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The retrovirus, human T-cell-lymphotrophic virus-1 (HTLV-I) is the etiologic agent of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) and the neurological disorder HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP). The HTLV-I-encoded protein tax constitutively activates interleukin-2 (IL-2), IL-9, and IL-15 autocrine/paracrine systems that in turn activate the Jak3 (Janus kinase 3)/STAT5 (signal transducers and activators of transcription 5) pathway, suggesting a therapeutic strategy that involves targeting Jak3. We evaluated the action of the Jak3 inhibitor CP-690,550 on cytokine dependent ex vivo proliferation that is characteristic of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from select patients with smoldering or chronic subtypes of ATL, or from those with HAM/TSP whose PBMCs are associated with autocrine/paracrine pathways that involve the production of IL-2, IL-9, IL-15, and their receptors. CP-690,550 at 50 nM inhibited the 6-day ex vivo spontaneous proliferation of PBMCs from ATL and HAM/TSP patients by 67.1% and 86.4%, respectively. Furthermore, CP-690,550 inhibited STAT5 phosphorylation in isolated ATL T cells ex vivo. Finally, in an in vivo test of biological activity, CP-690,550 treatment of mice with a CD8 T-cell IL-15-transgenic leukemia that manifests an autocrine IL-15/IL-15Rα pathway prolonged the survival duration of these tumor-bearing mice. These studies support further evaluation of the Jak3 inhibitor CP-690,550 in the treatment of select patients with HTLV-I-associated ATL and HAM/TSP.

Human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) is the etiologic agent for adult T-cell leukemia (ATL). Aurora A, a mitotic checkpoint protein, is overexpressed in human cancer cells. The cell cycle-dependent turnover of Aurora A is regulated by E3 ubiquitin ligases such as checkpoint with fork head-associated and ring finger (CHFR). Here, we found overexpression of Aurora A protein in HTLV-1-infected T-cell lines and primary ATL cells. The expression of CHFR mRNA was reduced in these cells by abnormal methylation of CHFR promoter region. Knockdown of Aurora A using small interfering RNA suppressed the growth of HTLV-1-infected T-cell line. Transfection of Aurora A expression plasmid enhanced Tax-induced nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) reporter activity. Transfection of CHFR expression plasmid into an HTLV-1-infected T-cell line reduced cell growth, Aurora A protein level and constitutive NF-kappaB reporter activity. Aurora kinase inhibitor suppressed the growth and survival of HTLV-1-infected T-cell lines and primary ATL cells. It also reduced constitutive NF-kappaB activity in an HTLV-1-infected T-cell line by reducing IkappaB kinase beta phosphorylation and the expression of antiapoptotic protein survivin. Our results suggested that loss of CHFR expression resulted to accumulation of Aurora A, which increased NF-kappaB activity. These findings highlight the critical role of Aurora A in HTLV-1-infected T cells, making this molecule a potentially suitable target for future therapies for ATL.

Adult T cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) has been characterized as one of the most aggressive human neoplasias and its incidence is thought to be caused by both genetic and epigenetic alterations to the host cellular genes of T cells infected with human T cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I). A multilobulated nuclear appearance is an important diagnostic marker of ATLL, and we have now identified that the molecular mechanisms underlying these formations occur through microtubule rearrangement via phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3-kinase) activation by AILIM/ICOS signaling. We also show that PTEN and/or SHIP-1, which are PIP3 inositol phosphatases that inhibit the activation of downstream effectors of the PI3-kinase cascade, are disrupted in both ATLL neoplasias and in multilobulated nuclei-forming Jurkat cells. This down-regulation of PTEN was found to be essential for the formation of ATLL-type nuclear lobules. Furthermore, PI3-kinase and PTEN activities were observed to be closely associated with cellular proliferation. Thus, our results suggest that alteration of PI3-kinase signaling cascades, as a result of the down-regulation of inositol phosphatases, induces ATLL-type multilobulated nuclear formation and is also associated with the cellular proliferation of malignant T cell leukemias/lymphomas.

