NPM-RAR Binds to Tradd and Impedes the Extrinsic Apoptotic Pathway

Abstract 5126

The t(5;17)(q35;q21) variant of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia fuses nucleophosmin (NPM) to the retinoic acid receptor alpha (RARA). The resultant NPM-RAR fusion protein blocks myeloid differentiation, and leads to a leukemic phenotype similar to that caused by the t(15;17)(q22;q21) PML-RAR fusion. The contribution of the N-terminal 117 amino acids of NPM contained within NPM-RAR has not been well studied. NPM is a molecular chaperone, and binds to a variety of proteins implicated in leukemogenesis. We performed a proteomic analysis to identify NPM-RAR interacting proteins. Vectors encoding NPM-RAR or RARA (as control) fused in frame to calmodulin binding peptide and Protein A were expressed in HEK293 cells, and interacting proteins subjected to tryptic digest. Peptides were analyzed by nanoflow reversed-phase liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Amongst other targets, we identified tumor necrosis factor receptor type 1-associated DEATH domain protein (TRADD) as a distinct binding partner for NPM-RAR. TRADD did not bind to wild-type RARA or NPM, suggesting that the interaction was unique to the fusion protein. The NPM-RAR/TRADD interaction was verified by reciprocal co-precipitation. Though NPM-RAR localizes primarily in the nucleoplasm, we also found a low level of NPM-RAR/TRADD dimer in the cytoplasm utilizing confocal microscopy. Expression of NPM-RAR in U937 cells impaired TNF activation of caspase 8 and caspase 3. TNF-induced acquisition of Annexin V, generation of sub-G0/G1 nuclear content, and cleavage of PARP were all blunted, indicating that NPM-RAR blocks TNF-induced apoptosis. Our studies identify a novel mechanism through which NPM-RAR impacts leukemogenesis.