marizomib and Leukemia

New chemotherapeutic agents are still required to further optimise treatment of leukemia patients. Proteasome inhibition by bortezomib, PR-171 (carfilzomib) and NPI-0052 (salinosporamide A) has been successfully used for the treatment of multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma and is considered also as novel treatment strategy in leukemia. Combination of proteasome inhibitors bortezomib and NPI-0052 induces synergistic anti-multiple myeloma activity both in vitro using multiple myeloma cells and in vivo in a human plasmacytoma xenograft mouse model. Cell death resulting from proteasome inhibition requires caspase activation and increased levels of reactive oxygen species. While bortezomib induces several caspases, NPI-0052 activates predominantly caspase-8-dependent pathway. We studied the effect of bortezomib (10 nM) on DNA synthesis and apoptosis in human acute myeloid cell lines KASUMI-1, ML-1, ML-2 and CTV-1 cells. Bortezomib was potent inhibitor of DNA synthesis in all four types of leukemia cells and induced apoptosis in KASUMI-1, ML-2 and CTV-1 cells but not in ML-1 cells. Other research groups showed that histone deacetylase inhibitors (valproic acid or benzamide derivative MS-275) in combination with NPI-0052 or PR-171 induced greater levels of acute leukemia cell death than in combination with bortezomib. Proteasome inhibition as monotherapy and its combination with many conventional therapies as novel treatment strategies in leukemia are promising. Malignant cells are more sensitive to this treatment than normal hematopoietic cells.

Topics: Animals; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Apoptosis; Boronic Acids; Bortezomib; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Proliferation; Drug Synergism; Enzyme Inhibitors; Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors; Humans; Lactones; Leukemia; Oligopeptides; Protease Inhibitors; Pyrazines; Pyrroles

Salinosporamide A (NPI-0052, marizomib) is a naturally occurring proteasome inhibitor derived from the marine actinobacterium Salinispora tropica, and represents a promising clinical agent in the treatment of hematologic malignancies. Recently, these actinobacteria were shown to harbor self-resistance properties to salinosporamide A by expressing redundant catalytically active mutants of the 20S proteasome β-subunit, reminiscent of PSMB5 mutations identified in cancer cells with acquired resistance to the founding proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (BTZ). Here, we assessed the growth inhibitory potential of salinosporamide A in human acute lymphocytic leukemia CCRF-CEM cells, and its 10-fold (CEM/BTZ7) and 123-fold (CEM/BTZ200) bortezomib-resistant sublines harboring PSMB5 mutations. Parental cells displayed sensitivity to salinosporamide A (IC50 = 5.1 nM), whereas their bortezomib-resistant sublines were 9- and 17-fold cross-resistant to salinosporamide A, respectively. Notably, combination experiments of salinosporamide A and bortezomib showed synergistic activity in CEM/BTZ200 cells. CEM cells gradually exposed to 20 nM salinosporamide A (CEM/S20) displayed stable 5-fold acquired resistance to salinosporamide A and were 3-fold cross-resistant to bortezomib. Consistent with the acquisition of a PSMB5 point mutation (M45V) in CEM/S20 cells, salinosporamide A displayed a markedly impaired capacity to inhibit β5-associated catalytic activity. Last, compared with parental CEM cells, CEM/S20 cells exhibited up to 2.5-fold upregulation of constitutive proteasome subunits, while retaining unaltered immunoproteasome subunit expression. In conclusion, salinosporamide A displayed potent antileukemic activity against bortezomib-resistant leukemia cells. β-Subunit point mutations as a common feature of acquired resistance to salinosporamide A and bortezomib in hematologic cells and S. tropica suggest an evolutionarily conserved mechanism of resistance to proteasome inhibitors.

Topics: Actinobacteria; Boronic Acids; Bortezomib; Catalysis; Cell Line, Tumor; Drug Resistance, Neoplasm; Humans; Lactones; Leukemia; Mutation; Proteasome Endopeptidase Complex; Proteasome Inhibitors; Pyrazines; Pyrroles; Up-Regulation

Marizomib (NPI-0052) is a naturally derived irreversible proteasome inhibitor that potently induces apoptosis via a caspase-8 and ROS-dependent mechanism in leukemia cells. We aim to understand the relationship between the irreversible inhibition of the proteasome and induction of cell death in leukemia cells by using analogs of marizomib that display reversible and irreversible properties. We highlight the importance of sustained inhibition of at least two proteasome activities as being key permissive events for the induction of the apoptotic process in leukemia cells. These data provide the basis for the development of new approaches to generate more effective anti-proteasome therapies.

Topics: Apoptosis; Caspase 8; Humans; Lactones; Leukemia; Oxidative Stress; Protease Inhibitors; Pyrroles; Reactive Oxygen Species; Tumor Cells, Cultured

The proteasome has been successfully targeted for the treatment of multiple myeloma and mantle cell lymphoma; however, in other hematologic malignancies, bortezomib has been less effective as a single agent. Here, we describe effects of NPI-0052, a novel proteasome inhibitor, in leukemia model systems. In cell lines, NPI-0052 inhibits all 3 proteolytic activities associated with the proteasome: chymotrypsin-, trypsin-, and caspase-like. NPI-0052 also induces DNA fragmentation in leukemia lines and in mononuclear cells from a Ph + acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patient. Caspase-3 activation by NPI-0052 was seen in wild-type Jurkat cells, but was significantly lessened in Fas-associated death domain (FADD)-deficient or caspase-8-deficient counterparts. NPI-0052-induced apoptosis was further probed using caspase-8 inhibitors, which were more protective than caspase-9 inhibitors. N-acetyl cysteine (NAC) also conferred protection against NPI-0052-induced apoptosis, indicating a role for oxidative stress by NPI-0052. In support of the drug's in vitro activities, biweekly treatment with NPI-0052 lessened total white blood cell (WBC) burden over 35 days in leukemic mice. Interestingly, combining NPI-0052 with either MS-275 or valproic acid (VPA) induced greater levels of cell death than the combination of bortezomib with these histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi). These effects of NPI-0052, alone and in combination with HDACi, warrant further testing to determine the compound's clinical efficacy in leukemia.

Topics: Animals; Apoptosis; Caspase 8; Cell Line, Tumor; Histone Deacetylase Inhibitors; Humans; Lactones; Leukemia; Mice; Oxidative Stress; Protease Inhibitors; Proteasome Inhibitors; Pyrroles; Reactive Oxygen Species; Tumor Burden; Tumor Cells, Cultured