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Expression of the melC operon in several Streptomyces strains is positively regulated by AdpA, an AraC family transcriptional regulator involved in morphological development in Streptomyces coelicolor.

Dark brown haloes of melanin around colonies are an easily visualized phenotype displayed by many Streptomyces strains harboring plasmid pIJ702 carrying the melC operon of Streptomyces antibioticus IMRU3270. Spontaneous melanin-negative mutants of pIJ702 occur with a frequency of ca. 1%, and often mutation occurs in the melC operon, which removes the BglII site as part of an inverted repeat. Other melanin-negative mutations seem to occur spontaneously in Streptomyces lividans, resulting in white colonies from which intact, melanin-producing pIJ702 can be isolated by introduction into a new host. S. lividans ZX66 was found to be such a mutant and to have a secondary mutation influencing expression of the melC operon on the chromosome. A 3.3-kb DNA fragment was isolated from its progenitor strain, JT46, and a gene able to restore melC operon expression was found to encode a member of an AraC family of transcriptional regulators, which was equivalent to AdpA(c) in Streptomyces coelicolor and therefore was designated AdpA(l). Lack of melC operon expression was correlated with a single A-to-C transversion, which altered a single key amino acid residue from Thr to Pro. The transcription of the melC operon was found to be greatly reduced in the adpA mutant background. The counterpart gene (adpA(a)) in the S. antibioticus strain in which the melC operon carried on pIJ702 originated was also isolated and was found to have an identical regulatory role. Thus, we concluded that the melC operon is under general direct positive control by AdpA family proteins, perhaps at the transcriptional level and certainly at the translational level via bldA, in Streptomyces.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Current therapy of chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a clonal myeloproliferative disorder molecularly defined by the BCR-ABL gene and its products. The protein encoded by this chimeric gene is a constitutively activated tyrosine kinase that alters multiple signal transduction pathways inducing malignant transformation. Until recently, treatment options for patients with CML consisted of hydroxyurea, interferon-based therapies or allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT). Treatment decisions were generally based on the age of the patient and the phase of the disease. Recently, several new therapies have been developed that may change the natural history of CML and patient prognosis. In particular imatinib mesylate (ST1571, Gleevec) an oral Bcr-Abl kinase inhibitor, has demonstrated activity in all phases of CML, and may replace interferon and alloSCT as the initial therapy for this disease. Other agents and therapies with potential value, either alone or in combination, include polyethyleneglycol (PEG) interferon, homoharringtonine, decitabine, oral cytarabine, and growth factor modulation. In this article, we discuss the biological and clinical characteristics of CML, as well as the different therapeutic alternatives for patients with this disorder.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Recent advances in molecular biology of chronic myeloid leukaemia: is the pathogenetic puzzle approaching solution?

The great majority of patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) have a Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome which has proved at molecular level to be associated with the production of chimeric BCR-ABL gene which in turn is expressed as a fusion protein (P210) with tyrosine kinase activity. An equivalent but somewhat smaller chimeric gene and fusion protein (P190) is found in some cases of Ph-positive acute leukaemia. Though the consistency of these abnormal findings in patients with Ph-positive leukaemia is strong evidence for their pathogenetic role, there are still many unanswered questions.

Blast Crisis↗

Mapping of a Leishmania major gene/locus that confers pentamidine resistance by deletion and insertion of transposable element.

Pentamidine (PEN) is an alternative compound to treat antimony-resistant leishmaniasis patients, which cellular target remains unclear. One approach to the identification of prospective targets is to identify genes able to mediate PEN resistance following overexpression. Starting from a genomic library of transfected parasites bearing a multicopy episomal cosmid vector containing wild-type Leishmania major DNA, we isolated one locus capable to render PEN resistance to wild type cells after DNA transfection. In order to map this Leishmania locus, cosmid insert was deleted by two successive sets of partial digestion with restriction enzymes, followed by transfection into wild type cells, overexpression, induction and functional tests in the presence of PEN. To determine the Leishmania gene related to PEN resistance, nucleotide sequencing experiments were done through insertion of the transposon Mariner element of Drosophila melanogaster (mosK) into the deleted insert to work as primer island. Using general molecular techniques, we described here this method that permits a quickly identification of a functional gene facilitating nucleotide sequence experiments from large DNA fragments. Followed experiments revealed the presence of a P-Glycoprotein gene in this locus which role in Leishmania metabolism has now been analyzed.

Animals↗

A novel t(6;7)(p24;q21) in a chronic myelocytic leukemia in complete cytogenetic remission after therapy with imatinib mesylate.

