Anti-Estrogens Induce Apoptosis of Multiple Myeloma Cells

Blood ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 92 (5) ◽  
pp. 1749-1757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven P. Treon ◽  
Gerrard Teoh ◽  
Mitsuyoshi Urashima ◽  
Atsushi Ogata ◽  
Dharminder Chauhan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Myeloma ◽  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Cell Survival ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Er Positive ◽  
Dose Oral ◽  
American Society ◽  
Induced Apoptosis

Previous studies have suggested that multiple myeloma (MM) cells express estrogen receptors (ER). In the present study, we characterized the effects of estrogen agonists and antagonists (anti-estrogens [AE]) on growth of MM cell lines and MM patient cells. In addition to antagonizing estrogen binding to ER, AE can trigger apoptosis. Hence, we also determined whether estrogens or AE altered MM cell survival. Immunoblotting showed that ER- is expressed in 4 of 5 MM cell lines (ARH-77, RPMI 8226, S6B45, and U266, but not OCI-My-5 cells), as well as in freshly isolated MM cells from 3 of 3 patients. 17β-estradiol (E2) did not significantly alter proliferation of MM cell lines or MM patient cells. In contrast, two structurally distinct AE, tamoxifen (TAM) and ICI 182,780 (ICI), significantly inhibited the proliferation of all 5 MM cell lines and MM cells from 2 of 2 patients (IC50, 2 to 4 μmol/L). Proliferation of these cell lines was also inhibited by the hydroxylated TAM derivative, 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4HTAM), although this derivative was less potent than TAM (IC50, 3 to 25 μmol/L). In contrast, the dehalogenated TAM derivative toremifene (TOR) did not inhibit MM cell proliferation. We next examined the effects of these agents on MM cell survival. TAM, ICI, and, to a lesser extent, 4HTAM and TOR triggered apoptosis in both ER-–positive as well as ER-–negative MM cell lines and patient MM cells, evidenced both by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis using propidium iodide staining and the TUNEL assay. TAM-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis of ER-–positive S6B45 MM cells was not blocked by coculture with excess E2. TAM-induced apoptosis of S6B45 MM cells was also unaffected by addition of exogenous interleukin-6. Importantly, both the inhibition of MM cell proliferation and the induction of MM cell apoptosis were achieved at concentrations of TAM (0.5 and 5.0 μmol/L) that did not significantly alter in vitro growth of normal hematopoietic progenitor cells. Similar plasma levels of TAM have been achieved using high-dose oral TAM therapy, with an acceptable toxicity profile. These studies therefore provide the rationale for trials to define the utility of AE therapy in MM. © 1998 by The American Society of Hematology.

Anti-Estrogens Induce Apoptosis of Multiple Myeloma Cells

Blood ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 92 (5) ◽  
pp. 1749-1757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven P. Treon ◽  
Gerrard Teoh ◽  
Mitsuyoshi Urashima ◽  
Atsushi Ogata ◽  
Dharminder Chauhan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Myeloma ◽  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Cell Survival ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Er Positive ◽  
Dose Oral ◽  
American Society ◽  
Induced Apoptosis

