Hepatitis C virus upregulates B-cell receptor signaling: a novel mechanism for HCV-associated B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders.

B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling is essential for the development of B cells and has a critical role in B-cell neoplasia. Increasing evidence indicates an association between chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and B-cell lymphoma, however, the mechanisms by which HCV causes B-cell lymphoproliferative disorder are still unclear. Herein, we demonstrate the expression of HCV viral proteins in B cells of HCV-infected patients and show that HCV upregulates BCR signaling in human primary B cells. HCV nonstructural protein NS3/4A interacts with CHK2 and downregulates its activity, modulating HuR posttranscriptional regulation of a network of target mRNAs associated with B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. Interestingly, the BCR signaling pathway was found to have the largest number of transcripts with increased association with HuR and was upregulated by NS3/4A. Our study reveals a previously unidentified role of NS3/4A in regulation of host BCR signaling during HCV infection, contributing to a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying HCV-associated B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders.

Ribosomal protein S6 is highly expressed in non-Hodgkin lymphoma and associates with mRNA containing a 5' terminal oligopyrimidine tract.

The molecular mechanism(s) linking tumorigenesis and morphological alterations in the nucleolus are presently coming into focus. The nucleolus is the cellular organelle in which the formation of ribosomal subunits occurs. Ribosomal biogenesis occurs through the transcription of ribosomal RNA (rRNA), rRNA processing and production of ribosomal proteins. An error in any of these processes may lead to deregulated cellular translation, evident in multiple cancers and 'ribosomopathies'. Deregulated protein synthesis may be achieved through the overexpression of ribosomal proteins as seen in primary leukemic blasts with elevated levels of ribosomal proteins S11 and S14. In this study, we demonstrate that ribosomal protein S6 (RPS6) is highly expressed in primary diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) samples. Genetic modulation of RPS6 protein levels with specifically targeted short hairpin RNA (shRNA) lentiviruses led to a decrease in the actively proliferating population of cells compared with control shRNA. Low-dose rapamycin treatments have been shown to affect the translation of 5' terminal oligopyrimidine (5' TOP) tract mRNA, which encodes the translational machinery, implicating RPS6 in 5' TOP translation. Recently, it was shown that disruption of 40S ribosomal biogenesis through specific small inhibitory RNA knockdown of RPS6 defined RPS6 as a critical regulator of 5' TOP translation. For the first time, we show that RPS6 associates with multiple mRNAs containing a 5' TOP tract. These findings expand our understanding of the mechanism(s) involved in ribosomal biogenesis and deregulated protein synthesis in DLBCL.

PBK/TOPK interacts with the DBD domain of tumor suppressor p53 and modulates expression of transcriptional targets including p21.

PBK/TOPK (PDZ-binding kinase, T-LAK-cell-originated protein kinase) is a serine-threonine kinase that is overexpressed in a variety of tumor cells but its role in oncogenesis remains unclear. Here we show, by co-immunoprecipitation experiments and yeast two-hybrid analysis, that PBK/TOPK physically interacts with the tumor suppressor p53 through its DNA-binding (DBD) domain in HCT116 colorectal carcinoma cells that express wild-type p53. PBK also binds to p53 mutants carrying five common point mutations in the DBD domain. The PBK-p53 interaction appears to downmodulate p53 transactivation function as indicated by PBK/TOPK knockdown experiments, which show upregulated expression of the key p53 target gene and cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 in HCT116 cells, particularly after genotoxic damage from doxorubicin. Furthermore, stable PBK/TOPK knockdown cell lines (derived from HCT116 and MCF-7 cells) showed increased apoptosis, G(2)/M arrest and slower growth as compared to stable empty vector-transfected control cell lines. Gene microarray studies identified additional p53 target genes involved in apoptosis or cell cycling, which were differentially regulated by PBK knockdown. Together, these data suggest that increased levels of PBK/TOPK may contribute to tumor cell development and progression through suppression of p53 function and consequent reductions in the cell-cycle regulatory proteins such as p21. PBK/TOPK may therefore be a valid target for antineoplastic kinase inhibitors to sensitize tumor cells to chemotherapy-induced apoptosis and growth suppression.

Post-transcriptional gene regulation by HuR promotes a more tumorigenic phenotype.

