Macitentan, a double antagonist of endothelin receptors, efficiently impairs migration and microenvironmental survival signals in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

Rossana Maffei, Stefania Fiorcari, Tiziana Vaisitti, Silvia Martinelli, Stefania Benatti, Giulia Debbia, Davide Rossi, Patrizia Zucchini, Leonardo Potenza, Mario Luppi, Gianluca Gaidano, Silvia Deaglio, Roberto Marasca

Risultato della ricerca: Contributo su rivistaArticolo in rivistapeer review

Abstract

The crosstalk between chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells and tumor microenvironment is essential for leukemic clone maintenance, supporting CLL cells survival, proliferation and protection from drug-induced apoptosis. Over the past years, the role of several soluble factors involved in these processes has been studied. CLL cells express higher levels of endothelin 1 (ET-1) and ETA receptor as compared to normal B cells. Upon ET-1 stimulation, CLL cells improve their survival and proliferation and reduce their sensitivity to the phosphoinositide-3-kinase d inhibitor idelalisib and to fludarabine. Here, we demonstrate that CLL cells express not only ETA receptor but also ETB receptor. ET-1 acts as a homing factor supporting CLL cells migration and adhesion to microenvironmental cells. In addition, ET-1 stimulates a pro-angiogenic profile of CLL cells increasing VEGF expression through hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1α) accumulation in CLL cells. Macitentan, a specific dual inhibitor of ETA and ETB receptors, targets CLL cells affecting leukemic cells migration and adhesion and overcoming the pro-survival and proliferation signals mediated by microenvironment. Furthermore, macitentan cooperates with ibrutinib inhibiting the BCR pathway and with ABT-199 disrupting BCL2 pathway. Our data describe the biological effects of a new drug, macitentan, able to counteract essential processes in CLL pathobiology as survival, migration, trafficking and drug resistance. These findings envision the possibility to interfere with ET receptors activity using macitentan as a possible novel therapeutic strategy for CLL patients.

Lingua originaleInglese
pagine (da-a)90013-90027
Numero di pagine15
RivistaOncotarget
Volume8
Numero di pubblicazione52
DOI
Stato di pubblicazionePubblicato - 2017

Fingerprint

Entra nei temi di ricerca di 'Macitentan, a double antagonist of endothelin receptors, efficiently impairs migration and microenvironmental survival signals in chronic lymphocytic leukemia'. Insieme formano una fingerprint unica.

Cita questo