FBXO10 deficiency and BTK activation upregulate BCL2 expression in mantle cell lymphoma

Targeting Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) by ibrutinib is an effective treatment for patients with relapsed/refractory mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). However, both primary and acquired resistance to ibrutinib have developed in a significant number of these patients. A combinatory strategy targeting multiple oncogenic pathways is critical to enhance the efficacy of ibrutinib. Here, we focus on the BCL2 anti-apoptotic pathway. In a tissue microarray of 62 MCL samples, BCL2 expression positively correlated with BTK expression. Increased levels of BCL2 were shown to be due to a defect in protein degradation because of no or little expression of the E3 ubiquitin ligase FBXO10, as well as transcriptional upregulation through BTK-mediated canonical nuclear factor-κB activation. RNA-seq analysis confirmed that a set of anti-apoptotic genes (for example, BCL2, BCL-XL and DAD1) was downregulated by BTK short hairpin RNA. The downregulated genes also included those that are critical for B-cell growth and proliferation, such as BCL6, MYC, PIK3CA and BAFF-R. Targeting BCL2 by the specific inhibitor ABT-199 synergized with ibrutinib in inhibiting growth of both ibrutinib-sensitive and -resistant cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. These results suggest co-targeting of BTK and BCL2 as a new therapeutic strategy in MCL, especially for patients with primary resistance to ibrutinib.

The spatial-temporal expression and functional divergence of bach homologs in zebrafish Danio rerio

The spatial-temporal expressions of bach1a, bach1b, bach2a and bach2b in early development of zebrafish Danio rerio embryos were examined in the present study by whole mount in situ hybridization. Transcripts of all genes were found at the one cell stage, suggesting that these four genes are maternally inherited. From the phylogenetic analyses, Bach1a and Bach1b from fishes form a well-supported group with two sub-groups. Bach2a and Bach2b, however, did not fall into one clade, suggesting that Bach2 proteins diverged faster or earlier than Bach1 proteins in fishes. The differentially regulated expression of the exocrine zymogen (such as the trypsin-like gene, tryl) of both paralogs of bach1 and bach2, respectively, showed that their functions are still active and already divergent, coinciding with subfunction partitioning.

Abstract P6-18-01: Novel genetic susceptibility loci for inflammatory breast cancer identified by whole exome sequencing

Background: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is an extremely aggressive form of locally advanced breast cancer that affects approximately 5% of breast cancer patients. The prognosis of IBC patients is remarkably poor, with a three-year survival rate of approximately 30% compared to 60% for non-IBC breast cancer patients. The etiology of IBC is largely unknown. A few risk factors have been reported such as body mass index (BMI) and educational level. Prior evidence has also implicated genetic components in IBC etiology. For instance, the reported familial cases and racial incidence disparity of IBC patients, as well as the fact IBC patients typically have a younger age onset than non-IBC patients, all indicated the possible involvement of genetic factors. Nevertheless, as yet no genetic epidemiological study has been reported to evaluate IBC genetic predisposition.

Methods: To test the hypothesis that genetic variants and mutations may affect IBC susceptibility, we performed whole exome sequencing in a pilot case-control study that contained 70 IBC cases and 119 unrelated cancer-free controls. Sequencing data were de-multiplexed, filtered, assessed for various quality control metrics, mapped to reference genome and annotated. Comprehensive single variant-based, gene-centered, and pathway-based analyses were conducted to identify variants, genes, and pathways that may be involved in IBC predisposition.

Results: We obtained > 50x on-target sequencing coverage of the whole exome in > 90% of the patients. In single variant analysis, we identified six variants reaching genome-wide significance. Four variants were encoded by genes that have been implicated in breast cancer development including MALAT1, MAP3K9, POLR3B, and FIP1L1. Two variants were encoded by novel genes that have not been related to breast cancer, including CCDC30 and LINC01565. Two types of analyses based on a gene-centered strategy identified top genes such as SLC39A4, CDHR1, AP5Z1, GNB3, ITGA10, etc. However, possibly due to the limited sample size, none of these genes reached genome-wide significance. Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA), using the complete list of significant genes identified by each of these analyses all reported "cancer" as the highest possible disorder associated with these genes, demonstrating the biological plausibility of our findings. Moreover, canonical pathways such as IL4 signaling, glycogen degradation, epithelial adherence junction signaling, and CCR3 signaling in eosinophils were among the top pathways that were found involved in IBC predisposition.

Conclusion: Overall, we provided novel preliminary evidence that genetic variants are potentially associated with the risk of developing IBC. We are currently conducting validation studies with larger sample sizes are warranted to confirm these findings and identify additional genetic susceptibility loci.

Citation Format: Ye Z, Li B, Wang C, Zhong X, Wei Q, Mu Z, Austin L, Jaslow R, Avery T, Palazzo J, Biederman L, Yang H, Cristofanilli M, IBC Inflammatory Breast Cancer International Consortium. Novel genetic susceptibility loci for inflammatory breast cancer identified by whole exome sequencing. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Thirty-Eighth Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium: 2015 Dec 8-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2016;76(4 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-18-01.

