Direct and rapid identification of T315I-Mutated BCR-ABL expressing leukemic cells using infrared microspectroscopy

• Published in: Biochemical and biophysical research communications 2018-09, Vol.503 (3), p.1861-1867
• Main Authors: Sandt, Christophe, Feraud, Olivier, Bonnet, Marie-Laure, Desterke, Christophe, Khedhir, Rania, Flamant, Stephane, Bailey, Charles G., Rasko, John E.J., Dumas, Paul, Bennaceur-Griscelli, Annelise, Turhan, Ali G.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES; BCR-ABL; CML; Infrared microspectroscopy; MYELOID LEUKEMIA; ONCOGENES; STEM CELLS; T315I; TYROSINE
• ISSN: 0006-291X; 1090-2104
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2018.07.127

Despite the major success obtained by the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), resistances to therapies occur due to mutations in the ABL-kinase domain of the BCR-ABL oncogene. Amongst these mutations, the “gatekeeper” T315I is a major concern as it renders leukemic cells resistant to all licenced TKI except Ponatinib. We report here that Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy is a powerful methodology allowing rapid and direct identification of a spectral signature in single cells expressing T315I-mutated BCR-ABL. The specificity of this spectral signature is confirmed using a Dox-inducible T315I-mutated BCR-ABL-expressing human UT-7 cells as well as in murine embryonic stem cells. Transcriptome analysis of UT-7 cells expressing BCR-ABL as compared to BCR-ABL T315I clearly identified a molecular signature which could be at the origin of the generation of metabolic changes giving rise to the spectral signature. Thus, these results suggest that this new methodology can be applied to the identification of leukemic cells harbouring the T315I mutation at the single cell level and could represent a novel early detection tool of mutant clones. It could also be applied to drug screening strategies to target T315I-mutated leukemic cells. •BCR-ABL T315I mutation can be detected in single leukemic cells using infrared microspectroscopy.•The specificity of this spectral signature is demonstrated using Dox-inducible T315I-mutated BCR-ABL expressing cell lines.•Leukemic cells expressing T315I-mutated BCR-ABL exhibit a distinct transcriptome signature.•This technology could be applied to rapid detection of leukemic cells expressing T315I and to drug screening strategies.