Abstract Previous studies have suggested that multiple myeloma (MM) cells express estrogen receptors (ER). In the present study, we characterized the effects of estrogen agonists and antagonists (anti-estrogens [AE]) on growth of MM cell lines and MM patient cells. In addition to antagonizing estrogen binding to ER, AE can trigger apoptosis. Hence, we also determined whether estrogens or AE altered MM cell survival. Immunoblotting showed that ER- is expressed in 4 of 5 MM cell lines (ARH-77, RPMI 8226, S6B45, and U266, but not OCI-My-5 cells), as well as in freshly isolated MM cells from 3 of 3 patients. 17β-estradiol (E2) did not significantly alter proliferation of MM cell lines or MM patient cells. In contrast, two structurally distinct AE, tamoxifen (TAM) and ICI 182,780 (ICI), significantly inhibited the proliferation of all 5 MM cell lines and MM cells from 2 of 2 patients (IC50, 2 to 4 μmol/L). Proliferation of these cell lines was also inhibited by the hydroxylated TAM derivative, 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4HTAM), although this derivative was less potent than TAM (IC50, 3 to 25 μmol/L). In contrast, the dehalogenated TAM derivative toremifene (TOR) did not inhibit MM cell proliferation. We next examined the effects of these agents on MM cell survival. TAM, ICI, and, to a lesser extent, 4HTAM and TOR triggered apoptosis in both ER-–positive as well as ER-–negative MM cell lines and patient MM cells, evidenced both by fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis using propidium iodide staining and the TUNEL assay. TAM-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis of ER-–positive S6B45 MM cells was not blocked by coculture with excess E2. TAM-induced apoptosis of S6B45 MM cells was also unaffected by addition of exogenous interleukin-6. Importantly, both the inhibition of MM cell proliferation and the induction of MM cell apoptosis were achieved at concentrations of TAM (0.5 and 5.0 μmol/L) that did not significantly alter in vitro growth of normal hematopoietic progenitor cells. Similar plasma levels of TAM have been achieved using high-dose oral TAM therapy, with an acceptable toxicity profile. These studies therefore provide the rationale for trials to define the utility of AE therapy in MM. © 1998 by The American Society of Hematology.

scholarly journals HNRNPA2B1 promotes multiple myeloma progression by increasing AKT3 expression via m6A-dependent stabilization of ILF3 mRNA

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengjie Jiang ◽  
Xiaozhu Tang ◽  
Chao Tang ◽  
Zhen Hua ◽  
Mengying Ke ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Myeloma ◽  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Cellular Proliferation ◽  
Aberrant Expression ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Induced Apoptosis ◽  
Proliferation In Vitro

AbstractN6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is the most prevalent modification in eukaryotic RNAs while accumulating studies suggest that m6A aberrant expression plays an important role in cancer. HNRNPA2B1 is a m6A reader which binds to nascent RNA and thus affects a perplexing array of RNA metabolism exquisitely. Despite unveiled facets that HNRNPA2B1 is deregulated in several tumors and facilitates tumor growth, a clear role of HNRNPA2B1 in multiple myeloma (MM) remains elusive. Herein, we analyzed the function and the regulatory mechanism of HNRNPA2B1 in MM. We found that HNRNPA2B1 was elevated in MM patients and negatively correlated with favorable prognosis. The depletion of HNRNPA2B1 in MM cells inhibited cell proliferation and induced apoptosis. On the contrary, the overexpression of HNRNPA2B1 promoted cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistic studies revealed that HNRNPA2B1 recognized the m6A sites of ILF3 and enhanced the stability of ILF3 mRNA transcripts, while AKT3 downregulation by siRNA abrogated the cellular proliferation induced by HNRNPA2B1 overexpression. Additionally, the expression of HNRNPA2B1, ILF3 and AKT3 was positively associated with each other in MM tissues tested by immunohistochemistry. In summary, our study highlights that HNRNPA2B1 potentially acts as a therapeutic target of MM through regulating AKT3 expression mediated by ILF3-dependent pattern.

Expression of functional interleukin-15 receptor and autocrine production of interleukin-15 as mechanisms of tumor propagation in multiple myeloma

Blood ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 610-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inge Tinhofer ◽  
Ingrid Marschitz ◽  
Traudl Henn ◽  
Alexander Egle ◽  
Richard Greil
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Myeloma ◽  
Cell Survival ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Plasma Cells ◽  
Constitutive Expression ◽  
Myeloma Cell ◽  
Myeloma Cells ◽  
Cytotoxic Treatment ◽  
Interleukin 15 ◽  
Induced Apoptosis

