Activated B-cell-like (ABC) and germinal center B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) represent the 2 major molecular DLBCL subtypes. They are characterized by differences in clinical course and by divergent addiction to oncogenic pathways. To determine activity of novel compounds in these 2 subtypes, we conducted an unbiased pharmacologic in vitro screen. The phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) α/δ (PI3Kα/δ) inhibitor AZD8835 showed marked potency in ABC DLBCL models, whereas the protein kinase B (AKT) inhibitor AZD5363 induced apoptosis in PTEN-deficient DLBCLs irrespective of their molecular subtype. These in vitro results were confirmed in various cell line xenograft and patient-derived xenograft mouse models in vivo. Treatment with AZD8835 induced inhibition of nuclear factor κB signaling, prompting us to combine AZD8835 with the Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib. This combination was synergistic and effective both in vitro and in vivo. In contrast, the AKT inhibitor AZD5363 was effective in PTEN-deficient DLBCLs through downregulation of the oncogenic transcription factor MYC. Collectively, our data suggest that patients should be stratified according to their oncogenic dependencies when treated with PI3K and AKT inhibitors.

p+Na collisions have been investigated theoretically and experimentally at impact energies in the keV regime. We present results for capture and ionization processes, and, in particular, analyse the role of initial inner-shell electrons, whose active participation is identified in the experiments through the analysis of recoil-ion momentum spectra. Quantum-mechanical calculations within the independent particle model have been carried out for all active electrons. A very good overall agreement between the theoretical and experimental results is found. The calculations support the observation that capture from inner shells is an important reaction channel even at relatively low impact energies, and dominates total capture above 40 keV.

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Despite the development of novel targeted drugs, the molecular heterogeneity of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) still poses a major therapeutic challenge. DLBCL can be classified into at least two major subtypes, i.e. germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) and the aggressive activated B-cell-like (ABC) DLBCL, each characterized by specific gene expression profiles and mutation patterns. Here we demonstrate a broad anti-tumor effect of dimethyl fumarate (DMF) on both DLBCL subtypes, which is mediated by the induction of ferroptosis, a form of cell death driven by the peroxidation of phospholipids. Due to high expression of arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase in concert with low glutathione and glutathione peroxidase 4 levels, DMF induces lipid peroxidation and thus ferroptosis particularly in GCB DLBCL. In ABC DLBCL cells, which are addicted to NF-κB and STAT3 survival signaling, DMF treatment efficiently inhibits the activity of the IKK complex and JAK kinases. Interestingly, the BCL-2 specific BH3 mimetic ABT-199 and an inhibitor of ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 synergize with DMF in inducing cell death in DLBCL. Collectively, our findings identify the clinically approved drug DMF as a promising novel therapeutic option in the treatment of both GCB and ABC DLBCL.

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