title: Interleukin-7 promotes survival and cell cycle progression of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells by down-regulating the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27(kip1).
abstract: In normal T-cell development interleukin-7 (IL-7) functions as an antiapoptotic factor by regulating bcl-2 expression in immature thymocytes and mature T cells. Similar to what occurs in normal immature thymocytes, prevention of spontaneous apoptosis by IL-7 in precursor T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cells correlates with up-regulation of bcl-2. IL-7 is also implicated in leukemogenesis because IL-7 transgenic mice develop lymphoid malignancies, suggesting that IL-7 may regulate the generation and expansion of malignant cells. This study shows that in the presence of IL-7, T-ALL cells not only up-regulated bcl-2 expression and escaped apoptosis but also progressed in the cell cycle, resulting in sequential induction of cyclin D2 and cyclin A. Down-regulation of p27kip1 was mandatory for IL-7-mediated cell cycle progression and temporally coincided with activation of cyclin-dependent kinase (cdk)4 and cdk2 and hyperphosphorylation of Rb. Strikingly, forced expression of p27kip1 in T-ALL cells not only prevented cell cycle progression but also reversed IL-7-mediated up-regulation of bcl-2 and promotion of viability. These results show for the first time that a causative link between IL-7-mediated proliferation and p27kip1 down-regulation exists in malignant T cells. Moreover, these results suggest that p27kip1 may function as a tumor suppressor gene not only because it is a negative regulator of cell cycle progression but also because it is associated with induction of apoptosis of primary malignant cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Adult Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
authors.forename: J T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Barata
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Nadler
authors.forename: V A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Boussiotis
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects; D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D050760:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D016213:Cyclins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D015973:Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic / Q000187:drug effects*; D016147:Genes, Tumor Suppressor; D019254:Genes, bcl-2; D006801:Humans; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D015851:Interleukin-7 / Q000494:pharmacology*; D015459:Leukemia-Lymphoma, Adult T-Cell / Q000473:pathology*; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics; D014411:Neoplastic Stem Cells / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense / Q000494:pharmacology; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D015398:Signal Transduction / Q000187:drug effects; D020123:Sirolimus / Q000494:pharmacology; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins
chemical_list: D018797:Cell Cycle Proteins; D016213:Cyclins; D015851:Interleukin-7; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D050760:Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Inhibitor p27; D018844:Cyclin-Dependent Kinases; D020123:Sirolimus