Targeting Aberrant Non-Homologous End Joining in Multiple Myeloma: Role of the Classical and Alternative Pathways in Genomic Instability

Multiple Myeloma (MM) is characterized by the growth of malignant plasma cells harboring numerous genomic aberrations. The molecular basis driving MM genomic instability is still largely unknown. The ability to repair DNA damages is essential for the maintenance of its integrity, especially the double-strand breaks (DSBs) which are mainly repaired by Non Homologous End Joining (NHEJ). We have investigated NHEJ pathway in myeloma and observed a significant association between up-regulated NHEJ pathway-related gene expression and poor overall survival in two large datasets (IFM and Arkansas) in myeloma. We have also observed a higher end joining (EJ) activity in MM cell lines compared to normal cells using a dual gene plasmid-based assay utilizing Luciferase (LUC) as a test gene to measures end joining, and Alkaline Phosphatase (SEAP) as a reporter gene to control for transfection efficiency. Moreover, we confirmed an increased NHEJ activity in several primary patient myeloma cells at different disease stage. Based on this rationale, since an altered NHEJ has been linked to genomic instability and its inhibition leading to eventual cell death, we hypothesized that the aberrant NHEJ can be used as a potential therapeutic target in MM.

To address the relevance of NHEJ inhibition in MM cell proliferation and survival, we used SCR7, an inhibitor of Ligase IV (Lig-IV) which is essential for ligation of the double strand breaks following their recognition by the KU70/KU80 heterodimer and the recruitment of DNA-PKcs. We tested 4 different MM cell lines (U266, R8226, MM1s and Dox40), however, except for some level of inhibition in Dox40 (IC50, between 50 and 100 uM at 72 hours), the other cell line growth was not significantly affected (R8226 - IC30 at the concentration; and U266 and MM1s did not reach IC30). The same data were confirmed by Annexin V/7AAD staining and Caspase assay. Interestingly, expression of Lig-IV estimated by western blot analysis, inversely correlated with MM cells sensitivity suggesting that higher protein concentration may require higher drug levels for inhibition. Consistent with this result, we observed a strong inhibition of the NHEJ pathway by ku86-directed shRNAs, which was able to induce cell death in the more resistant MM cell line u266. Subsequently we used the dual gene plasmid-based assay to evaluate the effect of sub-lethal dose (20 uM) of SCR7 on NHEJ in 3 MM cell lines (u266, R8226 and MM1s) and observed an increased recombination activity in 2 of them. We also confirmed these data with another NHEJ inhibitor, NU7441, which target DNA-PK; and by using ku86-shRNA in U266 cell line. Moreover we observed an accumulation of unrepaired DSBs at the genome level as demonstrated by an increased γ-H2AX by western blotting. These results suggested the possibility that the inhibition of the NHEJ by blocking Lig-IV could activate the alternative NHEJ pathway (a-NHEJ), which is more error-prone compared to the classical NHEJ (c-NHEJ). To confirm this hypothesis further, we treated MM cell lines with sub-lethal dose of NU7441 (2.5 uM), Benzamide (2.5 uM), an inhibitor of PARP, which is one of the main protein involved in the a-NHEJ, or both. The different modulation observed with single and combination treatments, along with the ability of NU7441 to revert sensitivity to Benzamide in R8226 cells, suggested that inhibition of the classical pathway could switch on the a-NHEJ and indicated its basal activity at least in this cell line. Ongoing study is assessing the influence of such compounds on NHEJ in primary MM cells and their impact on acquisition of new genomic changes.

In conclusion, our data confirm the aberrant activation of NHEJ in MM, and suggest the potential role for both classical and more error-prone a-NHEJ pathways in inducing genomic instability, which may require a dual inhibition to trigger myeloma cell death.