Forced expression of the DEK-NUP214 fusion protein promotes proliferation dependent on upregulation of mTOR.

Background: The t(6;9)(p23;q34) chromosomal translocation is found in 1% of acute myeloid leukemia and encodes the fusion protein DEK-NUP214 (formerly DEK-CAN) with largely uncharacterized functions.

Methods: We expressed DEK-NUP214 in the myeloid cell lines U937 and PL-21 and studied the effects on cellular functions.

Results: In this study, we demonstrate that expression of DEK-NUP214 increases cellular proliferation.

The histone deacetylase inhibitor valproic acid sensitizes diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cell lines to CHOP-induced cell death.

Epigenetic code modifications by histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) have recently been proposed as potential new therapies for hematological malignancies. Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common form of aggressive lymphoma. At present, standard first line treatment for DLBCL patients is the antracycline-based chemotherapy regimen CHOP (cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone) combined with the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab (R-CHOP).

The p53 target gene TRIM22 directly or indirectly interacts with the translation initiation factor eIF4E and inhibits the binding of eIF4E to eIF4G.

Background Information: The interferon (IFN)-inducible protein TRIM22 (Staf50) is a member of the tripartite motif protein family and has been suggested a role in the regulation of viral replication as well as of protein ubiquitylation. In addition, we have previously shown that TRIM22 is a direct target gene for the tumour suppressor p53. Consistently, over-expression of TRIM22 inhibits the clonogenic growth of monoblastic U937 cells, suggesting anti-proliferative or cell death-inducing effects.

Inhibition of geranylgeranylation mediates sensitivity to CHOP-induced cell death of DLBCL cell lines.

Prenylation is a post-translational hydrophobic modification of proteins, important for their membrane localization and biological function. The use of inhibitors of prenylation has proven to be a useful tool in the activation of apoptotic pathways in tumor cell lines. Rab geranylgeranyl transferase (Rab GGT) is responsible for the prenylation of the Rab family.

Identification of a novel and myeloid specific role of the leukemia-associated fusion protein DEK-NUP214 leading to increased protein synthesis.

The t(6;9)(p22;q34) chromosomal translocation is found in a subset of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The translocation results in a fusion between the nuclear phosphoprotein DEK and the nucleoporin NUP214 (previously CAN). The mechanism by which the fusion protein DEK-NUP214 contributes to leukemia development has not been identified, and disruptions of normal cellular functions by DEK-NUP214 have previously not been described.

The involvement of cellular proliferation status in the expression of the human proto-oncogene DEK.

The role of the DEK protein, involved in the leukemia-associated fusion protein DEK-CAN, is not yet known. In this study, we show a higher expression of DEK mRNA in immature cells than in mature cells. Furthermore, a correlation between DEK expression and cell proliferation was demonstrated, suggesting that DEK plays a role in the proliferation of hematopoietic cells and raising the question of whether the DEK-CAN fusion protein might perturb regulation of proliferation in leukemic cells.