Interleukin-15 (IL-15) induces proliferation and promotes cell survival of human T and B lymphocytes, natural killer cells, and neutrophils. Here we report the constitutive expression of a functional IL-15 receptor (IL-15R) in 6 of 6 myeloma cell lines and in CD38high/CD45low plasma cells belonging to 14 of 14 patients with multiple myeloma. Furthermore, we detected IL-15 transcripts in all 6 myeloma cell lines, and IL-15 protein in 4/6 cell lines and also in the primary plasma cells of 8/14 multiple myeloma patients. Our observations confirm the existence of an autocrine IL-15 loop and point to the potential paracrine stimulation of myeloma cells by IL-15 released from the cellular microenvironment. Blocking autocrine IL-15 in cell lines increased the rate of spontaneous apoptosis, and the degree of this effect was comparable to the pro-apoptotic effect of depleting autocrine IL-6 by antibody targeting. IL-15 was also capable of substituting for autocrine IL-6 in order to promote cell survival and vice versa. In short-term cultures of primary myeloma cells, the addition of IL-15 reduced the percentage of tumor cells spontaneously undergoing apoptosis. Furthermore, IL-15 lowered the responsiveness to Fas-induced apoptosis and to cytotoxic treatment with vincristine and doxorubicin but not with dexamethasone. These data add IL-15 to the list of important factors promoting survival of multiple myeloma cells and demonstrate that it can be produced and be functionally active in an autocrine manner.

scholarly journals Iron Causes Lipid Oxidation and Inhibits Proteasome Function in Multiple Myeloma Cells: A Proof of Concept for Novel Combination Therapies

Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 970 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Bordini ◽  
Federica Morisi ◽  
Fulvia Cerruti ◽  
Paolo Cascio ◽  
Clara Camaschella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Myeloma ◽  
Cell Death ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Iron Toxicity ◽  
Ammonium Citrate ◽  
Ferric Ammonium Citrate ◽  
Ferric Carboxymaltose ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Iron Loading

Adaptation to import iron for proliferation makes cancer cells potentially sensitive to iron toxicity. Iron loading impairs multiple myeloma (MM) cell proliferation and increases the efficacy of the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib. Here, we defined the mechanisms of iron toxicity in MM.1S, U266, H929, and OPM-2 MM cell lines, and validated this strategy in preclinical studies using Vk*MYC mice as MM model. High-dose ferric ammonium citrate triggered cell death in all cell lines tested, increasing malondialdehyde levels, the by-product of lipid peroxidation and index of ferroptosis. In addition, iron exposure caused dose-dependent accumulation of polyubiquitinated proteins in highly iron-sensitive MM.1S and H929 cells, suggesting that proteasome workload contributes to iron sensitivity. Accordingly, high iron concentrations inhibited the proteasomal chymotrypsin-like activity of 26S particles and of MM cellular extracts in vitro. In all MM cells, bortezomib-iron combination induced persistent lipid damage, exacerbated bortezomib-induced polyubiquitinated proteins accumulation, and triggered cell death more efficiently than individual treatments. In Vk*MYC mice, addition of iron dextran or ferric carboxymaltose to the bortezomib-melphalan-prednisone (VMP) regimen increased the therapeutic response and prolonged remission without causing evident toxicity. We conclude that iron loading interferes both with redox and protein homeostasis, a property that can be exploited to design novel combination strategies including iron supplementation, to increase the efficacy of current MM therapies.

VEGF Upregulates Mcl-1 Expression and Protects Multiple Myeloma Cells Against Starvation Induced-Apoptosis.

Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 631-631
Author(s):  
Steven Le Gouill ◽  
Klaus Podar ◽  
Martine Amiot ◽  
Teru Hideshima ◽  
Dharminder Chauhan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Myeloma ◽  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Myeloid Cell ◽  
Fibroblast Cell ◽  
Transfected Cells ◽  
Murine Embryonic Fibroblast ◽  
Induced Apoptosis

