Blockade of Y177 and Nuclear Translocation of Bcr-Abl Inhibits Proliferation and Promotes Apoptosis in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells.

The gradual emerging of resistance to imatinib urgently calls for the development of new therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The fusion protein Bcr-Abl, which promotes the malignant transformation of CML cells, is mainly located in the cytoplasm, while the c-Abl protein which is expressed in the nucleus can induce apoptosis. Based on the hetero-dimerization of FKBP (the 12-kDa FK506- and rapamycin-binding protein) and FRB (the FKBP-rapamycin binding domain of the protein kinase, mTOR) mediated by AP21967, we constructed a nuclear transport system to induce cytoplasmic Bcr-Abl into nuclear. In this study, we reported the construction of the nuclear transport system, and we demonstrated that FN3R (three nuclear localization signals were fused to FRBT2098L with a FLAG tag), HF2S (two FKBP domains were in tandem and fused to the SH2 domain of Grb2 with an HA tag) and Bcr-Abl form a complexus upon AP21967. Bcr-Abl was imported into the nucleus successfully by the nuclear transport system. The nuclear transport system inhibited CML cell proliferation through mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) pathways mainly by HF2S. It was proven that nuclear located Bcr-Abl induced CML cell (including imatinib-resistant K562G01 cells) apoptosis by activation of p73 and its downstream molecules. In summary, our study provides a new targeted therapy for the CML patients even with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (TKI)-resistance.

1. Introduction

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a malignant tumor derived from myeloid stem cells and characterized by the Philadelphia chromosome [1,2]. As a result of t(9;22)(q34;q11) distinctive translocation, Bcr-Abl oncoprotein is generated and plays an essential role in the pathopoiesis of CML. Although imatinib mesylate is revolutionary in CML treatment, approximately 35%–50% patients suffer from emerging resistance or intolerance [3,4,5]. Thus, development of alternative therapy for CML becomes urgent.

The Bcr-Abl fusion protein consists of the N-terminal 927 amino acids of Bcr and the Abl sequence with the loss of its first exon. Owing to the containing of three nuclear localization signals (NLSs) and a nuclear export signal (NES), c-Abl can shuttle between the nucleus and cytoplasm, and exerts different functions [6]. In response to DNA damage, c-Abl accumulates in the nucleus and induces apoptosis through a p73-dependent pathway. When stimulated by growth factors, c-Abl accumulates in the cytoplasm and plays vital roles in the promotion of DNA synthesis, morphogenesis and F-actin dynamics [7]. Though three NLS and one NES are conserved, Bcr-Abl predominantly locates in the cytoplasm and remarkably represses cell apoptosis through activating intracellular pathways, such as Janus Kinase/Signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT), RAS/extracellular regulated protein kinases (RAS/ERK) and PI3K/Akt, etc. [8,9]. It has been previously reported that nuclear accumulation of Bcr-Abl with active tyrosine kinase activity triggers apoptosis, which was achieved by treatment with imatinib when nuclear export is blocked by Leptomycin B (LMB) [10,11]. After removal of imatinib to recover the tyrosine kinase activity of Bcr-Abl, the cells underwent spontaneous apoptosis. This result indicates that entrapment of Bcr-Abl in the nucleus induces apoptosis and also suggests that the tyrosine kinase activity is required for nuclear Bcr-Abl to induce apoptosis. However, the therapeutic application of LMB is limited by its neuronal toxicity. Moreover, the nuclear entrapment efficiency of Bcr-Abl by imatinib is low [12,13,14,15]. Therefore, an efficient method to transport Bcr-Abl from cytoplasm to nuclear will be a good choice for CML therapy. Conditional regulation of protein localization has been achieved by using the FKBP-rapamycin-FRB (the 12-kDa FK506- and rapamycin-binding protein-rapamycin-the FKBP-rapamycin binding domain of the protein kinase, mTOR) complex. With this method, a protein of interest is fused to either FKBP (the 12-kDa FK506- and rapamycin-binding protein) or FRB (the FKBP-rapamycin binding domain of the protein kinase, mTOR, mechanistic target of rapamycin). The other rapamycin-binding protein is modified to possess a domain that regulates subcellular localization (e.g., nuclear import or export, mitochondria localization or plasma membrane-associated). The addition of rapamycin induces heterodimerization of the FRB and FKBP fusions and rapid formation of a ternary complex, which causes the protein of interest to be rapidly rerouted within the cell [16]. Because rapamycin is an immunosuppressive reagent, chemically modified derivatives of rapamycin named AP21967 with non-immunosuppressive function have been engineered. AP21967 is more specific and less immunosuppressive than rapamycin [17,18,19]. It can no longer bind to endogenous FRB, but can still bind to a modified FRB that contains a single mutation (T2098L). AP21967 can be used to induce heterodimerization of FKBP and FRBT2098L-containing fusion proteins [20,21].