Emergence of additional cytogenetic clones in chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) patients who become Philadelphia chromosome-negative (Ph-) after alpha-interferon therapy (or more recently with imatinib mesylate) have been described. We report here a case of a novel t(6;7)(p21;q23) that developed in a CML patient in complete cytogenetic remission during imatinib therapy. In this case, fluorescence in situ hybridization and reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction showed a normal pattern for BCR and ABL genes, suggesting that a different and unrelated clone developed after the disappearance of the Ph chromosome.

Aged↗

[Characterization of the universal Russian reagent sets for real-time PCR and its application for molecular oncodiagnostic].

Universal Russian reagents for real time PCR were tested and compared with reference reagents provided by foreign companies. Testing was carried out on plasmids with cloning fragments (DNA-standards) of cDNA with chimeric (fusion) gene PML-RARalpha. Values of amplification efficiency of Russian and foreign reagents were measured on samples with serial dilutions (30-300000 copies) of cloned cDNA fragments of PML-RARalpha and internal control gene ABL. Amplification efficiencies of Russian and foreign reagents were found to be close one to another. Russian universal reagent kit RealityTM and ABI TaqMan Core Reagent Kit have amplification efficiencies 1.919 and 1.929, and correlation coefficients of copy numbers PML-RARalpha0.999 and 0.996, respectively. These values were determined by construction of a standard curve. To verify these results we studied also the samples of cDNA from blood and bone marrow of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia. All samples posses translocation t(15;17), and appropriate chimeric gene PML-RARalpha. copy number in 1 microg of total RNA was in range 5.86 x 10(4)-8.315 x 10(5) before chemotherapy. No symptoms of minimal residual disease were found after 3.5 months since chemotherapy - fusion gene PML-RARalpha was not detected by real time PCR method. These results are in agreement with clinical data. Our investigations tend to show that application of RealityTM reagent set in real timePCR experiments gives correct results and may be used in molecular oncodiagnostics.

Chromosomes, Human, Pair 15↗

T315I-mutated Bcr-Abl in chronic myeloid leukemia and imatinib: insights from a computational study.

The early stage of chronic myeloid leukemia is triggered by the tyrosine kinase Bcr-Abl. Imatinib mesylate, a selective inhibitor of Bcr-Abl, has been successful in chronic myeloid leukemia clinical trials, but short-lived remissions are usually observed in blast crisis patients. Sequencing of the BCR-ABL gene in relapsed patients revealed a set of mutants that mediate drug resistance. Previously reported work postulated that the missense T315I mutation both alters the three-dimensional structure of the protein binding site, thus decreasing the protein sensitivity for the drug, and does not feature a fundamental hydrogen bond that is critical for binding with imatinib. These speculations, however, were not supported by investigations at the molecular modeling level. Here, we present the results obtained from the application of molecular dynamics simulations to the study of the interactions between T315I Bcr-Abl and imatinib. For the first time, we show that, with respect to the wild-type system, the absence of the supposedly critical H-bond is not the only cause for the failure of receptor inhibition by imatinib, but also a plethora of other protein/drug interactions are drastically and unfavorably changed in the mutant protein.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

The effects of STI571 on antigen presentation of dendritic cells generated from patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia is caused by the acquisition of the reciprocal (9;22)(q34;q11) chromosomal translocation in hematopoietic stem cells. The fusion protein showed higher and aberrant tyrosine kinase activity. The inhibition of the tyrosine kinase activity of the protein represents a specific therapeutic strategy for bcr/abl-expressing leukemias. STI571 is a compound of the 2-phenylaminopyrimidine class that selectively inhibits the tyrosine kinase activity of the Abl protein tyrosine kinase. In this study, we evaluated the effects of STI571 on antigen presentation of dendritic cells generated from the patients with CML. The data showed that by the addition of STI571 the dendritic cells derived from CML clone showed an increased expression of CD1a, CD83, CD80 and CD86 by flow cytometry analysis and showed more intense abilities of allogeneic antigen presentation by mixed leukocyte culture, compared with the control cells without STI571. Our results suggested that STI571 not only has a direct cytotoxic effect on bcr-abl gene rearranged cells but also an indirect effect associated with increased anti-leukemic immunological function due to an intensified antigen presentation.

Antigen Presentation↗

Evaluation of minimal residual disease in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia on IFN-alpha 2b therapy using conventional cytogenetics and fluorescence in situ hybridization.