Abstract Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) induces proliferation of MM cells and induces interleukin-6 (IL-6) secretion in a paracrine loop involving MM cells and bone marrow stromal cells. In turn, IL-6 triggers multiple myeloma (MM) cell proliferation and also protects against apoptosis by upregulating Myeloid-cell-leukemia 1 (Mcl-1), a critical survival protein in MM cells. The goal of our study was to investigate the role of Mcl-1 in VEGF induced-proliferation and protection against apoptosis. Using two murine embryonic fibroblast cell lines as a model (a Mcl-1 deleted cell line and its wild type: Mcl-1Δ/null and Mcl-1wt/wt MEFs, respectively), we here demonstrate that deletion of Mcl-1 reduces fetal bovine serum (FBS), VEGF, and IL-6 induced-proliferation. In addition, we demonstrate that the percentage of cells in S phase is lower in Mcl-1Δ/null compared to Mcl-1wt/wt MEFs (21% (+/−1) versus 30% (+/− 3), respectively). Taken together, these results demonstrate that Mcl-1 is required to mediate VEGF, Il-6 and FBS-induced-proliferation and cell cycle progression. To highlight the key anti-apoptotic role of Mcl-1 in MM cells, humans MM1s cells were transfected with Mcl-1 siRNA. Specific inhibition of Mcl-1 was associated with decreased proliferation (42% and 61% decreases at 24 and 48 h, respectively) and induction of apoptosis (subG1 peak: 22% and 41% in Mcl-1 siRNA transfected cells versus 15% and 15 % in non-transfected cells at 24 and 48 h, respectively), confirming that Mcl-1 is critical for both proliferation and protection against apoptosis in MM cells. In 3 human MM cell lines (MM1s, U266 and MM1R) and MM patient cells we next showed that Mcl-1 protein expression, but not other bcl-2 family members, is upregulated by VEGF in a time and dose manner; and conversely that the pan-VEGF inhibitor GW654652, blocks VEGF induced-upregulation of Mcl-1. Furthermore using flow cytometry with a double staining (CD38-FITC and Apo 2.7-PE), we demonstrate that VEGF protects MM patient cells from FBS-starvation-induced-apoptosis: the percentage of apoptotic MM patient cells (CD38++ and Apo 2.7+) in non starved medium (RPMI 1640 supplemented with 10% FBS) was 15% versus 93% in starved medium (RPMI 1640 supplemented with FBS 2%), and 48% in starved medium supplemented with 25ng/ml VEGF. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that VEGF protects MM cells against apoptosis, and that VEGF-induced MM cell proliferation and survival is mediated via Mcl-1. these studies provide the preclinical framework for novel therapeutics targeting both Mcl-1 and/or VEGF to improve patient outcome in MM.

JS-K, a GST-Activated Nitric Oxide Generator, Induces Apoptosis and Overcomes In Vitro Drug Resistance in Multiple Myeloma Cells.

Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 1593-1593
Author(s):  
Tanyel Kiziltepe ◽  
Kenji Ishitsuka ◽  
Teru Hideshima ◽  
Noopur Raje ◽  
Norihiko Shiraishi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Multiple Myeloma ◽  
Drug Resistance ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Biological Effects ◽  
Treatment Modalities ◽  
Cancer Drug ◽  
Induced Apoptosis

Abstract Multiple myeloma (MM) is currently an incurable hematological malignancy. A major reason for the failure of currently existing therapies is the chemotherapeutic resistance acquired by the MM cells upon treatment. Overexpression of glutathione S-transferases (GST) has been shown as one possible mechanism of anti-cancer drug resistance in a broad spectrum of tumor cells. JS-K (O2-(2,4-Dinitrophenyl) 1-[(4-ethoxycarbonyl)piperazin-1-yl]diazen-1-ium-1,2-diolate) belongs to a class of pro-drugs which are designed to release nitric oxide (NO) on reaction with GST. JS-K can possibly turn GST overexpression to the tumor’s disadvantage by (1) consuming intracellular GSH and preventing drug inactivation; and (2) by exposing tumor cells to high intracellular concentrations of NO. JS-K has potent in vitro and in vivo anti-leukemic activity. The purpose of the present study is to examine the biological effects of JS-K on human MM cells. We demonstrate that JS-K has significant in vitro cytotoxicity on MM cell lines, with an IC50 of 0.3-2 mM at 48 hours. JS-K also induces cytotoxicity on cell lines that are resistant to conventional chemotherapy (i.e., MM1R, RPMI-Dox40, RPMI-LR5, RPMI-MR20). Importantly, no cytotoxic effects of JS-K were detected on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) obtained from healthy volunteers at these doses. Moreover, JS-K could overcome the survival and growth advantages conferred by interleukin-6 (IL-6) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), or by adherence of MM cells to bone marrow stromal cells (BMSC). JS-K caused a transient G2/M arrest followed by apoptosis, as determined by flow cytometric analysis using PI, Annexin V and Apo2.7 staining. JS-K-induced apoptosis was associated with caspase 8, 7, 9 and 3 activation. Interestingly, Fas was upregulated by JS-K, suggesting the involvement of death receptor pathway in induction of apoptosis. JS-K also triggered Mcl-1 cleavage and Bcl-2 phosphorylation, suggesting the involvement of mitochondrial pathway. In addition, apoptosis inducing factor (AIF), endonuclease G (EndoG) and cytochrome c were released into the cytosol during apoptosis. Taken together, these findings suggest the involvement of both intrinsic and extrinsic apoptotic pathways in JS-K-induced apoptosis in MM cells. In summary, our studies demonstrate that JS-K induces apoptosis and overcomes in vitro drug resistance in MM cells. Therefore, JS-K is a novel compound which carries significant potential to be included in the repertoire of existing treatment modalities for MM. Ongoing studies are delineating the mechanism of action of JS-K to provide the preclinical rationale for combination therapies to overcome drug resistance and improve patient outcome.

