Characterization of a new B-ALL cell line with constitutional defect of the Notch signaling pathway

// Paul Takam Kamga 1 , Giada Dal Collo 1 , Giulio Bassi 1 , Martina Midolo 1 , Massimo Delledonne 2, 3 , Marco Chilosi 4 , Massimiliano Bonifacio 1 and Mauro Krampera 1 1 Stem Cell Research Laboratory, Section of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Verona, Verona, Italy 2 Department of Biotechnology, University of Verona, Verona, Italy 3 Personal Genomics S.R.L., Verona, Italy 4 Section of Pathology, Department of Diagnostics and Public Health, University of Verona, Verona, Italy Correspondence to: Mauro Krampera, email: mauro.krampera@univr.it Keywords: Notch signaling; B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia; B-ALL; Alagille syndrome; ALGS Received: January 02, 2018 Accepted: March 11, 2018 Published: April 06, 2018 ABSTRACT Notch signaling contribution to B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) development is still under investigation. The serendipitous onset of B-ALL in a patient affected by the germinal Notch mutation-dependent Alagille syndrome allowed us to establish a B-ALL cell line (VR-ALL) bearing a genetic loss of function in components of Notch signaling. VR-ALL is a common-type B-ALL cell line, grows in conventional culture medium supplemented with 10% serum, and gives rise, once injected into immunodeficient NOG mice, to a mouse xenograft model of B-ALL. Exome sequencing revealed deleterious mutations in some components of Notch signaling, including Jagged1, Notch1, and Notch2. In addition, VR-ALL is sensitive both in vitro and in vivo to γ-secretase inhibitors (GSIs) as well as conventional anti-leukemic drugs. For all these reasons, VR-ALL may help to gain more insights into the role of Notch signaling in B-ALL.