The Leukemia-Associated Protein BTG1 Is Required for ATF4-Mediated Cellular Stress Responses

During the course of tumorigenesis and subsequent chemotherapeutic intervention, cancer cells experience various kinds of physiological stress, including hypoxia and nutrient limitation. Escaping cell death is one of the routes utilized by these malignant cells to allow continued growth and to acquire therapy resistance. B-cell Translocation Gene 1 (BTG1) is recurrently affected by genomic deletion in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients. Here, we define BTG1 as a mediator of the cellular stress response. When challenged with cellular stressors, such as amino acid or glucose deprivation as well as drug induced Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER) stress, mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) lacking Btg1 expression show a 20-30% increased survival rate relative to wildtype cells (Figure 1). Similarly, bone marrow B-cell progenitors isolated from Btg1 knockout mice are more resistant to Asparaginase (ASNase), a drug widely used in the treatment of ALL.