Rho-signaling pathways in chronic myelogenous leukemia

Cardiovasc Hematol Disord Drug Targets. 2008 Dec;8(4):261-7. doi: 10.2174/187152908786786241.

Abstract

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a hematological malignancy that is characteristic by as expansion of myeloid cells and their premature release into the circulation. The molecular cause of CML is the fusion oncoprotein Bcr-Abl whose constitutive tyrosine-kinase (TK) activity maintains enhanced signaling through multiple signal transduction pathways and confers proliferative and survival advantage to CML cells. These effects can be largely suppressed by TK inhibitor Imatinib mesylate, currently the leading drug in CML treatment. However, Bcr-Abl contains also additional functional domains, in particular a DBL homology (DH) domain with guanine-exchange function (GEF) which can activate small GTPases of Rho family and a Src-homology3 (SH3) domain which recruits other proteins with GEF activity. Bcr-Abl affects among others the RhoA/ROCK/LIM/cofilin pathway that regulates the actin cytoskeleton assembly and thereby the cellular adhesion and migration. This review deals in detail with the known points of interference between Bcr-Abl and Rho kinase pathways and with the effects of Imatinib mesylate on Rho signaling and cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM) components. The potential protein targets related to Bcr-Abl non-kinase activity are discussed.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents / pharmacology*
  • Benzamides
  • Cell Adhesion / drug effects
  • Drug Delivery Systems
  • Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / drug effects
  • Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / metabolism
  • Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors / metabolism
  • Humans
  • Imatinib Mesylate
  • Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / drug therapy*
  • Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / physiopathology
  • Piperazines / pharmacology*
  • Pyrimidines / pharmacology*
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects
  • rho GTP-Binding Proteins / metabolism
  • rho-Associated Kinases / drug effects
  • rho-Associated Kinases / metabolism
  • src Homology Domains

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Benzamides
  • Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factors
  • Piperazines
  • Pyrimidines
  • Imatinib Mesylate
  • Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl
  • rho-Associated Kinases
  • rho GTP-Binding Proteins