Multiple Myeloma (MM) Highly Expresses CGEN-928 and the Anti-CGEN-928 TM21 Antibody Markedly Inhibits the Growth of MM Cells and Enhances the Anti-Myeloma Effects of Dexamethasone, Melphalan and Bortezomib

Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (21) ◽  
pp. 4067-4067
Author(s):  
Haiming Chen ◽  
Mingjie Li ◽  
Cathy Wang ◽  
Jessica Wang ◽  
Eric Sanchez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Myeloma ◽  
Cell Proliferation ◽  
Tumor Cells ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Polyclonal Antibody ◽  
Flow Cytometric Analysis ◽  
Therapeutic Options ◽  
Treatment Modalities ◽  
In Cells

Abstract Abstract 4067 Although patients with multiple myeloma (MM) initially respond to current treatment modalities, it remains an incurable disease. Many new therapeutic options have become available during the past several years but nearly all patients develop resistance to currently available therapeutic options. In addition, there is no tumor marker that is uniformly expressed in all MM cells although CD138 is considered to be present on the surface of tumor cells in most cases of MM but generally is only present in a subset of the patients' tumor population and may be absent in the most resistant part of the tumor clone. In order to address these unmet clinical needs, we queried Compugen's MED Platform, an expression database which covers over 40,000 microarray experiments, for genes overexpressed in B cell-derived malignancies including MM and that exhibit low expression levels in normal cells and tissues. One of the most prominent candidates was CGEN-928, which was validated as over-expressed in MM at the mRNA level using an independent panel of both hematological malignancies and normal tissues. In this study, we first investigated whether the previously unidentified membrane antigen CGEN-928 is expressed in cells from human MM cell lines, human MM xenografts and fresh bone marrow (BM) aspirates derived from MM patients using flow cytometric analysis and immunohistochemical staining with the anti-CGEN-928 TM21 polyclonal antibody (Compugen Ltd, Tel Aviv, Israel). Using this antibody, we found that CGEN-928 was highly expressed in cells from the MM1s, U266 and RPMI8226 MM cell lines. Next, we examined CGEN-928 antigen expression in fresh tumor cells from BM aspirates from 17 MM patients and also showed high expression of CGEN-928. Notably, expression of this antigen was not only found on CD138+ MM cells but also on MM tumor cells lacking CD138 expression. We also examined the expression of CGEN-928 using our human MM xenograft models LAGκ-1A (bortezomib-sensitive), LAGκ-1B (bortezomib-resistant) and LAGλ-1 (melphalan-resistant). The bortezomib-sensitive MM tumor LAGκ-1A expresses CD138 whereas the bortezomib-resistant version LAGκ-1B developed from the same patient after the patient developed bortezomib reisistance does not express CD138. Cells from all three tumor types showed high levels of reactivity with the TM21 antibody. Similar to the fresh MM BM samples, CGEN-928 expression was not only found on CD138+ MM cells but also on CD138- tumor cells derived from these human MM xenografts. Because this molecule is highly expressed on MM cells, we hypothesized that the anti-CGEN-928 antibody may show anti-MM effects and enhance the anti-MM effects of other anti-MM drugs. To evaluate this, we examined the effect of the TM21 antibody alone and in combination with dexamethasone, melphalan and bortezomib in vitro using cell proliferation MTT assays. Anti-TM21 polyclonal antibody (100 mg/ml) decreased MM tumor cell proliferation and increased apoptosis in cells from the MM1s, RPMI8226 and U266 cell lines. Next, we determined the effects of combining the anti-CGEN-928 antibody with bortezomib, melphalan or dexamethasone on MM1s cells. Cell proliferation assays demonstrated marked enhanced anti-proliferative effects when CGEN-928 antibody at concentrations of 5, 10, 50 and 100 mg/ml was combined with bortezomib, melphalan or dexamethasone. Further investigations are defining the mechanisms and signal transduction pathways that produce the anti-MM effects of CGEN-928. These preliminary studies suggest that the CGEN-928 antigen is highly expressed in MM and treatment with an anti-CGEN-928 polyclonal antibody produces anti-MM effects alone and in combination with other anti-MM agents; and thus, this antigen may be a target for the treatment of multiple myeloma. Currently, a monoclonal anti-CGEN-928 antibody is in development that will be used by our group to evaluate its anti-MM effects both in vitro and in vivo using our SCID-hu models of human MM. Disclosures: Levy: Compugen Ltd.: Employment. Dassa:Compugen Ltd.: Employment. Cojocaru:Compugen Ltd.: Employment. Berenson:Compugen Ltd.: Research Funding. Levine:Compugen Ltd.: Employment.

