Phosphoinositide 3-kinase/AKT/mTORC1/2 signaling determines sensitivity of Burkitt's lymphoma cells to BH3 mimetics

Mol Cancer Res. 2012 Mar;10(3):347-59. doi: 10.1158/1541-7786.MCR-11-0394. Epub 2012 Jan 12.

Abstract

Burkitt's lymphoma (BL), driven by translocation and overexpression of the c-MYC gene, is an aggressive, highly proliferative lymphoma, and novel therapeutic strategies are required to overcome drug resistance following conventional treatments. The importance of the prosurvival BCL-2 family member BCL-X(L) in BL cell survival suggests that antagonistic BH3-mimetic compounds may have therapeutic potential. Here, we show that treatment of BL cell lines with ABT-737 induces caspase-3/7 activation and apoptosis with varying potency. Using selective inhibitors, we identify phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) as a proproliferative/survival pathway in BL cells and investigate the potential of combined pharmacologic inhibition of both the BCL-2 family and PI3K signaling pathway. PI3K/AKT inhibition and ABT-737 treatment induced synergistic caspase activation, augmented BL cell apoptosis, and rendered chemoresistant cells sensitive. Targeting mTORC1/2 with PP242 was also effective, either as a monotherapy or, more generally, in combination with ABT-737. The combined use of a dual specificity PI3K/mTOR inhibitor (PI 103) with ABT-737 proved highly efficacious. PI 103 treatment of BL cells was associated with an increase in BIM/MCL-1 expression ratios and loss of c-MYC expression. Furthermore, blocking c-MYC function using the inhibitor 10058-F4 also induced apoptosis synergistically with ABT-737, suggesting that maintenance of expression of BCL-2 family members and/or c-MYC by the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway could contribute to BL cell survival and resistance to ABT-737. The combined use of BH3 mimetics and selective mTORC1/2 inhibitors may therefore be a useful novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of B-cell malignancy, including chemoresistant lymphomas.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Apoptosis / drug effects
  • Biphenyl Compounds / pharmacology*
  • Burkitt Lymphoma / enzymology*
  • Burkitt Lymphoma / pathology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor
  • Drug Synergism
  • Furans / pharmacology
  • Humans
  • Indoles / pharmacology
  • Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1
  • Multiprotein Complexes
  • Nitrophenols / pharmacology*
  • Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases / metabolism*
  • Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors
  • Piperazines / pharmacology
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors / pharmacology
  • Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Proteins / metabolism*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt / metabolism*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / metabolism
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / metabolism
  • Purines / pharmacology
  • Pyridines / pharmacology
  • Pyrimidines / pharmacology
  • Signal Transduction / drug effects*
  • Sulfonamides / pharmacology*
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • Transcription Factors / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Transcription Factors / metabolism*

Substances

  • ABT-737
  • Biphenyl Compounds
  • CRTC2 protein, human
  • Furans
  • Indoles
  • Multiprotein Complexes
  • Nitrophenols
  • PI103
  • Phosphoinositide-3 Kinase Inhibitors
  • Piperazines
  • Protein Kinase Inhibitors
  • Proteins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc
  • Purines
  • Pyridines
  • Pyrimidines
  • Sulfonamides
  • Transcription Factors
  • Mechanistic Target of Rapamycin Complex 1
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt
  • TOR Serine-Threonine Kinases
  • PP242