Efficacy of treatment with antisense oligonucleotides complementary to immunoglobulin sequences of bcl-2/immunoglobulin fusion transcript in a t(14;18) human lymphoma-scid mouse model.

In t(14;18)-positive lymphoma cells, bcl-2 is expressed from a fusion mRNA transcript containing the full coding sequence of bcl-2 and 3' immunoglobulin sequences. We reported previously that antisense oligodeoxyribonucleotides directed at the bcl-2 translational start site, as well as those targeted to immunoglobulin sequences 3' of the translocation breakpoint, down-regulate bcl-2 and inhibit growth of the t(14;18)-positive lymphoma line WSU-FSCCL in vitro. We have developed a scid mouse model with this human cell line and demonstrate that antisense oligodeoxyribonucleotides targeted to immunoglobulin c(mu) sequences down-regulate bcl-2 protein expression and induce apoptosis of WSU-FSCCL cells in vivo. This leads to prolonged survival of the mice. Targeting non-oncogenic sequences outside of the breakpoints of fusion transcripts may be a clinically useful therapeutic strategy.