title: The t(8;22) in chronic myeloid leukemia fuses BCR to FGFR1: transforming activity and specific inhibition of FGFR1 fusion proteins.
abstract: This report describes 2 patients with a clinical and hematologic diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in chronic phase who had an acquired t(8;22)(p11;q11). Analysis by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) indicated that both patients were negative for the BCR-ABL fusion, but suggested that the BCR gene was disrupted. Further FISH indicated a breakpoint within fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1), the receptor tyrosine kinase that is known to be disrupted in a distinctive myeloproliferative disorder, most commonly by fusion to ZNF198. RT-PCR confirmed the presence in both cases of an in-frame messenger RNA fusion between BCR exon 4 and FGFR1 exon 9. Expression of BCR-FGFR1 in the factor-dependent cell line Ba/F3 resulted in interleukin 3-independent clones that grew at a comparable rate to cells transformed with ZNF198-FGFR1. The growth of transformed cells was inhibited by the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor LY294002, the farnesyltransferase inhibitors L744832 and manumycin A, the p38 inhibitors SB202190 and SB203580 but not by the MEK inhibitor PD98059. The growth of BaF3/BCR-FGFR1 and BaF3/ZNF198-FGFR1 was not significantly inhibited by treatment with STI571, but was inhibited by SU5402, a compound with inhibitory activity against FGFR1. Inhibition with this compound was associated with decreased phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and BCR-FGFR1 or ZNF198-FGFR1, and was dose dependent with an inhibitory concentration of 50% of approximately 5 microM. As expected, growth of BaF3/BCR-ABL was inhibited by STI571 but not by SU5402. The study demonstrates that the BCR-FGFR1 fusion may occur in patients with apparently typical CML. Patients with constitutively active FGFR1 fusion genes may be amenable to treatment with specific FGFR1 inhibitors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Haematology, Imperial College School of Medicine, Hammersmith Hospital, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Demiroglu
authors.forename: E J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Steer
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Heath
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bentley
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Koduru
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Brody
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hawson
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Rodwell
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Doody
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Carnicero
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reiter
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Goldman
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Melo
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Cross
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001483:Base Sequence; D002455:Cell Division; D002892:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 22; D002898:Chromosomes, Human, Pair 8; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D017404:In Situ Hybridization, Fluorescence; D015464:Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015513:Oncogene Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion / Q000235:genetics*; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D051562:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcr; D011758:Pyrroles / Q000494:pharmacology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000032:analysis; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D051496:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1; D017468:Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics*; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014162:Transfection; D014178:Translocation, Genetic
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D015513:Oncogene Proteins; D015514:Oncogene Proteins, Fusion; D000081082:Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D011758:Pyrroles; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D017468:Receptors, Fibroblast Growth Factor; C105686:SU 5402; C496348:FGFR1 protein, human; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D020794:Receptor Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; D051496:Receptor, Fibroblast Growth Factor, Type 1; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl; C496613:BCR protein, human; D051562:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcr