Telomerase Inhibition, Telomere Shortening and Apoptotic Cell Death in Multiple Myeloma Cells Following Exposure to a Novel and Potent Telomerase Inhibitor (GRN163L), Targeting RNA component of Telomerase.

Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 638-638 ◽  
Author(s):  
Masood A. Shammas ◽  
Hemant Koley ◽  
Alexi Protopopov ◽  
Pierfrancesco Tassone ◽  
Paola Neri ◽  
...  

Abstract Telomeres, the specialized nucleoprotein structures at the ends of chromo-somes, shorten at each DNA replication, and if unopposed leads to chromosomal erosion and cell death. Telomere shortening below a critical length is prevented by telomerase. We have previously observed elevated telomerase activity and shortened telomeres in multiple myeloma (MM), making the telomere maintenance mechanism an important target for therapy. Based on success with other non-specific telomerase inhibitors, in this study, we evaluated the effects of a thio-phosphoramidate oligonucleotide specifically targeting the RNA component of telomerase (GRN163L), with modifications to facilitate its delivery into human cells. Nuclear uptake of GRN163L without need for transfection enhancer at 24h was confirmed in >99% MM cells using fluorescein isothiocyanate-tagged GRN163L and confocal microscopy. Next we evaluated the effects of different concentrations and length of exposure of GRN163L on telomerase activity in diff MM cell lines (ARP and INA6). Whereas control oligonucleotide did not significantly affect telomerase activity, ≥ 80% loss of telomerase activity was observed in MM cell lines at day 3 at submicromolar concentrations of GRN163L. This inhibition of telomerase activity was associated with inhibition of myeloma cell growth and survival. Treatment of INA6 cells with GRN163L for three weeks induced 96±4% and 100% cell death at 0.5 and 1 μM concentrations, respectively, while ARP cells with higher telomerase activity and longer telomeres showed 67 ± 4% cell death at 5 weeks with 0.5 μM inhibitor and 82 ± 3% and 100% cell death at 4 and 5 weeks respectively with 2 μM concentration. The cell death was predominantly apoptotic, as determined by 51% annexin V-positive INA6 cells at two weeks and >80 % annexin V positive ARP cells at four weeks. The apoptotic cell death was associated with reduction in telomere length as analyzed using Telomere-FISH. While the control oligo treated ARP cells showed mean Telomere Fluorescence Intensity (TFI) on interphase chromosomes of 17.2 ± 1.5 (range 1.3–146.4), GRN163L treated cells showed reduction of mean TFI to 13.6 ± 0.46 (range 0.74 – 65.7). Although values above 100 were observed on 2 chromosomes in control oligo treated cells, GRN163L-treated cells had no chromosome with a TFI of more than 70.0. A similar reduction in telomere length was observed for INA6 cells. Subsequently, we were also able to increase cytotoxicity of DNA damaging agents in MM cells treated with GRN163L and shortened telomeres; providing a rationale for evaluation of combination therapies. These data demonstrate GRN163L as a potent and specific telomerase inhibitor able to disrupt telomere integrity and inducing apoptotic death of multiple myeloma cells. Evaluation of this agent in a SCIDhu model of myeloma is underway prior to its clinical evaluation.

Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 4791-4791
Author(s):  
Michael Kline ◽  
Kathleen A. Donovan ◽  
John A. Lust

Abstract We have evaluated the efficacy of a novel hydroxamic acid-derived histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, ITF2357, to promote cell death in multiple myeloma (MM) cells. HDAC inhibitors, which promote histone hyperacetylation and increase gene expression, have been evaluated as candidate agents for combating malignancies because they impact the expression of genes related to proliferation, differentiation, and survival. Exposure of MM cell lines to 1 micromolar ITF2357 led to dramatically increased levels of histone acetylation at 4 hours and 8 hours by Western analysis. Sub-micromolar concentrations of ITF2357 promoted time- and concentration-dependent cell death in MM cell lines. Using 500 nM ITF2357, a concentration potentially achievable in vivo, viability of KAS-6/1 IL-6 dependent myeloma cells was reduced to 28% of control at 24 hrs and 2% of control at 48 hours (Figure 1). In contrast, viability of normal PBMCs was 100% at 24 hours and 80% at 48 hours (Figure 2). U266 and 8226 myeloma cells were found to be sensitive to ITF-2357 in a similar fashion with U266 being least sensitive. Cell death proceeded via apoptosis as measured using Annexin V/propidium iodide staining. ITF 2357 was superior to suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA) at inhibition of stromal cell IL-6 production. IL-1beta (10 pg/ml) was used to stimulate bone marrow stromal cell IL-6 production (105 ng/ml) after 48 hours. Concentration of ITF2357:Stromal Cell IL-6 production after 48 hours were as follows - 10 nM: 78 ng/ml; 100 nM: 79 ng/ml; 1000 nM; 32 ng/ml. SAHA at similar concentrations showed no significant decrease in stromal cell IL-6 production compared with the no drug control. In summary, ITF2357 induces significant myeloma cell apoptosis and can inhibit stromal cell IL-6 production. It represents an attractive therapeutic candidate for MM clinical trials. Figure Figure Figure Figure


2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e19534-e19534
Author(s):  
Yubin Kang ◽  
Jagadish Kummetha Venketa

e19534 Background: Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematological malignancy in the United States and accounts for ~10,600 deaths annually. MM remains an incurable disease and almost all patients will eventually relapse and become refractory to currently available therapeutic agents. There is an unmet need for better understanding the disease’s molecular pathways and for identifying novel therapeutic targets. Sphingolipid metabolism is being increasingly recognized as a key pathway in tumor cell proliferation and in tumor sensitivity to anticancer drugs. We hypothesize that altered sphingolipid metabolism plays an important role in the pathogenesis of MM, thus providing a novel target in the treatment of MM. Methods: We first assayed sphingolipid metabolism including sphingolipid metabolites and sphingolipid metabolizing genes in myeloma cell lines, in freshly isolated human primary CD138+myeloma cells, and in publically available dataset. We then tested the efficacy of the selective SK2 inhibitor (ABC294640) and the SK2 shRNA in killing myeloma cells in vitro. Results: 1) Compared to immortalized B cells, the levels of pro-apoptotic ceramides were decreased whereas the proliferative sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) was increased in myeloma cell lines. 2) The expression of several key sphingolipid-metabolizing genes including sphingosine kinase (SK) 1 and 2 was altered in freshly isolated human primary bone marrow myeloma cells and in publically available microarray dataset. 3) The selective SK2 inhibitor (ABC294640) induces apoptotic cell death and inhibits myeloma cell growth with an IC50of ~20 μM in 9 myeloma cell lines. 4) Interestingly, OPM-1 myeloma cell line was extremely sensitive to ABC294640 with an IC50of <5 µM whereas U266 myeloma cell line was resistant to ABC294640. SK2 shRNA induced apoptotic cell death in OPM-1, but not in U266 cells. We are currently investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying the resistance of U266 myeloma cells to ABC294640. Conclusions: Our data demonstrated that sphingolipid metabolism provides an attractive target in the treatment of refractory/relapased multiple myeloma.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 639-639
Author(s):  
Masood A. Shammas ◽  
Hemanta Koley ◽  
Pierfrancesco Tassone ◽  
Paola Neri ◽  
Alexei Protopopov ◽  
...  

Abstract Telomerase activity is either low or completely absent in most normal somatic cells; while it is elevated in most cancer cells providing unlimited proliferative potential by preventing telomere shortening. The inhibitors of telomerase, therefore, induce telomere shortening leading to apoptotic cell death in tumor cells while having little or no effect on normal diploid cells. We have evaluated the in vitro and in vivo efficacy of thio-phosphoramidate oligonucleotide specifically targeting the RNA component of telomerase (GRN163L) with demonstrated nuclear uptake by &gt;99% cells without the transfection enhancer. Delivery of GRN163L (1 μM) to MM cells (INA6 and ARP) was specifically associated with complete loss of telomerase activity as early as 6 hrs following exposure and was accompanied by a reduction in myeloma cell growth and survival. Treatment of INA6 cells with GRN163L for three weeks induced 96±4% and 100% cell death at 0.5 and 1 μM concentrations, respectively. ARP cells, which express higher levels of telomerase activity and have longer telomeres, showed 67±4% cell death at 5 weeks with 0.5 μM inhibitor and 82±3% and 100% cell death at 4 and 5 weeks, respectively, with 2 μM GRN163L. The apoptotic cell death was confirmed in 51% INA6 cells at two weeks and in &gt;80% ARP cells at four weeks. Apoptosis was associated with reduction in mean Telomere Fluorescence Intensity (TFI) on interphase chromosomes from 87.1±6.2 in control oligo treated INA6 cells to 36.2±2 (2.4 fold) in GRN163L treated cells. Moreover, GRN163L treatment was also associated with a similar reduction in number of chromosomes with detectable telomeres, indicating development of telomere-free ends. We have confirmed in vivo efficacy of GRN163L in a SCID-hu murine model of multiple myeloma. Following growth of GFP-transduced myeloma cells in the fetal bone chip introduced into the mice, GRN163L was injected on alternate days. In two independent experiments significant reduction in tumor cell growth, as measured by reduction in human myeloma related protein, and better survival than mice injected with control oligo was observed. We have now evaluated efficacy of combination of GRN163L with other novel agents. We have observed synergistic activity with Hsp90 inhibitor 17AAG on myeloma cell death. Addition of 17AAG (0.05 μM) to myeloma cells pre-treated with GRN163L (1 μM) for one week led to complete growth arrest within four days compared to continued growth of cells not pre-treated with GRN-163. These data provide the preclinical rationale for clinical evaluation of GRN163L in myeloma and in combination with Hsp90 inhibitor.


2017 ◽  
Vol 454 ◽  
pp. 139-148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Pettinari ◽  
Fabio Marchetti ◽  
Agnese Petrini ◽  
Claudio Pettinari ◽  
Giulio Lupidi ◽  
...  

Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 2635-2635
Author(s):  
Sarah A. Holstein ◽  
Huaxiang Tong ◽  
Raymond J. Hohl

Abstract Introduction: The isoprenoid biosynthetic pathway (IBP) is responsible for the production of key sterol and nonsterol species, including farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP) and geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) which serve as substrates for protein isoprenylation reactions. Several agents known to target the IBP have been observed to have cytotoxic effects in multiple myeloma cells. Thalidomide (Thal) has emerged as an effective agent for treating multiple myeloma. While Thal has been noted to have a variety of direct and indirect effects on myeloma cells, the precise mechanism of action remains unknown. Aim: We examined interactions between inhibitors of the IBP and Thal in multiple myeloma cells. The mechanisms underlying the observed differential sensitivity to these agents were explored. Methods: Studies were performed in three human multiple myeloma cell lines (RPMI-8226, U266, H929). Cytotoxicity was assessed via MTT assays, while apoptosis induction was determined by Annexin V staining and evaluation of PARP cleavage. Western blot analysis was used to evaluate inhibition of protein isoprenylation. Intracellular FPP and GGPP levels were measured via enzymatic coupling to fluorescently-tagged peptides, HPLC fractionation and fluorescence detection. Pharmacologic manipulation of the IBP was achieved with the following agents: lovastatin (Lov) as an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor, zoledronic acid (ZA) as a FPP synthase inhibitor, digeranyl bisphosphonate (DGBP) as a GGPP synthase inhibitor, FTI-277 as a farnesyl transferase inhibitor (FTI), and GGTI-286 as a geranylgeranyl transferase I inhibitor (GGTI). Results: Addition of Thal to Lov (at both 24 & 48h), zoledronic acid (at 48h), or DGBP (at 24 & 48h) in RPMI-8266 cells results in marked enhancement in cytotoxicity. Isobologram analysis could not be performed as Thal by itself does induce cytotoxicity in MTT assays. Although Lov induces cytotoxicity in a concentration- and time-dependent manner in the U266 and H929 cells, the addition of Thal did not result in increased cytotoxicity. Neither ZA nor DGBP induced cytotoxicity in the U266 cell line, while the H929 cell line showed effects only at 48 hours. Addition of Thal to FTI or GGTI did not result in enhanced cytotoxicity in tested cell lines. Annexin V experiments confirmed enhanced induction of apoptosis in RPMI-8226 cells incubated with the combination of Thal/Lov or Thal/DGBP. Add-back experiments revealed that the enhanced cytotoxicity/induction of apoptosis observed with the addition of Thal could be prevented with the addition of mevalonate or GGPP in Lov-treated cells or GGPP in DGBP-treated cells. PARP cleavage was demonstrated in RPMI-8226 and H929 cells treated with Lov or DGBP (with or without Thal) and in U266 cells treated with Lov. As expected, Lov resulted in the accumulation of unmodified forms of proteins normally farnesylated (Ras) and geranylgeranylated (Rap1a and Rab6) in these cells. Interestingly however, while DGBP led to accumulation of unmodified Rap1a and Rab6 in RPMI-8226 and H929 cells, no effect was seen in the U266 line. Examination of intracellular levels of FPP and GGPP revealed that the U266 line has markedly larger pools of FPP (8.5-fold) and GGPP (2.7-fold) compared to RPMI-8226 and that treatment with DGBP only partially depletes U266 cells of GGPP. Conclusions: These studies demonstrate an interaction between thalidomide and IBP inhibitors in multiple myeloma cells. These effects appear dependent on depletion of GGPP. Since treatment with a geranylgeranyl transferase-I inhibitor does not produce similar results, this suggests that substrates of geranylgeranyl transferase-II, such as the Rab proteins, may play critical roles in myeloma pathophysiology. The finding that intracellular levels of FPP and GGPP vary markedly amongst cell lines explains differential sensitivity of these cells to pharmacologic manipulation of the IBP and may also influence sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents. Further studies will determine the extent to which isoprenoid pool sizes vary in primary samples and may ultimately allow for the identification of multiple myeloma patients who would benefit from the addition of an IBP inhibitor to their treatment plan. Figure Figure


Blood ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 122 (21) ◽  
pp. 4435-4435
Author(s):  
Teresa Paíno ◽  
Antonio Garcia-Gomez ◽  
Lorena González-Méndez ◽  
Laura San-Segundo ◽  
Montserrat Martín-Sánchez ◽  
...  

Introduction Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by the accumulation of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow (BM) and is closely associated with osteolytic lesions, in part due to an increase in the bone-resorptive activity and number of osteoclasts (OCs). The activation of survival pathways in myeloma cells could be the cause of treatment failure rendering the disease incurable. Pim kinases are a family of survival serine/threonine kinases composed of three members (Pim1, Pim2 and Pim3) that are overexpressed in MM cells and may have a role in MM pathogenesis. However, little is known about the role of Pim kinases in OCs and its involvement in myeloma bone disease. Here, we have evaluated the preclinical activity of a new pan-Pim kinase inhibitor, LGH447, on MM cells and OCs. Cell lines, primary samples, material and methods LGH447 was provided by Novartis Pharmaceuticals. The human MM cell lines MM1S, MM1R, RPMI-8226 (or RPMI-8226-luc), RPMI-LR5, MM144, NCI-H929, OPM-2, U266, U266-Dox4 and U266-LR7 were employed. PBMCs from healthy volunteers were used to generate OCs, whereas primary mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) were obtained from bone marrow aspirates of MM patients. Cell viability was studied using MTT colorimetric assay or bioluminescence. Apoptosis was measured by annexin-V staining. For cell cycle analysis, propidium iodide staining was used. OC formation was assessed by enumeration of multinucleated (≥3) TRAP-positive cells and OC resorption was assessed on calcium-coated slides. Immunoblotting, quantitative PCR and immunofluorescence were used to further investigate the mechanism of action of LGH447. Results All MM cell lines expressed the three isoforms of Pim kinases with higher levels of Pim2. The dose-response curves to LGH447 after a 48 hour treatment revealed two groups of MM cell lines with regard to sensitivity to this drug: high sensitive, with IC50 values ranging from 0.2 to 3.3 µM (MM1S, MM1R, RPMI-8226, MM144, U266 and NCI-H929); and low sensitive, with IC50 values >7 µM (OPM-2, RPMI-LR5, U266-Dox4 and U266-LR7). Our results indicated that LGH447 promoted apoptosis in myeloma cells as shown by the increase in annexin-V positive cells and by the cleavage of initiator (caspases 8 and 9) and effector caspases (caspases 3 and 7) and of PARP. LGH447 also blocked the cell cycle in MM cells as demonstrated by the increase in G0-G1 and the decrease in S-G2-M phases. Importantly, LGH447 was also able to overcome the growth advantage conferred to RPMI-8226-luc cells by co-culture with MSCs or OCs. Regarding the mechanisms involved in these effects, LGH447 inhibited the mTOR pathway, demonstrated by a decreased phosphorylation of the downstream mTOR effectors, 4EBP1 and S6 in residues Thr37/46 and Ser235/236, respectively. Interestingly, LGH447 also inhibited OC formation and resorption activity. LGH447 treatment of human pre-OCs diminished the expression of key molecules involved in OC differentiation (p-Erk1/2 and NFATc1) and function [CAII (carbonic anhidrase II), CLCN7 (chloride channel 7), ATP6V1A (vacuolar-H+-ATPase catalytic subunit A1) and MMP9 (matrix metalloproteinase 9)] and also disrupted the F-actin ring necessary for OC effective resorption. Conclusion Overall, our results demonstrate that both MM cells and OCs are targets of the pan-Pim kinase inhibitor, LGH447. Therefore, the inhibition of Pim kinases could potentially provide a dual benefit in myeloma patients as a consequence of cytotoxic effects exerted on MM cells and an anti-resorptive activity on bone. This work was supported by funding from the Fundación Española de Hematología y Hemoterapia (AG-G), Centro en Red de Medicina Regenerativa y Terapia Celular de Castilla y León, the RTICC-Hematology Group (RD12/0036/0058), Spanish FIS (PI12/02591) and the Junta de Castilla y León, Gerencia Regional de Salud (GRS 862/A/13). Disclosures: Off Label Use: LGH447 is a pan-Pim kinase inhibitor (Novartis Pharmaceuticals). It has been used for pre-clinical studies in multiple myeloma.


Blood ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 126 (23) ◽  
pp. 3005-3005
Author(s):  
Bjoern Jacobi ◽  
Lea Stroeher ◽  
Nadine Leuchtner ◽  
Hakim Echchannaoui ◽  
Alexander Desuki ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Starvation of tumor cells from the amino acid arginine has recently gained particular interest because of the downregulation of the rate-limiting enzyme argininosuccinate synthethase 1 (ASS1) in various cancer entities. ASS1-deficient cells cannot resynthesize arginine from citrulline and are therefore considered arginine auxotrophic. The arginine depleting enzyme arginine deiminase (ADI-PEG20, Polaris Pharmaceuticals) is currently tested in phase I-III clinical trials for different arginine auxotrophic cancers. The natural arginine analogue canavanine can compete with arginine for arginyl-tRNA-binding sites and consequently be incorporated into nascent proteins instead of arginine. Canavanine could therefore potentially further disturb intracellular protein homeostasis, especially under arginine deprivation. The sensitivity of myeloma cells towards arginine depletion strategies has not been analyzed so far. Methods Human myeloma cell lines and CD138-sorted primary human myeloma cells from patient bone marrow were screened for ASS1 expression by western blotting (WB). The cells were cultured in arginine free medium and assessed for proliferation and metabolic activity (CFSE/MTT assays), apoptosis (caspase-3 cleavage) and cell death (annexinV/propidium iodide). Canavanine was supplied in both arginine-sufficient and -deficient conditions. The level of intracellular protein stress was determined by WB and/or flow cytometry analysis for ubiquitinated proteins, phosphorylated eukaryotic initiation factor 2α (peIF2α) and the spliced isoform of the X-Box binding protein 1 (Xbp1s). Repetitive ADI-PEG20 ± canavanine application i.p. were tested in vivo in an U266 myeloma xenograft model in NOD/SCID/IL2Rcg-/- (NSG) mice. Arginine and canavanine levels in plasma were determined by HPLC. Tumor growth was measured, mice were assessed for survival, weight and side effects. Tumor tissues were analyzed for caspase-3 cleavage and Ki67 expression by immunohistochemistry. Results 5 of 6 myeloma cell lines were negative for ASS1. Also, ASS1 was either not or only weakly expressed in the majority of primary CD138+ myeloma patient samples. Arginine starvation induced an arrest of cell proliferation and/or metabolic activity of primary myeloma cells and myeloma cell lines after 18-24 h. Addition of citrulline could only rescue ASS1 positive myeloma cells due to the intracellular resynthesis of arginine. Arginine starvation alone led to delayed induction of apoptosis (e.g. 35% cell death of NCI-H929 cells after 72 h of treatment). Addition of 100 mM canavanine strongly increased cell death specifically in the context of arginine deficiency (e.g. cell death in NCI-H929 cells: 87% after 24 h, 100 % after 48h) while it was non-toxic and had no effect on cell viability under physiological arginine conditions. Co-application of canavanine induced ubiquitination of cellular proteins and led to the prolongation of a fatal unfolded protein response (UPR) as measured by markedly elevated Xbp1s levels. Prolonged UPR ultimately led to the induction of apoptosis as reflected by annexin V binding and caspase-3 cleavage. In an U266 myeloma NSG xenograft model, systemic arginine depletion by ADI-PEG20 suppressed tumor growth in vivo and significantly prolonged median survival of mice when compared with the control group (22±3 vs. 15±3 days). Canavanine treatment alone had no influence on viability (13±0 days). However, the combination of ADI-PEG20 and canavanine demonstrated the longest median survival (27±7 days). Histological examination of explanted tumors showed the highest rates of caspase-3 cleavage in the ADI-PEG20/canavanine group. Conclusion Myeloma cells are mostly arginine auxotrophic and can be selectively targeted by arginine starvation. Combination of arginine depletion with the arginine analogue canavanine leads to a highly efficient and specific tumor cell eradication and should be further optimized in multiple myeloma preclinical models. Disclosures Bomalaski: Polaris Pharmaceuticals Inc.: Employment, Equity Ownership, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.


