Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibition re-sensitizes multidrug-resistant DLBCL tumors driven by BCL10 gain-of-function mutants to venetoclax

Abstract Disparate pathogenic mechanisms complicate precision-medicine efforts to treat diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common lymphoma diagnosis. Though potentially curable with frontline combination chemoimmunotherapy, DLBCL carries persistently poor prognosis for those with relaps...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Caroline A. Coughlin, Dhanvantri Chahar, Marianna Lekakis, Abdessamad A. Youssfi, Lingxiao Li, Evan Roberts, Natalia Campos Gallego, Claude-Henry Volmar, Ola Landgren, Shaun Brothers, Anthony J. Griswold, Catalina Amador, Daniel Bilbao, Francesco Maura, Jonathan H. Schatz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Publishing Group 2025-02-01
Series:Blood Cancer Journal
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41408-025-01214-y
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1823863258789969920
author Caroline A. Coughlin
Dhanvantri Chahar
Marianna Lekakis
Abdessamad A. Youssfi
Lingxiao Li
Evan Roberts
Natalia Campos Gallego
Claude-Henry Volmar
Ola Landgren
Shaun Brothers
Anthony J. Griswold
Catalina Amador
Daniel Bilbao
Francesco Maura
Jonathan H. Schatz
author_facet Caroline A. Coughlin
Dhanvantri Chahar
Marianna Lekakis
Abdessamad A. Youssfi
Lingxiao Li
Evan Roberts
Natalia Campos Gallego
Claude-Henry Volmar
Ola Landgren
Shaun Brothers
Anthony J. Griswold
Catalina Amador
Daniel Bilbao
Francesco Maura
Jonathan H. Schatz
author_sort Caroline A. Coughlin
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Disparate pathogenic mechanisms complicate precision-medicine efforts to treat diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common lymphoma diagnosis. Though potentially curable with frontline combination chemoimmunotherapy, DLBCL carries persistently poor prognosis for those with relapsed or refractory (rel/ref) disease, despite recent advances in immunotherapy. Here, we build on recent findings implicating gain-of-function mutations in the BCL10 signaling protein as drivers of resistance to Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors. We show mutant BCL10-driven DLBCL is resistant to multiple additional drug classes, demonstrating urgency to derive mechanistically rooted strategies to overcome undruggable BCL10 mutants that stabilize BTK-independent signaling filaments upstream of NF-kB activation. BCL10 mutants promote a cytokine-reinforced positive feedback loop of lymphomagenesis driving not just NF-kB but multiple additional pathways converging on diffuse activation of oncogenic transcription factors. Up-regulation of anti-apoptotic genes increases mitochondrial membrane potential, underlying multidrug resistance. Increased expression of BCL2, BCL2L1 (BCL-XL), and BCL2A1 (BFL1) drives resistance to venetoclax, but expression can be overcome by the potent non-covalent BTK inhibitor pirtobrutinib. Venetoclax plus pirtobrutinib synergized in overcoming resistance and potently killed BCL10-mutant lymphomas in vitro and in vivo. BTK therefore retains key roles protecting DLBCL from apoptosis even when downstream activation of the BCL10 signaling complex activates NF-kB independently.
format Article
id doaj-art-3511edc319564002b5706a04c0b6b203
institution Kabale University
issn 2044-5385
language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher Nature Publishing Group
record_format Article
series Blood Cancer Journal
spelling doaj-art-3511edc319564002b5706a04c0b6b2032025-02-09T12:13:05ZengNature Publishing GroupBlood Cancer Journal2044-53852025-02-0115111410.1038/s41408-025-01214-yBruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibition re-sensitizes multidrug-resistant DLBCL tumors driven by BCL10 gain-of-function mutants to venetoclaxCaroline A. Coughlin0Dhanvantri Chahar1Marianna Lekakis2Abdessamad A. Youssfi3Lingxiao Li4Evan Roberts5Natalia Campos Gallego6Claude-Henry Volmar7Ola Landgren8Shaun Brothers9Anthony J. Griswold10Catalina Amador11Daniel Bilbao12Francesco Maura13Jonathan H. Schatz14University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Medical Scientist Training ProgramDivision of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of MedicineDivision of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of MedicineDivision of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of MedicineGenScript ProBioSylvester Comprehensive Cancer CenterSylvester Comprehensive Cancer CenterCenter for Therapeutic Innovation, University of MiamiSylvester Comprehensive Cancer CenterCenter for Therapeutic Innovation, University of MiamiJohn P. Hussman Institute for Human Genomics, University of Miami Miller School of MedicineSylvester Comprehensive Cancer CenterSylvester Comprehensive Cancer CenterSylvester Comprehensive Cancer CenterDivision of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of MedicineAbstract Disparate pathogenic mechanisms complicate precision-medicine efforts to treat diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), the most common lymphoma diagnosis. Though