Targeting cholesterol metabolism to overcome Zanubrutinib resistance in activated B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
6 affiliations
- 1Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China; Peking University People's Hospital, Peking University Institute of Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Disease, Beijing Key Laboratory of Cell and Gene Therapy for Hematologic Malignancies, Peking University, Beijing, 100044, China
- 2Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China
- 3Department of Hospital Management, Gobroad Healthcare Group, Beijing, 100070, China
- 4General Hospital of Northern Theater Command, Wenhua Road, Shenhe District, Shenyang, 110016, China; Corresponding author.
- 5Department of Hematology, Shandong Provincial Third Hospital, Jinan, 250031, China; Corresponding author.
- 6Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering Medicine, Beihang University, Beijing, 100191, China; Corresponding author.
Abstract
Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor Zanubrutinib shows considerable potential for treating activated B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (ABC-DLBCL). However, its efficacy is often limited by unresolved resistance mechanisms. In this study, we employed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to profile Zanubrutinib-resistant ABC-DLBCL cells and identified pronounced upregulation of cholesterol biosynthesis pathways, accompanied by increased expression of HMGCS1, HMGCR, and CYP51A1 in resistant cells. Interestingly, Zanubrutinib treatment failed to suppress the overexpression of these enzymes, leading to a cholesterol-dependent resistance. Further investigation revealed that this resistance mechanism is accompanied by significant remodeling of the tumor microenvironment, featuring substantial cholesterol accumulation that may be facilitated by CD206 + macrophage-mediated cholesterol efflux. Using an integrative approach guided by scRNA-seq data, we combined connectivity mapping with drug repositioning strategies and identified Atorvastatin, an FDA-approved HMGCR inhibitor, as a promising combinatorial agent with Zanubrutinib. Atorvastatin effectively suppressed cholesterol biosynthesis, while Zanubrutinib mitigated the compensatory upregulation of HMGCS1, HMGCR, and CYP51A1 triggered by Atorvastatin monotherapy, resulting in synergistic anti-tumor activity against resistant DLBCL cells. Additional RNA sequencing and functional assays suggested that downregulation of AID, a crucial regulator of B-cell activity and drug resistance due to its ability to induce genomic instability, may underlie the synergistic effect of this combination. Collectively, our findings support a potential role for cholesterol metabolic reprogramming and AID upregulation in reduced Zanubrutinib sensitivity and provide a preclinical rationale for further evaluation of atorvastatin combined with Zanubrutinib in ABC-DLBCL.
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BibTeX
@article{liu2026targeting,
title = {{Targeting cholesterol metabolism to overcome Zanubrutinib resistance in activated B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma}},
author = {Zhuojun Liu and Tianming Zhang and Ruonan Jia and Chenyue Wu and Fan Yang and Kai Hu and Wei Chen and Peng Cao and Zhe Yu and Jian Yu},
journal = {Medicine in Novel Technology and Devices},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1016/j.medntd.2026.100468},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medntd.2026.100468},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Targeting cholesterol metabolism to overcome Zanubrutinib resistance in activated B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
AU - Zhuojun Liu
AU - Tianming Zhang
AU - Ruonan Jia
AU - Chenyue Wu
AU - Fan Yang
AU - Kai Hu
AU - Wei Chen
AU - Peng Cao
AU - Zhe Yu
AU - Jian Yu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/30
JO - Medicine in Novel Technology and Devices
DO - 10.1016/j.medntd.2026.100468
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.medntd.2026.100468
AB - Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor Zanubrutinib shows considerable potential for treating activated B-cell-like diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (ABC-DLBCL). However, its efficacy is often limited by unresolved resistance mechanisms. In this study, we employed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to profile Zanubrutinib-resistant ABC-DLBCL cells and identified pronounced upregulation of cholesterol biosynthesis pathways, accompanied by increased expression of HMGCS1, HMGCR, and CYP51A1 in resistant cells. Interestingly, Zanubrutinib treatment failed to suppress the overexpression of these enzymes, leading to a cholesterol-dependent resistance. Further investigation revealed that this resistance mechanism is accompanied by significant remodeling of the tumor microenvironment, featuring substantial cholesterol accumulation that may be facilitated by CD206 + macrophage-mediated cholesterol efflux. Using an integrative approach guided by scRNA-seq data, we combined connectivity mapping with drug repositioning strategies and identified Atorvastatin, an FDA-approved HMGCR inhibitor, as a promising combinatorial agent with Zanubrutinib. Atorvastatin effectively suppressed cholesterol biosynthesis, while Zanubrutinib mitigated the compensatory upregulation of HMGCS1, HMGCR, and CYP51A1 triggered by Atorvastatin monotherapy, resulting in synergistic anti-tumor activity against resistant DLBCL cells. Additional RNA sequencing and functional assays suggested that downregulation of AID, a crucial regulator of B-cell activity and drug resistance due to its ability to induce genomic instability, may underlie the synergistic effect of this combination. Collectively, our findings support a potential role for cholesterol metabolic reprogramming and AID upregulation in reduced Zanubrutinib sensitivity and provide a preclinical rationale for further evaluation of atorvastatin combined with Zanubrutinib in ABC-DLBCL.
SN - 2590-0935
ER -