Clathrin Assembly Protein CALM Is Necessary for Leukemia Cell Proliferation and Erythroid Development Via Regulating Transferrin Receptor Endocytosis

Abstract 244

Clathrin assembly lymphoid myeloid leukemia (CALM) protein is implicated in clathrin dependent endocytosis (CDE) and the CALM gene is the target of the t(10;11)(p13;q14-21) CALM/AF10 translocation, which is observed in multiple types of acute leukemia. Although the translocation generally dictates poor prognosis, the molecular mechanisms by which the fusion protein exerts its oncogenic activity remains elusive. To determine the role of CALM and CDE in normal hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis, we generated and characterized both conventional (Calm^+/−) and conditional (Calm^F/FMx1Cre+) Calm knockout (KO) mutants. Furthermore, we determined the impact of Calm loss on leukemia cell growth in vitro and in vivo employing a series of leukemia cell lines and leukemia mouse models.

Hematopoietic-specific Calm knockout mice (Calm^F/FMx1Cre+) exhibited a hypocromatic anemia with increased serum iron levels. We observed significant reduction in mature erythroblasts/erythrocytes (TER119+CD71-) with concomitant increase in immature erythroblasts (TER119+CD71+) in the spleen of Calm^F/FMx1Cre+ mice. The frequencies of erythroblasts in S phase were lower and the proportions of apoptotic (cleaved PARP positive) erythroblasts were increased in Calm^F/FMx1Cre+ mice. Surface transferrin receptor 1 (Tfr1, CD71) levels were significantly up-regulated in Calm-deficient hematopoietic progenitors, and uptake of Alexa647-conjugated transferrin was abrogated in Calm-deficient erythroblasts, revealed by immunofluorescence analysis. Freez-etch electron microscopy analysis showed a defective clathrin coated vesicle (CCV) formation in Calm-deficient erythroblasts, indicating that Calm is indispensable for iron-bound transferrin internalization by regulating CCV formation, thereby critical for erythroid differentiation and hemoglobinization.

CALM was highly expressed in leukemia/lymphoma cell lines and primary acute myeloid leukemia samples, although its expression was limited to erythroblasts in normal hematopoietic lineage cells. Treatment of leukemia cell lines with Desferoxamine (DFO), an iron chelator, led to a significant increase in Calm mRNA levels, suggesting that Calm expression is regulated by intracellular iron levels.

Since highly proliferative leukemia cells demand iron as a cofactor for ribonucleotide reductase (RNR), we hypothesized that Calm is required for leukemia cell proliferation by regulating iron-bound transferrin internalization. To determine the effect of Calm inactivation in leukemia cells, we transduced a series of leukemia cell lines with a lentivirus-based ShRNA vector (pLKO-GFP), which allowed shRNA-expressing cells to be traced by green fluorescent protein (GFP). Calm shRNA transduced cells, but not cells transduced with scrambled shRNA, showed a proliferative disadvantage compared to non-transduced cells. To determine the effect of Calm deletion in leukemia cells in vivo, the CALM/AF10 oncogene was retrovirally transduced into either wild type (WT) or Calm^F/FMx1Cre+ bone marrow (BM) cells and the cells were subsequently transferred to lethally-irradiated recipient mice. The Calm gene was deleted in donor cells via pIpC injections one month after transplant (before leukemia development) and survival curves generated. The recipients transplanted with the BM cells from Calm^F/FMx1Cre+ mice showed a significantly delayed onset of leukemia and longer survivals compared to control (p=0.001), indicating that Calm is necessary for the development of CALM/AF10-induced leukemia. We next assessed whether Calm is required for the “maintenance” of leukemia in vivo. Leukemia cells were harvested from the primary recipients transplanted with the CALM/AF10-transduced Calm^F/FMx1Cre+ BM cells (in which the endogenous Calm genes were intact) and transferred to the secondary recipients. The leukemic secondary recipient mice were then injected with pIpC and survival curves generated. Calm inactivation significantly delayed leukemia progression by blocking leukemia cell proliferation.

Taken together, our data indicate that Calm is essential for erythroid development and leukemia cell proliferation by regulating TFR1 internalization. Since Calm inactivation significantly blocked the leukemia cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo, our findings may provide new therapeutic strategies for acute myeloid leukemia.