Pralatrexate Has Potent Activity Against Multiple Myeloma In Vitro and In Vivo, and Activity Correlates with Tumor RFC-1 and DHFR Expression

Blood ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 118 (21) ◽  
pp. 1831-1831 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Mangone ◽  
Luigi Scotto ◽  
Enrica Marchi ◽  
Owen A. O'Connor ◽  
Hearn J. Cho
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Myeloma ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
Folate Metabolism ◽  
Nog Mice ◽  
Induced Apoptosis ◽  
Dose Dependent ◽  
Functional Biomarkers

Abstract Abstract 1831 Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common hematologic malignancy. Although there are effective new agents that can induce remission, relapse is inevitable and the disease is currently incurable. Progress in the treatment of this disease demands development of novel therapeutics and identification of functional biomarkers that may be used to distinguish tumors that are susceptible to specific targeted agents, creating a “personalized” therapeutic strategy for individual patients. We investigated these principles with anti-folates, which are not commonly used in MM but have demonstrated activity in this disease. Pralatrexate (PDX, 10-propargyl 10-deazaaminopterin) is a folate analogue that was rationally designed to have high affinity for Reduced Folate Carrier (RFC)-1, an oncofetal protein expressed in many cancers that actively transports folates into cells. PDX induced dose-dependent apoptotic cell death in a subset of human myeloma cell lines (HMCL) and CD138+ MM cells isolated from a clinical specimen. In sensitive cell lines, PDX exhibited 10-fold greater potency compared to the structurally related drug methotrexate (MTX). PDX induced dose-dependent, intrinsic apoptosis in sensitive HMCLs, characterized by cleavage of caspase-3 and -9 and accompanied by the loss of full-length Mcl-1, a Bcl-2 family protein that plays a critical role in drug-induced apoptosis in MM. Furthermore, the activity of PDX is not abrogated by the presence of exogenous interleukin-6 or by co-culture with HS-5 bone marrow stromal cells, both of which exert powerful survival effects on MM cells and can antagonize apoptosis in response to some cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs. Sensitivity to PDX-induced apoptosis correlated with higher relative levels of RFC-1 mRNA in sensitive compared to resistant HMCL. Resistant HMCL also exhibited a dose-dependent up-regulation of dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) protein, a primary molecular target for anti-folates, in response to PDX exposure, whereas sensitive HMCL did not. These changes in functional folate metabolism biomarkers, high baseline RFC-1 expression and upregulation of DHFR in response to PDX, appeared to be mutually exclusive to sensitive or resistant HMCL, respectively. Importantly, PDX was also effective against sensitive HMCL in vivo in a novel mouse xenograft model. NOD/Shi-scid/IL-2Rγnull (NOG) mice were inoculated with MM.1s HMCL stably transduced to express both GFP and luciferase (GFP-luc). GFP-luc MM.1s cells engrafted into the long bones, pelvis, and vertebral column of NOG mice within 4–7 days after injection of cells, as assessed by in vivo bioluminescent imaging. Treatment with PDX resulted in a significant reduction in tumor burden after two doses. These results demonstrate that PDX has potent anti-myeloma activity in vitro and in vivo, and that RFC-1 expression and DHFR upregulation are robust functional biomarkers that may identify patients who are likely to benefit from PDX therapy. These data support further exploration of PDX therapy in clinical trials for MM and investigation of folate metabolism biomarkers as indices for treatment with this class of drugs. Improved anti-folates such as PDX are a promising class of agents that may be a valuable addition to the arsenal against MM. Disclosures: O'Connor: Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Merck: Research Funding; Novartis: Research Funding; Spectrum: Research Funding.

