Imatinib and Nilotinib induced molecular changes in Philadelphia chromosome-positive Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is a malignant stem cell disease characterized by a reciprocal translocation between chromosome 9 and 22. The selective bcr-abl tyrosine-kinase inhibitor Imatinib has become the therapy of choice for patients with newly diagnosed CML including those previously considered candidates for allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The tyrosine-kinase inhibitor Nilotinib is a derivate of Imatinib with higher potency. To examine the molecular and functional effects of Nilotinib and Imatinib in chronic myelogenous leukemia, we performed gene expression and functional analyses in K562 cells following treatment with the two tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Affymetrix U133A 2.0 microarrays were used to examine the gene expression profile of K562 cells after in vitro treatment with Imatinib (0.5 µM) or Nilotinib (0.05 µM) for 24 hours. Gene expression data of the treated cells were compared with data of untreated cells.