CAL-101, a Potent Selective Inhibitor of the p110δ Isoform of Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, Attenuates Pathway Signaling, Induces Apoptosis, and Overcomes Signals From the Microenvironment In Cellular Models of Hodgkin Lymphoma

Abstract 3926

Phosphatidylinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) are a family of lipid kinases that are involved in signaling events which control a diverse number of cellular processes. The class I kinases contain 4 isoforms designated p110α, β, δ, γ, and are activated by cell surface receptors. Aberrant regulation of the PI3K signaling pathway is frequently observed in human malignancies including those of hematological origin. CAL-101 is an oral p110δ-specific inhibitor which has shown preclinical and clinical activity in non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). This compound is a potent p110δ inhibitor (EC₅₀ of 65 nM in a whole-blood assay) with >200-fold selectivity over the other class I PI3K isoforms and no activity against Class II and III PI3K family members or other PI3K-related proteins, including mTOR and DNA-PK. Prior in vitro NHL studies revealed that CAL-101 induces caspase-dependent apoptosis, and inhibits CD40L-, BAFF-, CXCL12- and CXCL13-derived survival signals in cellular models (Lannutti BJ, et al., Blood 2010).

To investigate the potential role of p110δ in Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) we screened a number of HL cell lines for p110δ isoform expression and constitutive PI3K pathway activation. We report high levels of p110δ protein and activated Akt in 5 of 5 HL cell lines evaluated (L428, L540, L591, L1236, KM-H2). Inhibition of p110δ with CAL-101 treatment of cell lines resulted in a reduction of Akt phosphorylation and a decrease in cellular viability. Because previous studies have established the importance of signals from the microenvironment for the survival and proliferation of malignant cells as well as for their resistance to standard therapies, we investigated the effect of p110δ inhibition by CAL-101 in HL cell line-stroma cocultures. In this setting, CAL-101 overcame tumor cell growth induced by coculture of HL cells with bone marrow stromal cells. In addition, CAL-101 induced dose-dependent apoptosis of HL cells at 48 hours. Furthermore, stromal cell coculture resulted in increased CCL5, CCL17, and CCL22 levels; productions of these chemokines by HL cells cultured in the presence of stromal cells were reduced by CAL-101 in a dose-dependent manner. These results indicate that specific inhibition of p110δ may disrupt signals between HL cells and their microenvironment, thereby providing the preclinical rationale for clinical evaluation of CAL-101 as a novel therapeutic approach in patients with Hodgkin lymphoma.