Modification of Gene Expression, Proliferation, and Function of OP9 Stroma Cells by Bcr-Abl-Expressing Leukemia Cells

PLoS One. 2015 Jul 28;10(7):e0134026. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134026. eCollection 2015.

Abstract

Expression of the Bcr-Abl fusion gene in hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) results in the development of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), for which hematopoietic microenvironment plays an important role. We investigated the specific effects of an HPC line transduced with Bcr-Abl, KOBA, on BM-derived OP9 stroma cells. DNA microarray analysis revealed that OP9 cells co-cultured with KOBA cells (OP9/L) show diverse changes in the gene expression. OP9/L cells showed significant down-regulation of Cdkn genes and up-regulation of Icam1, leading to the increased proliferation capacity of OP9 cells and enhanced transmigration of leukemia cells through them. The effects were attributed to direct Notch activation of OP9 cells by KOBA cells. OP9/L cells also showed a markedly altered cytokine gene expression pattern, including a robust increase in a variety of proinflammatory genes and a decrease in hematopoietic cytokines such as Cxcl12, Scf, and Angpt1. Consequently, OP9/L cells promoted the proliferation of KOBA cells more efficiently than parental OP9 cells, whereas the activity supporting normal myelopoiesis was attenuated. In mice bearing KOBA leukemia, the characteristic genetic changes observed in OP9/L cells were reflected differentially in the endothelial cells (ECs) and mesenchymal stroma cells (MCs) of the BM. The ECs were markedly increased with Notch-target gene activation and decreased Cdkn expression, whereas the MCs showed a marked increase in proinflammatory gene expression and a profound decrease in hematopoietic genes. Human CML cell lines also induced essentially similar genetic changes in OP9 cells. Our results suggest that CML cells remodel the hematopoietic microenvironment by changing the gene expression patterns differentially in ECs and MCs of BM.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Apoptosis
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Adhesion
  • Cell Movement
  • Cell Proliferation*
  • Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl / genetics*
  • GTPase-Activating Proteins / physiology*
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic*
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells / metabolism
  • Hematopoietic Stem Cells / pathology*
  • Humans
  • Immunoenzyme Techniques
  • Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / genetics
  • Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / metabolism
  • Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive / pathology*
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Nuclear Proteins / physiology*
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Stromal Cells / metabolism
  • Stromal Cells / pathology*
  • Tumor Cells, Cultured

Substances

  • GTPase-Activating Proteins
  • Nuclear Proteins
  • RNA, Messenger
  • Sipa1 protein, mouse
  • Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (24111008) (http://www.jsps.go.jp/j-grantsinaid/34_new_scientific/) and a grant-in-aid from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Science, Sports and Technology, Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology of the Japanese Government. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.