Mutations in the Bcr-Abl kinase domain are a frequent cause of imatinib resistance in patients with advanced CML or Ph+ ALL. The impact of these mutations on the overall oncogenic potential of Bcr-Abl is presently unclear. In this study, we analyzed the effects of the Bcr-Abl P-loop mutation Y253H and the highly imatinib resistant T315I mutation on kinase activity and transforming efficiency of Bcr-Abl. Immunoprecipitated Bcr-AblY253H and Bcr-AblT315I proteins displayed similar kinase activities and substrate phosphorylation patterns as Bcr-Abl wildtype. The proliferative capacity of mutant and Bcr-Abl wt was analyzed in primary BM cells in vitro and in a murine transplantation model of CML. The results implicate no growth advantage in the absence of imatinib for cells carrying mutant Bcr-Abl compared to Bcr-Ablwt, whereas imatinib treatment clearly selects for leukemic cells expressing mutant Bcr-Abl.
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Mutations in the Bcr-Abl kinase domain are a frequent cause of imatinib resistance in patients with advanced CML or Ph+ ALL. The impact of these mutations on the overall oncogenic potential of Bcr-Abl is presently unclear. In this study, we analyzed the effects of the Bcr-Abl P-loop mutation Y253H and the highly imatinib resistant T315I mutation on kinase activity and transforming efficiency of Bcr-Abl. Immunoprecipitated Bcr-AblY253H and Bcr-AblT315I proteins displayed similar kinase activities...
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