BACKGROUND: Chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) is a haematopoietic malignancy characterized by the presence of the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome that results from balanced reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22 leading to the formation of the bcr/abl fusion gene. Studies have shown that interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy induces both cytogenetic (reduction in Ph+ cells) and molecular response (reduction in the bcr/abl positive cells) in a large proportion of patients, thereby improving their prognosis and survival. There are no reports available from India on the clinical management of CML patients using IFN-alpha therapy and molecular methods for the evaluation of residual disease. We evaluated the efficacy of IFN-alpha 2b therapy bysequential cytogenetic and molecularanalysis. METHODS: Karyotypingwas done from G-banded metaphases obtained from 24-hour culture of bone marrow aspirates of 45 patients. Cytogenetic analysis was repeated at intervals of 4-6 months during the course of IFN-alpha therapy. Dual-colour fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis using specific probes for bcr and abl genes was done to assess the molecular response. RESULTS: Eight patients achieved complete cytogenetic response with no Ph+ cells. Using FISH analysis, 4 of these patients were negative for the fusion gene implying a complete response, while the remaining 4 patients showed bcr/abl fusion signals that represent residual disease. CONCLUSION: Our study emphasizes the need for sequential cytogenetic and molecular analysis in the management of patients with CML and for the evaluation of minimal residual disease in patients on IFN-alpha therapy.

Adult↗

Relationship between elevated levels of the alpha 1 acid glycoprotein in chronic myelogenous leukemia in blast crisis and pharmacological resistance to imatinib (Gleevec) in vitro and in vivo.

The Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinb is becoming a standard for the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). However, Bcr-Abl gene mutations have been reported mainly in relapsing or resistant patients. In primary resistant patients, only few mutations have been documented so far, suggesting alternative mechanisms. We aimed to investigate if alpha 1 acid glycoprotein (AGP), an acute phase drug binding protein, could be a biological marker for pharmacological resistance to imatinib in nine patients in acute phase CML. All patients (3/3) with high AGP dosages (2.31+/-0.17 mg/mL; normal values, 0.5-1.3mg/mL) were primary resistant to imatinib whereas an early clinical response was observed for the six patients with normal AGP levels (1.13+/-0.2mg/mL). No mutation in the adenosine triphosphate domain of Abl were detected before the initiation of imatinib therapy. By using in vitro tests combining various imatinib concentrations (1-10 microM) with purified human AGP (1 and 3 mg/mL), we demonstrate that imatinib-induced apoptosis of K562 or fresh leukemic CML cells is abrogated or reduced. The same effect was observed using sera from donors with high AGP levels (1.9-3.28 mg/mL). In patients with CML in blastic phase, AGP levels could reflect pharmacological resistance to imatinib, suggesting that increased dosage of imatinib or the use of a competitor to drug binding should be recommended to optimize the therapeutic effect of the drug.

Antineoplastic Agents↗

Detection of bcr-abl fusion mRNA in chronic myelogenous leukemia by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction using nested primers.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is identified by an unique t (9;22) translocation which fuses the abl gene to the breakpoint cluster region (bcr) gene. We attempted to devise a system based on the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) technique using nested primer, for detection of CML-specific chimeric mRNA that would provide a practical approach for molecular diagnosis of CML. In the present study, all Philadelphia chromosome (Ph1)-positive CML samples produced positive results, while the Ph1-negative acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) sample and samples from normal volunteers produced negative results, indicating that this method had high specificity. We constructed a sensitive and specific system for detection of CML-specific mRNA even in minute amounts of leukemic cells that expressed bcr-abl fusion mRNA in CML patient blood. This system should be useful for clinical diagnosis of CML.

Base Sequence↗

In vitro and in vivo effects of synthetic ribozymes targeted against BCR/ABL mRNA.

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is associated with a translocation of the BCR and the ABL genes, t(9;22). Results of this event are transcription and translation products that are unique to malignant cells. We therefore designed synthetic ribozymes which are capable of exclusively cleaving the BCR/ABL B3A2-type mRNA without altering normal cellular transcripts. Synthetic B3A2-type transcripts could only be cleaved by B3A2-type mRNA targeted ribozymes and not by any of the controls. The B3A2-type mRNA directed ribozyme, on the other hand, did not cleave any of the control transcripts. The effective delivery of ribonucleic acids by lipofection into K562 cells could be demonstrated by fluorescent microscopy, slot blot analysis, and RNA polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In vivo, we were able to induce a significant inhibition of the proliferation of K562 cells with ribozymes directed against the B3A2-type mRNA. Quantitative PCR analyses showed an up to fivefold reduction of the relative number of BCR/ABL mRNA molecules per single cell after exposure to ribozymes compared to controls. We conclude that ribozymes targeted against the B3A2-type BCR/ABL mRNA function in vitro and in vivo.

Cell Division↗

Chronic myeloid leukemia with a rare variant Philadelphia translocation: t(9;22;21)(q34;q11;q22).

