PTEN Regulates SYK-Directed AKT Activation in MCL.

Abstract 2941

Poster Board II-917

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) can be divided into two clinicopathologic subtypes, a common or “typical” form, and an aggressive “blastoid” variant. A subset of MCL, including all of the aggressive blastoid variants, shows constitutive activation of the PI3K/AKT pathway. Since the BCR-associated SYK tyrosine kinase can activate the PI3K/AKT pathway during normal BCR signaling, we wished to assess its role in MCL.

Five MCL cell lines (Granta 519, Rec-1, Jeko, Z138C and JVM-2) and 32 primary cases were studied for SYK activation and phosphorylation of several SYK targets, including blnk and PLC-gamma. The functional role of SYK was assessed by pharmacologic inhibition with R406, Piceatannol and SYK II inhibitor (2-(2-Aminoethylamino)-4-(3-trifluoromethyl-anilino)-pyrimidine-5-carboxamide, Dihydrochloride, Dihydrate). To rule out off target effects functional data was validated by siRNA experiments. Subsequently we analysed the effects of PTEN and constitutively active (S380A) PTEN in 2 cell lines (Granta 519 and Z138C).

All cell lines were found to have constitutively activated SYK accompanied by phosphorylation of its downstream targets blnk and PLC-gamma. Inhibition of SYK with pharmacologic inhibitors or by specific siRNA resulted in AKT inactivation, suggesting a causal relationship between SYK activation and AKT activation in the cell lines. However, all primary MCL cases demonstrated constitutive activation of SYK, regardless of the activation state of AKT. Interestingly, p-AKT expression correlated with PTEN inactivation, as assessed by p-PTEN expression, in both primary cases and MCL cell lines. Increasing PTEN phosphatase activity, by introducing a constitutively active PTEN, abrogated AKT phosphorylation, without affecting SYK activity. These data suggest that SYK activity in MCL is necessary, but not sufficient to activate the PI3K/AKT pathway, and that an additional critical step is the inactivation of PTEN. This study reveals new complexity in the dysregulation of survival pathways in MCL that may be relevant to pathogenesis.