Impact of gene dosage, loss of wild-type allele, and FLT3 ligand on Flt3-ITD-induced myeloproliferation

Blood. 2011 Sep 29;118(13):3613-21. doi: 10.1182/blood-2010-06-289207. Epub 2011 Aug 2.

Abstract

Acquisition of homozygous activating growth factor receptor mutations might accelerate cancer progression through a simple gene-dosage effect. Internal tandem duplications (ITDs) of FLT3 occur in approximately 25% cases of acute myeloid leukemia and induce ligand-independent constitutive signaling. Homozygous FLT3-ITDs confer an adverse prognosis and are frequently detected at relapse. Using a mouse knockin model of Flt3-internal tandem duplication (Flt3-ITD)-induced myeloproliferation, we herein demonstrate that the enhanced myeloid phenotype and expansion of granulocyte-monocyte and primitive Lin(-)Sca1(+)c-Kit(+) progenitors in Flt3-ITD homozygous mice can in part be mediated through the loss of the second wild-type allele. Further, whereas autocrine FLT3 ligand production has been implicated in FLT3-ITD myeloid malignancies and resistance to FLT3 inhibitors, we demonstrate here that the mouse Flt3(ITD/ITD) myeloid phenotype is FLT3 ligand-independent.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Alleles
  • Animals
  • Bone Marrow Cells / metabolism
  • Bone Marrow Cells / pathology
  • Bone Marrow Cells / physiology
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Gene Dosage / physiology*
  • Gene Duplication / physiology*
  • Gene Knock-In Techniques
  • Loss of Heterozygosity / genetics
  • Loss of Heterozygosity / physiology*
  • Male
  • Membrane Proteins / genetics*
  • Membrane Proteins / metabolism
  • Membrane Proteins / physiology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Myeloproliferative Disorders / genetics*
  • Phenotype
  • Tandem Repeat Sequences / genetics
  • Tandem Repeat Sequences / physiology
  • fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3 / metabolism
  • fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3 / physiology*

Substances

  • Membrane Proteins
  • flt3 ligand protein
  • Flt3 protein, mouse
  • fms-Like Tyrosine Kinase 3