Phosphorylation of GSK3α/β correlates with activation of AKT and is prognostic for poor overall survival in acute myeloid leukemia patients

Peter P. Ruvolo, Yi Hua Qiu, Kevin R. Coombes, Nianxiang Zhang, E. Shannon Neeley, Vivian R. Ruvolo, Numsen Hail, Gautam Borthakur, Marina Konopleva, Michael Andreeff, Steven M. Kornblau

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

36 Scopus citations

Abstract

Background: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients with highly active AKT tend to do poorly. Cell cycle arrest and apoptosis are tightly regulated by AKT via phosphorylation of GSK3α and β isoforms which inactivates these kinases. In the current study we examine the prognostic role of AKT mediated GSK3 phosphorylation in AML. Methods: We analyzed GSK3α/β phosphorylation by reverse phase protein analysis (RPPA) in a cohort of 511 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. Levels of phosphorylated GSK3 were correlated with patient characteristics including survival and with expression of other proteins important in AML cell survival. Results: High levels of p-GSK3α/β correlated with adverse overall survival and a lower incidence of complete remission duration in patients with intermediate cytogenetics, but not in those with unfavorable cytogenetics. Intermediate cytogenetic patients with FLT3 mutation also fared better respectively when p-GSK3α/β levels were lower. Phosphorylated GSK3α/β expression was compared and contrasted with that of 229 related cell cycle arrest and/or apoptosis proteins. Consistent with p-GSK3α/β as an indicator of AKT activation, RPPA revealed that p-GSK3α/β positively correlated with phosphorylation of AKT, BAD, and P70S6K, and negatively correlated with β-catenin and FOXO3A. PKCδ also positively correlated with p-GSK3α/β expression, suggesting crosstalk between the AKT and PKC signaling pathways in AML cells. Conclusions: These findings suggest that AKT-mediated phosphorylation of GSK3α/β may be beneficial to AML cell survival, and hence detrimental to the overall survival of AML patients. Intrinsically, p-GSK3α/β may serve as an important adverse prognostic factor for a subset of AML patients.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)59-68
Number of pages10
JournalBBA Clinical
Volume4
DOIs
StatePublished - Dec 1 2015
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • AKT
  • GSK3
  • Leukemia
  • PKC delta
  • RPPA
  • Signal transduction

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Pathology and Forensic Medicine
  • Molecular Medicine
  • Physiology (medical)

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