Overexpression of heme oxygenase-1 in microenvironment mediates vincristine resistance of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia by promoting vascular endothelial growth factor secretion.

Chemoresistance often causes treatment failure of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). However, the mechanism remains unclear at present. Herein, overexpression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) was found in the bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) from B-ALL patients developing resistance to vincristine (VCR), a chemotherapeutic agent. Two B-ALL cell lines Super B15 and CCRF-SB were cocultured with BMSCs transfected with lentivirus to regulate the expression of HO-1. Silencing HO-1 expression in BMSCs increased the apoptotic rates of B-ALL cell lines induced by VCR, whereas upregulating HO-1 expression reduced the rate. Cell cycle can be arrested in the G2/M phase by VCR. In contrast, B-ALL cells were arrested in the G0/G1 phase due to HO-1 overexpression in BMSCs, which avoided damage from the G2/M phase. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in BMSCs, as a key factor in the microenvironment-associated chemoresistance, was also positively coexpressed with HO-1. VEGF secretion was markedly increased in BMSCs with HO-1 upregulation but decreased in BMSCs with HO-1 silencing. B-ALL cell lines became resistant to VCR when cultured with VEGF recombinant protein, so VEGF secretion induced by HO-1 expression may promote the VCR resistance of B-ALL cells. As to the molecular mechanism, the PI3K/AKT pathway mediated regulation of VEGF by HO-1. In conclusion, this study clarifies a mechanism by which B-ALL is induced to resist VCR through HO-1 overexpression in BMSCs, and provides a novel strategy for overcoming VCR resistance in clinical practice.