The tumor suppressive role of inhibin <bold>β</bold>A in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

INHBA (inhibin βA), a subunit of a ligand of the transforming growth factor-β superfamily, is known to play diverse roles in various solid tumors. However, its role in hematologic malignancies remains unexplored. Here, we investigated the function of INHBA in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Both mRNA and protein levels of INHBA were significantly downregulated in primary DLBCL tissues, irrespective of germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) or non-GCB subtype, compared to those in benign tonsils. The low level of <italic>INHBA</italic> in patients with <italic>de novo</italic> DLBCL was correlated with reduced overall and progression-free survival. Ectopic expression of INHBA in DLBCL cell lines (OCI-Ly01 and SUDHL-10) resulted in reduced cell proliferation, increased spontaneous apoptosis and arrested cell cycle <italic>in vitro</italic> and suppressed xenograft tumor growth <italic>in vivo</italic>. Moreover, INHBA enhanced the chemosensitivity of DLBCL cells. Thus, our results provide novel evidence that INHBA functions as a tumor suppressor in DLBCL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]