Acquired resistance to ABT-737 in lymphoma cells that up-regulate MCL-1 and BFL-1

ABT-737 is a small-molecule antagonist of BCL-2 currently under evaluation in clinical trials in the oral form of ABT-263. We anticipate that acquired resistance to this promising drug will inevitably arise. To study potential mechanisms of resistance to ABT-737, we derived resistant lines from initially sensitive OCI-Ly1 and SU-DHL-4 lymphoma cell lines via long-term exposure. Resistance was based in the mitochondria and not due to an inability of the drug to bind BCL-2. Resistant cells had increased levels of BFL-1 and/or MCL-1 proteins, which are not targeted by ABT-737. Proapoptotic BIM was displaced from BCL-2 by ABT-737 in both parental and resistant cells, but in resistant cells, BIM was sequestered by the additional BFL-1 and/or MCL-1. Decreasing MCL-1 levels with flavopiridol, PHA 767491, or shRNA restored sensitivity to ABT-737 resistant cells. MCL-1 was up-regulated not by protein stabilization but rather by increased transcript levels. Surprisingly, in addition to stable increases in MCL-1 transcript and protein in resistant cells, there was a dynamic increase within hours after ABT-737 treatment. BFL-1 protein and transcript levels in resistant cells were similarly dynamically up-regulated. This dynamic increase suggests a novel mechanism whereby modulation of antiapoptotic protein function communicates with nuclear transcriptional machinery. (Blood. 2010; 115(16): 3304-3313)