p53-independent apoptosis associated with c-Myc-mediated block in myeloid cell differentiation

Previously we have shown that deregulated expression of c-myc in M1 myeloid leukemic cells blocked IL-6-induced differentiation and its associated growth arrest; however, the cells proliferated at a significantly reduced rate compared to untreated cells. The basis for the increased doubling time of IL-6-treated M1myc cells was found to be due to the induction of a p53-independent apoptotic pathway. The apoptotic response was not completely penetrant; in the same population of cells both proliferation and apoptosis were continuously ongoing. Down-regulation of Bcl-2 was insufficient to account for the apoptotic response, since deregulated expression of Bcl-2 delayed, but did not block, the onset of apoptosis. Furthermore, our results indicated that the IL-6-induced partial hypophosphorylation of the retinoblastoma gene product (Rb), observed in M1myc cells, was not responsible for the apoptotic response. Finally, the findings in M1 cells were extended to myeloid cells derived from the bone marrow of wild type and p53-deficient mice, where the deregulated expression of c-myc was also shown to block terminal differentiation and induce apoptosis independent of p53. These findings provide new insights into how myc participates in the neoplastic process, and how additional mutations can promote more aggressive tumors. Oncogene (2000) 19, 2967 - 2977     

Proto-oncogene expression and dissection of the myeloid growth to differentiation developmental cascade

Physiological inducers of myeloid cell growth and differentiation were used to simultaneously analyze the expression of the proto-oncogenes c-myc, c-myb, c-fos, c-fes and c-fms during normal myelopoiesis, where growth is coupled to differentiation, as compared with that in leukemia, where growth has been uncoupled from differentiation as well as upon suppression of the leukemic phenotype via induction of differentiation and growth arrest. Proto-oncogene expression was also used as a tool to dissect the growth to differentiation developmental cascade. Myeloid cell growth was correlated with high c-myc and c-myb RNA levels, decreasing to undetectable levels in terminally differentiated cells. No c-myc RNA was detected in normal myeloid progenitors induced for differentiation without growth, using media conditioned by mouse granulocytes (GCM), indicating that c-myc may play either no role or an inhibitory one in differentiation. RNA levels of the proto-oncogenes c-fos, c-fes and c-fms were undetectable in normal or M1 differentiation inducible (D+) leukemic myeloblasts, and were stably induced upon stimulation of the normal precursors for growth and differentiation, with highest levels at the time when most of the cells had undergone terminal differentiation. Only c-fes RNA was induced upon M1D+ differentiation. It was also shown to be induced upon induction of differentiation without growth in normal myeloid precursors. Using c-myc and c-myb RNA suppression as molecular markers for induction of M1D+ differentiation, the existence of myeloid differentiation factor(s), distinct from myeloid growth factors, has been demonstrated. Such differentiation inducing activity was found in media conditioned by mouse lungs or granulocytes, and was induced in normal myeloid precursors by the myelopoietic growth factors IL3, GM-CSF, G-CSF, and M-CSF. Taken together, the results of this study enhance and add to previous work to better correlate the expression of the proto-oncogenes myc, myb, fes, fos and fms with several parameters of normal and abnormal myeloid cell growth and differentiation. The results indicate that the normal myeloid growth to differentiation developmental cascade entails a mechanism whereby myeloid growth factors induce myeloid differentiation factors, subsequently suppressing c-myc and c-myb RNA expression, leading to the induction of differentiation and growth arrest, including early accumulation of c-fes RNA followed by accumulation of c-fos and c-fms RNAs. It was also indicated that this cascade is impaired in leukemia.     

Suppression of c-myc and c-myb is tightly linked to terminal differentiation induced by IL6 or LIF and not growth inhibition in myeloid leukemia cells

Cell proliferation and differentiation are intimately related processes where the proto-oncogenes c-myc and c-myb have been implicated to play a role. Previously, we have shown that both c-myc and c-myb were induced in normal myeloid precursors when the cells were stimulated for growth, were expressed in the autonomously proliferating myeloid leukemic M1 cell line and were rapidly suppressed in both normal and M1 cells following induction of terminal differentiation associated with growth arrest. In order to distinguish molecular events associated with terminal differentiation versus those due to growth inhibition, as well as to increase our understanding of the role of the proto-oncogenes c-myc and c-myb in both of these cellular processes, in this work we have studied the expression of c-myc and c-myb in M1 cells induced for growth inhibition associated with terminal differentiation (via treatment with the physiological inducers IL6 or leukemia inhibitory factor mean value of LIF), partial differentiation (using IL1 or LPS) or no detectable differentiation properties (using IFN beta or IFN gamma). We show that, for all the treatments used in this study, down regulation of the proto-oncogenes c-myc and c-myb occurred only when M1 cells were stimulated to undergo terminal differentiation. In addition, we transfected the M1 cell line with a vector containing the c-myc gene under control of the beta-actin promoter, so that c-myc was no longer down regulated by IL6 or LIF. Previously, we have shown that in the presence of the myeloid differentiation inducers IL6 or LIF, these M1myc cells were blocked at an intermediate stage of myeloid differentiation and continued to proliferate. In sharp contrast to their altered response to IL6 or LIF, M1myc cells were as responsive as the parental M1 cells to growth suppression by the different antiproliferative compounds which do not induce terminal differentiation. Thus, continued expression of c-myc had no effect on growth suppression induced by IL1, IFN beta, IFN gamma and LPS. Taken together, these results indicate that c-myc and c-myb down regulation is not necessary for growth suppression, but down regulation of c-myc is, and c-myb may be, essential for terminal differentiation.     

