g(m3)-ganglioside and Leukemia--Myelogenous--Chronic--BCR-ABL-Positive

In chronic myeloid leukemia K562 cells, differentiation is also blocked because of low levels of ganglioside GM3, derived by the high expression of sialidase Neu3 active on GM3. In this article, we studied the effects of Neu3 silencing (40-70% and 63-93% decrease in protein content and activity, respectively) in these cells. The effects were as follows: (a) gangliosides GM3, GM1, and sialosylnorhexaosylceramide increased markedly; (b) cell growth and [(3)H]thymidine incorporation diminished relevantly; (c) as mRNA, cyclin D2, and Myc were much less expressed, whereas cyclin D1 was expressed more like its inhibitor p21; (d) as mRNA, pro-apoptotic proteins Bax and Bad increased with concurrent decrease and increase in the anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL, respectively; (e) the apoptosis inducers etoposide and staurosporine were active on Neu3 silencing cells but not on mock cells; (f) as mRNA, the megakaryocytic markers CD10, CD44, CD41, and CD61 increased similar to the case of mock cells stimulated with PMA; (g) the signaling cascades mediated by PLC-beta2, PKC, RAF, ERK1/2, RSK90, and JNK were largely activated. The induction of a GM3-rich ganglioside pattern in K562 cells by treatment with brefeldin A elicited a phenotype similar to that of Neu3 silencing cells. In conclusion, upon Neu3 silencing, K562 cells show a decrease in proliferation, propensity to undergo apoptosis, and megakaryocytic differentiation.

Topics: Antigens, Differentiation; Apoptosis; Cell Differentiation; Cell Proliferation; G(M3) Ganglioside; Gene Expression Regulation, Enzymologic; Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic; Humans; K562 Cells; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive; Megakaryocytes; Neoplasm Proteins; Neuraminidase; Signal Transduction

The role of acidic glycosphingolipids in cell growth and differentiation was investigated using the multipotent leukemia cell line K562. When GM3 was added to cell culture media, the growth of K562 cells was remarkably inhibited and the cells were shown to have megakaryocytoid morphology. Ultrastructural study demonstrated that K562 cells treated with GM3 had platelet peroxidase-positive structures, which were considered to be the specific marker of megakaryocyte. Furthermore, AP-3 directed against an epitope present on membrane glycoprotein IIIa reacted with the GM3-treated cells. Free N-acetylneuraminic acid, GM1, GM2, GD1a, and a mixture of bovine brain gangliosides containing GD1a and GT1b did not affect growth of K562 cells or show morphological changes. According to chemical analyses, GM3 content increased in megakaryocytoid differentiation induced by tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, whereas GM3 decreased in erythroid differentiation induced by hemin. Enzymatic analysis showed that the GM3 increase during megakaryocytoid differentiation was a result of the sialyltransferase activation. These results indicated that exogenous GM3 induced differentiation of K562 cells into a "GM3-rich" lineage, i.e., mainly megakaryocytoid lineage, and that GM3 accumulation in the GM3-rich lineage was the result of the activation of GM3 synthase. These findings strongly suggested that GM3 ganglioside, a minor membrane component, has a crucial role in not only the differentiation induction but also the determination of the differentiation direction in pluripotent K562 cells.

Topics: Cell Differentiation; Cell Division; G(M3) Ganglioside; Humans; Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive; Microscopy, Electron; Tetradecanoylphorbol Acetate; Tumor Cells, Cultured