In a breast tumor xenograft model, the MCT-1 oncogene increases the in vivo tumorgenicity of MCF7 cells by promoting angiogenesis and inhibiting apoptosis. Increases in the tumor microvascular density are accompanied by a strong reduction in the levels of the angiogenesis inhibitor thrombospondin-1 (TSP1), but the mechanisms underlying this process are unknown. We show that TSP1 expression is controlled, at least in part, by post-transcriptional events. Using RNA interference to knock down the expression of the RNA-binding protein HuR in MCF7 cells as well as HuR overexpression, we demonstrate that HuR plays an important role in translation of the TSP1 mRNA. Furthermore, employing the RIP-Chip assay yielded 595 transcripts with significantly altered binding to HuR in the more tumorigenic breast cancer clones compared with the weakly tumorigenic clones. These mRNAs clustered in several pathways implicated in the transformed phenotype, such as the RAS pathway (involved in mitogenesis), the PI3K pathway (evasion of apoptosis) and pathways mediating angiogenesis and the cellular response to hypoxia. These findings demonstrate for the first time that global changes in HuR-bound mRNAs are implicated in the evolution to a more tumorigenic phenotype in an in vivo tumor model and underscore the role of global mRNA-protein interactions toward tumor progression.

Telomere uncapping by the G-quadruplex ligand RHPS4 inhibits clonogenic tumour cell growth in vitro and in vivo consistent with a cancer stem cell targeting mechanism.

The pentacyclic acridinium methosulfate salt RHPS4 induces the 3'single-stranded guanine-rich telomeric overhang to fold into a G-quadruplex structure. Stabilisation of the latter is incompatible with an attachment of telomerase to the telomere and thus G-quadruplex ligands can effectively inhibit both the catalytic and capping functions of telomerase. In this study, we examined mechanisms underlying telomere uncapping by RHPS4 in uterus carcinoma cells (UXF1138L) with short telomeres and compared the susceptibility of bulk and clonogenic cancer cells to the G-quadruplex ligand. We show that treatment of UXF1138L cells with RHPS4 leads to the displacement of the telomerase catalytic subunit (hTERT) from the nucleus, induction of telomere-initiated DNA-damage signalling and chromosome fusions. We further report that RHPS4 is more potent against cancer cells that grow as colonies in soft agar than cells growing as monolayers. Human cord blood and HEK293T embryonic kidney cell colony forming units, however, were more resistant to RHPS4. RHPS4-treated UXF1138L xenografts had a decreased clonogenicity, showed loss of nuclear hTERT expression and an induction of mitotic abnormalities compared with controls. Although single-agent RHPS4 had limited in vivo efficacy, a combination of RHPS4 with the mitotic spindle poison Taxol caused tumour remissions and further enhancement of telomere dysfunction.

Phosphorylation of MCT-1 by p44/42 MAPK is required for its stabilization in response to DNA damage.

We discovered a novel oncogene in a T-cell lymphoma cell line, multiple copies in T-cell lymphoma-1 (MCT-1), that has been shown to decrease cell-doubling time, shorten the duration of G(1) transit time and/or G(1)-S transition, and transform NIH3T3 fibroblasts. We subsequently demonstrated that there were significantly increased levels of MCT-1 protein in a subset of primary diffuse large B-cell lymphomas. Levels of MCT-1 protein were shown to be increased after exposure to DNA damaging agents. This increase did not require new protein synthesis, suggesting that post-translational mechanisms were involved. Phosphorylation is one potential mechanism by which the activity of molecules involved in cell cycle/survival is rapidly modulated. The RAS/mitogen-activated/extracellular-regulated kinase (MEK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinases (ERK) pathway plays a prominent role in the regulation of cell growth and proliferation through phosphorylation-dependent regulation of several substrates. The MCT-1 protein is predicted to have numerous putative phosphorylation sites. Using a combination of genetic and pharmacological approaches, we established that phosphorylation of MCT-1 protein by p44/p42 mitogen-activated protein kinases is critical for stabilization of MCT-1 protein and for its ability to promote cell proliferation. Our data suggests that targeting the RAS/MEK/ERK signal transduction cascade may provide a potential therapeutic approach in lymphomas and related malignancies that exhibit high levels of MCT-1 protein.

Expression and stabilization of the MCT-1 protein by DNA damaging agents.

