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Mullally, Ann

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Mullally

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Ann

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Mullally, Ann

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Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Publication
    Loss of Function of TET2 Cooperates with Constitutively Active KIT in Murine and Human Models of Mastocytosis
    (Public Library of Science, 2014) De Vita, Serena; Schneider, Rebekka K.; Garcia, Michael; Wood, Jenna; Gavillet, Mathilde; Ebert, Benjamin; Gerbaulet, Alexander; Roers, Axel; Levine, Ross L.; Mullally, Ann; Williams, David
    Systemic Mastocytosis (SM) is a clonal disease characterized by abnormal accumulation of mast cells in multiple organs. Clinical presentations of the disease vary widely from indolent to aggressive forms, and to the exceedingly rare mast cell leukemia. Current treatment of aggressive SM and mast cell leukemia is unsatisfactory. An imatinib-resistant activating mutation of the receptor tyrosine kinase KIT (KIT D816V) is most frequently present in transformed mast cells and is associated with all clinical forms of the disease. Thus the etiology of the variable clinical aggressiveness of abnormal mast cells in SM is unclear. TET2 appears to be mutated in primary human samples in aggressive types of SM, suggesting a possible role in disease modification. In this report, we demonstrate the cooperation between KIT D816V and loss of function of TET2 in mast cell transformation and demonstrate a more aggressive phenotype in a murine model of SM when both mutations are present in progenitor cells. We exploit these findings to validate a combination treatment strategy targeting the epigenetic deregulation caused by loss of TET2 and the constitutively active KIT receptor for the treatment of patients with aggressive SM.
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    Heterodimeric JAK-STAT Activation as a Mechanism of Persistence to JAK2 Inhibitor Therapy
    (2012) Koppikar, Priya; Bhagwat, Neha; Kilpivaara, Outi; Manshouri, Taghi; Adli, Mazhar; Hricik, Todd; Liu, Fan; Saunders, Lindsay M.; Mullally, Ann; Abdel-Wahab, Omar; Leung, Laura; Weinstein, Abby; Marubayashi, Sachie; Goel, Aviva; Gönen, Mithat; Estrov, Zeev; Ebert, Benjamin; Chiosis, Gabriela; Nimer, Stephen D.; Bernstein, Bradley; Verstovsek, Srdan; Levine, Ross L.
    The identification of somatic activating mutations in JAK21–4 and in the thrombopoietin receptor (MPL)5 in the majority of myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) patients led to the clinical development of JAK2 kinase inhibitors6,7. JAK2 inhibitor therapy improves MPN-associated splenomegaly and systemic symptoms, but does not significantly reduce or eliminate the MPN clone in most MPN patients. We therefore sought to characterize mechanisms by which MPN cells persist despite chronic JAK2 inhibition. Here we show that JAK2 inhibitor persistence is associated with reactivation of JAK-STAT signaling and with heterodimerization between activated JAK2 and JAK1/TYK2, consistent with activation of JAK2 in trans by other JAK kinases. Further, this phenomenon is reversible, such that JAK2 inhibitor withdrawal is associated with resensitization to JAK2 kinase inhibitors and with reversible changes in JAK2 expression. We saw increased JAK2 heterodimerization and sustained JAK2 activation in cell lines, murine models, and patients treated with JAK2 inhibitors. RNA interference and pharmacologic studies demonstrate that JAK2 inhibitor persistent cells remain dependent on JAK2 protein expression. Consequently, therapies that result in JAK2 degradation retain efficacy in persistent cells and may provide additional benefit to patients with JAK2-dependent malignancies treated with JAK2 inhibitors.
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    Csnk1a1 inhibition has p53-dependent therapeutic efficacy in acute myeloid leukemia
    (The Rockefeller University Press, 2014) Järås, Marcus; Miller, Peter; Chu, Lisa P.; Puram, Rishi; Fink, Emma; Schneider, Rebekka K.; Al-Shahrour, Fatima; Peña, Pablo; Breyfogle, L. Jordan; Hartwell, Kimberly A.; McConkey, Marie E.; Cowley, Glenn S.; Root, David E.; Kharas, Michael G.; Mullally, Ann; Ebert, Benjamin
    Despite extensive insights into the underlying genetics and biology of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), overall survival remains poor and new therapies are needed. We found that casein kinase 1 α (Csnk1a1), a serine-threonine kinase, is essential for AML cell survival in vivo. Normal hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) were relatively less affected by shRNA-mediated knockdown of Csnk1a1. To identify downstream mediators of Csnk1a1 critical for leukemia cells, we performed an in vivo pooled shRNA screen and gene expression profiling. We found that Csnk1a1 knockdown results in decreased Rps6 phosphorylation, increased p53 activity, and myeloid differentiation. Consistent with these observations, p53-null leukemias were insensitive to Csnk1a1 knockdown. We further evaluated whether D4476, a casein kinase 1 inhibitor, would exhibit selective antileukemic effects. Treatment of leukemia stem cells (LSCs) with D4476 showed highly selective killing of LSCs over normal HSPCs. In summary, these findings demonstrate that Csnk1a1 inhibition causes reduced Rps6 phosphorylation and activation of p53, resulting in selective elimination of leukemia cells, revealing Csnk1a1 as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of AML.