In order to transport Bcr-Abl into the nucleus, we designed a nuclear transport system. In this system, three NLSs were fused to FRBT2098L with a FLAG (DYKDDDDK) tag incorporated into the N-terminus of the protein, which is termed FN3R. Two FKBP domains were in tandem and fused to the SH2 domain of Grb2 with an HA (YPYDVPDYA) tag fused to the N-terminus, which is termed HF2S (Figure 1A). The SH2 domain of Grb2 binds specifically to phosphorylated Y177 of Bcr/Abl fusion protein with high affinity, which is required for the activation of RAS signaling and the efficient induction of the myeloproliferative disease by Bcr-Abl [22]. Our previous study has demonstrated that an ectopically expressed SH2 peptide disrupts the interaction between Grb2 and Bcr-Abl Y177 and inhibits the oncogenic downstream signals of Bcr-Abl [23]. Heterodimerization was induced between FN3R and HF2S upon AP21967. Nuclear localization signals were transferred from FN3R to HF2S and then to Bcr-Abl. Therefore, Bcr-Abl was escorted to the nucleus by NLSs. Meanwhile, downstream signals activated by Bcr-Abl Y177 was disrupted by HF2S. In this study, we examined whether the nuclear transport system directs Bcr-Abl into the nucleus and depletes it from the cytoplasm, whether it inhibits growth and promotes apoptosis of CML cells, and the underlying mechanisms.

Figure 1

Expression of HF2S, HF2Sm and FN3R by adenoviral vectors: (A) the structure of Ad5/F35-HF2S, Ad5/F35-HF2Sm and Ad5/F35-FN3R vectors; (B) Western blot was applied for assessing the expression of the exogenous HF2S, HF2Sm and FN3R in adenovirus-infected K562 and 32D-p210 cells, compared with phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) and Ad5/F35-CMV (empty vector) (Ad); (C) adenoviral Green fluorescent protein (GFP) expression in K562, K562G01, 32D-p210 and 32D cells as observed under the inverted fluorescent microscope. The cells were infected with the Ad5/F35-GFP control adenovirus for 48 h, and the virus infection efficiency were observed under the inverted fluorescent microscope (b) and the image under light microscope (a) were also included (scale bars = 200 μm); and (D) flow cytometry was applied to confirm the infected efficiency of Ad5/F35-GFP.

2. Results

2.1. Expression of HF2S, HF2Sm and FN3R by Adenoviral Vectors

We first constructed adenoviral vectors with/without GFP to express HF2S, HF2Sm, and FN3R (Figure 1A). The SH2 domain of Grb2 had a high affinity with the phospho-Bcr-Abl Y177. In addition, we designed a mutant sequence (Sm) with one amino acid mutation (R27K) in the binding domain, which had been reported to block the binding to phospho-Bcr-Abl Y177 [23]. Each PCR fragment was cloned into the pAd5/F35-CMV plasmid. The constructs were confirmed by sequencing analysis. The expression cassette was used to generate recombinant adenovirus using the AdEasy system as previously described [24]. K562, K562G01, 32D-p210 and 32D cells were infected by these adenoviruses. The infection efficiency was detected by inverted fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry. As shown in Figure 1C, D, the infection efficiency is high in K562 and K562G01 cells, up to 94.59% and 92.67%, respectively. The infection efficiency is lower in 32D-p210 and 32D cells, up to 69.39% and 60.11%, respectively. The expression of exogenous HF2S, HF2Sm or FN3R in adenovirus-infected K562 and 32D-p210 cells was assessed by Western blot. As shown in Figure 1B, HF2S, HF2Sm and FN3R were expressed successfully in K562 and 32D-p210 cells. These results suggested that the HF2S, HF2Sm and FN3R adenoviruses that we constructed were effectively infectious and expressed correctly and efficiently in K562 and 32D-p210 cells.

