TGFβR-SMAD3 Signaling Induces Resistance to PARP Inhibitors in the Bone Marrow Microenvironment.

Synthetic lethality triggered by PARP inhibitor (PARPi) yields promising therapeutic results. Unfortunately, tumor cells acquire PARPi resistance, which is usually associated with the restoration of homologous recombination, loss of PARP1 expression, and/or loss of DNA double-strand break (DSB) end resection regulation. Here, we identify a constitutive mechanism of resistance to PARPi. We report that the bone marrow micro-environment (BMM) facilitates DSB repair activity in leukemia cells to protect them against PARPi-mediated synthetic lethality. This effect depends on the hypoxia-induced overexpression of transforming growth factor beta receptor (TGF beta R) kinase on malignant cells, which is activated by bone marrow stromal cells-derived transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGF-beta 1). Genetic and/or pharmacological targeting of the TGF-beta 1-TGF beta R kinase axis results in the restoration of the sensitivity of malignant cells to PARPi in BMM and prolongs the survival of leukemia-bearing mice. Our finding may lead to the therapeutic application of the TGFbR inhibitor in patients receiving PARPis.