Id1 immortalizes hematopoietic progenitors in vitro and promotes a myeloproliferative disease in vivo

Id1 is frequently overexpressed in many cancer cells, but the functional significance of these findings is not known. To determine if Id1 could contribute to the development of hematopoietic malignancy, we reconstituted mice with hematopoietic cells overexpressing Id1. We showed for the first time that deregulated expression of Id1 leads to a myeloproliferative disease in mice, and immortalizes myeloid progenitors in vitro. In human cells, we demonstrate that Id genes are expressed in human acute myelogenous leukemia cells, and that knock down of Id1 expression inhibits leukemic cell line growth, suggesting that Id1 is required for leukemic cell proliferation. These findings established a causal relationship between Id1 overexpression and hematologic malignancy. Thus, deregulated expression of Id1 may contribute to the initiation of myeloid malignancy, and Id1 may represent a potential therapeutic target for early stage intervention in the treatment of hematopoietic malignancy.     

The developmental program of murine erythroleukemia cells

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) or early progenitors respond to external stimuli in bone marrow and differentiate into cell-restricted lineages of blood cells of limited life span. In leukemias, however, early hematopoietic progenitors self-renew themselves, fail to respond to differentiation signals, and do not undergo programmed cell death (apoptosis). The basic mechanisms of differentiation and apoptosis of leukemia cells have been the long-term objective of our work. By exploiting widely studied murine and human leukemic cell systems as models of hematopoietic cell differentiation, we explored the mechanisms by which pharmaceutical agents initiate differentiation in leukemic systems. In this article, we present the developmental program of MEL cells with emphasis given on the role of commitment to terminal maturation. Commitment is initiated via inducer-receptor-mediated processes and leads to discrete patterns of expression of several genes that contribute to growth arrest at the G1 phase, expression of differentiated phenotype, and differentiation-dependent apoptosis (DDA). Overall, MEL erythroid cell differentiation represents a developmental program with a highly coordinated set of processes that is "triggered" by an inducer and functions via a network of genes and proteins interacting with each other harmonically to give birth to lineage-restricted phenotype.     

Targeted expression of c-Myc in the epidermis alters normal proliferation, differentiation and UV-B induced apoptosis.

c-Myc overexpression has been associated with several types of human cancers. To study the role of c-myc in epidermal differentiation and carcinogenesis, a transgenic mouse model was created to overexpress c-Myc in the epidermis. Human c-myc 2 cDNA was subcloned into a 6.5 kb mouse loricrin expression vector, ML.myc2. This loricrin promoter primarily directs expression in the epidermis in both proliferating and differentiated keratinocytes. On day 4, ML.myc2 transgenic pups develop a hyperkeratotic phenotype, which progressively worsens until day 7. Upon histological analysis, both hyperplasia and hyperkeratosis were evident. Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation revealed that transgenic mice had a threefold increase in the number of proliferating cells as compared with a normal littermate. Proliferative cells in the ML.myc2 epidermis were also found to be suprabasal, suggesting an inhibition of terminal differentiation in keratinocytes. Inhibition of terminal differentiation by c-Myc overexpression was further suggested by aberrant expression of differentiation markers, keratin 1, keratin 6, loricrin, and filaggrin in ML.myc2 transgenic mice. Interestingly, ML.myc2 keratinocytes exhibit a reduced sensitivity to UV-B induced apoptosis, in vivo. In vitro studies reveal the reduced sensitivity of ML.myc2 keratinocytes to UV-B irradiation is growth factor dependent. These findings provide evidence that overexpression of c-Myc in the epidermis induces proliferation, inhibits terminal differentiation and decreases the sensitivity of keratinocytes to UV-B induced apoptosis.     

Retinoic acid induction of CD38 antigen expression on normal and leukemic human myeloid cells: relationship with cell differentiation

Differentiation in the hematopoietic system involves, among other changes, altered expression of antigens, including the CD34 and CD38 surface antigens. In normal hematopoiesis, the most immature stem cells have the CD34+CD34 -phenotype. In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), although blasts from most patients are CD38+, some are CD38 -. AML blasts are blocked at early stages of differentiation; in some leukemic cells this block can be overcome by a variety of agents, including retinoids, that induce maturation into macrophages and granulocytes both in vitro and in vivo . Retinoids can also induce CD38 expression. In the present study, we investigated the relationship between induction of CD38 expression and induction of myeloid differentiation by retinoic acid (RA) in normal and leukemic human hematopoietic cells. In the promyelocytic (PML) CD34 -cell lines, HL60 and CB-1, as well as in normal CD34+CD34 -hematopietic progenitor cells RA induced both CD38 expression as well as morphological and functional myeloid differentiation that resulted in loss of self-renewal. In contrast, in the myeloblastic CD34+ leukemic cell lines, ML-1 and KG-1a, as well as in primary cultures of cells derived from CD34+-AML (M 0 and M 1 ) patients, RA caused an increase in CD38+ that was not associated with significant differentiation. Yet, long exposure of ML-1, but not KG-1, cells to RA resulted in loss of self-renewal. The results suggest that while in normal hematopoietic cells and in PML CD34 -cells induction of CD38 antigen expression by RA results in terminal differentiation along the myeloid lineage, in early myeloblastic leukemic CD34+ cells, induction of CD38 and differentiation are not functionally related. Since, several lines of evidence suggest that the CD38 -cells are the targets of leukemic transformation, transition of these cells into CD38+ phenotype by RA or other drugs may have therapeutic effect, either alone or in conjunction with cytotoxic drugs, regardless the ability of the cells to undergo differentiation.