Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0026764 (multiple myeloma)
 36,148 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The Apo-1/Fas (CD95) antigen is known to be involved in the process of T cell-mediated target cell killing and has recently been shown to be expressed on myeloma cell lines and native malignant plasma cells. Several cytokines have been reported to interfere with spontaneous and even Apo-1/Fas-induced apoptosis, but no attempt has been made yet to investigate these interactions and the possible underlying mechanisms in myeloma cells. Since in myeloma patients Interferon (IFN)-alpha2 displays a profound therapeutic effect in vivo, which is usually attributed to its growth inhibitory and/or immunomodulatory capacity, we set out to study the potential interference of IFN-alpha2 with Apo-1/Fas-induced apoptosis. Contrary to expectations, IFN-alpha2 reduced the degree of apoptosis caused by the treatment of five Apo-1/Fas-sensitive myeloma cell lines with a Fas monoclonal antibody (mAb). Simultaneous application of IFN-alpha2 and Fas mAb was superior to the prolonged (i.e. >8 h) preincubation with the cytokine as far as inhibition of Apo-1/Fas-induced apoptosis was concerned. This effect of IFN-alpha2 was neither explained by a down-regulation of the Apo-1/Fas receptor nor caused by modulation of the expression levels of c-myc, bcl-2-, bcl-xL, bax- or p53 genes. IFN-alpha2 did not alter the Apo-1/Fas-induced activity of Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) 1 and did not inhibit the Apo-1/Fas-mediated proteolytic cleavage of ADP-ribosyltransferase, a substrate of Interleukin-beta1 converting enzyme (ICE) and homologues. However, activation of protein kinase C (PKC) by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) mimicked the effects of IFN-alpha2. Furthermore, the bis-indolylmaleimide GF 109203X, a specific inhibitor of PKC, inhibited the effect of PMA as well as that of IFN-alpha2 on Apo-1/Fas-induced apoptosis. These results point to a PKC-dependent mechanism of transient interaction between the intracellular signaling along the IFN-alpha2 and the Apo-1/Fas pathway (downstream of MAPK signaling as well as of ICE homologues), which becomes exhausted by prolonged stimulation with the cytokine. According to our data IFN-alpha2, applied continuously and in high doses resembling the therapeutic situation in vivo, inhibits myeloma growth. However, based on the observed inhibitory effect of IFN-alpha2 on Apo-1/Fas-induced apoptosis, a partial inhibition of the natural immune surveillance on myeloma cells by endogenous IFN-alpha2 present in the bone marrow microenvironment of this malignancy should be investigated.
 ...
PMID:Modulation of Apo-1/Fas (CD95)-induced programmed cell death in myeloma cells by interferon-alpha 2. 897 13

Posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorders (PT-LPDs) represent a heterogeneous group of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) associated lymphoid proliferations occurring in the setting of immunosuppression associated with solid organ transplantation. Some PT-LPDs regress after a reduction in immunosuppression, whereas others progress despite aggressive therapy. Previously defined histopathologic categories do not correlate with clonality, and neither histopathology nor clonality has reliably predicted their clinical behavior. Recently, correlative clinical, morphological, and molecular genetic analysis has suggested that PT-LPDs are divisible into three distinct clinically relevant categories as follows: (1) plasmacytic hyperplasia: most commonly arise in the oropharynx or lymph nodes, are nearly always polyclonal, usually contain multiple EBV infectious events or only a minor cell population infected by a single form of EBV, and lack oncogene or tumor suppressor gene alterations; (2) polymorphic lymphoproliferative disorders: may arise in lymph nodes or extranodal sites including the gastrointestinal tract and lungs, are nearly always monoclonal based on the presence of clonal immunoglobulin gene rearrangements, usually contain a single form of EBV, and lack oncogene or tumor suppressor gene alterations; and (3) malignant lymphoma or multiple myeloma: present with widely disseminated disease frequently including the bone marrow, are monoclonal based on clonal immunoglobulin gene rearrangements, contain a single form of EBV, and contain alterations of one or more oncogenes or tumor suppressor genes (c-myc, ras, p53). Thus, proto-oncogene and tumor suppressor gene alterations appear to be associated with disease progression and an often fatal clinical outcome. Furthermore, multiple PT-LPD lesions occurring in the same individual but in multiple anatomic sites, either simultaneously or dysynchronously over time, may show distinct clonal immunoglobulin gene rearrangement patterns and evidence of infection by different forms of EBV, suggesting that each lesion represents a distinct clonal neoplasm that may show distinctive clinical behavior. Therefore, whenever possible, a biopsy of each one of the several PT-LPD lesions occurring in an individual should be obtained to derive a true assessment of the pathobiological nature and clinical aggressiveness of an individual's disease.
 ...
PMID:Molecular pathology of posttransplantation lymphoproliferative disorders. 904 6

