expression in purified adult-progenitor culture.

All-trans retinoic acid (RA) is an important morphogen in vertebrate development, a normal constituent in human adult blood and is also involved in the control of cell growth and differentiation in acute promyelocytic leukemia. We have examined the effects of RA on normal hematopoiesis by using early hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) stringently purified from adult peripheral blood. In clonogenetic fetal calf serum-supplemented (FCS+) or -nonsupplemented (FCS-) culture treated with saturating levels of interleukin-3 (IL-3) granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and erythropoietin (Ep) (combined with c-kit ligand in FCS(-)-culture conditions), RA induces a dramatic dose-dependent shift from erythroid to granulomonocytic colony formation, the latter colonies being essentially represented by granulocytic clones. This shift is apparently not caused by a recruitment phenomenon, because in FCS+ culture, the total number of colonies is not significantly modified by RA addition. In FCS- liquid-suspension culture supplemented with saturating Ep level and low-dose IL-3/GM-CSF, adult HPC undergo unilineage erythropoietic differentiation: Here again, treatment with high-dose RA induces a shift from the erythroid to granulocytic differentiation pathway. Studies on RA time-response or pulse treatment in semisolid or liquid culture show that early RA addition is most effective, thus indicating that early but not late HPC are sensitive to its action. We then analyzed the expression of the master GATA1 gene, which encodes a finger transcription factor required for normal erythroid development; addition of RA to HPC stimulated into unilineage erythropoietic differentiation in liquid culture caused a virtually complete inhibition of GATA1 mRNA induction. These results indicate that RA directly inhibits the erythroid differentiation program at the level of early adult HPC, and may lead to a shift from the erythroid to granulocytic differentiation pathway. This phenomenon is correlated with inhibition of GATA1 induction in the early stages of erythropoietic differentiation.

Regulation of myeloblastin messenger RNA expression in myeloid leukemia cells treated with all-trans retinoic acid.

Retinoic acid is known to induce differentiation of human myeloid leukemia cells in vitro. Recently, all-trans retinoic acid has been used to induce remissions in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia, probably through differentiation of the leukemia cells. Myeloblastin (mbn) is a protease that has been identified in the human leukemia cell line HL-60. Downregulation of this protease can inhibit proliferation and induce differentiation of HL-60-derived leukemia cells. Here we have investigated the regulation of mbn messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in two human leukemia cell lines, HL-60 and NB4, treated with all-trans retinoic acid. Under this treatment, downregulation of mbn mRNA was observed in both cell lines, but was considerably delayed in NB4 cells that carry the t(15;17) translocation characteristic of acute promyelocytic leukemia. We have found that multiple mechanisms were involved in the control of mbn mRNA expression. These mechanisms were different in HL-60 and NB4 cells. Our results show that in HL-60 cells, all-trans retinoic acid rapidly decreased transcription of mbn. In contrast, in the t(15;17)-positive NB4 cells treated with all-trans retinoic acid, upregulation of mbn mRNA expression was followed by a late downregulation, both achieved via posttranscriptional mechanisms.

Wegener autoantigen and myeloblastin are encoded by a single mRNA.

Myeloblastin is a serine protease that has been identified in the human leukemia cell line HL-60. Down-regulation of this protease can inhibit proliferation and induce differentiation of promyelocyte-like human leukemic cells. Proteinase 3, a serine protease of human neutrophils, has been identified as the Wegener autoantigen. A high level of homology between myeloblastin and proteinase 3 has suggested that they may be a single serine protease. We have recently completed the 5'-terminal nucleotide sequence of proteinase 3 and shown that its mRNA was also expressed in HL-60 cells and in cells from patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Here we demonstrate that myeloblastin and proteinase 3 are encoded by a single mRNA.

Antisense myb inhibition of purified erythroid progenitors in development and differentiation is linked to cycling activity and expression of DNA polymerase alpha.

These studies aimed to determine the expression and functional role of c-myb in erythroid progenitors with different cycling activities. In the first series of experiments the erythroid burst-forming unit (BFU-E) and colony-forming unit (CFU-E) populations from adult peripheral blood (PB), bone marrow (BM), and embryonic-fetal liver (FL) were treated with either c-myb antisense oligomers or 3H-thymidine (3H-TdR). A direct correlation was always observed between the inhibitory effect of anti-myb oligomers and the level of cycling activity. Thus, the inhibitory effect of antisense c-myb on the number of BFU-E colonies was 28.3% +/- 15.8% in PB, 53.4% +/- 9.3% in BM, and 68.2% +/- 24.5% in FL. Both adult and embryonic CFU-E were markedly inhibited (73.2% +/- 10.4% and 74.2% +/- 12.7%). Using highly purified PB progenitors, we observed a similar pattern, although with slightly lower inhibitory effects. In the 3H-TdR suicide assay the killing index of BFU-E was 8.9% +/- 4.2% in PB, 29.4% +/- 6.5% in BM, and 40.1% +/- 9.6% in FL. The values for adult and embryonic CFU-E were 55.7% +/- 7.9% and 60.98% +/- 6.6%, respectively. We then investigated the kinetics of c-myb mRNA level during the erythroid differentiation of highly purified adult PB and FL BFU-E, as evaluated in liquid-phase culture by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Adult erythroid precursors showed a gradual increase of c-myb mRNA from day 4 through day 8 of culture and a sharp decrease at later times, whereas the expression of c-myb mRNA and protein in differentiation embryonic precursors peaked 2 days earlier. In both cases, c-myb mRNA level peaked at the CFU-E stage of differentiation. Finally, highly purified adult PB BFU-E were stimulated into cycling by a 3-day treatment with interleukin-3 in liquid phase: both the sensitivity to c-myb antisense oligomers and the 3H-TdR suicide index showed a gradual, strictly parallel increase. Under the same experimental conditions a progressive increase of the mRNA level of DNA polymerase alpha was observed. These observations suggest that in early erythroid differentiation c-myb activation is associated with the progression of progenitors into the S phase of the cell cycle, as well as to the synthesis of DNA polymerase alpha.

