Targeting xIAP Is More Important Than Bcl-Xl in Lymphomas with Constitutive Activation of NF-kB.

Pathways resulting in resistance to apoptosis are essential to the process of lymphomagenesis. One such pathway, the nuclear factor-kB (NFkB), has been shown to be a key element in coordinating the anti-apoptotic effect of these malignancies. However the mechanisms used by which NFkB prevents apoptosis are not well understood. It has been suggested that NFkB inhibits activation of the intrinsic, extrinsic and common apoptotic pathways. Previous work in our lab using two different virally mediated lymphoma models (Tax/HTLV1 and LMP1/EBV driven tumors) has identified two candidates that could explain these results: X chromosome-linked inhibitor of apoptosis (xIAP) and BCL-xL. Although the current literature extensively demonstrates the role of BCL-xL in lymphomas, little is known about the importance of xIAP in these malignancies. To answer this question we tested the apoptotic effect of etoposide or tumor necrosis factor (TNF) after knocking down bcl-xL and xIAP expression in our lymphoma models (SC and Daudi cell lines) using a lentivirus expressing siRNAs. After 24 hours of treatment with etoposide and TNF, we measured apoptosis by flow cytometry using double staining with Annexin V-Alexa Fluorescense and propidium iodide. Interestingly, xIAP siRNA-expressing cell lines demonstrated 2–4 fold increase in the induction of apoptosis after treatment with etoposide as compared to a nearly 2 fold increase in those expressing Bcl-xL siRNA (see Table below). No synergism was seen after treatment with TNF. Based on this finding, we then tested a novel small molecule, homolog smac, (SHC, kindly provided by Dr. PG Harren) to determine the possible therapeutic effect of xIAP inhibitors. After titration, the two most effective doses were selected (25 μM and 50 μM) to treat Daudi cell lines for 24hrs, with either etoposide or TNF. At doses of 25 μM , we observed a 2 fold increase in the induction of apoptosis produced by etoposide compared to that seen in control (DMSO + etoposide) or SHC alone and no synergism with TNF confirming the siRNA data. More importantly, at doses of 50 μM, SHC alone demonstrated activity with a 5 fold increase in apoptosis and a nearly 10 fold increase as compared to control (DMSO) when etoposide was added. Overall, we have demonstrated that xIAP and bcl-xL are important in mediating NFkB-resistance to apoptosis. However, our findings suggested that xIAP is a more potent anti-apoptotic signal and opens the door for further drug development aimed at testing xIAP-inhibitors in lymphomas.