Abstract
Dexamethasone (Dex), a synthetic glucocorticoid that acts by binding to
the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), has been widely applied to treat
leukemia and lymphoma, however the precise mechanism underlying Dex
action is still not well elucidated. DOT1L, a histone H3-lysine79
(H3K79) methyltransferase, has been linked to multiple cancer types,
particularly mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene rearranged leukemia, but
its contribution to lymphoma is yet to be delineated. Analysis from TCGA
database displayed that DOT1L was highly expressed in lymphoma and
leukemia. In the present study, we initially demonstrated that
DOT1L served as a newly target gene controlled by GR, and
downregulation of DOT1L was critical for the killing of B
lymphoma cells by Dex. Further study revealed that Dex had no impact on
the transcriptional activity of DOT1L promoter, rather it reduced
the mRNA level of DOT1L through decreasing mRNA stability. In
addition, knockdown of DOT1L remarkably inhibited the B lymphoma
cells growth. Overall, our findings indicated that DOT1L may serve as a
potential drug target and a promising biomarker of Dex sensitivity when
it comes to treating B lymphoma.