The contribution of oncogene amplification and/or overexpression to T-cell lymphoid neoplasms has only of late been established with the implication of the TCL1 and MTCP1 genes in T-cell malignancies. Our laboratory has recently discovered a novel oncogene, MCT-1, amplified in a T-cell lymphoma and mapped to chromosome Xq22-24. MCT-1 has been shown to decrease cell-doubling time, dramatically shortening the duration of G(1) transit time and/or G1-S transition, and transforms NIH3T3 fibroblasts. Constitutive expression of MCT-1 results in a strong proliferative signal and is associated with deregulation of protein kinase-mediated G1/S phase checkpoints. In this study we analysed the level and subcellular localization of this novel cell cycle regulatory molecule as a function of cell cycle phase. In human lymphoid tumors expression of MCT-1 is constant throughout the cell cycle and remains cytoplasmic. Cells overexpressing MCT-1 have increased expression of cyclin D1 with dysregulation of the G(1)-S checkpoint. Both cyclin D1 and MCT-1 are involved in regulating passage of cells through the G1 phase of the cell cycle. Since prior work has shown that gamma irradiation induces cyclin D1 expression we investigated the induction of MCT-1 to DNA damaging agents. We demonstrate that increases in MCT-1 protein in irradiated human lymphoid cells do not occur at the mRNA level and do not require new protein synthesis.

Human T-cell lymphotropic-I-associated leukemia/lymphoma.

Human T-cell lymphotropic virus-I (HTLV-I)-related adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL) is a model disease for proof of viral oncogenesis. HTLV-I infection is endemic in southern Japan and the Caribbean basin, and occurs sporadically in Africa, Central and South America, the Middle East, and the southeastern United States. ATL occurs in only 2% to 4% of HTLV-I-infected people [1-3]. When it does occur, it is usually aggressive and difficult to treat; most people survive for less than 1 year [1-3]. Combination chemotherapy with cytotoxic agents has yielded complete response rates of 20% to 45%, but responses usually last only a few months [3]. Recently, novel treatments, such as monoclonal antibodies directed at the interleukin-2 receptor and the combination of interferon alfa and zidovudine, have been shown to be active in the treatment of patients with ATL. A small percentage of patients achieve long-lasting remissions [2,3].

Retinoic acid modulates a bimodal effect on cell cycle progression in human adult T-cell leukemia cells.

Retinoids, the analogues of vitamin A, have a broad range of effects on different cell types. One biologically active form of vitamin A is all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), which binds to retinoic acid receptors, as does its intracellular metabolite, 9-cis-RA. Earlier studies have documented G1 cell cycle arrest and the induction of apoptosis in human adult T-cell leukemia cells after ATRA treatment. Previous work exploring the growth-inhibitory activity of ATRA in human malignancies has implicated several mechanisms that can arrest cells in the G1 phase of the cell cycle, including activation of p21Waf1 and inhibition of cyclin D1 expression. Therefore, we decided to examine the effects of ATRA exposure on G1 cell cycle components in human adult T-cell leukemia cells. Our data demonstrate a correlation between cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase activity and subunit complex formation with duration of drug exposure. We also observed an increase in p53 protein levels that were not associated with an increase in p21Waf1 levels. Furthermore, we observed a differential effect on cell cycle progression that was temporally related to length of ATRA exposure. These observations, consistent with a bimodal effect of ATRA on cell cycle progression, may have important implications for the clinical application of ATRA.

Increased G1 cyclin/cdk activity in cells overexpressing the candidate oncogene, MCT-1.

We have recently identified a novel candidate oncogene, MCT-1, in the HUT 78 T-cell line. When overexpressed in NIH3T3 fibroblasts, the MCT-1 gene shortens the G1 phase of the cell cycle and promotes anchorage-independent growth. Progression of cells through a late G1 phase restriction point is regulated by G1 cyclins whose phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma gene product facilitates entry into S phase. Deregulated expression of G1 cyclins and their cognate cdk partners is often found in human tumor cells. In order to address the potential relationship of MCT-1 to cell cycle regulatory molecules, we analyzed the ability of MCT-1 overexpression to modulate cdk4 and cdk6 kinase activity in NIH3T3 fibroblasts constitutively overexpressing MCT-1. We observed an increase in the kinase activity of both cdk4 and cdk6 in asynchronously growing transformed cells compared with the parent cells. This increased kinase activity was accompanied by an elevated level of cyclin D1 protein and increased G1 cyclin/cdk complex formation. We also observed a correlation between increased protein levels of MCT-1 with cyclin D1 expression in a panel of lymphoid cell lines derived from T-cell malignancies. These results demonstrate that constitutive expression of MCT-1 is associated with deregulation of protein kinase-mediated G1 phase checkpoints.

