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Brief Communication

Nature Medicine 10, 1187 - 1189 (2004)
Published online: 24 October 2004 | doi:10.1038/nm1127

Short interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting the Lyn kinase induces apoptosis in primary, and drug-resistant, BCR-ABL1(+) leukemia cells

Andrzej Ptasznik1,2, Yuji Nakata1,2, Anna Kalota1, Stephen G Emerson2 & Alan M. Gewirtz1

We studied the effects of Lyn ablation on the survival of drug-resistant chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) blast crisis cells using siRNA. Lyn siRNA reduced Lyn protein in both normal hematopoietic cells and BCR-ABL1-expressing (BCR-ABL1(+)) blasts by 80–95%. Within 48 h, siRNA-treated BCR-ABL1(+) blasts underwent apoptosis, whereas normal cells remained viable. This increased dependence on Lyn signaling for BCR-ABL1(+) blast survival provides the basis for rational treatment of drug-resistant CML blast crisis, particularly when lymphoid in nature.