Sorafenib Inhibition of Mcl-1 Accelerates ATRA-Induced Apoptosis in Differentiation-Responsive AML Cells

All trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) is successful in treating acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) by inducing terminal differentiation-mediated cell death, but it has limited activity in non-APL acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We aim to improve ATRA therapy of AML by enhancing apoptosis through repression of the antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Mcl-1.

APL and AML cell lines, as well as primary AML samples, were used to explore the mechanisms regulating differentiation and apoptosis during ATRA treatment. Stable transfection and gene silencing with siRNA were used to identify the key factors that inhibit apoptosis during induction of differentiation and drugs that accelerate apoptosis.

In differentiation-responsive AML cells, ATRA treatment induces long-lasting repression of Bcl-2 while first upmodulating and then reducing the Mcl-1 level. The Mcl-1 level appears to serve as a gatekeeper between differentiation and apoptosis. During differentiation induction, activation of MEK/ERK and PI3K/Akt pathways by ATRA leads to activation of p90RSK and inactivation of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β), which increase Mcl-1 levels by increasing its translation and stability. Sorafenib blocks ATRA-induced Mcl-1 increase by reversing p90RSK activation and GSK3β inactivation, maintains the repressed Bcl-2 level, and enhances ATRA induced apoptosis in non-APL AML cell lines and in primary AML cells.

Inhibition of Mcl-1 is required for apoptosis induction in ATRA differentiation-responsive AML cells. ATRA and sorafenib can be developed as a novel drug combination therapy for AML patients because this drug combination augments apoptosis by inhibiting Bcl-2 and Mcl-1.