Pathologic BIM Suppression & Pharmacologic BH3 Replacement in B-Cell Lymphoma

描述（由申请人提供）：BCL-2家族包括一个重要的蛋白质网络，控制细胞的生存或死亡决定。BIM是BCL-2家族的一种促凋亡的BH3-only蛋白，是b细胞稳态的主要调控因子，其功能抑制被认为是b细胞淋巴瘤的关键致病因素。本研究的目标是研究和调节b细胞凋亡通路中这一关键的、不受调控的组成部分，并应用其机制见解来推进一种新的治疗策略，以重新激活难治性淋巴瘤中的细胞死亡。我假设BIM BH3在触发细胞死亡方面的效力反映了其参与多种关键蛋白靶点和死亡途径的能力，并且使用碳氢化合物钉接肽替代BIM的“死亡域”将恢复细胞死亡，从而获得治疗b细胞淋巴瘤的益处。我将采用多学科方法来(1)测试碳氢化合物钉接的BIM BH3螺旋重新激活由不同凋亡阻断机制驱动的b细胞淋巴瘤死亡程序的能力，(2)确定BIM SAHB的显性蛋白靶点，将细胞活性与原位作用机制联系起来，(3)确定药物替代BIM BH3在人类和小鼠b细胞淋巴瘤小鼠模型中的治疗潜力。通过结合化学、淋巴瘤生物学和发育治疗学，我的目标是对BH3-only蛋白BIM的促凋亡能力产生新的机制见解，并确定如何利用这种独特的BH3死亡结构域在不同的b细胞淋巴瘤中重新激活细胞死亡，这些细胞死亡是由不同的和临床相关的化疗耐药机制驱动的。由国际知名的导师、合作者和顾问组成的多元化团队领导的为期5年的综合培训计划，他们在合成化学、免疫学、细胞凋亡生物学和临床血液学/肿瘤学领域具有专业知识，将为LaBelle博士发展成为具有化学生物学和癌症医学界面独特专业知识的独立研究者提供理想的培训环境。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The BCL-2 family comprises an essential network of proteins that govern the cell's decision to live or die. BIM, a pro-apoptotic BH3-only protein of the BCL-2 family is a master regulator of B-cell homeostasis and its functional suppression is believed to be a key pathogenic factor in B-cell lymphoma. The goal of this proposal is to investigate and modulate this critical, deregulated component of the apoptotic pathway in B-cells and apply the mechanistic insights to advance a novel therapeutic strategy for reactivating cell death in treatment- refractory lymphoma. I hypothesize that the potency of BIM BH3 in triggering cell death reflects its capacity to engage a diversity of key protein targets and death pathways, and that pharmacologic replacement of BIM's "death domain" using a hydrocarbon-stapled peptide will restore cell death for therapeutic benefit in B-cell lymphoma. I will apply a multidisciplinary approach to (1) test the capacity of a hydrocarbon-stapled BIM BH3 helix to reactivate the death program in B-cell lymphomas driven by distinct mechanisms of apoptotic blockade, (2) identify the explicit protein targets of BIM SAHB to link cellular activity to in situ mechanism of action, (3) determine the therapeutic potential of pharmacologic BIM BH3 replacement in mouse models of human and murine B-cell lymphoma. By intertwining chemistry, lymphoma biology, and developmental therapeutics, I aim to generate fresh mechanistic insight into the pro-apoptotic potency of the BH3-only protein BIM and determine how this unique BH3 death domain can be harnessed to reactivate cell death in diverse B-cell lymphomas driven by distinct and clinically-relevant chemoresistance mechanisms. A 5-year comprehensive training program led by a diverse team of internationally-recognized mentors, collaborators, and advisors with expertise in the fields of synthetic chemistry, immunology, apoptosis biology, and clinical hematology/oncology will provide an ideal training environment for Dr. LaBelle's development into an independent investigator with unique expertise at the interface of chemical biology and cancer medicine.