UMass Chan Medical School Faculty Publications

Title

TYK2-STAT1-BCL2 Pathway Dependence in T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

UMMS Affiliation

Department of Cancer Biology

Publication Date

2013-5

Document Type

Article

Subjects

Leukemia, Biphenotypic, Acute; TYK2 Kinase; STAT1 Transcription Factor; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2

Disciplines

Cancer Biology | Neoplasms | Oncology

Abstract

Targeted molecular therapy has yielded remarkable outcomes in certain cancers, but specific therapeutic targets remain elusive for many others. As a result of two independent RNA interference (RNAi) screens, we identified pathway dependence on a member of the Janus-activated kinase (JAK) tyrosine kinase family, TYK2, and its downstream effector STAT1, in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). Gene knockdown experiments consistently showed TYK2 dependence in both T-ALL primary specimens and cell lines, and a small-molecule inhibitor of JAK activity induced T-ALL cell death. Activation of this TYK2-STAT1 pathway in T-ALL cell lines occurs by gain-of-function TYK2 mutations or activation of interleukin (IL)-10 receptor signaling, and this pathway mediates T-ALL cell survival through upregulation of the antiapoptotic protein BCL2. These findings indicate that in many T-ALL cases, the leukemic cells are dependent upon the TYK2-STAT1-BCL2 pathway for continued survival, supporting the development of molecular therapies targeting TYK2 and other components of this pathway.

DOI of Published Version

10.1158/2159-8290.CD-12-0504

Source

Cancer Discov. 2013 May;3(5):564-577. Epub 2013 Mar 7. Link to article on publisher's site

Related Resources

Link to Article in PubMed

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Cancer discovery

PubMed ID

23471820

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