STILB · Investigation of the role of pro-inflammatory TPL2 kinase in Burkitt lymphoma development

Burkitt lymphoma (BL) is an aggressive and fast-growing type of non-Hodgkin B-cell lymphoma, characterised by chromosomal translocations involving MYC in nearly 95% of cases. TPL2 is a cytoplasmic kinase positioned at the intersection of ERK/JNK and NF-κB signaling cascades, and has been characterized as acting either as an oncogene or as a tumor suppressor in diverse solid and hematological malignancies. Preliminary data generated in BL cell lines and primary samples, indicate an inverse correlation between MYC expression and TPL2 levels underpinned by putative direct transcriptional repression. Furthermore, low TPL2 levels have been correlated with enhanced disease aggressiveness in the BL-prone Eμ-myc mouse model. Thus, we hypothesize that any MYC-dependent tuning of TPL2 would directly reprogram pathways that sustain BL growth and stress adaptation. In the proposed project, we will follow a comprehensive experimental approach taking advantage of both human cell lines and mouse models combined with high throughput omics technologies. The proposal will be divided in three intercorrelated work packages. In WP1, we will identify the mechanism by which MYC transcriptionally regulates TPL2 in BL cell lines, by combining genetic engineering, gene regulation and functional analysis. In WP2, we will integrate mouse models and single-cell omics to define the B-cell–intrinsic role of TPL2 in MYC lymphomagenesis in vivo, while in WP3, will be determined whether TPL2 status predicts or modulates response to direct MYC antagonists, through the integration of in vitro and in vivo strategies. The proposed project will give insight into the molecular mechanisms of MYC-mediated regulation of TPL2 expression and function, which is mechanistically important for Burkitt lymphoma and may extend to other MYC-driven malignancies (such as subsets of DLBCL and high-grade lymphomas), thereby supporting biomarker-guided precision therapies with emerging direct MYC inhibitors.