Lyn controls chemotaxis and motility of CLL cells via phosphorylation of ROR1

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) are malignancies characterized by the dependence on B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling and by the high expression of the cell surface receptor ROR1. Both, BCR and ROR1 are therapeutic targets in these diseases and the understanding of their mutual cross talk is thus of direct therapeutic relevance. In this study we analyzed the role of Lyn, a kinase from the Src family, as a mediator of the BCR-ROR1 crosstalk. We confirm the functional interaction between Lyn and ROR1 and demonstrate that Lyn kinase efficiently phosphorylates ROR1 in its kinase domain and aids the recruitment of an E3 ligase c-CBL. The absence of Lyn in Lyn KO Maver-1 cells produced by CRISPR-Cas9 resulted in the increased ROR1 cell surface levels and deregulated migratory properties. Similar correlations between ROR1 surface dynamics, levels of active Lyn and chemotactic properties were confirmed in primary CLL samples. Our data establish Lyn-mediated phosphorylation of ROR1 as a point of crosstalk between BCR and ROR1 signaling pathways.