# Characterization of Resistance to PRMT5 Inhibitor Therapy in Mantle Cell Lymphoma

> **NIH NIH F32** · OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY · 2021 · $72,707

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY:
Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an incurable B-cell Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma
with a median survival time of 8-
12 years if treated aggressively.
The vast majority of MCL patients eventually relapse and those with refractory
. Multiple
mutations have been characterized in MCL including those resulting in cell cycle dysregulation and inactivation
of various DNA damage response proteins. In addition to genetic mutations, epigenetic dysregulation,
including aberrant histone and DNA methylation, has been identified in MCL.
disease or who relapse on targeted therapies have a particularly poor prognosis with short survival
Upregulated protein arginine
methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5), an enzyme that results in symmetric dimethylation of histone arginine residues,
is associated with silencing tumor suppressor genes and supporting multiple oncogenic drivers including
CYCLIND1 and MYC. For this reason, PRMT5 has emerged as an attractive therapeutic target to inhibit
lymphoma cell survival and proliferation. Our group in collaboration with Prelude Therapeutics has developed a
small molecule PRMT5 inhibitor (PRT-382) that exhibits significant anti-tumor activity in MCL cell lines (low nM
range) and primary MCL models (10 mg/kg). While the anti-tumor activity of PRMT5 inhibition is encouraging,
we have observed some treated animals to develop drug resistance leading to rapid MCL progression. Multiple
MCL cell lines (Maver-1, Mino, UPN1, and Jeko) also show primary resistance to PRMT5 inhibition based on
their half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) for PRT-382. In addition, prolonged culture of MCL lines with
drug escalation has produced acquired drug resistance in cell lines that persists even after prolonged culture in
the absence of drug. Given the great therapeutic potential of PRMT5 inhibition in the setting of refractory MCL
overall, this proposal seeks to evaluate the mechanisms underlying emergence of PRMT5 inhibitor resistant
phenotypes. To do this, we will utilize next generation sequencing technologies to characterize the epigenetic and
genetic alterations that contribute to these PRMT5 inhibitor resistant phenotypes. A CRISPR loss of function screen
will be used to highlight candidate genes that confer resistance and sensitivity to PRMT5 inhibitor therapy in MCL
lines and aid in biologic validation studies. Several potential markers of increased sensitivity to PRMT5 inhibitor
therapy have and continue to be investigated including MTAP deletion, p53 mutation status, dependency on
other dysregulated PRMTs, and mutations in spliceosome genes. We hypothesize that identification of
compensatory prosurvival pathways that are amplified with PRMT5 inhibitor resistance will lead to the
development of rational strategies to circumvent resistance. Agents that selectively target other key pathways in
MCL in combination with PRMT5 inhibitor therapy will be evaluated in vivo using patient derived xenograft and
double transgenic immunocompetent mu...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10315465
- **Project number:** 1F32CA265099-01
- **Recipient organization:** OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Mackenzie E Long
- **Activity code:** F32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $72,707
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-08-16 → 2023-08-15

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10315465

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10315465, Characterization of Resistance to PRMT5 Inhibitor Therapy in Mantle Cell Lymphoma (1F32CA265099-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10315465. Licensed CC0.

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