The down-regulation of apoptosis may be an essential mechanism for tumour cell expansion in slowly proliferating tumours such as multiple myeloma. We studied eight myeloma cell lines for the presence of Bcl-2, which inhibits apoptosis, of Bax, which counteracts Bcl-2, of Bcl-x(L) and Bcl-x(S), which act in an anti- and pro-apoptotic fashion, respectively, and of Apo-1/Fas, which induces programmed cell death, when activated by the Apo-1/Fas ligand or the relevant monoclonal antibody (mab). All cell lines constitutively expressed homogenous amounts of Bcl-2, but displayed different amounts of Bax and Bcl-x proteins. The Apo-1/Fas antigen could be detected in seven out of eight myeloma lines, but expression levels varied considerably. The relative expression levels of Apo-1/Fas correlated with that of Bax, but not with that of Bcl-2 or Bcl-x subtypes. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the Apo-1/Fas mab was associated with the relative expression levels of the Apo-1/Fas and with that of the Bax antigen, but not with that of the Bcl-2 and Bcl-x antigens. We further showed that wild-type p53 function is not required for Apo-1/Fas-induced apoptosis, nor is it necessary for the expression of Bax or Apo-1/Fas antigens in myeloma. In conclusion, our results suggest a p53-independent co-regulation of Apo-1/Fas and Bax, as well as a role for Bax in Apo-1/Fas-induced apoptosis in myeloma.
 ...
PMID:Expression of Apo-1/Fas (CD95), Bcl-2, Bax and Bcl-x in myeloma cell lines: relationship between responsiveness to anti-Fas mab and p53 functional status. 932 10

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a growth factor for multiple myeloma (MM) cells and can inhibit MM cell apoptosis. Our recent studies show that IL-6 facilitates MM cell growth via phosphorylation of retinoblastoma protein (pRB); however, the effects of IL-6 on those cyclins, cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), and CDK inhibitors (CDIs) that are known to regulate phosphorylation of pRB have not been defined in MM cells. In the present report, we cultured MM cell lines and patient cells with IL-6 and/or dexamethasone (Dex) and characterized changes in cell cycle; expression and association of cyclins, CDKs, and CDIs; and phosphorylation of pRB. Dex induced G1 growth arrest in MM cells, whereas IL-6 facilitated G1 to S phase transition; moreover, the effect of Dex was blocked by IL-6. p21WAF1 (p21) protein was constitutively expressed in the majority of MM cells independent of the status of p53. Its expression was upregulated by Dex and downregulated by IL-6; again, IL-6 inhibited the increase in p21 triggered by Dex. These alterations in p21 expression in MM cells were associated with changes in p21 binding to CDK2, CDK4, and CDK6; CDK2, CDK4, and CDK6 kinase activities; and phosphorylation of pRB. In contrast, expression of G1 cell cycle regulatory proteins, including p27KIP1, cyclin D2, and cyclin E, was not altered in MM cells cultured with Dex and/or IL-6. Finally, interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) also induced G1 growth arrest and upregulated p21 protein expression; as with Dex, affects of IFN-gamma were inhibited by IL-6. Our results therefore show that changes in cell cycle distribution in MM cells triggered by Dex, IL-6, and IFN-gamma correlate with changes in p21 protein expression and implicate p21 in the coupling of Dex-, IL-6-, and IFN-gamma-related signals to G1 cell cycle regulation in MM cells.
 ...
PMID:Interleukin-6 overcomes p21WAF1 upregulation and G1 growth arrest induced by dexamethasone and interferon-gamma in multiple myeloma cells. 920 63