Blood ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 132 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 1008-1008
Author(s):  
Tyler Moser-Katz ◽  
Catherine M. Gavile ◽  
Benjamin G Barwick ◽  
Sagar Lonial ◽  
Lawrence H. Boise

Abstract Multiple myeloma is the second most common hematological malignancy in the U.S. with an estimated 30,700 new diagnoses in 2018. It is a clonal disease of plasma cells that, despite recent therapeutic advances, remains incurable. Myeloma cells retain numerous characteristics of normal plasma cells including reliance on survival signals in the bone marrow for long term viability. However, malignant transformation of plasma cells imparts the ability to proliferate, causing harmful bone lesions in patients, and in advanced stages independence of the bone-marrow microenvironment. Therefore, we are investigating the molecular mechanisms of myeloma cell survival that allow them to become extramedullary. We identified syntenin-1 (SDCBP) as a protein involved in myeloma cell survival and a potential therapeutic target. Syntenin-1 is an adapter protein that has been shown to regulate surface expression of several transmembrane proteins by binding with membrane phospholipids and mediating vesicular trafficking of proteins throughout the cell. Syntenin-1 regulates the surface expression of CD138, a plasma/myeloma cell marker. Syntenin-1 has been shown to regulate apoptosis in numerous cancer cell lines including breast cancer, glioma, and pancreatic cancer but its role in multiple myeloma survival has not been studied. To determine if syntenin-1 expression has an effect on myeloma cell survival, we utilized the CoMMpass dataset (IA12), a longitudinal study of myeloma patients that includes transcriptomic analysis throughout treatment. We found that patients with the highest expression of syntenin-1 mRNA (top quartile) had significantly worse overall survival, progression-free survival, and a shorter response duration than those in the bottom quartile of expression. To determine if syntenin-1 has a role in myeloma cell survival, we used short hairpin RNA to knock down syntenin-1 (shsyn) in RPMI 8226 and MM1.s myeloma cell lines. We then determined the amount of cell death using Annexin-V staining flow cytometry four days following lentiviral infection. We found increased cell death in syntenin-1-silenced cells compared to our empty vector control in both RPMI 8226 (control=42.17%, shsyn=71.53%, p=0.04) and MM1.s cell lines (control=8.57%, shsyn=29.9%, p=0.04) suggesting that syntenin-1 is important for myeloma cell survival. Syntenin-1 contains two PDZ domains that allow it to bind to receptor proteins via their corresponding PDZ-binding motifs. We therefore wanted to look at correlation of syntenin-1 expression with CD138 and CD86, two PDZ-binding domain containing proteins expressed on the surface of myeloma cells. Using the CoMMpass dataset, we found patients with high expression of syntenin-1 had a median expression of CD86 that was twice as high as the total population (P<0.0001) while syntenin-1-low patients expressed CD86 at levels that were half as much as the population (P<0.0001). In contrast, there was no clear relationship between syntenin-1 and CD138 mRNA expression. Indeed if one takes into account all patients, there is a positive correlation between CD86 and syntenin-1 expression (r=0.228, P<0.0001) while there is a negative correlation between CD138 and syntenin-1 (r=-0.1923, P<0.0001). The correlation with CD86 but not CD138 suggests a previously undescribed role for syntenin-1 in myeloma cells. Our lab has previously shown that expression of CD86 is necessary for myeloma cell survival, and signals via its cytoplasmic domain to confer drug resistance. Silencing syntenin-1 results in a decrease in CD86 surface expression. However, there is no change in CD86 transcript or total cellular CD86 protein levels in our shsyn treated cells. Moreover, knockdown of CD86 resulted in increased protein expression and transcript levels of syntenin-1. Taken together, these data suggest that syntenin-1 may regulate CD86 expression on the cell surface. Our data supports a novel role for syntenin-1 in myeloma cell viability and as a potential regulator of CD86 surface expression. The role of syntenin-1 has not previously been explored in multiple myeloma and determining its molecular function is warranted as it may be an attractive target for therapeutic treatment of the disease. Disclosures Lonial: Amgen: Research Funding. Boise:AstraZeneca: Honoraria; Abbvie: Consultancy.


Blood ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 134 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 3108-3108
Author(s):  
Cristina Panaroni ◽  
Keertik Fulzele ◽  
Rosemary Soucy ◽  
Cherrie Huang ◽  
Kenta Mukaihara ◽  
...  

