Potential Therapeutic Role of the Selective Adhesion Molecule (SAM) Inhibitor Natalizumab in Multiple Myeloma.

Abstract 1850

Poster Board I-876

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is characterized by the clonal proliferation of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow. Despite current therapeutic approach and prolongation of the median survival, new therapies are urgently needed. Integrins are cell surface receptors which mediate both cell-cell adhesion and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) protein adhesion. beta1-integrins, including very-late antigen-4 (VLA-4;á4β1), are typically expressed on MM cells. In MM, VLA-4-mediated binding to ECMS and bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) confers protection against drug-induced apoptosis and triggers transcription and secretion of IL-6, the major MM growth and survival factor. In addition to up-regulation of cell surface-clustering, integrin activity can also be triggered by multiple agonists through ‘inside-out’ signaling, independent of changes in integrin expression levels. Importantly, VEGF-induced migration of MM cells on fibronectin is also associated with β1-integrin- and PI3-kinase- dependent PKC activation. Targeting VLA-4 is therefore of potential high therapeutic interest in MM. Indeed, an antibody against murine á4 induces inhibition of MM growth in a murine model. Natalizumab is a recombinant humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody, which belongs to a new class of molecules known as selective adhesion molecule (SAM) inhibitors and binds to á4-integrin. Clinically, Natalizumab has demonstrated activity in patients with multiple sclerosis and Crohn's disease. Here we tested the potential therapeutic role of Natalizumab on MM cell survival, and migration in the BM microenvironment. VLA-4 is expressed by all MM cell lines investigated (NCIH929, RPMI8226, INA-6, MM.1S, and OPM2). Functionally, Natalizumab but not a control antibody, triggered dose-dependent inhibition of MM cell adhesion to fibronectin, BMSCs, and endothelial cells (ECs). Importantly, inhibition of adhesion to fibronectin, BMSCs, or ECs was observed in MM cells pretreated with Natalizumab. Moreover, inhibition of MM cell adhesion to fibronectin, BMSCs, or ECs was also observed when Natalizumab was added to already adherent MM cells. Taken together, Natalizumab decreases adhesion of non-adherent MM cells as well as binding of already adherent MM cells to non-cellular and cellular components of the microenvironment. Given the protective role of the microenvironment on MM cell survival, we next sought to evaluate the chemosensitizing activity of Natalizumab. Specifically, we investigated dose- and time- dependent effects of Natalizumab, alone and when combined with conventional and novel therapies, on MM cells. Our results show that Natalizumab alone did not inhibit growth or survival of MM cells when cultured without components of the microenvironment. However, Natalizumab enhanced sensitivity of tumor cells to both bortezomib and dexamethasone in MM-BMSC and, MM-EC co-cultures. These data indicate a potential role of Natalizumab in bortezomib- and dexamethasone-containing treatment regimens including MPV. Moreover, Natalizumab decreases IL-6 and VEGF secretion triggered in MM-BMSC co-cultures. Consequently, angiogenesis triggered by supernatants of Natalizumab- treated MM-BMSC co-cultures was inhibited. Moreover, Natalizumab blocked MM cell migration on fibronectin triggered by both VEGF and IGF-1. Finally, our previous results implicate an PKC signaling in MM cell migration on fibronectin, and our current results show that Natalizumab inhibits phosphorylation of á4 integrins and PKC induced by co-stimulation with VEGF/ fibronectin, IGF-1/ fibronectin, and patient serum. Taken together, our data indicate a potential therapeutic role of Natalizumab in MM. Ongoing studies evaluating the effect of Natalizumab in a SCID-hu murine model of MM will also be reported.