Defining The Role Of Microrna-146a In B Cell Lymphomagenesis

Diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is one of the most common Non-Hodgkin lymphomas among adults. It is a heterogeneous disease characterized by multiple mutations and translocations. Gene expression profiling studies have revealed several characteristic gene expression patterns, with two main patterns emerging, namely Germinal Center(GC) type, and Activated B Cell (ABC) type. ABC-type DLBCL shows gene expression patterns that resemble activated B-cells, with increased expression of anti-apoptotic, and pro-proliferative genes. Critically, upregulation of the NF-κB the pathway is a hallmark of ABC-type DLBCL and has been shown to be necessary for survival, and is caused by several different mutations at different levels within the pathway. Recent work has revealed the critical importance of a new class of small RNA molecules, namely microRNAs, in gene regulation. Of these, microRNA-146a (miR-146a) was discovered as an NF-κB induced microRNA that plays a role as a negative feedback regulator of this pathway by targeting adaptor proteins. To further characterize miR-146a, mice deficient for this miRNA were created, and were found to develop lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, and myeloid proliferation. As expected, immune cells in these mice have an upregulated NF-κB pathway and many of the phenotypes can be ameliorated by inhibition of the NF-κB pathway. Importantly, a significant proportion of the animals develop B-cell lymphoma at older ages.

In this study, we examined the role of miR-146a in the development of malignancy in B-cells. To accelerate the role of miR-146a in tumor formation we overlaid the miR-146a deficient allele onto the Eμ-Myc like mouse model. Eμ-Myc mice develop tumors on average by 14weeks of age. The transgenic status of animals was verified by genotyping, RNA and protein expression analyses. miR-146a sufficient and deficient animals on the Eμ-Myc background were followed for tumor latency by peripheral blood analysis and careful physical examination. Based on approved humane criteria for animal discomfort, animals were sacrificed and hematopoietic tissue was harvested for analysis. Mice deficient for miR-146a had a statistically reduced survival in comparison with miR-146a sufficient animals with a p-value of .0098 (Kaplan Meir survival analysis). Complete Blood Count of animals at time of death revealed an increase leukemia presentation in the miR-146a deficient background. FACS analysis of tumor tissue from both groups revealed an increase in the number of IgM positive tumors in the miR-146a-deficient background indicating skewing towards more mature B cell neoplasms when miR-146a is lacking. Lineage analysis of tumors verified them to be of B cell origin although a subset of miR-146a sufficient tumors had higher numbers of infiltrating myeloid cells compared to deficient animals. Furthermore, histologic analysis of hematopoietic organs showed that while infiltration remained similar in kidneys and liver, more spleens in the miR-146a deficient background tended to be less involved.

Our extensive histopathologic and immunophenotypic analyses indicate that miR-146a deficiency drives a more aggressive malignant phenotype in the B-cell lineage. In keeping with this, our profiling studies of human DLBCL suggest that a subset of DLBCL show decreased expression of miR-146a. We are currently examining the status of NF-κB in the murine tumors and using high throughput sequencing approaches to delineate gene expression differences between miR-146a sufficient and deficient tumors. We anticipate the discovery of novel gene targets of miR-146a and expect that these studies will lead to improved diagnostic and therapeutic options for patients of B-cell malignancies.