We have shown previously that detectable serum concentration of p53 protein is associated with poor prognosis in multiple myeloma (MM). In this study, we studied p53 gene mutations in 29 bone marrow samples of MM patients using polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and direct sequencing. No p53 mutations were found in these patients although 41% of the patients had an elevated serum p53 protein concentration. This result indicates that the detectable serum level of p53 protein is not associated with p53 mutations. In addition, we have also analysed three MM cell lines established from bone marrow samples. All the cell lines contained p53 mutations in exon 5. However, bone marrow samples of the patients associated with the cell lines did not have these mutations at the time of diagnosis, nor did the original samples which were used to establish the cell lines. This indicates that p53 mutations can arise during the cell passages.
 ...
PMID:p53 gene mutations are rare in patients but common in patient-originating cell lines in multiple myeloma. 924 75

The dysregulation of specific oncogenes due to either mutation or activation has previously been reported in a small number of patients with myeloma but the extent of oncogene dysregulation during the course of the disease is not known. The oncoprotein phenotype of plasma cells in 146 bone marrow samples from 81 patients with multiple myeloma was determined by dual colour flow cytometry using a predetermined panel of 8 monoclonal antibodies. High intensity CD38 expression was used to distinguish the plasma cell population and the cells were permeabilised to detect intracellular antigen expression. In situ hybridization using biotinylated cDNA probes for c-myc and bcl-2 was used to determine mRNA expression and to validate the flow cytometric assay. The normal range of expression for each of 6 oncoproteins (c-myc, c-fos, c-neu, bcl-2, p-ras, p53 mutant) and 2 tumour suppressor gene products (p53 wild and Rb) was determined in plasma cells from 33 normal bone marrows. Disease progression was associated with the concurrent abnormal expression of at least one oncogene and one tumour suppressor gene where as stable disease was associated with a normal expression of at least one or both (chi2 = 34.1; p < 0.001). At diagnosis there was a correlation between serum beta2 microglobulin and the concurrent overexpression of both an oncoprotein and a tumour suppressor gene product. Longitudinal studies of 33 different patients over 4 years, suggests that the progressive evolution of myeloma is a multistep process of genomic instability producing ongoing alterations in the expression of both oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes.
 ...
PMID:Disease progression in patients with multiple myeloma is associated with a concurrent alteration in the expression of both oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes and can be monitored by the oncoprotein phenotype. 925 Aug 26

The murine double minute 2 (MDM2) protein facilitates G1 to S phase transition by activation of E2F-1 and can enhance cell survival by suppressing wild-type p53 (wtp53) function. In this study, we examined MDM2 expression and function in multiple myeloma (MM) cells. MDM2 is strongly and constitutively expressed in MM cell lines (ARH-77, RPMI 8226, and OCI-My5) and in the cells of plasma cell leukemia (PCL) patients, but is not expressed in normal bone marrow mononuclear cells (BM MNCs). Treatment of MM cells with MDM2 antisense, but not sense, nonsense, or scrambled, oligodeoxyribonucleotides (ODNs) decreased DNA synthesis and cell viability; it also induced G1 growth arrest, as evidenced by propidium iodide (PI) staining and induction of retinoblastoma protein (pRB) to E2F-1 binding. Moreover, inhibition of MDM2 using antisense ODNs also triggered MM cell apoptosis as evidenced by acridine orange-ethidium bromide staining. We next studied the association of MDM2 with wtp53 and/or mutant p53 (mtp53), E2F-1, CDK4, and p21. MDM2 constitutively binds to E2F-1 in all MM cells, to both wtp53 and mtp53, and to p21 in tumor cells lacking p53. These data suggest that MDM2 may enhance cell-cycle progression in MM cells both by activating E2F-1 and by downregulating cell-cycle inhibitory proteins (wtp53 and p21). Overexpression of MDM2 may therefore contribute to both growth and survival of MM cells, suggesting the potential utility of treatment strategies targeting MDM2 in MM.
 ...
PMID:MDM2 protein overexpression promotes proliferation and survival of multiple myeloma cells. 929 33

