Autophagic degradation of the BCR-ABL oncoprotein and generation of antileukemic responses by arsenic trioxide

Dennis J. Goussetis, Elias Gounaris, Edward J. Wu, Eliza Vakana, Bhumika Sharma, Matthew Bogyo, Jessica K. Altman, Leonidas C. Platanias*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

121 Scopus citations

Abstract

We provide evidence that arsenic trioxide (As2O3) targets the BCR-ABL oncoprotein via a novel mechanism involving p62/ SQSTM1-mediated localization of the oncoprotein to the autolysosomes and subsequent degradation mediated by the protease cathepsin B. Our studies demonstrate that inhibitors of autophagy or cathepsin B activity and/or molecular targeting of p62/SQSTM1, Atg7, or cathepsin B result in partial reversal of the suppressive effects of AS2O3 on BCR-ABL expressing leukemic progenitors, including primitive leukemic precursors from chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients. Altogether, these findings indicate that autophagic degradation of BCR-ABL is critical for the induction of the antileukemic effects of As2O3 and raise the potential for future therapeutic approaches to target BCR-ABL expressing cells by modulating elements of the autophagic machinery to promote BCR-ABL degradation.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)3555-3562
Number of pages8
JournalBlood
Volume120
Issue number17
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 25 2012

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Hematology
  • Biochemistry
  • Cell Biology
  • Immunology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Autophagic degradation of the BCR-ABL oncoprotein and generation of antileukemic responses by arsenic trioxide'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this