The Proteome Analysis of an Imatinib-Resistant Cell Line Identifies Changes in Molecular Chaperones Such as Heat Shock Proteins (Hsp): A Possible New Mechanism of Imatinib Resistance.

Targeting the tyrosine kinase activity of Bcr-Abl by imatinib mesylate is an attractive therapeutic strategy in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and in Bcr-Abl positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. However, resistance to imatinib monotherapy is currently a major issue preventing the successful treatment of CML patients. It may be mainly mediated by mutations within the kinase domain of Bcr-Abl and/or amplification of the BCR-ABL genomic locus. The K562-r imatinib-resistant cell line, derived in our laboratories from the sensitive parental K562-s has neither mechanism of resistance, nor overexpression of Src-kinases such as Lyn and Hck, as described for other cell lines. In the current study we used two-dimensional (2D) difference gel electrophoresis (DIGE) and MALDI-TOF-TOF mass spectrometry to compare the proteome of K562-r and K562-s. With the aid of the Image Master TM 2D platinium software, we detected 31 different proteins in K562-r and K562-s. These proteins were classified in 3 different groups. The first includes proteins involved in the synthesis and stability of RNA (hnRNP K, hnRNP H, CstF , transcription elongation factor A protein 1, PCBP2, TCP1), the second encompasses structural proteins (CAPG, fascin, tubulin, vimentin, laminA, C tubulin beta-1 chain, actin cytoplasmic 1, keratin type I type II), and the third was represented by different enzymes participating in general metabolic pathways (glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, mitochondrial precursor, glutamate dehydrogenase 2, pyruvate kinase, PURH protein). Furthermore, chaperone proteins such as heat-shock protein Hsp60, P60HOP or STI-1, Hsp105 and Hsp70 were differentially expressed in the sensitive and resistant cell lines. Since these proteins complex with Hsp90 and this complex has been reported to interact with the Bcr-Abl protein, we focused on these molecular chaperones. Hsp70 family proteins such as Hsc70 and Hsp74 were found to be more expressed 2.5-fold higher in K562-r than in K562-s, and/or exhibited post translational modifications (phosphorylation and acetylation) confirmed by Western blotting. Hsp70 was recently described as an inhibitor of apoptosis (Ray S et al., JBC 2004) and its overexpression in K562-r could thus contribute to its imatinib-resistant phenotype. Preliminary functional studies showed that whereas K562-s and K562-r were equally sensitive to the apoptotic effect of geldanamycin (an inhibitor of Hsp90), the combination of geldanamycin and a proteasome inhibitor (MG132) was more efficient in K562-r than in K562-s (viability of 16% and 40% respectively after 4 days in culture). Ongoing experiments utilizing siRNA against Hsp70 will help understand the link between the expression profile of Hsp proteins and the imatinib-resistant phenotype of this cell line. In conclusion, the use of a new experimental strategy, i.e. proteomic analysis by DIGE and mass spectrometry, allowed us to identify selected proteins whose patterns of expression and post-translational modification may underlie a new mechanism of resistance to imatinib in Bcr-Abl positive cells.