2.2. Bcr-Abl Was Imported into the Nucleus Successfully by the Nuclear Transport System

The cellular localizations of HF2S, HF2Sm and FN3R in K562 cells were detected by immunofluorescence after 24 h of adenovirus infection. As expected, HF2S and HF2Sm located in the cytoplasm, and FN3R predominantly located in the nuclei (Figure 2A). Bcr-Abl was detected mainly in the cytoplasm of K562 cells (Figure 2B) as previously described [25]. When HF2S and FN3R co-expressed in K562 cells, Bcr-Abl shifted to the nuclei in the presence of AP21967. Bcr-Abl still located in the cytoplasm, either in the absence of AP21967 or by substitution of HF2S with HF2Sm. The amount of Bcr-Abl in the nucleus and cytoplasm was shown by Western blot separately. As shown in Figure 2C, the amount of nuclear Bcr-Abl increased with decreased Bcr-Abl in the cytoplasm. These results demonstrated that the nuclear transport system that we constructed can effectively direct Bcr-Abl from the cytoplasm into the nucleus.

Figure 2

Bcr-Abl was imported into nucleus successfully by the nuclear transport system: (A) the location of exogenous HF2S, HF2Sm and FN3R fusion protein in K562 cells. Cells were treated with adenoviral Ad5/F35-HF2S, Ad5/F35-HF2Sm and Ad5/F35-FN3R, and stained with anti-HA/anti-Flag antibody fluorescein isothiocyanate(FITC)-labeled goat anti-mouse IgG, followed by DAPI (4′,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) counterstaining and merged for each images; (B) immunofluorescence of Bcr-Abl with K562 cells treated with HF2Sm + FN3R, HF2Sm + FN3R + AP21967, HF2S + FN3R and HF2S + FN3R + AP21967. K562 cells without infection as control were applied to observe the location of Bcr-Abl; Scale bar was shown in the image with white line, and white dotted line box was indicated the corresponding magnified regions in (A,B); (C) the expression of Bcr-Abl in K562 cytoplasm and nucleus detected by Western blot.

2.3. FN3R, HF2S and Bcr-Abl Form a Complexus upon AP21967

We performed a co-immunoprecipitation assay to verify whether FN3R, HF2S and Bcr-Abl form a complexus upon AP21967. K562 cells were infected by adenoviruses and collected 24 h later after AP21967 added for protein extraction. Lysates from each group were incubated with anti-HA agarose slurry to pull down HF2S. Bcr-Abl and FN3R were co-precipitated as proven by Western blot in the presence of AP21967 (Figure 3A). Similarly, when FN3R was precipitated with anti-FLAG, Bcr-Abl and HF2S were also captured as detected by Western blot with corresponding antibodies in the presence of AP21967 (Figure 3B). Furthermore, when c-Abl antibody was employed to capture Bcr-Abl, FN3R and HF2S were co-precipitated together upon AP21967 addition (Figure 3C). In addition, the association between FN3R and HF2S/HF2Sm upon AP21967 was irrelevant to the SH2 wildtype or mutant domain at the C-terminus. However, HF2Sm could not bind Bcr-Abl. Taken together, these results demonstrate that upon AP21967, FN3R, HF2S and Bcr-Abl can form a complexus directly.

Figure 3

FN3R, HF2S and Bcr-Abl form complexus upon AP21967: Immunoblot analysis of FN3R, HF2S and Bcr-Abl immunoprecipitated with anti-HA (A); or anti-FLAG (B); or anti-c-Abl (C) from lysates of K562 cells treated with PBS, Ad5/F35-CMV (Ad), HF2Sm + FN3R, HF2Sm + FN3R + AP21967, HF2S + FN3R and HF2S + FN3R + AP21967.

