Drug resistance remains one of the major obstacles in treatment of patients with various types of cancer, including multiple myeloma (MM). Evidence accumulated for the past decade has indicated a prominent role of microenvironment in survival and growth of tumor cells. Focusing on MM we have recently demonstrated that microenvironment, particularly bone marrow stromal cells, has a significant impact on the response of tumor cells to the chemotherapy. Bone marrow stroma protected myeloma cells from initial treatment with cytotoxic drugs. Allowing surviving a subpopulation of tumor cells, bone marrow stroma thus may contribute to the development of minimal residual disease and eventually clinical relapse. Our previous work has indicated that one of the mechanisms of this bone marrow stroma mediated drug-resistance is activation of receptor/transcriptional regulator Notch in MM cells. The overall hypothesis of this application is that tumor microenvironment activates Notch signaling in MM cells allowing them to escape drug-induced cell death. Pharmacological inhibition of Notch reverses this effect and therefore may be therapeutically beneficial for patients with MM. In this proposal, we will investigate the molecular mechanisms of Notch mediated MM cell protection from apoptosis induced by chemotherapeutic drugs and possible approaches to overcome it. The overall goal of the proposal is to develop a new therapeutic approach based on inhibition of Notch signaling.
Specific aims of the project:
Aim 1. Investigate the involvement of different Notch family members and ligands in MM cell drug resistance;
Aim 2. Examine the contribution of Notch signaling to integrin mediated drug resistance in MM cells;
Aim 3. Study the effect of hypoxia on Notch signaling and drug resistance in MM cells;
and Aim 4. Evaluate the therapeutic potential of Notch inhibitor in combination with Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitor ABT-737 in treatment of MM. Drug resistance is one of the major obstacles in treatment of patients with different types of cancer, including multiple myeloma.

Public Health Relevance

Proposed study will determine the role of Notch signaling in myeloma cell drug resistance and evaluate therapeutic potential of pharmacological targeting of Notch. If successful, this may dramatically improve the effect of therapy in patients with multiple myeloma.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
5R01CA130923-04
Application #
8106366
Study Section
Basic Mechanisms of Cancer Therapeutics Study Section (BMCT)
Program Officer
Forry, Suzanne L
Project Start
2008-09-15
Project End
2013-07-31
Budget Start
2011-08-01
Budget End
2012-07-31
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2011
Total Cost
$263,212
Indirect Cost
Name
H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
Department
Type
DUNS #
139301956
City
Tampa
State
FL
Country
United States
Zip Code
33612
Pisklakova, Alexandra; Grigson, Eileen; Ozerova, Maria et al. (2016) Anti-myeloma effect of pharmacological inhibition of Notch/gamma-secretase with RO4929097 is mediated by modulation of tumor microenvironment. Cancer Biol Ther 17:477-85
Grigson, Eileen R; Ozerova, Maria; Pisklakova, Alexandra et al. (2015) Canonical Wnt pathway inhibitor ICG-001 induces cytotoxicity of multiple myeloma cells in Wnt-independent manner. PLoS One 10:e0117693
Liu, Hao; Zhou, Jie; Cheng, Pingyan et al. (2013) Regulation of dendritic cell differentiation in bone marrow during emergency myelopoiesis. J Immunol 191:1916-26
Chen, Feng; Pisklakova, Alexandra; Li, Ming et al. (2011) Gamma-secretase inhibitor enhances the cytotoxic effect of bortezomib in multiple myeloma. Cell Oncol (Dordr) 34:545-51
Li, Ming; Chen, Feng; Clifton, Nicholas et al. (2010) Combined inhibition of Notch signaling and Bcl-2/Bcl-xL results in synergistic antimyeloma effect. Mol Cancer Ther 9:3200-9
Nefedova, Yulia; Gabrilovich, Dmitry (2008) Mechanisms and clinical prospects of Notch inhibitors in the therapy of hematological malignancies. Drug Resist Updat 11:210-8