Imprinting of Mesenchymal Stromal Cell Transcriptome Persists even after Treatment in Patients with Multiple Myeloma

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a B-cell neoplasm characterized by clonal expansion of malignant plasma cells (MM cells) in the bone-marrow (BM) compartment. BM mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) from newly diagnosed MM patients were shown to be involved in MM pathogenesis and chemoresistance. The patients displayed a distinct transcriptome and were functionally different from healthy donors' (HD) MSC. Our aim was to determine whether MM-MSC also contributed to relapse.

We obtained and characterized patients' MSC samples at diagnosis, two years after intensive treatment, without relapse and at relapse.

Transcriptomic analysis revealed differences in gene expression between HD and MM-MSC, whatever the stage of the disease. An easier differentiation towards adipogenesis at the expense of osteoblatogeneis was observed, even in patients displaying a complete response to treatment. Although their transcriptome was similar, we found that MSC from relapsed patients had an increased immunosuppressive ability, compared to those from patients in remission.

We demonstrated that imprinting of MSC transcriptome demonstrated at diagnosis of MM, persisted even after the apparent disappearance of MM cells induced by treatment, suggesting the maintenance of a local context favorable to relapse.