Article
作者: Domagala, Joanna ; Gehlert, Carina Lynn ; Firczuk, Malgorzata ; Majchrzak, Martyna ; Graczyk-Jarzynka, Agnieszka ; Inderberg, Else Marit ; Winiarska, Magdalena ; Prochorec-Sobieszek, Monika ; Barankiewicz, Joanna ; Bobrowicz, Malgorzata ; Wälchli, Sébastien ; Marhelava, Katsiaryna ; Dostalova, Lenka ; Kusowska, Aleksandra ; Zhylko, Andriy ; Forcados, Christopher ; Poreba, Marcin ; Szumera-Cieckiewicz, Anna ; Kubacz, Matylda ; Pepek, Monika ; Krawczyk, Marta ; Fidyt, Klaudyna ; Peipp, Matthias ; Šmída, Michal ; Baranowska, Iwona ; Granica, Monika ; Slusarczyk, Aleksander
Rituximab (RTX) plus chemotherapy (R-CHOP) applied as a first-line therapy for lymphoma leads to a relapse in approximately 40% of the patients. Therefore, novel approaches to treat aggressive lymphomas are being intensively investigated. Several RTX-resistant (RR) cell lines have been established as surrogate models to study resistance to R-CHOP. Our study reveals that RR cells are characterized by a major downregulation of CD37, a molecule currently explored as a target for immunotherapy. Using CD20 knockout (KO) cell lines, we demonstrate that CD20 and CD37 form a complex, and hypothesize that the presence of CD20 stabilizes CD37 in the cell membrane. Consequently, we observe a diminished cytotoxicity of anti-CD37 monoclonal antibody (mAb) in complement-dependent cytotoxicity in both RR and CD20 KO cells that can be partially restored upon lysosome inhibition. On the other hand, the internalization rate of anti-CD37 mAb in CD20 KO cells is increased when compared to controls, suggesting unhampered efficacy of antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). Importantly, even a major downregulation in CD37 levels does not hamper the efficacy of CD37-directed chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. In summary, we present here a novel mechanism of CD37 regulation with further implications for the use of anti-CD37 immunotherapies.