Hedgehog Stimulation Suppresses Clonogenicity and Activates NOTCH Signalling in T-lymphoblastic Leukaemia Jurkat Cells.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Hedgehog (HH) and NOTCH pathways are involved in the regulation of cancer stem cells and haematopoietic malignancies. However, the effects of HH stimulation on cell growth and NOTCH signalling in acute T-lymphoblastic leukaemia (T-ALL) cells have not been elucidated.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Two T-ALL cell lines, Jurkat and KOPT-K1 harbouring activating NOTCH1 mutations, were cultured with recombinant Sonic (S) HH and analysed for proliferation, colony formation, and expression of NOTCH-regulated genes and proteins.

RESULTS: SHH stimulation did not affect cell growth but suppressed colony formation, increased the levels of cleaved NOTCH1 fragment characteristic for NOTCH1 activation, and upregulated mRNA expression of HES1, while decreasing that of MYC in Jurkat cells. However, no such effects were observed in KOPT-K1 cells.

CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that SHH stimulation activates NOTCH signalling in Jurkat cells, thus disclosing a novel relationship between HH and NOTCH pathways.