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Research Paper

Kinase-Addiction and Bi-Phasic Sensitivity-Resistance of Bcr-Abl- and Raf-1-Expressing Cells to Imatinib and Geldanamycin

Zoya N. Demidenko, Won G. An, John T. Lee, Larisa Y. Romanova, James A. McCubrey and Mikhail V. Blagosklonny

volume 4 | issue 4

April 2005
Pages: 484-490

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By activating anti-apoptotic factors (e.g., Hsp70, Raf-1, Bcl-xL), Bcr-Abl blocks apoptotic pathways at multiple levels, thus rendering leukemia cells resistant to chemotherapeutic agents such as doxorubicin (DOX). In Bcr-Abl-transfected HL60 (HL/Bcr-Abl) cells, pro-caspase-9 was increased and partially processed. The Bcr-Abl inhibitor imatinib (Gleevec, STI-571) released the apoptotic stream. Also, HL/Bcr-Abl cells were hyper-sensitive to geldanamycin (GA), which depletes Bcr-Abl and Raf-1. Raf-1 and Bcr-Abl-transfected FDC-P1 hematopoietic cells were selectively sensitive to GA and imatinib, respectively. Remarkably, cell clones with high levels of Bcr-Abl that could not be depleted by GA were relatively resistant to both GA and imatinib. GA and flavopiridol sensitized such resistant cells to imatinib. These data suggest bi-phasic sensitivity to mechanism-based therapeutic agents. Although Bcr-Abl renders cells hyper-sensitive, an excess of Bcr-Abl results in resistance (due to the remaining activity). We discuss therapeutic approaches to overcome bi-phasic resistance to mechanisms-based agents.




We now provide open access to journal articles published online for one year or more. This article may be downloaded at the following link:

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