Inhibition of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor-mediated myeloid maturation by low level expression of the differentiation-defective class IV granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor isoform.

In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor (G-CSFR) proliferative and maturational signaling pathways are uncoupled. Seven human G-CSFR mRNA isoforms exist, named class I through class VII. The 183-amino acid cytosolic domain of the class I isoform provides all signaling activities. The class IV isoform is "differentiation defective" because the carboxy-terminal 87 amino acids are replaced with 34 amino acids of novel sequence. In more than 50% of AML samples, the class IV/class I G-CSFR mRNA ratio is aberrantly elevated compared to normal CD34(+) bone marrow cells. We hypothesized that the increased relative expression of class IV G-CSFR in AML uncouples proliferative and maturational G-CSFR signaling pathways. To test this, we transfected the G-CSF-responsive murine cell line 32Dcl3 with class IV G-CSFR cDNA. After 10 days of G-CSF stimulation, clones expressing class IV G-CSFR had greater percentages of myeloblasts and promyelocytes than controls (53% +/- 13% versus 3% +/- 2%). Differential counts over time demonstrated delayed G-CSF-driven maturation in 5 class IV-expressing clones, with 2 clones demonstrating a subpopulation that completely failed to differentiate. Heterologous class IV expression did not affect G-CSF-dependent proliferation. Class IV/murine G-CSFR mRNA ratios after 24 hours of G-CSF stimulation for 3 of the 5 clones (range, 0. 090 to 0.245; mean, 0.152 +/- 0.055) are within the range of class IV/class I mRNA ratios seen in patients with AML. This indicates that aberrantly increased relative class IV G-CSFR expression seen in AML can uncouple G-CSFR proliferative and maturational signaling pathways.