UNLABELLED

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD) has poor outcomes. FLT3-ITD drives constitutive and aberrant FLT3 signaling, activating STAT5 and upregulating the downstream oncogenic serine/threonine kinase Pim-1. FLT3 inhibitors are in clinical use, but with limited and transient efficacy. We previously showed that concurrent treatment with Pim and FLT3 inhibitors increases apoptosis induction in FLT3-ITD-expressing cells through posttranslational downregulation of Mcl-1. Here we further elucidate the mechanism of action of this dual targeting strategy. Cytotoxicity, apoptosis and protein expression and turnover were measured in FLT3-ITD-expressing cell lines and AML patient blasts treated with the FLT3 inhibitor gilteritinib and/or the Pim inhibitors AZD1208 or TP-3654. Pim inhibitor and gilteritinib cotreatment increased apoptosis induction, produced synergistic cytotoxicity, downregulated c-Myc protein expression, earlier than Mcl-1, increased turnover of both proteins, which was rescued by proteasome inhibition, and increased efficacy and prolonged survival in an in vivo model. Gilteritinib and Pim inhibitor cotreatment of Ba/F3-ITD cells infected with T58A c-Myc or S159A Mcl-1 plasmids, preventing phosphorylation at these sites, did not downregulate these proteins, increase their turnover or increase apoptosis induction. Moreover, concurrent treatment with gilteritinib and Pim inhibitors dephosphorylated (activated) the serine/threonine kinase glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β), and GSK-3β inhibition prevented c-Myc and Mcl-1 downregulation and decreased apoptosis induction. The data are consistent with c-Myc T58 and Mcl-1 S159 phosphorylation by activated GSK-3β as the mechanism of action of gilteritinib and Pim inhibitor combination treatment, further supporting GSK-3β activation as a therapeutic strategy in FLT3-ITD AML.

SIGNIFICANCE

FLT3-ITD is present in 25% of in AML, with continued poor outcomes. Combining Pim kinase inhibitors with the FDA-approved FLT3 inhibitor gilteritinib increases cytotoxicity in vitro and in vivo through activation of GSK-3β, which phosphorylates and posttranslationally downregulates c-Myc and Mcl-1. The data support efficacy of GSK-3β activation in FLT3-ITD AML, and also support development of a clinical trial combining the Pim inhibitor TP-3654 with gilteritinib.