Early response gene signalling in bryostatin-stimulated primary B chronic lymphocytic leukaemia cells in vitro

The protein kinase C activator bryostatin induces differentiation and antagonizes the effects of tumour-promoting phorbol esters in a number of different cell types. We show here that bryostatin preferentially inhibits phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA)-induced proliferation compared with differentiation in a number of different B chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (BCLL) cell populations examined. By using a panel of 11 early-response gene probes in Northern hybridization analysis, we found that the profile of genes induced in response to bryostatin and PMA was qualitatively similar and displayed comparable sensitivities to inhibition with the serine-threonine kinase inhibitor 1-(5-isoquinolinylsulphonyl)-2-methylpiperazine hydrochloride (H7), consistent with common signalling through protein kinase C. However, the nuclear oncogene. c-myc, which was induced strongly in response to PMA treatment, was only marginally up-regulated by bryostatin. In addition, bryostatin selectively inhibited the magnitude of PMA-responsive induction of c-myc, to a degree commensurate with its antagonistic effects seen at the biological level. Finally, an anti-sense oligonucleotide blockade of c-myc inhibited PMA-induced proliferation but not the differentiation of BCLL cells, implicating this nuclear oncogene as an important determinant distinguishing PMA from bryostatin-coupled biological responses and also as a candidate third-messenger effector target for the anti-tumour effects of bryostatin.