Genomic uracil homeostasis during normal B cell maturation and loss of this balance during B cell cancer development.

Activation-induced deaminase (AID) converts DNA cytosines to uracils in immunoglobulin genes, creating antibody diversification. It also causes mutations and translocations that promote cancer. We examined the interplay between uracil creation by AID and its removal by UNG2 glycosylase in splenocytes undergoing maturation and in B cell cancers. The genomic uracil levels remain unchanged in normal stimulated B cells, demonstrating a balance between uracil generation and removal. In stimulated UNG(-/-) cells, uracil levels increase by 11- to 60-fold during the first 3 days. In wild-type B cells, UNG2 gene expression and enzymatic activity rise and fall with AID levels, suggesting that UNG2 expression is coordinated with uracil creation by AID. Remarkably, a murine lymphoma cell line, several human B cell cancer lines, and human B cell tumors expressing AID at high levels have genomic uracils comparable to those seen with stimulated UNG(-/-)splenocytes. However, cancer cells express UNG2 gene at levels similar to or higher than those seen with peripheral B cells and have nuclear uracil excision activity comparable to that seen with stimulated wild-type B cells. We propose that more uracils are created during B cell cancer development than are removed from the genome but that the uracil creation/excision balance is restored during establishment of cell lines, fixing the genomic uracil load at high levels.

HDM2 antagonist MI-219 (spiro-oxindole), but not Nutlin-3 (cis-imidazoline), regulates p53 through enhanced HDM2 autoubiquitination and degradation in human malignant B-cell lymphomas.

BACKGROUND: Lymphomas frequently retain wild-type (wt) p53 function but overexpress HDM2, thereby compromising p53 activity. Therefore, lymphoma is a suitable model for studying the therapeutic value of disrupting the HDM2-p53 interaction by small-molecule inhibitors (SMIs). HDM2 have been developed and are under various stages of preclinical and clinical investigation. Previously, we examined the anti-lymphoma activity of MI-319, the laboratory grade of a new class of HDM2 SMI, the spiro-oxindole, in follicular lymphoma. Since then, MI-219, the clinical grade has become readily available. This study further examines the preclinical effects and mechanisms of MI-219 in a panel of human lymphoma cell lines as well as a cohort of patient-derived B-lymphocytes for its potential clinical use. RESULTS: Preclinical assessment of MI-219 was evaluated by means of an in vitro and ex vivo approach and compared to Nutlin-3, the gold standard. Characterization of p53 activity and stability were assessed by quantitative PCR, Western blot, and immunoprecipitation. Biological outcome was measured using Trypan blue exclusion assay, Annexin V/PI, PARP and caspase-3 cleavage. Surprisingly, the overall biological effects of Nutlin-3 were more delayed (48 h) while MI-219 triggered an earlier response (12-24 h), predominantly in the form of apoptotic cell death. Using a cell free autoubiquitination assay, neither agent interfered with HDM2 E3 ligase function. MI-219 was more effective in upregulating wt-p53 stabilization compared to Nutlin-3. MI-219, but not Nutlin-3, enhanced the autoubiquitination and degradation of HDM2. CONCLUSIONS: Our data reveals unexpected differences between MI-219 and the well-studied Nutlin-3 in lymphoma cell lines and patient samples. We suggest a novel mechanism for MI-219 that alters the functional activity of HDM2 through enhanced autoubiquitination and degradation. Additionally, this mechanism appears to correspond to biological outcome. Our results provide evidence that different classes of HDM2 SMIs elicit molecular events that extend beyond HDM2-p53 dissociation which may be of biological and potentially therapeutic importance.

I-kappa-kinase-2 (IKK-2) inhibition potentiates vincristine cytotoxicity in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

BACKGROUND: IKK-2 is an important regulator of the nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) which has been implicated in survival, proliferation and apoptosis resistance of lymphoma cells. In this study, we investigated whether inhibition of IKK-2 impacts cell growth or cytotoxicity of selected conventional chemotherapeutic agents in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.Two established model systems were used; Follicular (WSU-FSCCL) and Diffuse Large Cell (WSU-DLCL2) Lymphoma, both of which constitutively express p-IκB. A novel, selective small molecule inhibitor of IKK-2, ML120B (N-[6-chloro-7-methoxy-9H-ß-carbolin-8-yl]-2-methylnicotinamide) was used to perturb NF-κB in lymphoma cells. The growth inhibitory effect of ML120B (M) alone and in combination with cyclophosphamide monohydrate (C), doxorubicin (H) or vincristine (V) was evaluated in vitro using short-term culture assay. We also determined efficacy of the combination in vivo using the SCID mouse xenografts. RESULTS: ML120B down-regulated p-IκBα protein expression in a concentration dependent manner, caused growth inhibition, increased G0/G1 cells, but did not induce apoptosis. There was no significant enhancement of cell kill in the M/C or M/H combination. However, there was strong synergy in the M/V combination where the vincristine concentration can be lowered by a hundred fold in the combination for comparable G2/M arrest and apoptosis. ML120B prevented vincristine-induced nuclear translocation of p65 subunit of NF-κB. In vivo, ML120B was effective by itself and enhanced CHOP anti-tumor activity significantly (P = 0.001) in the WSU-DLCL2-SCID model but did not prevent CNS lymphoma in the WSU-FSCCL-SCID model. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time, this study demonstrates that perturbation of IKK-2 by ML120B leads to synergistic enhancement of vincristine cytotoxicity in lymphoma. These results suggest that disruption of the NF-κB pathway is a useful adjunct to cytotoxic chemotherapy in lymphoma.

An MDM2 antagonist (MI-319) restores p53 functions and increases the life span of orally treated follicular lymphoma bearing animals.

BACKGROUND: MI-319 is a synthetic small molecule designed to target the MDM2-P53 interaction. It is closely related to MDM2 antagonists MI-219 and Nutlin-3 in terms of the expected working mechanisms. The purpose of this study was to evaluate anti-lymphoma activity of MI-319 in WSU-FSCCL, a B-cell follicular lymphoma line. For comparison purpose, MI-319, MI-219 and Nutlin-3 were assessed side by side against FSCCL and three other B-cell hematological tumor cell lines in growth inhibition and gene expression profiling experiments. RESULTS: MI-319 was shown to bind to MDM2 protein with an affinity slightly higher than that of MI-219 and Nutlin-3. Nevertheless, cell growth inhibition and gene expression profiling experiments revealed that the three compounds have quite similar potency against the tumor cell lines tested in this study. In vitro, MI-319 exhibited the strongest anti-proliferation activity against FSCCL and four patient cells, which all have wild-type p53. Data obtained from Western blotting, cell cycle and apoptosis analysis experiments indicated that FSCCL exhibited strong cell cycle arrest and significant apoptotic cell death; cells with mutant p53 did not show significant apoptotic cell death with drug concentrations up to 10 muM, but displayed weaker and differential cell cycle responses. In our systemic mouse model for FSCCL, MI-319 was tolerated well by the animals, displayed effectiveness against FSCCL-lymphoma cells in blood, brain and bone marrow, and achieved significant therapeutic impact (p < 0.0001) by conferring the treatment group a > 28% (%ILS, 14.4 days) increase in median survival days. CONCLUSION: Overall, MI-319 probably has an anti-lymphoma potency equal to that of MI-219 and Nutlin-3. It is a potent agent against FSCCL in vitro and in vivo and holds the promises to be developed further for the treatment of follicular lymphoma that retains wild-type p53.