2.4. HF2S Inhibited CML Cell Proliferation through MAPK-Akt and STAT5 Pathways

We investigated the effect of Y177 blockade and Bcr-Abl nuclear translocation on CML cell proliferation using an MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide) and colony formation assay. Proliferation of K562, K562G01, 32Dp-210 cells were inhibited by expression of HF2S and FN3R, and the inhibitory effects were enhanced significantly in the presence of AP21967 compared with mock treatment. However, 32D cells, which do not express Bcr-Abl, were not affected by expression of HF2S and FN3R in either presence or absence of AP21967. Expression of HF2Sm instead of HF2S abolished the inhibitory effects on CML cell proliferation even in the presence of AP21967 (Figure 4A). Similar results to the proliferation assay were obtained by a colony forming assay as well. The average number of colonies in cells treated with HF2S and FN3R was significantly decreased when compared with other groups, and the effects were enhanced by AP2196 (Figure 4B). These results suggested that Y177 blockade and Bcr-Abl nuclear translocation synergistically inhibited the proliferation of CML cells. Furthermore, cell cycle analysis by flow cytometry showed that treatment with HF2S and FN3R increased G1 phase cell population and decreased G2 phase cell population, while addition of AP21967 did not increase G1 phase arrest (Figure 4C). This result indicated that the effect on cell cycle depended on the blockade of Bcr-Abl Y177 by HF2S.

Figure 4

HF2S inhibited CML cell proliferation through mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-Akt and STAT5 pathways: (A) K562, K562G01, 32D-p210 and 32D cells infected with virus and incubated with AP21967 or simply treated with PBS or infected by Ad5/F35-GFP for 1–5 days, and cell growth was determined by MTT (3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide) assay. Data are representative of three independent measurements and the standard errors of the means are shown; (B) cells were cultured in methycellulose for five days, and counted the colonies containing ≥50 cells, respectively. Histogram showing the number of colonies per 1000 cells; (C) cell-cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry. Data are representative of three independent measurements and analyzed by chi-squared test; (D) targeted Bcr-Abl into nucleus reduced kinase activities of STAT5, MAPK and AKT in K562 cells. K562 cells treated with PBS, Ad5/F35-CMV (Ad), HF2Sm + FN3R, HF2Sm + FN3R + AP21967, HF2S + FN3R and HF2S + FN3R + AP21967 respectively, after which lysates were analyzed by Western blot to assess the effect on MAPK, Akt and STAT5 and their kinase activities. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01, *** p < 0.001.

We tried to explore the mechanism underlying the inhibition of cell proliferation by HF2S, AP21967 and FN3R complexes. We examined the potential effect on mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), Akt and STAT5 kinase activities. Interaction of Bcr-Abl Y177 with Grb2 potentially promotes association of Grb2-SH3 domains with guanine nucleotide exchange factor Sos, which can activate RAS by stimulating exchange of GDP for GTP [26]. Our previous works have demonstrated that the exogenous SH2 can disrupt the interaction between Grb2 and Bcr-Abl Y177, thus reducing MAPK and Akt kinase activities [23]. In this study, we constructed HF2S, which contains exogenous SH2 to specifically bind to the phospho-Y177 site of Bcr-Abl and transferred it into the nucleus by a combination of FN3R and AP21967. Results showed that treatment of CML cells suppressed the phosphorylation of MAPK and Akt (Figure 4D). Moreover, the phosphorylation of ERK and GSK, which was the essential downstream effectors of MAPK and Akt, also reduced distinctively in HF2S and FN3R groups. Furthermore, the reduction effect on p-MAPK, p-Akt, p-ERK and p-GSK was enhanced by AP21967. STAT5 is a key protein in the downstream of Bcr-Abl in malignant transformation or proliferation of CML cells [27,28]. The expression of p-STAT5 decreased in HF2S and FN3R groups. Similarly, AP21967 also enhanced the suppression of effect on p-STAT5 (Figure 4D). These results confirmed that the HF2S significantly inhibited CML cell proliferation by down-regulation of the kinase activities of MAPK-Akt and STAT5 pathways. Moreover, nuclear translocation of Bcr-Abl had a more significant effect on kinase inhibitory of MAPK-Akt and STAT5 pathways.

2.5. Nuclear Located Bcr-Abl Induced CML Cell Apoptosis by Activation of p73 and Its Downstream Molecules

We investigated the effect of Y177 blockade and Bcr-Abl nuclear translocation on CML cell apoptosis by flow cytometry. As shown in Figure 5A, apoptotic fractions significantly increased in HF2S and FN3R treated groups, which were 35.8% in K562 cells, 37.1% in K562G01 cells, and 38.2% in 32D-p210 cells, respectively. Furthermore, addition of AP21967 synergistically enhanced the apoptotic effect on CML cells: 49.5% in K562 cells, 47.4% in K562G01 cells, and 58.9% in 32D-p210 cells. These results suggested that blockade of Y177 by HF2S can induce CML cell apoptosis, while a combination of Y177 blockade and Bcr-Abl nuclear translocation significantly promoted CML cell apoptosis. Next, we tested the activation of caspase cascade in each group. As shown in Figure 5B, the active caspase-3 and cleaved poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) were detected by HF2S and FN3R expression. In the presence of AP21967, the effects of HF2S and FN3R expression on caspase activation were further enhanced. These results were consistent with apoptotic data detected by flow cytometry.

