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Oncogenically active MYD88 mutations in human lymphoma

Abstract

The activated B-cell-like (ABC) subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) remains the least curable form of this malignancy despite recent advances in therapy1. Constitutive nuclear factor (NF)-κB and JAK kinase signalling promotes malignant cell survival in these lymphomas, but the genetic basis for this signalling is incompletely understood. Here we describe the dependence of ABC DLBCLs on MYD88, an adaptor protein that mediates toll and interleukin (IL)-1 receptor signalling2,3, and the discovery of highly recurrent oncogenic mutations affecting MYD88 in ABC DLBCL tumours. RNA interference screening revealed that MYD88 and the associated kinases IRAK1 and IRAK4 are essential for ABC DLBCL survival. High-throughput RNA resequencing uncovered MYD88 mutations in ABC DLBCL lines. Notably, 29% of ABC DLBCL tumours harboured the same amino acid substitution, L265P, in the MYD88 Toll/IL-1 receptor (TIR) domain at an evolutionarily invariant residue in its hydrophobic core. This mutation was rare or absent in other DLBCL subtypes and Burkitt’s lymphoma, but was observed in 9% of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphomas. At a lower frequency, additional mutations were observed in the MYD88 TIR domain, occurring in both the ABC and germinal centre B-cell-like (GCB) DLBCL subtypes. Survival of ABC DLBCL cells bearing the L265P mutation was sustained by the mutant but not the wild-type MYD88 isoform, demonstrating that L265P is a gain-of-function driver mutation. The L265P mutant promoted cell survival by spontaneously assembling a protein complex containing IRAK1 and IRAK4, leading to IRAK4 kinase activity, IRAK1 phosphorylation, NF-κB signalling, JAK kinase activation of STAT3, and secretion of IL-6, IL-10 and interferon-β. Hence, the MYD88 signalling pathway is integral to the pathogenesis of ABC DLBCL, supporting the development of inhibitors of IRAK4 kinase and other components of this pathway for the treatment of tumours bearing oncogenic MYD88 mutations.

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Figure 1: MYD88 is required for survival of ABC DLBCL cells.
Figure 2: MYD88 mutations in human lymphomas.
Figure 3: MYD88 mutations are gain-of-function.
Figure 4: MYD88 mutants activate NF-κB and cytokine signalling.

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Gene Expression Omnibus

Data deposits

Gene expression profiling data have been submitted to GEO under accession number GSE22900.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, National Cancer Institute, Center for Cancer Research, an NCI SPECS grant (UO1-CA 114778), and by the Foundation for NIH, through a gift from the Richard A. Lauderbaugh Memorial Fund. This study was conducted under the auspices of the Lymphoma/Leukemia Molecular Profiling Project (LLMPP). R.S. is supported by the Dr Mildred Scheel Stiftung für Krebsforschung (Deutsche Krebshilfe). P.R. was an HHMI-NIH Research Scholar. This study used the high-performance computational capabilities of the Biowulf Linux cluster at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland (http://biowulf.nih.gov). We thank D. Staudt for discussions, K. Meyer for help with the GEO submission, and X. Li for IRAK1 plasmids. We are grateful to B. Tran and the Center for Cancer Research Sequencing Facility for implementation of next generation RNA sequencing.

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V.N.N., R.M.Y., R.S., S.J., K.-H.L., H.K. and A.L.S. designed and performed experiments. W.X., Y.Y. and H.Z. performed experiments. W.X., G.W. and J.P. analysed data. A.R., H.K.M.-H., G.O., R.D.G., J.M.C., L.M.R., E.C., E.S.J., J.D., E.B.S., R.I.F., R.M.B., R.R.T., J.R.C., D.D.W. and W.C.C. supplied patient samples and reviewed pathological and clinical data. L.M.S. designed and supervised research and wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Louis M. Staudt.

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Ngo, V., Young, R., Schmitz, R. et al. Oncogenically active MYD88 mutations in human lymphoma. Nature 470, 115–119 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature09671

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