Dual PI3K/AKT/mTOR Inhibitor BEZ235 synergistically enhances the activity of JAK2 inhibitor against cultured and primary human myeloproliferative neoplasm cells

Hemopoietic progenitor cells (HPC) from myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) such as myelofibrosis commonly express mutant JAK2-V617F or other mutations that are associated with increased activities of JAK-STAT5/3, RAS/RAF/MAPK, and PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathways. This confers proliferative and survival advantage on the MPN HPCs. Treatment with JAK tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), for example, TG101209, TG101348 (SAR302503), or INCB018424 (ruxolitinib), inhibits mutant JAK2-mediated signaling. Although effective in reducing constitutional symptoms and splenomegaly, treatment with JAK-TKI does not ameliorate myelofibrosis or significantly improve survival of patients with advanced myelofibrosis. Here, we show that treatment with the dual phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT and mTOR inhibitor BEZ235 attenuated PI3K/AKT and mTOR signaling, as well as induced cell-cycle growth arrest and apoptosis of the cultured human JAK2-V617F-expressing HEL92.1.7 (HEL), UKE1 cells, and primary CD34+ myelofibrosis (MF)-MPN cells. Treatment with BEZ235 also induced significant apoptosis of the JAK2-TKI resistant HEL/TGR cells that were selected for resistance against JAK-TKI. Cotreatment with BEZ235 and JAK2-TKI (TG101209 and SAR302503) synergistically induced lethal activity against the cultured and primary CD34+ MPN cells while relatively sparing the normal CD34+ HPCs. These findings create a compelling rationale to determine the in vivo activity of dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitors in combination with JAK inhibitors against myelofibrosis HPCs.