Figure 5

Nuclear located Bcr-Abl induced CML cells apoptosis by activation of p73 and its downstream molecules: The K562, K562G01 and 32D cells were, respectively, treated with PBS, Ad5/F35-CMV (Ad), HF2Sm + FN3R, HF2Sm + FN3R + AP21967, HF2S + FN3R and HF2S + FN3R + AP21967, and cells were collected for apoptosis analysis by flow cytometry (A), lysates from K562 and K562G01 cells were detected for caspase-3 and PARP (poly ADP-ribose polymerase) by Western blot (B); (C) targeted Bcr-Abl into nucleus to activate p73 and its downstream gene in K562 cells. K562 cells treated with PBS, Ad5/F35-CMV (Ad), HF2Sm + FN3R, HF2Sm + FN3R + AP21967, HF2S + FN3R and HF2S + FN3R + AP21967. Subsequently, Western blot was applied to assay the expression of p73 and downstream signaling. * p < 0.05, ** p < 0.01.

It has been reported that c-Abl shuttles between the cytoplasm and nucleus. Nuclear localization of c-Abl causes activation of p73 by phosphorylation at Y99, thus inducing cell apoptosis [29]. To examine whether nuclear located Bcr-Abl plays the same effects on p73 in CML cells, the expression of p73 and p-p73 (Y99) was examined by Western blotting. As shown in Figure 5C, p73 did not change dominantly, while p-p73 ascended significantly in HF2S, FN3R and AP21967 treated group. However, HF2S and FN3R treatment did not enhance the phosphorylation of p73. The data demonstrated that Bcr-Abl was transported into the nucleus by RATS phosphorylated p73. Then, we tested the expressions of p21, PUMA (p53-upregulated modulator of apoptosis) and Bax, which are the downstream targets of p73. Similarly, p21 and PUMA were increased, while Bax did not change obviously (Figure 5C). These results demonstrated that nuclear located Bcr-Abl can also activate p73 and its target molecules, thus promoting CML cell apoptosis. However, blockade Y177 by HF2S could not phosphorylate p73.

3. Discussion

The oncoprotein Bcr-Abl is the pivotal driver of CML. Most Bcr-Abl resides in the cytoplasm [30,31] and causes the malignant proliferation of CML cells by activating multiple signaling pathways, including JAK/STAT, MAPK/RAS/ERK and PI3K/Akt pathways [32,33]. Since the distinct effects of c-Abl are in different subcellular domains, we constructed a nuclear transport system to escort Bcr-Abl from cytoplasm to nuclear. The nuclear transport system mainly consists of three portions: a fusion protein contains FRB and NLS, which determines the location of the target protein, a linker AP21967 mediating the combination of the location signal and the target protein, and the fusion peptide comprising the FKBP and SH2 domain, which specifically binds to Bcr-Abl. The key element of this system is the anchoring protein (or we can call it “address signal”). In the presence of the address signal, such as NLS and MTS (mitochondrial signal), the target protein can be located to “destination” as expected. Moreover, it is time-control by addition of AP21967.

In the present study, we have proven that the nuclear transport system can effectively translocate Bcr-Abl from cytoplasm into nuclear, resulting in exhaustion of Bcr-Abl in cytoplasm and accumulation of Bcr-Abl in the nucleus. In the cytoplasm, Bcr-Abl presents as an oncoprotein via implicating in multiple signal pathways that transmit mitogenic and anti-apoptotic signals (Figure 6A). With the exhaustion of Bcr-Abl in cytoplasm, down-stream JAK/STAT, MAPK/RAS/ERK and PI3K/Akt pathways were depressed. In addition, the proliferation of CML cells was inhibited. Nuclear accumulated Bcr-Abl induced CML cell apoptosis through activating p73 and its target genes (Figure 6B). The expression of Bax failed to increase in our experiment, and the reason might be that phosphorylated p73 just promoted Bax transferring from cytoplasm into mitochondria and then initiating apoptosis. Our experimental results suggest that alteration of the position of Bcr-Abl significantly converts its function.

