Oncogene database

2260

FGFR1

fibroblast growth factor receptor 1;FGFR1;fibroblast growth factor receptor 1

FGFR1/PLAG1 fusion|FMS-like tyrosine kinase 2|basic fibroblast growth factor receptor 1|fms-related tyrosine kinase 2|heparin-binding growth factor receptor|hydroxyaryl-protein kinase|proto-oncogene c-Fgr

8p11.23-p11.22

protein-coding

Mass spectroscopy analysis demonstrated that the HSPA1A protein is found in complex with the ZNF198 protein which is involved in a chromosome rearrangement with the FGFR1 gene in an atypical myeloproliferative disease. HSPA1A is a member of the HSP70 family of genes which has been shown to be inducible in a variety of circumstances. Exogenous expression of the ZNF198-FGFR1 fusion kinase gene as well as ZNF198 in a model cell system results in a large (>650-fold) increase in HSP70 mRNA levels. Using KNK437, a specific inhibitor of HSP70 transcription, we have demonstrated that an important function of HSPA1A is to stabilize the ZNF198 and ZNF198-FGFR1 proteins. In the absence of HSPA1A, specific functions of ZNF198-FGFR1 such as STAT3 phosphorylation is also lost. Treatment of cells with KNK437 in the presence of MG132, an inhibitor of proteasomal degradation of proteins, suggested that only the ZNF198-FGFR1 protein is subject to the proteasomal degradation pathway, while ZNF198 is not. These observations suggest an important role for HSPA1A in ZNF198 and ZNF198-FGFR1 mediated cellular function.

We report a patient with T-lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma and a t(7;8)(q22;p11). CUX1 was identified as the fusion partner of FGFR1 by fluorescence in situ hybridization and 5 RACE-PCR. We further investigated this novel FGFR1 fusion using the interleukin-3 (IL-3) dependent Ba/F3 cell line and demonstrated IL-3 independent cell growth of CUX1-FGFR1 expressing cells. TKI258 and PKC412 potently inhibited proliferation of CUX1-FGFR1 transformed Ba/F3 cells. This growth inhibition was shown to be mediated by inhibition of CUX1-FGFR1 kinase activity for TKI258 but not PKC412. In summary, we identified a novel CUX1-FGFR1 fusion oncogene in a patient with the 8p11 myeloproliferative syndrome and demonstrated its transforming potential in the Ba/F3 cell line. Our in vitro data support the further investigation of TKI258 for the treatment of constitutively active FGFR1 fusion proteins.

The KG-1a cell line is developed from a human stem cell myeloproliferative neoplasm as the result of intragenic disruption and a chromosomal translocation of the FGFR1 gene and the FGFR1OP2 gene encoding a protein of unknown function called FOP2 (FGFR1 oncogene Partner 2). The resulting fusion protein FOP2-FGFR1 is soluble and has constitutive tyrosine kinase activity. Since the heat shock protein HSP90 and its co-chaperone CDC37 have been shown to stabilize many oncogenic proteins, we investigated the requirement for HSP90 or HSP90-CDC37 assistance to maintain the stability or activity of FOP2-FGFR1 expressed in KG-1a cells. We found that HSP90-CDC37 forms a permanent complex with FOP2-FGFR1. This results in protection against degradation of FOP2-FGFR1 and holds the oncoprotein in a permanently active conformation. Inhibition of HSP90 or depletion of CDC37 or heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) reduced the expression level of FOP2-FGFR1 and was sufficient to block the oncoprotein induced proliferation of KG-1a cells. We conclude that the driver of malignancy in KG-1a leukemic cells, FOP2-FGFR1, is an HSP90 addicted oncoprotein. This provides a rationale for the therapeutic use of HSP90 inhibitors in myeloid leukemias that contain FGFR fusion proteins.

The role of epigenetic mechanisms in the regulation of microRNAs (miRNAs) with a tumour-suppressor function in human neoplasms has recently been established. Several miRNAs have been found to be inappropriately regulated by DNA methylation in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL). We analysed the methylation status of the three members of the MIR9 family (MIR9-1, MIR9-2 and MIR9-3) in a uniformly treated cohort of 200 newly diagnosed ALLs. MIR9 was methylated in 54% of the patients and was associated with downregulation of MIR9 (P < 0.01). Hypermethylation of MIR9 was an independent prognostic factor for disease-free survival, overall survival and event-free survival in a multivariate analysis (P < 0.01). Epigenetic downregulation of MIR9 induced upregulation of its targets, FGFR1 and CDK6, while treatment of ALL cells with FGFR1 (PD-173074) and CDK6 (PD-0332991) inhibitors induced a decrease in cell proliferation and an increase in apoptosis of ALL cells. Our results indicate that the MIR9 family is involved in the pathogenesis and clinical behaviour of ALL and provide the basis for new therapeutic strategies in the treatment of ALL, targeting the epigenetic regulation of miRNAs and/or the FGFR1 or CDK6-RB pathway directly.