Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), members of the transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta superfamily, are a group of related proteins that are capable of inducing the formation of cartilage and bone but are now regarded as multifunctional cytokines. We show in this report a novel function of BMPs in hematopoietic cells: BMP-2 induces apoptosis not only in human myeloma cell lines (U266, RPMI 82...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to test the efficacy of telomerase inhibitor (TMPyP4 [tetra(N-methyl-4-pyridyl)-porphyrin chloride]; a G-quadruplex-intercalating porphyrin) as a potential therapeutic agent for multiple myeloma. MATERIALS AND METHODS We studied telomere length, telomerase activity, and effect of telomerase inhibition in multiple myeloma cells. Several myeloma cell lines we...

Galectin-3 is a human lectin involved in many cellular processes including differentiation, apoptosis, angiogenesis, neoplastic transformation, and metastasis. We evaluated galectin-3C, an N-terminally truncated form of galectin-3 that is thought to act as a dominant negative inhibitor, as a potential treatment for multiple myeloma (MM). Galectin-3 was expressed at varying levels by all 9 human...

BACKGROUND Metformin is a commonly used drug for the treatment of diabetes. Accumulating evidence suggests that it exerts anti-tumor effects in many cancers, including multiple myeloma (MM); however, the underlying molecular mechanisms have not been clearly elucidated. METHODS The anti-myeloma effects of metformin were evaluated using human MM cell lines (RPMI8226 and U266) in vitro and in vi...

BACKGROUND Production of high levels of IL-6 is often correlated with resistance to cytotoxics or ionizing radiations, in cancer cell lines as in various cancer patients. We investigated whether monoclonal antibodies directed against IL-6 may enable to reverse resistance of cancer cell lines. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We exposed ten haematological cancer cells from lymphoma, myeloma, or ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP), a ubiquitous phosphate polymer with ATP-like bonds, has recently been related to a variety of functions including blood coagulation and cell proliferation. We investigated the effects of polyP in the biology of human plasma cells (PC), responsible for the production and maintenance of antibodies in response to antigens. DESIGN AND MET...