Long noncoding RNA expression in rituximab-sensitive and -resistant diffuse large B-cell lymphoma cell lines

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is an aggressive tumor, killing approximately 200,000 people each year. Rituximab, a recombinant monoclonal CD20 antibody, added to the treatment scheme in 1997 improved both progression-free survival and general survival rate. Despite the existing treatment and relatively high cure rate, 30-40% of the patients develop a relapse or are originally resistant. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been implicated as regulators of numerous important cancer-related processes, including establishment and maintenance of anti-cancer drug resistance. However, their role in DLBCL resistance to the treatment is poorly understood. In this study, we analyzed gene expression in DLBCL cell lines, either sensitive or resistant to rituximab. Overall design: We analyzed the transcription profiles of six DLBCL cell lines, which are either sensitive (n=3) or resistant (n=3) to rituximab, by RNA-seq .