scholarly journals Tirapazamine As a Strategy to Overcome Hypoxia-Induced Drug Resistance in Multiple Myeloma

Blood ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 126 (23) ◽  
pp. 4436-4436
Author(s):  
Barbara Muz ◽  
Pilar De La Puente ◽  
Micah John Luderer ◽  
Farideh Ordikhani ◽  
Abdel Kareem Azab
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Myeloma ◽  
Flow Cytometry ◽  
Drug Resistance ◽  
Cell Survival ◽  
Research Funding ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Drug Resistant ◽  
Hypoxic Conditions

Abstract Introduction: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a lymphoplasmacytic malignancy characterized by the continuous spread of MM cells in and out of the bone marrow (BM). Despite the introduction of novel therapies, cancer patients relapse due to the development of drug resistant cells, which are, at least in part, promoted by hypoxia. Therefore, in this study we aimed to overcome drug resistance in MM by inhibition of the hypoxic responses in these cells. Tirapazamine (TPZ) is a hypoxia-activated pro-drug causing cell apoptosis, which has been shown to improve the outcome of patients with solid tumors when combined with radiotherapy; however, it has not been tested in MM. We used TPZ for the first time in MM to target the drug resistant cancer cells and sensitize them to therapy. Methods: To test the effect of TPZ on tumor survival in vitro, MM cell lines (MM1.s, H929, OPM1, RPMI8226) were exposed to normoxia (21% O2) or hypoxia (1% O2) for 24 hours with different concentrations of TPZ in order to obtain an IC50, and cell survival was assessed using MTT assay. Also, a combination of bortezomib and carfilzomib with or without TPZ was tested on cell survival. For in vivo study, 5 x 106 MM1s-Luc-GFP cells were injected intravenously (IV) into SCID mice and tumor progression was monitored for 3 weeks by bioluminescent imaging. First, we tested the hypoxic status of mice treated with and without a high-dose bortezomib (1.5mg/kg). Pimonidazole (PIM) was injected intraperitoneally (IP) into mice and 4 hours later BM was harvested, stained with anti-PIM-APC antibody and followed by measuring PIM signal in MM1s-GFP+ cells using flow cytometry. Second, we developed drug resistant cells by treating mice with a high-dose bortezomib (1.5mg/kg), and then treated with (1) bortezomib only (0.5mg/kg; n=3), or (2) bortezomib and TPZ (40mg/kg; n=3), all administered IP sequentially twice a week. The number of residual MM1s-GFP+ cells was calculated by flow cytometry. Results: We found that TPZ was active in a dose-dependent manner only in hypoxic conditions in MM cell lines. We showed that residual MM cells in the BM after high-dose bortezomib are hypoxic, as demonstrated by PIM staining. The combination of TPZ with bortezomib and carfilzomib resensitized cancer cells to death in hypoxia, overcoming hypoxia-induced drug resistance in vitro. Moreover, TPZ-treatment in combination with bortezomib further decreased residual MM cells in vivo. Conclusions: We reported that MRD was hypoxic and that TPZ, which was cytotoxic for MM cells only in hypoxic conditions, overcame hypoxia-induced drug resistance in vitro and killed bortezomib-resistant residual MM cells in vivo. This is the first study to show the efficacy of TPZ in MM. This data provides a preclinical basis for future clinical trials testing efficacy of TPZ in MM. Disclosures Azab: Selexys: Research Funding; Karyopharm: Research Funding; Cell Works: Research Funding; Targeted Therapeutics LLC: Other: Founder and owner ; Verastem: Research Funding.

