TRAF3 regulates the oncogenic proteins Pim2 and c-Myc to restrain survival in normal and malignant B cells

Abstract TRAF3 is a versatile intracellular adapter protein with multiple context-specific roles. Uniquely in B cells, TRAF3 deficiency enhances survival and increases the risk of transformation, as loss of TRAF3 is observed in several types of B cell cancers. Here, we report a new mechanism for TRA...

Description complète

Enregistré dans:
Détails bibliographiques
Auteurs principaux: Amy L. Whillock, Nurbek Mambetsariev, Wai W. Lin, Laura L. Stunz, Gail A. Bishop
Format: article
Langue:EN
Publié: Nature Portfolio 2019
Sujets:
R
Q
Accès en ligne:https://doaj.org/article/cabe35fe3e8245a3acd52f3226bbe784
Tags: Ajouter un tag
Pas de tags, Soyez le premier à ajouter un tag!
Description
Résumé:Abstract TRAF3 is a versatile intracellular adapter protein with multiple context-specific roles. Uniquely in B cells, TRAF3 deficiency enhances survival and increases the risk of transformation, as loss of TRAF3 is observed in several types of B cell cancers. Here, we report a new mechanism for TRAF3 in the restraint of B cell survival. We found that TRAF3 deficiency was associated with induction of the pro-survival kinase Pim2 in mouse primary B cells and human malignant B cell lines. The increase in Pim2 was independent of NF-κB2 activation but was ameliorated with inhibition of STAT3 expression or function. TRAF3 deficiency also led to a Pim2-dependent increase in c-Myc protein levels and was associated with reduced c-Myc ubiquitination. TRAF3-deficient primary B cells were less sensitive to cell death induced by the Pim inhibitors SGI-1776 and TP-3654. Interestingly, human malignant B cell lines with low expression of TRAF3 were more sensitive to Pim inhibition-induced cell death. Combination treatment of TRAF3-deficient B cells and B cell tumor lines with c-Myc inhibitors enhanced their sensitivity to Pim inhibition, suggesting a possible therapeutic strategy. TRAF3 thus suppresses a Pim2-mediated B cell survival axis, which can be a potential target for treatment of B cell malignancies.