We examined the expression of messenger RNA (mRNA) of the human inducible nitric oxide synthase (hiNOS) gene in a panel of human T-cell lines. Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction showed that human T-cell leukemia virus type-I (HTLV-I)-infected T-cell lines (MT-1, SLB-1, and C5/MJ) expressed mRNA for the hiNOS, but TL-Om1 or uninfected Jurkat, H9, and CCRF-CEM did not. The MT-1, SLB-1, and C5/MJ cell lines are infected with HTLV-I and express the viral transactivator Tax, whereas TL-Om1 cells, although derived from adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) leukemic cells, do not express Tax. There was, thus, a correlation between Tax and hiNOS mRNA expression. The transcriptional regulatory region of the hiNOS gene was activated by Tax in Jurkat, in which endogenous hiNOS is induced by Tax. Deletion analysis showed that the region of hiNOS encompassing nucleotides -159 to -111 contained the minimum Tax-responsive elements. Mutations in the NF-kappaB element at position -115 and -106 bp in the hiNOS promoter were still activated by Tax, and a Tax mutant defective for activation of the NF-kappaB pathway retained the ability to activate the hiNOS promoter. In addition, overexpression of the dominant-negative mutants of IkappaBalpha and I kappaBbeta failed to reduce Tax-induced activation of hiNOS gene. Furthermore, hiNOS mRNA was detected in leukemic cells from ATL patients. Our results show that the hiNOS promoter contains a minimum Tax-responsive element located between nucleotides -159 and -111, and imply that the expression of the hiNOS gene is involved in the pathogenesis of HTLV-I-associated diseases.

The subunit composition of cell-internal and surface prosomes during phorbol myristate acetate (PMA)-induced differentiation of human leukemic T lymphocytes (CCRF-CEM cell line) was studied in relation to clusters of differentiation (CD) markers. PMA inhibited cell growth and decreased the amounts of CD1a and CD4 while CD3, CD8, CD25, CD45, CD57 and MHCI increased it; the p53 anti-oncogene increased while actin levels remained constant. Cells incubated with the inducer PMA for 3 days and placed in fresh inhibitor-free medium resumed growth at a low rate, while the CD values slowly reverted to those of the initial phenotype. The presence and relative amounts of prosome subunits were analyzed by flow cytometry, light and fluorescent microscopy and Western blotting using 3 monoclonal antibodies (p25K, p27K and p30-33K MAbs). The decrease in cytoplasmic antigens on day 3 was remarkable (cells followed for 7 days) while increased surface antigens were observed. Changes in the subcellular distributions of prosome antigens, particularly the p25K and p30-33K subunit, were correlated with a partial arrest of the cell cycle. Interestingly, the composition of cell internal and surface prosomes showed different patterns of change.

Calpain secreted by lymphoid (MOLT-3, M.R.) or monocytic (U-937, THP-1) cell lines activated with PMA and A23187 degraded myelin antigens. The degradative effect of enzymes released in the extracellular medium was tested on purified myelin basic protein and rat central nervous system myelin in vitro. The extent of protein degradation was determined by SDS-PAGE and densitometric analysis. Various proteinase inhibitors were used to determine to what extent protein degradation was mediated by calpain and/or other enzymes. Lysosomal and serine proteinase inhibitors inhibited 20-40% of the myelin-degradative activity found in the incubation media of cell lines, whereas the calcium chelator (EGTA), the calpain-specific inhibitor (calpastatin), and a monoclonal antibody to m calpain blocked myelin degradation by 60-80%. Since breakdown products of MBP generated by calpain may include fragments with antigenic epitopes, this enzyme may play an important role in the initiation of immune-mediated demyelination.

