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. 1997 Dec 15;100(12):2961–2969. doi: 10.1172/JCI119849

Constitutive nuclear factor-kappaB-RelA activation is required for proliferation and survival of Hodgkin's disease tumor cells.

R C Bargou 1, F Emmerich 1, D Krappmann 1, K Bommert 1, M Y Mapara 1, W Arnold 1, H D Royer 1, E Grinstein 1, A Greiner 1, C Scheidereit 1, B Dörken 1
PMCID: PMC508507  PMID: 9399941

Abstract

The pathogenesis and etiology of Hodgkin's disease, a common human malignant lymphoma, is still unresolved. As a unique characteristic, we have identified constitutive activation of the transcription factor nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB p50-RelA in Hodgkin/Reed-Sternberg (H/RS) cells, which discriminates these neoplastic cells from most cell types studied to date. In contrast to other lymphoid and nonlymphoid cell lines tested, proliferation of H/RS cells depended on activated NF-kappaB. Furthermore, constitutive NF-kappaB p50-RelA prevented Hodgkin's lymphoma cells from undergoing apoptosis under stress conditions. Consistent with this dual function, Hodgkin's lymphoma cells depleted of constitutive nuclear NF-kappaB revealed strongly impaired tumor growth in severe combined immunodeficient mice. Our findings identify NF-kappaB as an important component for understanding the pathogenesis of Hodgkin's disease and for developing new therapeutic strategies against it.

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Selected References

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