A novel candidate oncogene, MCT-1, is involved in cell cycle progression.

Using the arbitrarily primed-PCR (AP-PCR) assay to detect genetic abnormalities that occur in a panel of lymphoid cell lines, we identified an amplified stretch of genomic DNA that contained a putative open reading frame. Northern blot analysis with this genomic clone revealed widespread low level expression in normal human tissue. The full cDNA sequence was obtained with no significant homology to any known genes in the genome database. We termed this novel gene with multiple copies in a T-cell malignancy as MCT-1. MCT-1 was localized to the long arm of chromosome Xq22-24 by flourescence in situ hybridization analysis. Although there was no significant homology at the primary sequence level, there was a limited degree of amino acid homology with a domain of cyclin H that appears to specify protein-protein complexes. This relationship between MCT-1 and cyclin H implied a potential role for MCT-1 in cell cycle regulation. Overexpression of MCT-1 increased the proliferative rate of cells by decreasing the length of the G1 phase without a reciprocal increase in the S and G2-M phases. Recent work has established the role of cell cycle regulatory molecules in the development of certain human malignancies. Therefore, we investigated the transforming ability of MCT-1 overexpression using soft agar growth assays and demonstrated that only MCT-1-overexpressing cells were able to establish colonies. Taken together, MCT-1 is a novel candidate oncogene with homology to a protein-protein binding domain of cyclin H.

Microsatellite instability in hematologic malignancies.

Malignant transformation in humans occurs via different mechanisms including the activation of oncogenes and/or loss of tumor suppressor genes. Recently, DNA mismatch repair defects manifest as genome wide microsatellite instability have been described as an additional mechanism of tumorgenesis in humans. Tumors exhibiting widespread microsatellite instability as first described in studies of hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) are referred to as having a mutator or replication error (RER+) phenotype. Until recently, the occurrence of microsatellite instability has been primarily characterized in solid neoplasms. Several reports have now identified this mutator phenotype in a number of leukemias and lymphomas as well. This loss of DNA replication repair function may lead to increased mutations in genes critical to normal cell growth regulation and ultimately tumor initiation and/or progression.

Allelic loss determination in chronic lymphocytic leukemia by immunomagnetic bead sorting and microsatellite marker analysis.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common adult leukemia in the western world. Details of the molecular mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of this leukemia are unclear at present. In other malignancies tumorigenesis has been shown to proceed via a multistep progression model with a causal relation between the accumulation of genetic abnormalities and more aggressive clinical behavior. The loss of chromosomal segments in malignant cells has proven useful in mapping regions of DNA that contain candidate tumor suppressor genes. The detection of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) has been greatly facilitated by the analysis of highly polymorphic microsatellite markers enabling the identification of submicroscopic losses. Utilizing immunomagnetic bead sorting to separate leukemic from normal cells we identified at least one allelic losses in 8/29 (28%) of analysed CLL cases with a PCR-based assay. On chromosomal arm 3p we have identified homozygous deletions in 3/29 cases at locus D3S1284 residing in the vicinity of the newly described FHIT gene. Several cases of CLL manifested LOH at a locus telomeric to the p15 and p16 tumor suppressor genes, all being early to intermediate stage disease. Our findings suggest that losses at these loci may contribute to the development and/or progression of CLL in at least a subset of cases.

Differentiating agents do not induce a true hairy cell phenotype in B-CLL cells in vitro.

B-Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) and hairy cell leukemia (HCL) are both differentiated B-cell lymphoproliferative disorders. Prior studies have suggested that phorbol esters and the macrocyclic lactone Bryostatin-1, which are both protein kinase-C activators, can induce the differentiation of B-CLL cells into HCL cells in vitro, as evidenced by morphology, phenotype and TRAP activity. The differentiating effect of all-trans retinoic acid on B-CLL cells has been less extensively studied. We studied the effects of incubating adherence purified B-CLL cells with phorbol myristic acetate (PMA), all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA), and Bryostatin-1. None of these agents induced a true HCL phenotype (CD5-, CD11c/CD25 coexpression) under the conditions studied.

The induction of p53 and WAF1/CIP1 in chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells treated with 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine.

The treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia includes the use of alkylating agents, steroids, and more recently nucleoside analogues. While prior studies have described potential mechanisms of 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine cytotoxicity including the accumulation of DNA strand breaks and induction of apoptosis or programmed cell death, the expression of p53 and its downstream target WAF1/CIP1 have not been examined. In this report we describe the induction of p53 and WAF1/CIP1 in the apoptotic chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells after exposure to 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine.

