Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) Over-Expression Is Essential for Epstein-Barr Virus-Driven B-Cell Transformation.

Abstract 2378

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous, gamma herpes virus that infects human epithelial cells and B lymphocytes. Over 90% of adults worldwide are infected with EBV and, collectively, this virus is associated with a broad spectrum of benign and malignant disease. EBV is a potent oncogenic virus and is capable of efficiently transforming B cells in both in vitro and in vivo models. While signaling cascades contributing toward B cell immortalization and transformation following EBV infection have been described, epigenetic events that contribute toward the B cell transformation process remain poorly characterized. EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid lines (LCL) and spontaneous B cell lymphomas that arise in the hu-PBL-SCID model of EBV-induced lymphomagenesis show abundant expression of the protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5), a type II PRMT enzyme that catalyzes symmetric dimethylation of arginine residues on histones and non histone proteins (P53, CYCLIN D1). PRMT5 partners with multiple co-repressor proteins such as HDAC2, MBD2 and DNMT3a to silence multiple regulatory and tumor suppressor gene products. All EBV-transformed B cell lines and primary tumors showed cytoplasmic and nuclear staining for PRMT5 and its associated epigenetic marks symmetric dimethyl histone 3, arginine 8 (S2Me-H3R8) and S2Me-H4R3. Resting and activated B cells did not demonstrate PRMT5 over expression or associated global epigenetic marks. Infection of primary human B cells with the B95.8 strain (but not mutant P3HR1 or inactivated EBV) led to dysregulated expression of PRMT5 as early as day 4 post infection. By day 8 post EBV infection, PRMT5 location had transitioned to the nucleus and this localization coincided with acquisition of S2Me-H4R3 and S2Me-H3R8 and loss of the asymmetric epigenetic mark 2Me-H4R3,a type I PRMT histone mark. PRMT5 over-expression was dependent on LMP-1-driven NFkB activity and transcriptional silencing of miR96 expression, a micro RNA that targets the PRMT5 3'UTR. To determine if PRMT5 over expression was essential for induction and maintenance of the transformed phenotype, we infected resting B cells with EBV and, at various time points (day 4, 7, 14 or 21), added a novel, highly selective small molecule inhibitor of PRMT5 activity, an inactive small molecule control, shRNA specific for PRMT5 or control shRNA. Absolute CD19+ cell counts and confocal microscopy experiments to monitor PRMT5 and its epigenetic marks were performed and showed that PRMT5 activity was critical for EBV-driven B cell transformation to proceed. PRMT5 inhibition of resting or activated B cells did not result in any loss of viability. Global transcriptome analysis identified several tumor suppressor genes, including the protein tyrosine phosphatase PTPROt, were silenced during EBV-driven B cell transformation. Chromatin immune precipitation (ChIP)-sequencing using monoclonal antibodies specific for PMRT5 and S2Me-H3R8 (or control IgG) confirmed the PTPROt promoter to be directly targeted by PRMT5 and PTPROt transcript was found to become silenced during EBV-driven B cell transformation. Real time PCR and RNA-seq showed PTPROt transcript to become restored with PRMT5 inhibition. PTPROt expression led to dephosphorylation and inhibition of the LYN, SYK, and Bruton's Tyrosine kinase (BTK) kinase proteins, critical proteins involved in regulation of the B cell receptor (BCR). This model provided us with direct evidence that PRMT5 activity is critical to EBV-driven B cell transformation and supports our hypothesis that PRMT5 dysregulation drives epigenetic events that directly contribute to key initiating events during B cell transformation as well as to the maintenance of the malignant phenotype. We believe this is the first example of oncogenic virus driving over expression of an epigenetic modifier that catalyzes placement of global repressive epigenetic marks that silence of regulatory and tumor suppressor genes. This data justifies pursuit of experimental therapeutic strategies focused on selective PRMT5 inhibition in cancer.