Figure 6

Work model of transporting Bcr-Abl to nucleus: (A) normally, Bcr-Abl was located in the cytoplasm, and activated proliferation signaling, such as Janus Kinase/Signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK/STAT), PI3K/Akt, RAS/MAPK; (B) in addition of AP21967, FKBP fused with SH2 and FRB combined with NLS (nuclear localization signals) formed complex, which binded to Bcr-Abl and transported it into nucleus. Firstly, the specificity of affinity between Bcr-Abl and SH2 disturbed the cytoplasmic proliferation signaling though competitively blocking the interaction between Bcr-Abl and Grb2; Secondly, the nuclear Bcr-Abl activated p73 and induced cell apoptosis through the functional domain of Abl.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) are the first choice for CML therapy, emerging with resistance in about 1/3 patients [34]. The TKI disturbed the kinase activity mainly through binding with kinase domain of Bcr-Abl. However, with the mutation of the key domain, the application of TKI was restrained [35,36]. It was even worse that some kinds of mutation can accelerate the progress of CML [37]. Meanwhile, it hadn’t been deeply deliberated over the adverse effects of TKI, especially imatinib, such as heart failure toxicity [38], acute renal failure [39], even the high possibility of progressing to other cancers with blocking the tumor suppressor p63 [40]. Taken together, a new therapeutic strategy that is independent of the kinase domain would be quite significant. Thus, we explored a nuclear transport system to effectively transport Bcr-Abl from cytoplasm into the nucleus, which converted an oncoprotein to an apoptotic factor. The present design is bound to be promising for CML therapy in the future, especially for TKI-resistant patients.

Based on our results, many interesting questions can be addressed in future studies. It will be useful to determine whether it could be effective in vivo and in primary cells from CML patients, and we should verify whether the nuclear Bcr-Abl could have some other adverse effects. Moreover, it is quite interesting to assess which domain causes the location of Bcr-Abl in cytoplasm. If the significant domain provided verification, we could exclude the cytoplasmic Bcr-Abl in a more natural and convenient way. Further investigation of this novel anti-CML strategy may offer insights into the pathogenetic mechanisms of CML and provide a new approach for CML treatment and a reversal to imatinib-resistance.

4. Materials and Methods

4.1. Construction of the Ad5/F35-HF2S, Ad5/F35-HF2Sm, Ad5/F35-FN3R and Ad5/F35-CMV Vector and Virus Production

Oligonucleotides for HA-tag and FLAG-3NLS were synthesized by Sangon Biotech (Shanghai, China). The 309 bp FRB (National Center for Biotechnology Information, NCBI, Accession number NP_004949 and NM_004958), 327 bp FKBP (NCBI accession number NP_00792 and NM_000801) and 279 bp SH2 (Homo sapiens, GenBank Accession number NP_002077) cDNAs were cloned from a human placenta cDNA library by PCR. Overlap PCR technology was used to generate FN3R fragment which fused FLAG-3NLS with FRB, and insertion of FN3R fragment into pAdTrack-CMV vector was performed as previously described [16]. HF2S consists of an HA-tag, two fragments of FKBP, and a SH2 domain was cloned into pAdTrack-CMV vectors to obtain pAdTrack-HF2S. The arginine to lysine mutation (R27K) at the specific binding domain of Bcr-Abl, which was anticipated to block its binding to phospho-Bcr-Abl Y177 (Figure 1A), was applied to obtain a mutant control plasmid (pAdTrack-HF2Sm). The sequence for each construct was confirmed by DNA sequencing analysis. The Ad5/F35-GFP vector was a gift from Dr. Xiaolong Fan (Lund University, Skåne län, Sweden). Ad5/F35-HF2S, Ad5/F35-HF2Sm and Ad5/F35-FN3R were packaged and amplified in 293 cells, and the titers of the recombinant adenoviruses were determined as previously described [41].

