title: Inhibition of bcr-abl in human leukemic cells with a coiled-coil protein delivered by a leukemia-specific cell-penetrating Peptide.
abstract: The oncoprotein Bcr-Abl is the cause of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).1 Current therapies target the tyrosine kinase domain of Bcr-Abl, but resistance to these drugs is common.2 Bcr-Abl homo-oligomerization via its N-terminal coiled-coil (CC) domain is required for tyrosine kinase activity.3 Our previous work has shown that it is possible to inhibit Bcr-Abl activity by targeting the CC domain with a peptidomemetic known as CC(mut3), delivered as a plasmid.4 In this study, CC(mut3) is delivered to cells as a protein by utilizing a leukemia-specific cell-penetrating peptide (CPP).5 Here, recombinant CPP-CC(mut3) was expressed, purified, and tested for its antioncogenic activity. CPP-CC(mut3) was able to enter two leukemic cell lines (K562 and Ba/F3-P210) and inhibit Bcr-Abl activity as shown by induction of necrosis/apoptosis via 7-AAD/Annexin V staining, reduction of oncogenic potential in colony forming assays, reduction of cell proliferation, and inhibition of Bcr-Abl phosphorylation (kinase activity). Further, CPP-CC(mut3) did not enter nonleukemic cell lines (HEK293 and MCF-7). While CPP-CC(mut3) was able to enter the parental, nonleukemic Bcr-Abl(-) Ba/F3 pro-B cell line, it revealed no signs of activity in the assays performed, as expected. These results indicate the feasibility of using CPP-CC(mut3) as a therapeutic against CML.
authors: Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States.
authors: Benjamin J
authors: BJ
authors: Bruno
authors: Department of Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah 84112, United States.
authors: Carol S
authors: CS
authors: Lim
mesh_terms: D017304:Annexin A5 / Q000378:metabolism; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D057846:Cell-Penetrating Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / Q000378:metabolism*; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D020014:K562 Cells; D009336:Necrosis / Q000139:chemically induced; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000187:drug effects; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization
chemical_list: D017304:Annexin A5; D057846:Cell-Penetrating Peptides; D016044:Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl
keywords: Bcr-Abl; CCmut3; CML; cell-penetrating peptide; coiled-coil