Forum for Science, Industry and Business

New treatment approach for leukemia

STAT5 important for cancer-causing BCR/ABL gene

a) Patients with an activating STAT5B mutation display a suppressed interferon response, which promotes the development and growth of leukemia cells.

b) In the STAT5B-deficient leukemia mouse model, the increased interferon response led to a suppression of malignant leukemia cells. This reveals STAT5B as a potential target for anti-cancer medication.

©Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology/Vetmeduni Vienna

STAT5B as a potential target for anti-cancer medication

The BCR/ABL gene, which does not occur among healthy people, has been shown to be a causative agent in the pathogenesis of B-cell acute lymphocytic leukemia. The gene causes white blood cells to become leukemia cells that reproduce out of control.

Earlier studies by the research group of Veronika Sexl at Vetmeduni Vienna had already shown that the STAT5 transcription factor was essential for the development of BCR/ABL-induced leukemia. The solution seemed simple: remove STAT5 and the tumor cell dies.

STAT5A and STAT5B: Not everything that looks the same is the same

But STAT5 actually consists of two genes: STAT5A and STAT5B. The two are very similar and, being more than 90 % identical, had been considered to be functionally equal. Research had therefore focused primarily on the function of STAT5A, as it had appeared to be of greater importance.

In their recently published study in the journal Leukemia, the researchers from Vetmeduni Vienna wanted to know for sure. Veronika Sexl from the Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology at Vetmeduni Vienna was the director of the study:

“In our previous studies, we always turned off both genes, as they are situated next to each other on the chromosome. What is exciting is that in recent years cases have been found of patients with mutations that result in STAT5 activation and are assumed to drive disease. Surprisingly, these mutations were found at a much higher frequency in STAT5B than in STAT5A.”

This finding led the research team to ask: Why are mutations found in STAT5B and not in STAT5A? And why is overactivation of STAT5B “good” for the tumor cell?

STAT5B: Therapeutic approach: new, precision medicine strategies

The Vetmeduni Vienna research team probed these questions by investigating the different function of STAT5A and STAT5B in a mouse model and in human leukemia cells. The absence of STAT5A led to a decrease in cell survival and the formation of colonies of malignant cancer cells.

Even more significant effects were observed in the absence of STAT5B. In the mouse model, loss of STAT5B increased interferon response and suppressed transformation. The opposite scenario was the case in patients with overactive STAT5B: the interferon response against tumor growth was suppressed, and transformation was enhanced.

Andrea Hölbl-Kovacic from Vetmeduni Vienna: “Our data show that STAT5A and STAT5B are twins with different personalities, and that STAT5B facilitates leukemogenesis in BCR/ABL leukemia. Our findings might help explain the high frequency of STAT5B mutations in hematopoietic tumors.”

According to the researchers, this may be of direct clinical relevance for patients, as a better understanding of the complex role of STAT5B could enable the development of precision medicine strategies to treat disease.

About the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna
The University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna in Austria is one of the leading academic and research institutions in the field of Veterinary Sciences in Europe. About 1,300 employees and 2,300 students work on the campus in the north of Vienna which also houses five university clinics and various research sites. Outside of Vienna the university operates Teaching and Research Farms. The Vetmeduni Vienna plays in the global top league: in 2018, it occupies the excellent place 6 in the world-wide Shanghai University veterinary in the subject "Veterinary Science". http://www.vetmeduni.ac.at

Released by:
Georg Mair
Science Communication / Corporate Communications
University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna)
T +43 1 25077-1165
E georg.mair@vetmeduni.ac.at

Wissenschaftliche Ansprechpartner:

Andrea Hölbl-Kovacic
Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology
University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (Vetmeduni Vienna)
T +43 1 25077-2900
E Andrea.Hoelbl@vetmeduni.ac.at

Originalpublikation:

The article “Twins with different personalities: STAT5B – but not STAT5A – has a key role in BCR/ABL-induced leukemia” by Sebastian Kollmann, Eva Grundschober, Barbara Maurer, Wolfgang Warsch, Reinhard Grausenburger, Leo Edlinger, Jani Huuhtanen, Sabine Lagger, Lothar Hennighausen, Peter Valente, Thomas Decker, Birgit Strobl, Mathias Müller, Satu Mustjoki, Andrea Hölbl-Kovacic and Veronika Sexl was published in Leukemia. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41375-018-0369-5

Weitere Informationen:

https://www.vetmeduni.ac.at/en/infoservice/press-releases/press-releases-2019/ne...

Mag. Georg Mair | idw - Informationsdienst Wissenschaft

Im Focus: When ions rattle their cage

Electrolytes play a key role in many areas: They are crucial for the storage of energy in our body as well as in batteries. In order to release energy, ions - charged atoms - must move in a liquid such as water. Until now the precise mechanism by which they move through the atoms and molecules of the electrolyte has, however, remained largely unknown. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research have now shown that the electrical resistance of an electrolyte, which is determined by the motion of ions, can be traced back to microscopic vibrations of these dissolved ions.

In chemistry, common table salt is also known as sodium chloride. If this salt is dissolved in water, sodium and chloride atoms dissolve as positively or...

Im Focus: Harnessing the rain for hydrovoltaics

Drops of water falling on or sliding over surfaces may leave behind traces of electrical charge, causing the drops to charge themselves. Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P) in Mainz have now begun a detailed investigation into this phenomenon that accompanies us in every-day life. They developed a method to quantify the charge generation and additionally created a theoretical model to aid understanding. According to the scientists, the observed effect could be a source of generated power and an important building block for understanding frictional electricity.

Water drops sliding over non-conducting surfaces can be found everywhere in our lives: From the dripping of a coffee machine, to a rinse in the shower, to an...

Im Focus: A sensational discovery: Traces of rainforests in West Antarctica

90 million-year-old forest soil provides unexpected evidence for exceptionally warm climate near the South Pole in the Cretaceous

An international team of researchers led by geoscientists from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) have now...

Im Focus: Blocking the Iron Transport Could Stop Tuberculosis

The bacteria that cause tuberculosis need iron to survive. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now solved the first detailed structure of the transport protein responsible for the iron supply. When the iron transport into the bacteria is inhibited, the pathogen can no longer grow. This opens novel ways to develop targeted tuberculosis drugs.

One of the most devastating pathogens that lives inside human cells is Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacillus that causes tuberculosis. According to the...

Im Focus: Physicist from Hannover Develops New Photon Source for Tap-proof Communication

An international team with the participation of Prof. Dr. Michael Kues from the Cluster of Excellence PhoenixD at Leibniz University Hannover has developed a new method for generating quantum-entangled photons in a spectral range of light that was previously inaccessible. The discovery can make the encryption of satellite-based communications much more secure in the future.

A 15-member research team from the UK, Germany and Japan has developed a new method for generating and detecting quantum-entangled photons at a wavelength of...