Accumulation of DNA Damage and Alteration of the DNA Damage Response in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia
Authors: Popp Henning D. , Kohl Vanessa , Flach Johanna , Brendel Susanne , Kleiner Helga , Seifarth Wolfgang , Weiss Christel , Saussele Susanne , Hofmann Wolf-Karsten , Fabarius Alice 
Published: November 2019

The accumulation of DNA damage and the alteration of the DNA damage response (DDR) are critical features of genetic instability that is presumed to be implicated in BCR/ABL1-mediated blastic transformation of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The aim of our study was to analyze underlying mechanisms of genetic instability with regard to DNA damage such as DNA double-strand breaks (DSB), DSB repair and DDR signaling during blastic transformation of CML.

Immunofluorescence microscopy of γH2AX was performed for quantification of DSB in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of 8 healthy individuals, 24 chronic phase (CP)-CML patients under current/discontinued tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment (21 patients in deep molecular response (DMR), 3 patients in major molecular response (MMR)), 5 CP-CML patients under current/discontinued TKI treatment with loss of MMR, 3 de novo non-treated CP-CML patients and 2 blast phase (BP)-CML patients. In addition, immunofluorescence microscopy of γH2AX/53BP1 was used for semi-quantification of error-prone DSB repair. Furthermore, immunoblotting of p-ATM, p-ATR, p-CHK1, p-CHK2 and p-TP53 was performed in PBMC of CML patients in comparison to PBMC of healthy individuals.

Our analysis revealed an increase in numbers of γH2AX foci in PBMC of CP-CML patients under current/discontinued TKI treatment with loss of MMR (1.8 γH2AX foci per PBMC ± 0.4), in PBMC of de novo non-treated CP-CML patients (2.3 γH2AX foci per PBMC ± 0.7) and in PBMC of BP-CML patients (4.9 γH2AX foci per PBMC ± 0.9) as compared to the number of γH2AX foci in PBMC of healthy individuals (1.0 γH2AX foci per PBMC ± 0.1) and in PBMC of CP-CML patients under current/discontinued TKI treatment in DMR/MMR (1.0 γH2AX foci per PBMC ± 0.1) (Figure 1A and B). Analysis of co-localizing γH2AX/53BP1 foci in PBMC suggested progressive activation of error-prone nonhomologous end-joining repair mechanisms during blastic transformation in CML. Signatures of p-ATM, p-ATR, p-CHK1, p-CHK2 and p-TP53 indicated alterations of the DDR.

In summary, our data provide evidence for an accumulation of DNA damage in PBMC of CML patients towards BP-CML patients. We hypothesize that ongoing DSB generation, error-prone DSB repair and DDR alterations might be critical mechanisms of blastic transformation in CML.

Figure 1 Analysis of γH2AX foci in freshly isolated peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of healthy individuals and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. (A) Exemplary immunofluorescence microscopic images of γH2AX foci (green, Alexa 488) and cell nuclei (blue, DAPI) in PBMC of a healthy individual (HEALTHY#3), a chronic phase CML patient with a deep molecular response to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (CP-CML DMR#16), a de novo non-treated chronic phase CML patient (CP-CML#1) and a blast phase CML patient (BP-CML#2). (B) γH2AX foci levels in PBMC of healthy individuals and in PBMC of CML patients.

Figure 1

Disclosures

Saussele: Pfizer: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Incyte: Honoraria, Research Funding; BMS: Honoraria, Research Funding. Fabarius:Novartis: Research Funding.