potentially curable with frontline combination chemoimmunotherapy, DLBCL carries persistently poor prognosis for those with relapsed or refractory (rel/ref) disease, despite recent advances in immunotherapy. Here, we build on recent findings implicating gain-of-function mutations in the BCL10 signaling protein as drivers of resistance to Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors. We show mutant BCL10-driven DLBCL is resistant to multiple additional drug classes, demonstrating urgency to derive mechanistically rooted strategies to overcome undruggable BCL10 mutants that stabilize BTK-independent signaling filaments upstream of NF-kB activation. BCL10 mutants promote a cytokine-reinforced positive feedback loop of lymphomagenesis driving not just NF-kB but multiple additional pathways converging on diffuse activation of oncogenic transcription factors. Up-regulation of anti-apoptotic genes increases mitochondrial membrane potential, underlying multidrug resistance. Increased expression of BCL2, BCL2L1 (BCL-XL), and BCL2A1 (BFL1) drives resistance to venetoclax, but expression can be overcome by the potent non-covalent BTK inhibitor pirtobrutinib. Venetoclax plus pirtobrutinib synergized in overcoming resistance and potently killed BCL10-mutant lymphomas in vitro and in vivo. BTK therefore retains key roles protecting DLBCL from apoptosis even when downstream activation of the BCL10 signaling complex activates NF-kB independently.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41408-025-01214-y
spellingShingle Caroline A. Coughlin
Dhanvantri Chahar
Marianna Lekakis
Abdessamad A. Youssfi
Lingxiao Li
Evan Roberts
Natalia Campos Gallego
Claude-Henry Volmar
Ola Landgren
Shaun Brothers
Anthony J. Griswold
Catalina Amador
Daniel Bilbao
Francesco Maura
Jonathan H. Schatz
Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibition re-sensitizes multidrug-resistant DLBCL tumors driven by BCL10 gain-of-function mutants to venetoclax
Blood Cancer Journal
title Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibition re-sensitizes multidrug-resistant DLBCL tumors driven by BCL10 gain-of-function mutants to venetoclax
title_full Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibition re-sensitizes multidrug-resistant DLBCL tumors driven by BCL10 gain-of-function mutants to venetoclax
title_fullStr Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibition re-sensitizes multidrug-resistant DLBCL tumors driven by BCL10 gain-of-function mutants to venetoclax
title_full_unstemmed Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibition re-sensitizes multidrug-resistant DLBCL tumors driven by BCL10 gain-of-function mutants to venetoclax
title_short Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibition re-sensitizes multidrug-resistant DLBCL tumors driven by BCL10 gain-of-function mutants to venetoclax
title_sort bruton s tyrosine kinase inhibition re sensitizes multidrug resistant dlbcl tumors driven by bcl10 gain of function mutants to venetoclax
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41408-025-01214-y
work_keys_str_mv AT carolineacoughlin brutonstyrosinekinaseinhibitionresensitizesmultidrugresistantdlbcltumorsdrivenbybcl10gainoffunctionmutantstovenetoclax
AT dhanvantrichahar brutonstyrosinekinaseinhibitionresensitizesmultidrugresistantdlbcltumorsdrivenbybcl10gainoffunctionmutantstovenetoclax
AT mariannalekakis brutonstyrosinekinaseinhibitionresensitizesmultidrugresistantdlbcltumorsdrivenbybcl10gainoffunctionmutantstovenetoclax
AT abdessamadayoussfi brutonstyrosinekinaseinhibitionresensitizesmultidrugresistantdlbcltumorsdrivenbybcl10gainoffunctionmutantstovenetoclax
AT lingxiaoli brutonstyrosinekinaseinhibitionresensitizesmultidrugresistantdlbcltumorsdrivenbybcl10gainoffunctionmutantstovenetoclax
AT evanroberts brutonstyrosinekinaseinhibitionresensitizesmultidrugresistantdlbcltumorsdrivenbybcl10gainoffunctionmutantstovenetoclax
AT nataliacamposgallego brutonstyrosinekinaseinhibitionresensitizesmultidrugresistantdlbcltumorsdrivenbybcl10gainoffunctionmutantstovenetoclax
AT claudehenryvolmar brutonstyrosinekinaseinhibitionresensitizesmultidrugresistantdlbcltumorsdrivenbybcl10gainoffunctionmutantstovenetoclax
AT olalandgren brutonstyrosinekinaseinhibitionresensitizesmultidrugresistantdlbcltumorsdrivenbybcl10gainoffunctionmutantstovenetoclax
AT shaunbrothers brutonstyrosinekinaseinhibitionresensitizesmultidrugresistantdlbcltumorsdrivenbybcl10gainoffunctionmutantstovenetoclax
AT anthonyjgriswold brutonstyrosinekinaseinhibitionresensitizesmultidrugresistantdlbcltumorsdrivenbybcl10gainoffunctionmutantstovenetoclax
AT catalinaamador brutonstyrosinekinaseinhibitionresensitizesmultidrugresistantdlbcltumorsdrivenbybcl10gainoffunctionmutantstovenetoclax
AT danielbilbao brutonstyrosinekinaseinhibitionresensitizesmultidrugresistantdlbcltumorsdrivenbybcl10gainoffunctionmutantstovenetoclax
AT francescomaura brutonstyrosinekinaseinhibitionresensitizesmultidrugresistantdlbcltumorsdrivenbybcl10gainoffunctionmutantstovenetoclax
AT jonathanhschatz brutonstyrosinekinaseinhibitionresensitizesmultidrugresistantdlbcltumorsdrivenbybcl10gainoffunctionmutantstovenetoclax