The role of cytidine triphosphate (CTP) synthetase (EC 6.3.4.2.) in the pyrimidine ribonucleotide metabolism of MOLT-3 human T-ALL cell line cells and normal human T lymphocytes during the cell cycle traverse was studied. Highly pure G1-phase samples and samples enriched in S-phase cells were obtained by counterflow centrifugation. The activity of CTP synthetase in situ, measured in pulse-chase experiments, was similar in the G1-phase and S-phase MOLT-3 cells. In contrast, in S-phase T lymphocytes, an increased activity of CTP synthetase was observed compared with G1-phase T lymphocytes. Nevertheless, the MOLT-3 samples showed an increased activity of CTP synthetase in comparison with either G1-phase or S-phase enriched samples of normal T lymphocytes. Therefore, the increased activity of CTP synthetase of MOLT-3 cells is a cell cycle-independent feature, whereas among normal T lymphocytes, the increase in activity of CTP synthetase that arises after a growth stimulus is more prominent in the S-phase.

To determine the role of the enzyme CTP synthetase (EC 6.3.4.2) in the synthesis in situ of CTP in normal and in malignant lymphoblastic cells, the metabolism of radiolabeled pyrimidine ribonucleosides was studied in proliferating normal T lymphocytes and was compared with that of proliferating MOLT-3 cell-line cells and differentiated (non-proliferating) MOLT-3 cells. Both the incorporation of [14C]uridine into UTP and CTP and the incorporation of [14C]cytidine in CTP, as well as the fluxes of these labeled nucleosides through the nucleotide pools into nucleic acids, were elevated in proliferating MOLT-3 cells compared to proliferating T lymphocytes. Furthermore, the conversion of UTP into CTP was enhanced in proliferating MOLT-3 cells compared to proliferating T lymphocytes, indicating a higher activity of CTP synthetase in the leukemic cells. In non-proliferating MOLT-3 cells, the pyrimidine ribonucleotide fluxes were decreased compared to proliferating MOLT-3 cells and proliferating T lymphocytes. However, the decreased ratio of uracil/cytosine ribonucleotides that was found in proliferating T lymphocytes and proliferating MOLT-3 cells compared to non-proliferating blood lymphocytes, was preserved in the differentiated MOLT-3 cells. Moreover, although the fluxes had decreased, most CTP was still synthesized by CTP synthetase in the differentiated MOLT-3 cells. Thus, the elevated activity of CTP synthetase in MOLT-3 cells was independent of the cell growth and maturation stage. We conclude that the increased activity of CTP synthetase is associated with the process of malignant transformation in MOLT-3 cells. Therefore, CTP synthetase offers an attractive target for selective therapy in human acute T-lymphoid leukemia.

Protein kinase C (PKC) has been shown to be involved in the mitogenic response and in oncogenic cell transformation in many experimental models. We analyzed the expression of PKC in both highly purified leukemic T cells freshly isolated from adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) patients and control T lymphocytes obtained from healthy volunteers. PKC activity was decreased in the ATL cells as compared with the control T cells. Cytosolic PKC activity in the ATL cells was remarkably decreased, whereas particulate membrane PKC activity was similar to the control level. The percentage of PKC activity in the particulate fraction was 34% in the ATL cells and 19% in the control cells. Regarding the altered subcellular localization of PKC activity, phorbol ester-induced translocation of cytosolic PKC was inhibited in some ATL cases. Similarly to the decrease in PKC activity, there was a decrease in the expression of the major PKC isozymes II(beta) and III(alpha) in ATL cells. These results suggest impaired regulation of PKC expression in ATL as well as in many experimental cancers.

We have developed a flow cytometric assay for the determination of cellular expression of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT) and applied this to the detection of minimal residual T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). The flow cytometric assay for TdT demonstrated requisite specificity: TdT was localized to the nucleus, and was detected in MOLT3 T lymphoblasts, clinical T-ALL samples, and normal bone marrow B lymphoid precursors, but in neither the KG1a myeloid leukemia cell line nor normal myeloid cells. Co-expression of TdT and the pan T cell marker CD5 was used to quantify T lymphoblasts. 0.25 +/- 0.13% of normal adult bone marrow CD5+ cells were TdT+; these may represent early T lymphoid precursors. When admixed with normal bone marrow, CD5+TdT+ leukemic cells could be detected above background levels at an added concentration of 0.035% (95% confidence interval 0.028-0.43%). Long term follow-up of a large number of patients will be required to determine the clinical significance of a minimal burden of leukemic cells.