Induction of the WAF1/CIP1 protein and apoptosis in human T-cell leukemia virus type I-transformed lymphocytes after treatment with adriamycin by using a p53-independent pathway.

The WAF1/CIP1 protein has been identified as a downstream mediator of the tumor suppressor p53 in regulating cell cycle progression through a G1-phase check-point. Recent work has implicated the functional status of p53 as a critical determinant in the apoptotic response of certain cell lines to DNA damaging agents. By using human T-cell leukemia virus type I-transformed lymphoid cell lines that differ in their level and function of wild-type p53, we investigated the induction of WAF1/CIP1 and apoptosis after exposure to Adriamycin, a genotoxic agent. We found that regardless of the p53 status in these cell lines, WAF1/CIP1 RNA was rapidly induced in response to Adriamycin treatment. An elevated level of WAF1/CIP1 protein was observed as well. Additionally, we demonstrated that apoptosis was induced in all cell lines analyzed despite some having functionally inactive p53 protein. Our data suggest that a p53-independent pathway may play a role in the apoptotic response observed in some cell lines after exposure to DNA damaging agents.

Mutator phenotype in a subset of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

The replication error phenotype (RER+), characterized by widespread microsatellite instability, is an important feature of tumors from patients with hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal carcinoma (HNPCC). This widespread instability affects repeat tracts of all lengths and is usually attributed to mutations of critical mismatch repair genes. Recently, several reports described occasional microsatellite alterations in tumors not associated with HNPCC. However, a true mutator phenotype (RER+) is very rare outside of HNPCC-associated malignancies. We examined 29 cases of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), the most common leukemia in the Western world for evidence of microsatellite instability. We identified a mutator phenotype in (2/29) 7% of the cases studied. These data suggest that the mismatch repair pathway may be altered in at least a subset of patients with CLL.

Functional inactivation of wild-type p53 protein correlates with loss of IL-2 dependence in HTLV-I transformed human T lymphocytes.

Human T cell leukemia virus type-I (HTLV-I), the etiologic agent of adult T cell leukemia (ATL) transforms human T cells in vitro and in vivo. Tax, the major transactivator of HTLV-I is critical for the initial events involved in transformation, however, the later steps required for progression from an IL-2 dependent state to one of IL-2 independence remain to be clarified. We investigated the potential role of p53 protein in this process employing several IL-2 dependent and independent HTLV-I transformed cell lines. All cell lines examined were found to be wild-type in the p53 coding region usually associated with inactivating mutations using RT-PCR-SSCP analysis and DNA sequencing. Levels of p53 protein were consistently higher in IL-2 independent lines compared to IL-2 dependent ones. Lack of functional p53 activity was observed only in IL-2 independent cell lines using a transfection assay with a B-galactosidase reporter gene construct responsive to wild-type p53 protein. Increased steady state levels of wild-type p53 protein associated with its functional inactivation appear to be linked to the loss of IL-2 dependent growth in HTLV-I transformed lymphocytes.

Expression of alternatively spliced human T-lymphotropic virus type I pX mRNA in infected cell lines and in primary uncultured cells from patients with adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma and healthy carriers.

Although human T-cell lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) is the etiologic agent of adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATL), the role of viral gene expression in the progression to and maintenance of the leukemic state in vivo is unclear because of the inability of most previous studies to readily detect HTLV-I RNA in infected individuals. By using the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, we detected spliced messages for the HTLV-I pX regulatory genes in primary uncultured cells from ATL patients and healthy asymptomatic carriers. In addition to the expected doubly spliced pX message, three alternatively spliced mRNAs were demonstrated (pX delta 17, pX-p21rex, and pX-orfII mRNAs, where orf = open reading frame). The same splice sites were shown in the messages from uncultured ATL cells and from the HTLV-I-producing C10/MJ cell line. Alternatively spliced pX mRNAs have the potential to code for known and putative pX gene products. Among the transcripts is a monocistronic mRNA likely to code for p21rex (pX-p21rex mRNA). Since alternative splicing of HTLV-I pX mRNA can be found in primary uncultured cells, it is likely to have a functional significance in vivo. This suggests possible roles for HTLV-I gene expression in the progression to and maintenance of ATL, as well as in the phase preceding it.