Project description:A subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), termed activated B-cell-like (ABC) DLBCL, depends on constitutive NF-kB pathway signaling for survival. Small molecule inhibitors of IkB kinase b (IKKb), a key regulator of the NF-kB pathway, kill ABC DLBCL cells and hold promise for the treatment of this lymphoma type. We conducted an RNA interference genetic screen to investigate potential mechanisms of resistance of ABC DLBCL cells to IKKb inhibitors. We screened a library of small hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) targeting 500 protein kinases for shRNAs that would kill an ABC DLBCL cell line in the presence of a small molecule IKKb inhibitor more effectively than in its absence. Two independent shRNAs targeting IKKa synergized with the IKKb inhibitor to kill three different ABC DLBCL cell lines but were not toxic by themselves. Surprisingly, IKKa shRNAs blocked the classical rather than the alternative NF-kB pathway in ABC DLBCL cells, as judged by inhibition of IkBa phosphorylation. IKKa shRNA toxicity was reversed by coexpression of wild type but not kinase inactive forms of IKKa, suggesting that IKKa may directly phosphorylate IkBa under conditions of IKKb inhibition. These results suggest that therapy for ABC DLBCL may be improved by targeting both IKKa and IKKb. Keywords: compound treatment design Gene expression profiling of OCI-Ly3 cells with or without expressing IKKa shRNA in the presence or absence of 12.5 uM IKKb inhibitor for 2 and 3 days. Four samples were analyzed.
Project description:A subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), termed activated B-cell-like (ABC) DLBCL, depends on constitutive NF-kB pathway signaling for survival. Small molecule inhibitors of IkB kinase b (IKKb), a key regulator of the NF-kB pathway, kill ABC DLBCL cells and hold promise for the treatment of this lymphoma type. We conducted an RNA interference genetic screen to investigate potential mechanisms of resistance of ABC DLBCL cells to IKKb inhibitors. We screened a library of small hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) targeting 500 protein kinases for shRNAs that would kill an ABC DLBCL cell line in the presence of a small molecule IKKb inhibitor more effectively than in its absence. Two independent shRNAs targeting IKKa synergized with the IKKb inhibitor to kill three different ABC DLBCL cell lines but were not toxic by themselves. Surprisingly, IKKa shRNAs blocked the classical rather than the alternative NF-kB pathway in ABC DLBCL cells, as judged by inhibition of IkBa phosphorylation. IKKa shRNA toxicity was reversed by coexpression of wild type but not kinase inactive forms of IKKa, suggesting that IKKa may directly phosphorylate IkBa under conditions of IKKb inhibition. These results suggest that therapy for ABC DLBCL may be improved by targeting both IKKa and IKKb. Keywords: compound treatment design
Project description:Multiple transcription factors regulate B cell commitment, which coordinates with myeloid–erythroid lineage differentiation. One such factor, NF-kB, has long been speculated to regulate early B cell development; however, this issue remains controversial. IKKa is required for splenic B cell maturation, but not for bone marrow (BM) B cell development. Here, we unexpectedly found defective BM B cell development and an increased myeloid–erythroid lineages in kinase-dead IKKa (KA/KA) knock-in mice. Markedly increased cytosolic p100, an NF-kB2 inhibitory form, and reduced nuclear NF-kB p65, RelB, p50, and p52, as well as IKKa, was observed in KA/KA splenic and BM B cells. Several B- and myeloid–erythroid-cell regulators, including Pax5, were deregulated in KA/KA BM B cells. Using fetal liver and BM congenic transplants, and IKKa deletion from early hematopoietic cells in mice, this defect was identified as B cell intrinsic and as an early event during hematopoiesis. Re-expression of IKKa, Pax5, or combined NF-kB molecules promoted B cell development, but repressed myeloid–erythroid cell differentiation in KA/KA BM B cells. Together, these results demonstrate that IKKa regulates B-lineage commitment via combined canonical and noncanonical NF-kB transcriptional activity to target Pax5 expression during hematopoiesis.