A case of chronic myeloid leukemia displaying an uncommon t(21;22)(q22;q11) is reported. For the first time, this translocation has been characterized by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and the reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). FISH, with the use of whole-chromosome painting probes and probes specific for the BCR and ABL genes, showed a three-way variant Philadelphia translocation (9;22;21)(q34;q11;q22) with a BCR/ABL fusion residing on the der(22). In addition, RT-PCR demonstrated a b2a3 BCR/ABL fusion transcript. Underlying mechanisms and prognostic implications are discussed.

Chromosome Banding↗

[Late appearance of Philadelphia chromosome with the p190 BCR/ABL chimeric transcript in acute myelogenous leukemia progressing from myelodysplastic syndrome].

We report a late appearance of the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) with the p190 BCR/ABL chimeric transcript in a 69-year-old patient with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) that had evolved from myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). In July 1997, the patient was found to have pancytopenia caused by refractory anemia with excess of blasts, which evolved into AML in 4 months. The leukemic cells were positive for CD13, CD14, CD33, and HLA-DR and had a normal karyotype. The patient achieved a complete remission after combination chemotherapy. However, his leukemia relapsed in November 1999, with the appearance of leukemic cells positive for CD7, CD13, CD34, and HLA-DR with a 46, XY, add (18) (p11) karyotype. The patient failed to achieve the second remission after several courses of intensive chemotherapy. When the number of blastic cells, showing the same surface phenotypes, in the peripheral blood increased drastically in April 2000, chromosomal analysis of leukemic cells revealed a 46, XY, t(9;22) (q34;q11), add(18)(p11) karyotype. The fusion of the BCR and ABL genes was confirmed by fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis, and the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction analysis further revealed the presence of the p190 BCR/ABL chimeric transcript. The appearance of the Ph chromosome in the course of MDS transforming to AML is very rare and may be correlated to the disease progression.

Aged↗

Philadelphia chromosome positive precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia with a translocation t(2;14)(p13;q32).

A female patient with precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (precursor B-ALL) was analyzed cytogenetically. Karyotyping of the leukemic cells showed a Philadelphia chromosome (Ph1), and also showed a translocation between 2p13 and 14q32, which is thought to be specific for children with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. DNA analysis with both conventional and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis revealed the rearrangement of the c-abl gene, the BCR gene outside the 5.8 kb breakpoint cluster region (bcr or M-BCR), and the comigration of an abnormal Not I pHabl 5' and 3'-bcr fragment, indicating the presence of BCR/c-abl recombination. The JH gene was rearranged, but the JK gene showed a germline configuration, as with previously reported cases with a t(2;14). This case is the first report of a patient with Ph1-positive precursor B-ALL, in whom a specific translocation t(2;14)(p13;q32) is found simultaneously.

Adult↗

Interferon in the treatment of myeloproliferative diseases.

Interferon alfa has been used in the treatment of myeloproliferative disorders, particularly chronic myeloid leukemia, polycythemia vera, and idiopathic thrombocythemia. The effectiveness of interferon alfa in agnogenic myeloid metaplasia needs additional evaluation, although preliminary evidence suggests that it may be more efficacious when used in the cellular (ie, proliferative) phase than when the marrow is fibrotic or osteosclerotic. Cytogenetic and molecular changes after interferon alfa therapy are apparent in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, as manifested by change in the Philadelphia chromosome and BCR-ABL gene, respectively. The exact role of interferon in prolonging the life of chronic myeloid leukemia patients, however, remains to be determined in larger studies of longer duration. Interferon treatment seems to be well tolerated, and the frequency of treatment-limiting toxicity is low. Data to date suggest that interferon alfa may be a new and effective drug for the treatment of the myeloproliferative disorders.

Humans↗

A class of gyrB mutants, substantially unaffected in DNA topology, suppresses the Escherichia coli K12 ftsZ84 mutation.

Previous work in our laboratory suggested that DNA topology could be implicated in the regulation of the division gene ftsZ. To settle this question, we have selected and characterized mutants in the gyrB gene able to phenotypically suppress the defects of the ftsZ84 mutation. No strict correlation was found between the degree of plasmid DNA relaxation and the level of suppression of the thermosensitivity of the ftsZ84 strain. Interestingly, the class of mutants that shows maximal suppression is substantially unaffected in DNA topology. In addition, the amount of ftsZ-specific mRNA in this class of mutants is comparable to that present in the ftsZ84 strain. These results hint that the ability of these gyrB mutants to correct the effects of the ftsZ84 mutation is largely unrelated to the function of the GyrB (as a part of DNA gyrase) in the control of DNA superhelicity and suggest hitherto unsuspected interaction between the ftsZ and gyrB gene products.

Bacterial Proteins↗