4.2. Cell Culture

K562, K562G01, 32D-p210 and 32D cells were incubated with RPMI 1640 (Gibco, Grand Island, NY, USA) containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS, Gibco), and 32D cells supplemented with IL-3. Furthermore, 293 cells were maintained in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM Gibco) with 10% FBS. All cells were cultured at 37 °C in a humidified atmosphere of 5% CO2. K562 cells were cultured in gradually increased concentrations of imatinib for several months to generate the resistance line, termed K562G01, and no point mutation in the Bcr-Abl ATP-binding site was detected although the copy number of Bcr-Abl fusion gene was increased in K562G01 cells [42]. The 32D-p210 cell line was generated from 32D cell line transformed by p210Bcr-Abl [43].

4.3. Cell Proliferation and Colony Formation Assay

Viruses infected cells (5 × 105/mL) were incubated with AP21967 for 24 h and then washed twice with PBS. Cell pellets were suspended with growth medium (10% FBS). For MTT assay, cells were plated into 96-well plates with 2 × 103 cells per well and incubated for 24 h. Then, MTT reagent was added and the absorbance was quantified at 492 nm. For colony formation assay, cells were plated in 0.9% methylcellulose with 1000 cells per well and colonies were counted 7 days later. All analyses were performed in triplicate with five repetitions.

4.4. Apoptosis Analyses

Viruses infected cells were incubated with AP21967 for 24 h, and then cell apoptosis was evaluated by flow cytometry. Briefly, cells were collected and washed twice with ice-cold PBS. Cell pellet was stained with Annexin V-PE and 7-ADD (BD PharMingen, San Diego, CA, USA). The flow cytometric analyses were performed by FACS Calibur instrument (BD PharMingen). All experimental results are represented by three independent experiments for each condition.

4.5. Western Blot

Cells were collected and lysed with Radio-Immunoprecipitation Assay (RIPA) buffer supplemented with proteinase and phosphatase inhibitors (Cell Signaling Technology, Beverly, MA, USA) to prepare total protein. To obtain cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins respectively, a Nuclear and Cytoplasmic Protein Extraction Kit (KeyGEN, Nanjing, China) was used. Western blot procedures were performed as previously [44]. Antibodies against c-Abl, Bax, STAT5, phospho-STAT5, PARP, caspase-3, p73, phospho-p73, Akt, phospho-Akt, Glycogen synthase kinase (GSK), and phospho-GSK were bought from Cell Signaling Technology; antibody against FLAG from Sigma (St. Louis, MO, USA); antibodies against p21, PUMA, MAPK, phospho-MAPK, ERK, phospho-ERK, HA, and Actin from Santa Cruz Biotechnology (Dallas, TX, USA). Experiments were performed in triplicate.

4.6. Co-Immunoprecipitation Assay

Viruses infected K562 cells were incubated with AP21967 for 24 h and were then collected and lysed with M-PER mammalian protein extraction reagent supplemented with proteinase and phosphatase inhibitors. Co-immunoprecipitation was performed according to the manual of the ProFoundTM Mammalian HA-Tag IP/Co-IP Kit and Classic IP Kit (Thermo Scientific, Walham, MA, USA). Immunoblot analysis was the same as the above description.

4.7. Immunofluorescence Assay

K562 cells were plated in a 24-well plate with cell culture slides at a concentration of 5 × 104 cells per well, infected with a virus and then cultured with AP21967 for 24 h. The slides were fixed with ice-cold acetone for 20 min at 4 °C, permeabilized with 1% Triton X-100 for 30 min at 37 °C, washed with ice-cold PBS three times and incubated with primary antibodies diluted with goat blocking serum (1:100) at 4 °C overnight. Cells were further incubated with FITC or Cy3 tagged secondary antibodies (Invitrogen, Walham, MA, USA) at room temperature for 1 h and counterstained with DAPI for 5 min. The images were acquired by means of a fluorescence microscope (ECLIPSE 80i, Nikon, Tokyo, Japan).

4.8. Statistical Analyses

The difference between the control and experimental groups were analyzed by Student’s t-test and chi-squared test. p < 0.05 was considered significantly.

5. Conclusions

In conclusion, we apply FKBP-Rapamycin analogue (AP21967)-FRB system to transfer Bcr-Abl into nuclear in CML cells. It disturbed the interaction between phosphorylated BCR-ABL Y177 and Grb2, leading to proliferation inhibition of CML cells. Furthermore, the altered location of Bcr-Abl also promoted CML cells apoptosis via p73 and its pro-apoptotic function. It was interesting that our design was also effective in TKI-resistant CML cells, which provided new therapeutic strategy for CML patients.