IL-2– and IL-15–induced activation of the rapamycin-sensitive mTORC1 pathway in malignant CD4+ T lymphocytes

M Marzec, X Liu, M Kasprzycka… - Blood, The Journal …, 2008 - ashpublications.org
M Marzec, X Liu, M Kasprzycka, A Witkiewicz, PN Raghunath, M El-Salem, E Robertson
Blood, The Journal of the American Society of Hematology, 2008ashpublications.org
We examined functional status, activation mechanisms, and biologic role of the mTORC1
signaling pathway in malignant CD4+ T cells derived from the cutaneous T-cell lymphoma
(CTCL). Whereas the spontaneously growing CTCL-derived cell lines displayed persistent
activation of the TORC1 as well as the PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK pathways, the IL-2–
dependent cell lines activated the pathways in response to IL-2 and IL-15 but not IL-21.
Activation of mTORC1 and MEK/ERK was nutrient dependent. The mTORC1, PI3K/Akt, and …
We examined functional status, activation mechanisms, and biologic role of the mTORC1 signaling pathway in malignant CD4+ T cells derived from the cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL). Whereas the spontaneously growing CTCL-derived cell lines displayed persistent activation of the TORC1 as well as the PI3K/Akt and MEK/ERK pathways, the IL-2–dependent cell lines activated the pathways in response to IL-2 and IL-15 but not IL-21. Activation of mTORC1 and MEK/ERK was nutrient dependent. The mTORC1, PI3K/Akt, and MEK/ERK pathways could also be activated by IL-2 in the primary leukemic, mitogen-preactivated CTCL cells. mTORC1 activation was also detected in the CTCL tissues in the lymphoma stage–dependent manner with the highest percentage of positive cells present in the cases with a large cell transformation. Rapamycin inhibited mTORC1 signaling and suppressed CTCL cell proliferation but showed little effect on their apoptotic rate when used as a single agent. Activation of the mTORC1, PI3K/Akt, and MEK/ERK pathways was strictly dependent on the Jak3 and Jak1 kinases. Finally, mTORC1 activation was transduced preferentially through the PI3K/Akt pathway. These findings document the selective γc-signaling cytokine-mediated activation of the mTORC1 pathway in the CTCL cells and suggest that the pathway represents a therapeutic target in CTCL and, possibly, other T-cell lymphomas.
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