The patients with relapsed and refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) have poor prognosis, and a novel and effective therapeutic strategy for these patients is urgently needed. Although ubiquitin-specific protease 1 (USP1) plays a key role in cancer, the carcinogenic effect of USP1 in B-cell lymphoma remains elusive. Here we found that USP1 is highly expressed in DLBCL patients, and high expression of USP1 predicts poor prognosis. Knocking down USP1 or a specific inhibitor of USP1, pimozide, induced cell growth inhibition, cell cycle arrest and autophagy in DLBCL cells. Targeting USP1 by shRNA or pimozide significantly reduced tumor burden of a mouse model established with engraftment of rituximab/chemotherapy resistant DLBCL cells. Pimozide significantly retarded the growth of lymphoma in a DLBCL patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model. USP1 directly interacted with MAX, a MYC binding protein, and maintained the stability of MAX through deubiquitination, which promoted the transcription of MYC target genes. Moreover, pimozide showed a synergetic effect with etoposide, a chemotherapy drug, in cell and mouse models of rituximab/chemotherapy resistant DLBCL. Our study highlights the critical role of USP1 in the rituximab/chemotherapy resistance of DLBCL through deubiquitylating MAX, and provides a novel therapeutic strategy for rituximab/chemotherapy resistant DLBCL.
CITATION STYLE
Li, X. Y., Wu, J. C., Liu, P., Li, Z. J., Wang, Y., Chen, B. Y., … Wang, L. (2023). Inhibition of USP1 reverses the chemotherapy resistance through destabilization of MAX in the relapsed/refractory B-cell lymphoma. Leukemia, 37(1), 164–177. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41375-022-01747-2
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