Abstract:
Previous research has established the pivotal role of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) in supporting multiple myeloma (MM) pathogenesis. However, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying this role remain elusive. To investigate this, we established a co-culture system of MM cells (U266) with BMSCs (HS-5), demonstrating that HS-5 significantly promoted U266 proliferation. Subsequent RNA sequencing identified HS-5-induced differentially expressed long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and mRNAs. Pathway enrichment analysis, clinical sample validation, and
in vitro
functional assays were then employed to elucidate the mechanistic basis of HS-5-mediated MM cell proliferation. A total of 79 downregulated RNAs and 619 upregulated RNAs induced by HS-5 were identified. Pathway enrichment analysis of these mRNAs indicated that the pantothenate and coenzyme A biosynthesis pathway functions as a convergence hub enriched by both up-regulated and down-regulated mRNAs, with ENPP1 being enriched in this pathway. Further lncRNA data analysis and validation experiments established lncRNAs OVAAL’s targeting of ENPP1 and HS-5-mediated regulation of OVAAL. Additional
in vitro
experiments showed that OVAAL knockdown reduce the levels of LDH, GLU, and ATP and increase the levels of ROS in MM cells, which were reversed by co-culture with HS-5 cells. Knockdown of ENPP1 significantly suppresseed MM cell proliferation. This suppression could be rescued by co-culture with HS-5 stromal cells. This work indicates that BMSCs drive MM progression via OVAAL upregulation, which activates the ENPP1-mediated cells proliferation and metabolic reprogramming.