A Thesis submitted to The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Medicine. / Patients diagnosed with Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) often become resistant to standard chemotherapeutic regimens. Cytarabine, a nucleoside analog, is the standard of care therapy for AML treatment. We hypothesized that by using an siRNA platform to inhibit 572 kinases in combination with Ara-C (cytarabine) in two AML cell lines (THP-1 and TF-1) we would be able to identify potential therapeutic targets to improve sensitivity to Ara-C (cytarabine). Our siRNA screen identified CHK1 as the most potent sensitizer to Ara-C. However, other kinases involved in DNA repair and checkpoint activation also improved sensitivity of cells to Ara-C. Checkpoints are present at the G1/S transition, within S phase and at the G2/M transition. Within the G2/M checkpoint, CHK1 functions to halt the transition to mitosis when DNA damage is detected. Additional siRNA screening of proteins that function in the G2/M checkpoint identified WEE1 as a potent sensitizer as well. It is hypothesized that abrogation of the G2/M checkpoint prevents repair pathways from repairing genotoxic damage caused by chemotherapeutics. Therefore, a literature review of the checkpoint targeting and rational therapeutic targets for future treatments was conducted. Both WEE1 and CHK1 are currently
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being targeted in order to enhance activity of various genotoxic chemotherapeutics in many different cancers and present rational targets for further investigated in combination with Ara-C in AML.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:arizona.edu/oai:arizona.openrepository.com:10150/221241 |
| Date | 30 April 2012 |
| Creators | Buechel, Megan |
| Contributors | The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix, Tibes, Raoul, MD, PhD |
| Publisher | The University of Arizona. |
| Source Sets | University of Arizona |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Rights | Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the College of Medicine - Phoenix, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. |
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