Project description:The nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB) family of transcription factors is important for hematopoietic function, including development, maintenance, and differentiation of different hematopoietic lineages in response to cytokines and infection. Although ligand-independent or basal NF-kB signaling is required for HSC homeostasis in the absence of inflammation, the upstream tonic mediators of NF-kB signaling are not known. Herein we describe TNF receptor associated factor 6 (TRAF6) as an essential regulator of HSC homeostasis by preserving self-renewal and quiescence through basal activation of NF-kB. Hematopoietic-specific deletion of Traf6 resulted in impaired HSC self-renewal and fitness. Gene expression, RNA splicing, and molecular analyses of Traf6-deficient HSPC revealed changes in adaptive immune signaling, innate immune signaling, and NF-kB signaling, indicating that signaling via TRAF6 in the absence of cytokine stimulation and/or infection occurs in HSPC and is required for HSC function. In addition, we established that loss of NF-kB signaling is responsible for the major hematopoietic defects observed in Traf6-deficient HSPC as deletion of IKKb similarly resulted in impaired HSC self-renewal and fitness. Taken together, our observations position TRAF6 as an essential regulator of HSC homeostasis by maintaining a minimal threshold level of IKKb/NF-kB signaling.
Project description:IKKa, a major regulator of noncanonical and canonical NF-kB pathways, is essential for B-lymphocyte maturation and secondary lymph organ formation. No evidence of IKKa regulating early B cell development currently exists. Here we found reduced pre-pro-B and pro-B cells but increased myeloid-erythroid lineages in the bone marrow (BM) of knockin mice expressing reduced and kinase-dead IKKa (KA/KA). The KA/KA BM cells recaptured their defects in wild-type recipients and KA/KA fetal liver displayed reduced B cells but increased progenitors. IKKa inactivation impaired both NF-kB pathways and deregulated expression of many genes required for early B cell commitment and hematopoiesis, including downregulated Pax5, IRF4, and Ikaros expression, but increased C/EBPa, GATA1, and Stat3 levels. Reintroduced combined NF-kB components, Pax5, and IKKa promoted BM B cell differentiation and repressed myeloid-erythroid lineages. Our studies revealed a new function of IKKa in a coordinated development process of B-lineage and erythroid-myeloid lineages during hematopoiesis via multiple pathways. Microarray analysis was performed on RNA isolated from the BM of B220+ cells isolated from 4-week old WT and KA/KA mice using affymetrix mouse 430 2.0 array chip, containing 45,000 genes, at the Laboratory of Molecular Technology SAIC-Frederick. Data were normalized, and log2 transformations were generated using Partek software (St. Louis, MO, USA).
Project description:As multiple myeloma tumors universally dysregulate cyclin D genes we conducted high-throughput chemical library screens for compounds that induce suppression of cyclin D2. The top-ranked compound was a natural triterpenoid, pristimerin. We used gene expression microarray studies to identify co-regulated pristimerin-response genes and to deduce the compound’s direct molecular target(s), utilizing pattern-matching algorithms available at the Connectivity Map (Cmap). The early transcriptional response of cells treated with pristimerin closely resembles cellular responses elicited by proteosome inhibitors, with rapid induction of heat shock proteins, activating transcription factor (ATF) 3 and CHOP. Enzymatic assays and immunoblotting confirm that pristimerin rapidly (<90min) and specifically inhibits chymotrypsin-like proteosome activity at low concentrations (<100nM) and causes accumulation of cellular ubiquitinated proteins. Notably, cytotoxic triterpenoids including pristimerin inhibit NF-kB activation via inhibition of IKKa or IKKb while proteosome inhibitors instead suppress NF-kB function by impairing degradation of ubiquitinated-IkB. By inhibiting both IKK and the proteosome pristimerin causes overt suppression of constitutive NF-kB activity in myeloma cells that may mediate its suppression of cyclin D. Multiple myeloma is exquisitely sensitive to proteosome or NF-kB pathway inhibition. Consistent with this, pristimerin is potently and selectively lethal to primary myeloma cells (IC50<100nM), inhibits xenografted plasmacytoma tumors in mice and is synergistically cytotoxic with bortezomib – providing the rationale for pharmaceutical development of triterpenoid dual-function proteosome/NF-kB inhibitors as therapeutics for human multiple myeloma and related malignancies. Keywords: small molecule drug response, stress response