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    RECQL5 Suppresses Oncogenic JAK2-Induced Replication Stress and Genomic Instability
    (Elsevier BV, 2015) Chen, Edwin; Ahn, Jong Sook; Sykes, David; Breyfogle, Lawrence J.; Godfrey, Anna L.; Nangalia, Jyoti; Ko, Amy; DeAngelo, Daniel; Green, Alexander; Mullally, Ann
    JAK2V617F is the most common oncogenic lesion in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Despite the ability of JAK2V617F to instigate DNA damage in vitro, MPNs are nevertheless characterized by genomic stability. In this study, we address this paradox by identifying the DNA helicase RECQL5 as a suppressor of genomic instability in MPNs. We report increased RECQL5 expression in JAK2V617F-expressing cells and demonstrate that RECQL5 is required to counteract JAK2V617F-induced replication stress. Moreover, RECQL5 depletion sensitizes JAK2V617F mutant cells to hydroxyurea (HU), a pharmacological inducer of replication stress and the most common treatment for MPNs. Using single-fiber chromosome combing, we show that RECQL5 depletion in JAK2V617F mutant cells impairs replication dynamics following HU treatment, resulting in increased double-stranded breaks and apoptosis. Cumulatively, these findings identify RECQL5 as a critical regulator of genome stability in MPNs and demonstrate that replication stress-associated cytotoxicity can be amplified specifically in JAK2V617F mutant cells through RECQL5-targeted synthetic lethality.
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    Targeting megakaryocytic induced fibrosis by AURKA inhibition in the myeloproliferative neoplasms
    (2015) Wen, Qiang Jeremy; Yang, Qiong; Goldenson, Benjamin; Malinge, Sébastien; Lasho, Terra; Schneider, Rebekka K.; Breyfogle, Lawrence J.; Schultz, Rachael; Gilles, Laure; Koppikar, Priya; Abdel-Wahab, Omar; Pardanani, Animesh; Stein, Brady; Gurbuxani, Sandeep; Mullally, Ann; Levine, Ross; Tefferi, Ayalew; Crispino, John D.
    Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is characterized by bone marrow fibrosis, myeloproliferation, extramedullary hematopoiesis, splenomegaly and leukemic progression. Moreover, the bone marrow and spleen of patients are full of atypical megakaryocytes that are postulated to contribute to fibrosis through the release of cytokines including TGF-β. Although the JAK inhibitor ruxolitinib provides symptomatic relief, it does not reduce the mutant allele burden or significantly reverse fibrosis. Here we show through pharmacologic and genetic studies that, apart from JAK2, Aurora kinase A (AURKA) is a novel therapeutic target in PMF. MLN8237, a selective AURKA inhibitor promoted polyploidization and differentiation of PMF megakaryocytes and displayed potent anti-fibrotic and anti-tumor activity in vivo. We also reveal that loss of one allele of AURKA is sufficient to ameliorate fibrosis and other PMF phenotypes in vivo. Our data suggest that megakaryocytes are drivers of fibrosis and that targeting them with AURKA inhibitors will provide therapeutic benefit in PMF.
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    Mutations with Epigenetic Effects in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms and Recent Progress in Treatment: Proceedings from the 5th International Post-ASH Symposium
    (Nature Publishing Group, 2011) Tefferi, A; Abdel-Wahab, O; Cervantes, F; Crispino, J D; Finazzi, G; Girodon, F; Gisslinger, H; Gotlib, J; Kiladjian, J-J; Licht, J D; Odenike, O; Pardanani, A; Silver, R T; Solary, E; Mughal, T; Mullally, Ann; Levine, R L
    Immediately following the 2010 annual American Society of Hematology (ASH) meeting, the 5th International Post-ASH Symposium on Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia and BCR-ABL1-Negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPNs) took place on 7–8 December 2010 in Orlando, Florida, USA. During this meeting, the most recent advances in laboratory research and clinical practice, including those that were presented at the 2010 ASH meeting, were discussed among recognized authorities in the field. The current paper summarizes the proceedings of this meeting in BCR-ABL1-negative MPN. We provide a detailed overview of new mutations with putative epigenetic effects (TET oncogene family member 2 (TET2), additional sex comb-like 1 (ASXL1), isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) and enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2)) and an update on treatment with Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, pomalidomide, everolimus, interferon-α, midostaurin and cladribine. In addition, the new ‘Dynamic International Prognostic Scoring System (DIPSS)-plus' prognostic model for primary myelofibrosis (PMF) and the clinical relevance of distinguishing essential thrombocythemia from prefibrotic PMF are discussed.
  • Publication
    Mechanical Checkpoint Regulates Monocyte Differentiation in Fibrotic Niches
    (Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2022-07-11) Vining, Kyle; Marneth, Anna; Adu-Berchie, Kwasi; Grolman, Joshua; Tringides, Christina; Liu, Yutong; Wong, Waihay; Pozdnyakova, Olga; Severgnini, Mariano; Stafford, Alexander; Duda, Georg; Hodi, F. Stephen; Mullally, Ann; Wucherpfennig, Kai; Mooney, David