Primary plasmacytoma of the lymph nodes is very rare, and there are fewer than 20 reported cases. These cases appeared to have a better prognosis than other extramedullary plasmacytomas, with rare recurrence and no progression to myeloma after treatment. To better characterize the clinicopathological features and the pathogenesis of primary plasmacytoma of the lymph nodes, we reviewed our consultation files and retrieved seven such cases. The age of presentation ranged from 39 to 76 years (median age, 59 years), with three women and four men. The clinical follow-up varied from 1 to 14 years. All patients presented with enlarged lymph nodes and had an indolent clinical course, except for one patient with slow progression and increasing numbers of bone marrow plasma cells. Five patients were treated with excision only and two with excision and chemotherapy. None of the patients had recurrence or developed multiple myeloma. All cases showed immunoglobulin light chain restriction, four with monotypic lambda and three with monotypic kappa. One patient had extensive nodal amyloid deposition. Four cases had monoclonal heavy chain expression, three with monoclonal immunoglobulin (Ig) G and one with monoclonal IgM. All cases were negative for CD20 and CD43, and six cases expressed CD79a. Overexpression of p53 and bcl-2 was not detected by immunostaining in any of the cases. Epstein-Barr viral (EBV) RNA was not detected in all seven cases by in situ hybridization, and no Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) DNA sequences were detected by polymerase chain reaction in five cases. Our results confirm a more favorable outcome and rare progression to multiple myeloma in primary nodal plasmacytomas after excision or chemotherapy. The results of oncoprotein and viral studies suggest that the pathogenesis of primary nodal plasmacytoma may not be due to bcl-2- and p53-associated changes or viral-induced changes by EBV and KSHV.
 ...
PMID:Primary plasmacytoma of lymph nodes. 930 34

We have identified three unbalanced translocations involving chromosomes 5 and 17, der(5)t(5;17), der(17)t(5;17), and dic(5;17), in the malignant cells from 17 patients with myeloid neoplasms. Six patients had a primary myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML) de novo; ten patients had therapy-related MDS and/or AML (t-MDS/t-AML), and one patient had chronic myelogenous leukemia in myeloid blast phase. Two of the six patients with MDS or AML de novo had extensive exposure to industrial solvents, and one patient had Seckel syndrome. The primary diagnoses for the ten patients with t-MDS/t-AML were breast carcinoma and Hodgkin's disease in two patients each, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, multiple myeloma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, ovarian carcinoma, thyroid carcinoma, and rhabdomyosarcoma in one patient each. Four patients had received both prior chemotherapy and radiotherapy, four others received prior chemotherapy only, and the remaining two patients only prior radiotherapy. Fluorescence in situ hybridization of centromere-specific probes for chromosomes 5 and 17 revealed that a dicentric rearrangement was the most common (13/16 patients examined). The genetic consequences of these chromosomal rearrangements are partial monosomy for 5q and 17p. Two of six patients examined had point mutations in TP53, suggesting that loss of function of TP53 in addition to loss of a tumor suppressor gene on 5q may be involved in the pathogenesis of the malignant disease in some of these patients.
 ...
PMID:dic(5;17): a recurring abnormality in malignant myeloid disorders associated with mutations of TP53. 936 36

Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by bone marrow infiltration with abnormal plasma cells which synthesize monoclonal immunoglobulins (Ig) or Ig fragments. Regularly, MM cells exhibit a high intrinsic resistance to available chemotherapeutic strategies. A number of cellular alterations including the cellular membrane, such as mutations of the glucocorticoid receptor or expression of membrane transport proteins, detoxification mechanisms and altered expression of topoisomerases, have been described. In addition to anti-apoptotic survival mechanisms, involving abnormalities of several oncogenes and suppressor genes (ras, c-myc, p53, Rb and bcl-2), the broad resistance spectrum might be explained but clinical studies which include the evaluation of resistance factors are missing. On the other hand, risk factor evaluation would be important as a number of therapeutical strategies with different intensities from corticosteroid monotherapy up to high-dose chemotherapy with tandem autologous bone marrow transplantation exist.
 ...
PMID:Cellular resistance mechanisms with impact on the therapy of multiple myeloma. 943 30


<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>