Altered cellular metabolic pathways are the hallmark of tumor cells. Multiple myeloma (MM) is positively correlated with metabolic disorders such as obesity and Gaucher's disease. The local bone marrow (BM) microenvironment (TME) majorly influences the initiation and progression of MM. In a typical MM patient, BM adipocytes make up 70% of the cellular volume. The abundance of adipocyte-secreted free fatty acids (FFA) may shift myeloma cellular metabolism from aerobic glycolysis to more energy-producing fatty acid oxidation. The FFAs are important catalysts of key downstream drug-targetable signaling pathways such as cyclooxygenase (COX), cytochrome P450 (CYP), and lipoxygenase (LOX) pathways. In this study, we hypothesized that altered lipid profile in the local BM TME contributes to MM progression. BM-Fat enriched tissue isolated from BM aspirates of Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS) and smoldering MM (SMM) patients showed a significant increase in adipogenic PPARγ gene expression compared to aged-matched healthy donors (N≥3). The BM mesenchymal stem/progenitor cells (BMSCs) from MGUS/SMM patients expressed normal levels of BMSC markers CD271, CD105, CD44, CD106, CD29, CD90, CD49e, and Notch4 but showed significantly increased expression of adipogenic markers including Preadipocyte factor 1, Leptin Receptor, and Perilipin A (N=6). This also translated into significantly increased adipogenic differentiation of patient BMSCs when cultured alone or with the human MM cell-line MM.1S (N≥3). Furthermore, MM.1S showed significantly increased proliferation when co-cultured with BMSCs from MGUS/SMM patients (N=5). These data demonstrate a vicious cycle where adipogenesis is increased in early precursor MM stages that further support the growth of myeloma cells. We performed gas chromatometry based lipidomics analysis on the supernatant of BM aspirates from MGUS, SMM, and newly diagnosed MM (NDMM) patients. The analysis identified significant decreases in key polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) including Arachidonic Acid (AA) and Docosatetraenoic acid (N≥5). Lipid metabolism specific gene array on RNA from adipose tissue fraction of BM aspirates from MGUS, SMM and NDMM patients showed altered changes in genes responsible for fatty acid synthesis and metabolism. PUFA are involved in anti-inflammatory mechanisms in cancer. We hypothesized that increased levels of certain PUFA, such as AA, in the BM TME may decrease MM progression. To test this hypothesis, we treated MM cells with physiological doses of AA. AA dose-dependently decreased proliferation and viability of human MM cell lines, MM1S, H929, and U266, and CD138+ patient myeloma cells. For in vivo studies, humanized MM tumor model was generated in SCID mice by growing MM.1S cells in the intrascapular subcutaneous region for 3-weeks. Mice were then treated with daily localized injections of vehicle, 100µg/g AA, 500µg/g of AA, or IV with 2mg/kg/biweekly Carfilzomib (CFZ), or CFZ with 500µg/g of AA (COMBO). Tumor volume significantly decreased in 500µg/g AA treatment group beginning 10-days and was comparable to the CFZ treatment. Gross examination and flow cytometry analysis of CD138+ myeloma cells showed dramatically increased tumor-cell apoptosis in 500µg/g AA and COMBO treatment groups. To identify the primary apoptosis-inducing AA signaling pathway in MM cells, we used specific inhibitors of each of these signaling pathways including ibuprofen (Cox inhibitor), baicalein (12-LOX inhibitor), BW B70C (5,15-LOX inhibitor), 1-aminobenzotriazole (CYP450 inhibitor), and ferrostatin (Ferroptosis/lipid peroxidation inhibitor). Among these compounds, ferrostatin treatment completely rescued AA induced apoptosis in the human MM.1S cells. Ferroptotic cell death is the result of an accumulation of lipid peroxides which is generally prevented by the enzyme Glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPX4). We, therefore investigated the role of AA on GPX4 and found that all MM cell lines partially or completely lost the expression of GPX4 when exposed to AA and that this effect was completely prevented when cotreated with Ferrostatin. Taken together, we show that BM adipocytes promote myeloma cell proliferation at least in part through secreted FFAs. Therapeutically targeting members of this signaling pathway, such as ferroptosis, is a potential novel treatment strategy for MM especially in the MGUS and SMM stages. Disclosures Raje: Celgene Corporation: Consultancy; Amgen Inc.: Consultancy; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Merck: Consultancy.


Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (21) ◽  
pp. 2124-2124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hua Jiang ◽  
Gang An ◽  
Chirag Acharya ◽  
Mike Y Zhong ◽  
Ti Cai ◽  
...  