Reactivation of HbF synthesis in normal adult erythroid bursts by IL-3.

Reactivation of HbF synthesis has been reported in normal adult erythroblast colonies ('burst') generated by erythroid progenitors (BFU-E) after seeding peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) in fetal calf serum-supplemented (FCS+) semisolid cultures stimulated by erythropoietin (Ep). Reactivation is almost totally suppressed when: (i) PMBC are grown in optimized FCS- culture or (ii) PBMC are first stringently depleted of monocytes and then plated in FCS+ medium (i.e. BFU-E growth in FCS+Mo- culture). In either case, addition of biosynthetic granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) induces a dose-related increase of relative HbF synthesis up to the level in FCS+ culture. We report that, in FCS- culture of partially purified adult blood BFU-E, treatment with biosynthetic interleukin 3 (IL-3) causes a dose-related rise of relative HbF production in the bursts. A similar phenomenon is observed in FCS+ culture of highly purified BFU-E. The rise of HbF synthesis is seemingly mediated, at least in part, by a direct effect of IL-3 at BFU-E level. It is tentatively concluded that reactivation of HbF in vitro, as well as in a variety of in vivo conditions (i.e. stress erythropoiesis, marrow regeneration), may be at least in part mediated by IL-3 and GM-CSF.

Molecular mechanisms underlying erythropoiesis: cycling activity of adult BFU-e relates to their requirement for c-myb function and potential for HbF synthesis.

Highly purified erythroid burst-forming units (BFU-e) from human embryonic liver, adult marrow and blood were manipulated in vitro by cytokine addition in order to explore their requirements for c-myb function and potential for fetal hemoglobin (HbF) synthesis, particularly as related to their cycling activity. c-myb is expressed at a minimal level and functionally required to a limited extent in quiescent adult BFU-e. However, c-myb is actively transcribed and stringently required for differentiation of actively cycling progenitors (embryonic BFU-e, embryonic and adult erythroid colony-forming units). The cycling activity of highly purified adult BFU-e, gradually enhanced by interleukin 3 (IL-3) addition, is strictly and directly related to both their functional requirements for c-myb and the level of myb mRNA expression in the progenitor population. It may be concluded that the transcriptional activity and the functional role of c-myb in early erythropoiesis are dependent upon the cycling activity of the erythroid progenitors. The reactivation of HbF synthesis in normal adult bursts, observed in the standard fetal calf serum-rich (FCS+) clonogenic system, is suppressed in cultures with a drastically limited growth of accessory cells (i.e., in FCS- or FCS+ Mo- conditions). In these cultures, addition of granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) or IL-3 induces a dose-related rise of gamma-chain synthesis, at least in part via a direct action at the BFU-e level. Preliminary studies involving priming of adult BFU-e with IL-3 in liquid phase suggest that the HbF potential is relatively low in quiescent BFU-e, but distinctly higher in actively cycling ones. It is postulated that the in vivo reactivation of HbF synthesis in bone marrow regeneration may be mediated via increased IL-3 and GM-CSF activity, leading to enhanced cycling and differentiation of BFU-e.

Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor reactivates fetal hemoglobin synthesis in erythroblast clones from normal adults.

Reactivation of fetal hemoglobin (HbF, alpha 2 gamma 2) synthesis was previously reported in normal human adult erythroblast colonies ("bursts") generated by erythroid progenitors (BFU-E) in fetal calf serum-supplemented (FCS+) semisolid cultures stimulated with erythropoietin (Ep). Our studies focused on the reactivation of HbF synthesis in normal adult erythroid bursts generated by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) seeded in FCS+ methylcellulose culture. Reactivation is almost totally suppressed when (a) PBMCs are grown in optimized FCS- culture, or (b) PBMCs are first stringently depleted of monocytes and then plated in FCS+ medium (ie, BFU-E growth in FCS+ Mo- culture). In both experimental conditions, the proliferation of lymphocytes and macrophages interspersed among colonies is drastically reduced, and the cloning efficiency of granulocyte-macrophage (GM) progenitors is sharply diminished. In either case, addition of biosynthetic GM colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) induces a dose-related increase of HbF synthesis up to the level in FCS+ culture, with even more elevated values on delayed addition of Ep. A dose-related increase was also observed in erythroblast clones generated by highly purified BFU-E. These results suggest that reactivation of HbF synthesis in normal adults is at least in part mediated by GM-CSF. Furthermore, they imply intriguing hypotheses on the mechanism(s) of perinatal Hb switching. Finally, they raise the possibility of reactivation of HbF synthesis in beta-thalassemia and sickle cell anemia by GM-CSF therapy.