LAUSR

Burkitt lymphoma/leukemia cells carry t(8;14)(q24;q32) chromosomal translocation encoding IGH/MYC, which results in the constitutive expression of the MYC oncogene. Here, it is demonstrated that untreated and cytarabine (AraC)-treated IGH/MYC–positive Burkitt lymphoma cells accumulate a high number of potentially lethal DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) and display low levels of the BRCA2 tumor suppressor protein, which is a key element of homologous recombination (HR)-mediated DSB repair. BRCA2 deficiency in IGH/MYC–positive cells was associated with diminished HR activity and hypersensitivity to PARP1 inhibitors (olaparib, talazoparib) used alone or in combination with cytarabine in vitro. Moreover, talazoparib exerted a therapeutic effect in NGS mice bearing primary Burkitt lymphoma xenografts. In conclusion, IGH/MYC–positive Burkitt lymphoma/leukemia cells have decreased BRCA2 and are sensitive to PARP1 inhibition alone or in combination with other chemotherapies. Implications: This study postulates that IGH/MYC–induced BRCA2 deficiency may predispose Burkitt lymphoma cells to synthetic lethality triggered by PARP1 inhibitors. Visual Overview: http://mcr.aacrjournals.org/content/molcanres/15/8/967/F1.large.jpg. Mol Cancer Res; 15(8); 967–72. ©2017 AACR. Visual Overview