Proteasome Stress Causes Apoptotic Sensitivity of Multiple Myeloma Cells to Proteasome Inhibition

Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 247-247 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giada Bianchi ◽  
Laura Oliva ◽  
Paolo Cascio ◽  
Niccolo’ Pengo ◽  
Andrea Orsi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Myeloma ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Proteasome Activity ◽  
Proteasomal Activity ◽  
Cell Extracts ◽  
Proteasome Pathway ◽  
Induced Apoptosis ◽  
Ig Synthesis

Abstract Proteasome inhibitors (PI) proved to be extremely effective against different types of cancer, particularly against Multiple Myeloma (MM), a frequent and still incurable plasma cell malignancy. Phase II clinical trials showed that more than 50% of MM patients fail to respond to bortezomib, the only PI currently approved for clinical use. However, the mechanisms of action and bases of individual susceptibility to PI remain largely unclear, with no reliable predictor of response identified so far. Recent evidences linking proteasome activity and Ig synthesis to susceptibility to PI suggest that the exquisite sensitivity of MM cells (MMC) to PI might be explained by an imbalance between the efficiency of the ubiquitin (Ub)-proteasome pathway and the demand for proteasome-mediated degradation. We set out to explore this hypothesis both in vitro and ex vivo. To achieve this aim, we employed human MM cell lines characterized by differential apoptotic sensitivity to PI (U266 and RPMI8226, fairly resistant cell lines, versus MM.1S, an extremely sensitive one) and primary, patient derived MMC. In MM cell lines, we found that high apoptotic sensitivity to PI is associated with lower expression of active proteasomes (as assessed by decreased expression of cleaved catalytic subunits and enzymatic assays with fluorogenic substrates in cell extracts), together with higher proteasomal workload (demonstrated by higher proteasome-dependent loss of TCA-insoluble radioactivity in pulse-chase assays). Indeed, MM.1S cells displayed 2–3 times lower proteasomal activity as compared to the more resistant U266 and RPMI8226 cells, both on a per cell basis and upon normalization by protein content. Together with the reduced proteasome capacity, MM.1S cells showed a consistently higher production of client proteins for the Ub-proteasome pathway. Such an increased load appears to be the consequence of a higher production of Rapidly Degraded Polypeptides (RDP). These are newly synthesized proteins which are quickly redirected to proteasome-mediated degradation. The imbalance between proteasomal load and capacity results in remarkable accumulation of poly-Ub proteins at the expense of free Ub (as established by both western blotting and immunofluorescence), unveiling basal proteasome stress in PI-sensitive MMC. In order to establish a causal link between proteasome stress and sensitivity to PI, we pharmacologically modulated either proteasome expression or workload and successfully altered PI-induced apoptosis. As predicted, increasing proteasome workload by means of ER stressors (e.g. tunicamycin, thapsigargin, brefeldin A) dramatically enhances susceptibility to PI, while a raise in proteasomal activity (achieved by exploiting the proteasome stress response, an adaptive mechanism by which mammalian cells induce proteasome biogenesis in response to either decreased proteasome function or increased proteasomal demand), confers marked resistance to PI-induced apoptosis. Having established cause-effect relationships between determinants of proteasome stress and vulnerability to PI in vitro, we then asked if our model could be used to predict responsiveness to PI in MM patients. In keeping with this hypothesis, intracellular immunostaining in primary, patient-derived MMC reveals that accumulation of poly-Ub proteins specifically hallmarks neoplastic plasma cells, indicating that the cancer compartment in MM patients suffers from proteasome stress. Moreover, poly-Ub levels positively correlate with Ig content, both intra- and inter-patient, suggesting a direct effect of Ig synthesis and/or retention on proteasome functional load. Finally, overall proteasome activity of primary MMC inversely correlates with the intrinsic apoptotic sensitivity to PI as assessed ex vivo, providing a rationale for the assessment of this parameter as a potential predictor of the in vivo response to bortezomib or other PI. Altogether, our data indicate that the balance between proteasome workload and degradative capacity represents a critical determinant of apoptotic sensitivity of MMC to PI, providing both a novel predictive tool of potential prognostic value and the framework for novel combination therapies aimed at exacerbating proteasome stress in MM.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document