CUTLL1, a novel human T-cell lymphoma cell line with t (7; 9) rearrangement, aberrant NOTCH1 activation and high sensitivity to γ-secretase inhibitors

T Palomero, KC Barnes, PJ Real, JL Glade Bender… - Leukemia, 2006 - nature.com
T Palomero, KC Barnes, PJ Real, JL Glade Bender, ML Sulis, VV Murty, AI Colovai, M Balbin…
Leukemia, 2006nature.com
Activating mutations in NOTCH1 are present in over 50% of human T-cell lymphoblastic
leukemia (T-ALL) samples and inhibition of NOTCH1 signaling with γ-secretase inhibitors
(GSI) has emerged as a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of this disease. Here,
we report a new human T-cell lymphoma line CUTLL1, which expresses high levels of
activated NOTCH1 and is extremely sensitive to γ-secretase inhibitors treatment. CUTLL1
cells harbor at (7; 9)(q34; q34) translocation which induces the expression of a TCRB …
Abstract
Activating mutations in NOTCH1 are present in over 50% of human T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) samples and inhibition of NOTCH1 signaling with γ-secretase inhibitors (GSI) has emerged as a potential therapeutic strategy for the treatment of this disease. Here, we report a new human T-cell lymphoma line CUTLL1, which expresses high levels of activated NOTCH1 and is extremely sensitive to γ-secretase inhibitors treatment. CUTLL1 cells harbor at (7; 9)(q34; q34) translocation which induces the expression of a TCRB-NOTCH1 fusion transcript encoding a membrane-bound truncated form of the NOTCH1 receptor. GSI treatment of CUTLL1 cells blocked NOTCH1 processing and caused rapid clearance of activated intracellular NOTCH1. Loss of NOTCH1 activity induced a gene expression signature characterized by the downregulation of NOTCH1 target genes such as HES1 and NOTCH3. In contrast with most human T-ALL cell lines with activating mutations in NOTCH1, CUTLL1 cells showed a robust cellular phenotype upon GSI treatment characterized by G1 cell cycle arrest and increased apoptosis. These results show that the CUTLL1 cell line has a strong dependence on NOTCH1 signaling for proliferation and survival and supports that T-ALL patients whose tumors harbor t (7; 9) should be included in clinical trials testing the therapeutic efficacy NOTCH1 inhibition with GSIs.
nature.com