Project description:<p>Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is an aggressive head and neck cancer characterized by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and dense lymphocyte infiltration. The scarcity of NPC genomic data hinders the understanding of NPC biology, disease progression, and rational therapy design. Here, we performed whole-exome sequencing (WES) on 111 micro-dissected EBV-positive NPCs, with 15 cases subjected to further whole-genome sequencing (WGS), to determine its mutational landscape. We identified enrichment for genomic aberrations of multiple negative regulators of the NF-kB pathway in a total of 41% of cases including CYLD, TRAF3, NFKBIA and NLRC5. Functional analysis confirmed novel inactivating CYLD mutations as drivers for NPC cell growth. The EBV oncoprotein latent member protein 1 (LMP1) functions to constitutively activate NF-kB signaling, and we observed mutual exclusivity among somatic NF-kB pathway aberrations and LMP1-overexpression, suggesting that NF-kB activation is selected for by both somatic and viral events during NPC pathogenesis.</p>
Project description:Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is an aggressive cancer with two major biological subtypes, activated B-cell like (ABC) and germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) DLCBL. Self-antigen engagement of B-cell receptors (BCRs) in ABC tumors promotes their clustering in the plasma membrane, thereby initiating chronic active signaling and downstream activation of the pro-survival NF-kB and PI3 kinase pathways. The potential of therapeutics targeting chronic active BCR signaling in ABC DLBCL is highlighted by the frequent response of these tumors to inhibitors of BTK, a kinase that links BCR signaling to NF-kB activation. Here we used genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screens to identify regulators of the IRF4, a direct NF-kB target and essential transcription factor in ABC cells. Unexpectedly, inactivation of the oligosaccharyltransferase (OST) complex, which mediates N-linked protein glycosylation, reduced IRF4 expression and NF-kB activity in ABC cells, resulting in cell death. Using functional glycoproteogenomics we linked this phenomenon to defective BCR glycosylation. Pharmacologic inhibition of OST reduced the size and abundance of BCR microclusters in the plasma membrane and blocked their internalization. These reorganized BCRs associated with the inhibitory coreceptor CD22, which attenuated proximal BCR signaling, thereby reducing NF-kB and PI3 kinase activation. OST inhibition also blocked the trafficking of TLR9 to the endolysosomal compartment, preventing its association with the BCR in the My-T-BCR signaling complex that activates NF-kB in ABC cells. In GCB DLBCL, OST inhibition also attenuated constitutive BCR signaling, reducing PI3 kinase signaling and triggering cell death. Our data highlight the therapeutic potential of OST inhibitors for the treatment of diverse B cell malignancies in which constitutive BCR signaling is essential.
Project description:While growth factor-independent signaling and proliferation are well-established hallmarks of cancer, little is known regarding growth factor-independent changes in gene expression which occur downstream from oncogenes. The PI3K pathway is one of the most commonly misregulated signaling pathways in human cancers. Here, MCF10A cells expressing the two most common PI3K mutations, PIK3CA E545K and H1047R, were used to identify the repertoire of genes altered by oncogenic PI3K mutations following growth factor deprivation. This gene set most closely correlated with gene signatures from claudin-low and basal-like breast tumors, and categorical enrichment analyses suggested that NF-kB target genes were dramatically upregulated by these mutations. An IKKb inhibitor was used to identify the subset of PI3K-driven genes that is NF-kB dependent. Interestingly, virtually all of these NF-kB dependent genes were secreted proteins, suggesting a paracrine role for this gene set. Among these genes was IL-6, a cytokine frequently expressed in tumors which plays a critical role in generating a tumor-promoting microenvironment. Consistent with this, conditioned media from cells expressing the E545K or H1047R mutations led to increased STAT3 activation in recipient THP-1 monocytes or normal epithelial cells in a NF-kB and IL-6-dependent manner. Together, these data describe a PI3K-driven, NF-kB-dependent gene expression profile which may play a critical role in promoting a microenvironment amenable to tumor progression. 39 normal cell lines vs treated cell lines for micorarray analysis
Project description:To investigate NF-kB-driven gene expression in IEC, we performed microarray analysis from enterocytes of mice that express a constitutively active form of IKKb in intestinal epithelial cells Total RNA was prepared from enterocytes obtained from small intestines of IKKb(EE)IEC and WT littermates. Two biological replicates were performed for each experimental condition.