The JAK2V617F mutation is present in almost all patients with polycythemia vera (PV), large proportions of patients with essential thrombocythemia and idiopathic myelofibrosis, and less frequently in atypical myeloproliferative disorders (MPD). We show that transplantation of JAK2 V617F

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A-kinase anchoring proteins (AKAPs) bind to protein kinase A (PKA) via an amphipathic helix domain that interacts with a dimerization/docking domain on the regulatory (R) subunit of PKA. Four other mammalian proteins (ROPN1, ASP, SP17, and CABYR) also contain a highly conserved RII dimerization/docking (R2D2) domain, suggesting all four proteins may interact with all AKAPs in a manner similar to RII. All four of these proteins were originally detected in the flagellum of mammalian sperm. In this report, we demonstrate that all four R2D2 proteins are expressed in a wide variety of tissues and three of the proteins SP17, CABYR, and ASP are located in motile cilia of human bronchus and fallopian tubes. In addition, we detect SP17 in primary cilia. We also provide evidence that ROPN1 and ASP bind to a variety of AKAPs and this interaction can be disrupted with anchoring inhibitor peptides. The interaction of SP17 and CABYR with AKAPs appears to be much more limited. None of the R2D2 proteins appears to bind cAMP, a fundamental characteristic of the regulatory subunits of PKA. These observations suggest that R2D2 proteins utilize docking interactions with AKAPs to accomplish their function of regulating cilia and flagella. Based on location, affinity for AKAPs and lack of affinity for cAMP, it appears that each R2D2 protein has a unique role in this process.

BCR-ABL is proposed to impair cell-cycle control by disabling p27, a tumor suppressor that inhibits cyclin-dependent ki-nases. We show that in cell lines p27 expression is inversely correlated with expression of SKP2, the F-box protein of SCF SKP2 (SKP1/Cul1/F-box), the E3 ubiq-uitin ligase that promotes proteasomal degradation of p27. Inhibition of BCR-ABL kinase causes G 1 arrest, down-regulation of SKP2, and accumulation of p27. Ectopic expression of wild-type SKP2, but not a mutant unable to recognize p27, partially rescues cell-cycle progression. A similar regulation pattern is seen in cell lines transformed by FLT3-ITD, JAK2 V617F , and TEL-PDGFR, suggesting that the SKP2/p27 conduit may be a universal target for leukemogenic ty-rosine kinases. Mice that received transplants of BCR-ABL-infected SKP2 / marrow developed a myeloproliferative syndrome but survival was significantly prolonged compared with recipients of BCR-ABL-expressing SKP2 / marrow. SKP2 / leukemic cells demonstrated higher levels of nuclear p27 than SKP2 / counterparts, suggesting that the attenu-ation of leukemogenesis depends on increased p27 expression. Our data identify SKP2 as a crucial mediator of BCR-ABL-induced leukemogenesis and provide the first in vivo evidence that SKP2 promotes oncogenesis. Hence, stabilization of p27 by inhibiting its recognition by SCF SKP2 may be therapeutically useful. (Blood.

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