Abstract SAR650984 (SAR) is a naked humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) selectively targeting the membrane protein CD38 in early clinical development to treat multiple myeloma (MM) and other CD38+ hematological malignancies. SAR has demonstrated encouraging single agent activity in relapsed/refractory (R/R) MM patients (ASCO abstract #8532) and even better efficacy when combined with Dexamethasone and Lenalidomide (Len), without reaching a maximum tolerated dose in patients with heavily pretreated MM (ASCO Abstract #8512). It functions through multiple mechanisms including antibody dependent cytotoxicity (ADCC), complement dependent cytotoxicity (CDC), and direct killing against CD38-positive tumor cells including MM. Although SAR induces lysis of all CD38-expressing MM cell lines via ADCC, it only significantly induces direct killing of MOLP8 cells that express the highest CD38 surface density (~580,000/cell) among > 17 MM cell lines. We first sought to determine whether direct cell death induced by SAR depends on CD38 levels on MM cell membrane by generating RPMI8226 cells overexpressing CD38 (R-CD38) (Abstract #67338). R-CD38 cells express > 6-fold higher CD38 mRNA and surface protein levels than parental RPMI8226 cells (577,304/cell vs. 128,713/cell). Direct MM cell killing by SAR was determined using caspase 3/7 activity and CellTiter-Glo luminescent cell viability assays without goat anti-human IgG crosslinking, in the presence or absence of IL-6 or bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs). Following overnight incubation, SAR significantly induced homotypic aggregation (HA) of R-CD38, but not control RPMI8226 cells, associated with dose-dependent activation of pro-apoptotic caspase 3/7 in R-CD38, but not control cells. Importantly, SAR decreased the viability of R-CD38, but not control cells, regardless of the presence of IL-6 or BMSCs. Direct cell death induced by SAR depends on SAR-induced HA in MM cells since SAR only blocked survival of R-CD38 and MOLP8 MM cells that show significant HA. Thus, direct apoptosis induced by SAR depends on the level of CD38 surface expression, which may contribute to clinical responses in R/R MM expressing higher CD38 levels. Next, we evaluated the combination effect of Len or Pomalidomide (Pom) with SAR on MM cells. BM mononuclear cells from MM patients were incubated with SAR (10 mg/ml) with or without 10 mM of Len or Pom overnight, followed by flow cytometric analysis to determine % Annexin V/PI staining of CD138+/BCMA+ MM cells. As expected, Pom alone induced slightly higher % of Annexin V+/PI+ MM cells than Len (41 + 1.8 % vs 49 + 1.5 %). Either combination further increased the % of double positive MM patient cells when compared with individual agent alone (from 40 + 2.1% to 70 + 3.1% combined with Len; from 40 + 2.1% to 86 + 3.4% combined with Pom). In addition, PBMC effectors from normal donors (n=4) were pretreated with Len or Pom (5 mM) for 3-7 days and used for SAR-mediated ADCC assays against MM cells (MM1S, MM1R, RPMI8226, R-38, MOLP8), with or without HS-5 or BMSCs from patients. Pom, more potently than Len, further increased SAR-induced MM cell lysis regardless of the presence of BMSCs. Moreover, additional pretreatment of MM cells with Pom overnight further enhanced SAR-induced ADCC by Pom-pretreated PBMC effectors. Both MOLP8 and R-CD38 are relative resistant to direct cytotoxicities induced by Len or Pom. Significantly, Pom, also more potently than Len, augmented direct toxicities induced by SAR in MOLP8 and R-CD38 MM cells. Taken together, we here demonstrate that SAR directly induces apoptosis of MM cells with higher CD38 levels; and that Pom, more effectively than Len, increases SAR-induced MM cell killing via apoptosis and ADCC. These data strongly support SAR as a monotherapy or in combination treatment to improve the outcome of MM patients. Disclosures Cai: Sanofi: Employment. Song:Sanofi: Employment. Yang:Sanofi: Employment. Adrian:Sanofi: Employment. Munshi:Celgene: Consultancy; Onyx: Consultancy; Janssen: Consultancy; Sanofi-Aventis: Consultancy; Ocopep: Consultancy, Equity Ownership, Patents & Royalties. Anderson:Celgene: Consultancy; Onyx: Consultancy; Gilead Sciences: Consultancy; Sanofi-Aventis US: Consultancy; Acetylon: Scientific Founder Other; Oncoprep: Scientific Founder Other.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document