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- Eriksson, Anna, 1977-, et al.
(author)
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AKN-028 induces cell cycle arrest, downregulation of Myc associated genes and a dose dependent reduction of kinase activity in acute myeloid leukemia
- 2014
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In: Biochemical Pharmacology. - : Elsevier. - 0006-2952 .- 1356-1839. ; 87:2, s. 284-291
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- AKN-028 is a novel tyrosine kinase inhibitor with preclinical activity in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), presently undergoing investigation in a phase I/II study. It is a potent inhibitor of the FMS-like kinase 3 (FLT3) but shows in vitro activity in a wide range of AML samples. In the present study, we have characterized the effects of AKN-028 on AML cells in more detail. AKN-028 induced a dose-dependent G(0)/arrest in AML cell line MV4-11. Treatment with AKN-028 caused significantly altered gene expression in all AML cell types tested (430 downregulated, 280 upregulated transcripts). Subsequent gene set enrichment analysis revealed enrichment of genes associated with the proto-oncogene and cell cycle regulator c-Myc among the downregulated genes in both AKN-028 and midostaurin treated cells. Kinase activity profiling in AML cell lines and primary AML samples showed that tyrosine kinase activity, but not serine/threonine kinase activity, was inhibited by AKN-028 in a dose dependent manner in all samples tested, reaching approximately the same level of kinase activity. Cells sensitive to AKN-028 showed a higher overall tyrosine kinase activity than more resistant ones, whereas serine/threonine kinase activity was similar for all primary AML samples. In summary, AKN-028 induces cell cycle arrest in AML cells, downregulates Myc-associated genes and affect several signaling pathways. AML cells with high global tyrosine kinase activity seem to be more sensitive to the cytotoxic effect of AKN-028 in vitro.
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| 2. |
- Eriksson, Anna, et al.
(author)
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Identification of AKN-032, a novel 2-aminopyrazine tyrosine kinase inhibitor, with significant preclinical activity in acute myeloid leukemia
- 2010
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In: Biochemical Pharmacology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0006-2952 .- 1356-1839. ; 80:10, s. 1507-1516
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Aberrant signal transduction by mutant or overexpressed protein kinases has emerged as a promising target for treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We here present a novel low molecular weight kinase inhibitor, AKN-032, targeting the FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) and discovered in a new type of screening funnel combining the target therapy approach with sequential cellular screens. AKN-032 was identified among 150 selected hits from three different high throughput kinase screens. Further characterization showed inhibitory activity on FLT3 enzyme with an IC50 of 70 nM. Western blot analysis revealed reduced autophosphorylation of the FLT3-receptor in AML cell line MV4-11 cells after exposure to AKN-032. Flow cytometry disclosed cytotoxic activity against MV4-11, but not against non-malignant 3T3-L1 fibroblast cells. Using a fluorometric microculture cytotoxicity assay, AKN-032 was tested against 15 cell lines and displayed a potent cytotoxic activity in AML cell lines MV4-11 (IC50 = 0.4 mu M) and Kasumi-1 (IC50 = 2.3 mu M). AKN-032 was also highly cytotoxic in tumor cells from AML patients in vitro. Furthermore, AKN-032 demonstrated significant antileukemic effect in a relatively resistant in vivo hollow fiber mouse model. No major toxicity was observed in the animals. In conclusion. AKN-032 is a promising new kinase inhibitor with significant in vivo and in vitro activity in AML Results from the hollow fiber mouse assay suggest a favorable toxicity profile. Future studies will focus on pharmacokinetic properties, toxicity as well as further clarifying the mechanisms of action of AKN-032 in AML.
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