Effects of Graded Levels of Isomaltooligosaccharides on the Performance, Immune Function and Intestinal Status of Weaned Pigs

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of graded levels of isomaltooligosaccharides (IMO) on the performance, immune function and intestinal microflora and intestinal mucosal morphology of weaned pigs. In a 28-day experiment, one hundred eighty, twenty eight-day-old, crossbred (Duroc×Large White×Landrace), weaned pigs, with an initial body weight of 8.19±1.45 kg, were fed either an unsupplemented corn-soybean meal based diet or similar diets supplemented with 0.2%, 0.4%, 0.6%, or 0.8% IMO added at the expense of corn. Each treatment was replicated six times with six pigs (three barrows and three gilts) per pen. From day 0 to 14, weight gain was linearly increased (p<0.05), while gain:feed (p<0.05) was linearly improved and diarrhea rate (p = 0.05) linearly declined as the IMO level increased. On d 14, the level of the immunoglobulins IgA, IgM, and IgG in the serum of pigs were linearly increased (p<0.05) with increasing IMO supplementation. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) was linearly (p<0.05) and quadratically (p<0.05) decreased as IMO intake increased. From day 15 to 28, there was a trend for weight gain to be linearly increased, and IL-2 was linearly (p<0.05) increased as IMO supplementation increased on d 28. Over the entire experiment, weight gain was linearly increased (p<0.05), while gain:feed (p<0.05) was linearly improved and diarrhea rate (p<0.05) was linearly decreased as the IMO level increased. Supplementation with IMO had no effect on the intestinal microflora of pigs in the ileum and cecum of pigs, as well as the villus height and crypt depth in the ileum and jejunum (p>0.05). These results indicate that dietary inclusion of IMO increases weight gain, gain:feed and enhanced the immune status of pigs, and could be a valuable feed additive for use in weaned pigs, particularly during the period immediately after weaning.

Synthesis, physiochemical property and antibacterial activity of gemini quaternary ammonium salts with a rigid spacer

Aggregate morphologies of GQASs change from vesicles and micelles to network aggregates and then to globular vesicles with increase of concentration.

Molecular identification of Echinococcus granulosus on the Tibetan Plateau using mitochondrial DNA markers

Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is an important worldwide zoonotic disease that causes large economic losses and human suffering. Echinococcus granulosus, the causative agent of CE, exhibits different genotypes in different locations. In order to identify its genotypes and analyze its genetic structure on the Tibetan Plateau, we collected 72 hydatid cysts from different intermediate hosts and amplified and sequenced their mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 2 (cox2) genes. Seventy isolates were identified as the E. granulosus G1 genotype, while two isolates belonged to the G6 genotype. There were 18 haplotypes among the 70 E. granulosus isolates, which exhibited a star-like network pattern and shared a common haplotype (H1). There was little difference between geographical sub-populations. Our results suggest that a recent E. granulosus population expansion occurred on the Tibetan Plateau, suggesting that E. granulosus was introduced into China. This study increases the basic molecular data needed for the molecular diagnosis, epidemiology, prevention, and control of Echinococcus diseases.

Crossover from the coffee-ring effect to the uniform deposit caused by irreversible cluster-cluster aggregation

The coffee-ring effect for particle deposition near the three-phase line after drying a pinned sessile colloidal droplet has been suppressed or attenuated in many recent studies. However, there have been few attempts to simulate the mitigation of the effect in the presence of strong particle-particle attraction forces. We develop a three-dimensional stochastic model to investigate the drying process of a pinned colloidal sessile droplet by considering the sticking between particles, which was observed in the experiments. The Monte Carlo simulation results show that by solely promoting the particle-particle attraction in the model, the final deposit shape is transformed from the coffee ring to the uniform film deposition. This phenomenon is modeled using the colloidal aggregation technique and explained by the "Tetris principle," meaning that unevenly shaped or branched particle clusters rapidly build up a sparse structure spanning throughout the entire domain in the drying process. The influence of the controlled parameters is analyzed as well. The simulation is reflected by the drying patterns of the nanofluid droplets through the surfactant control in the experiments.

Drosophila mutants of the autism candidate gene neurobeachin (rugose) exhibit neuro-developmental disorders, aberrant synaptic properties, altered locomotion, and impaired adult social behavior and activity patterns

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder in humans characterized by complex behavioral deficits, including intellectual disability, impaired social interactions, and hyperactivity. ASD exhibits a strong genetic component with underlying multigene interactions. Candidate gene studies have shown that the neurobeachin (NBEA) gene is disrupted in human patients with idiopathic autism ( Castermans et al., 2003 ). The NBEA gene spans the common fragile site FRA 13A and encodes a signal scaffold protein ( Savelyeva et al., 2006 ). In mice, NBEA has been shown to be involved in the trafficking and function of a specific subset of synaptic vesicles. ( Medrihan et al., 2009 ; Savelyeva et al., 2006 ). Rugose (rg) is the Drosophila homolog of the mammalian and human NBEA. Our previous genetic and molecular analyses have shown that rg encodes an A kinase anchor protein (DAKAP 550), which interacts with components of the epidermal growth factor receptor or EGFR and Notch-mediated signaling pathways, facilitating cross talk between these and other pathways ( Shamloula et al., 2002 ). We now present functional data from studies on the larval neuromuscular junction that reveal abnormal synaptic architecture and physiology. In addition, adult rg loss-of-function mutants exhibit defective social interactions, impaired habituation, aberrant locomotion, and hyperactivity. These results demonstrate that Drosophila NBEA (rg) mutants exhibit phenotypic characteristics reminiscent of human ASD and thus could serve as a genetic model for studying ASDs.

Automated two-point dixon screening for the evaluation of hepatic steatosis and siderosis: comparison with R2-relaxometry and chemical shift-based sequences

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the automated two-point Dixon screening sequence for the detection and estimated quantification of hepatic iron and fat compared with standard sequences as a reference.

METHODS

One hundred and two patients with suspected diffuse liver disease were included in this prospective study. The following MRI protocol was used: 3D-T1-weighted opposed- and in-phase gradient echo with two-point Dixon reconstruction and dual-ratio signal discrimination algorithm ("screening" sequence); fat-saturated, multi-gradient-echo sequence with 12 echoes; gradient-echo T1 FLASH opposed- and in-phase. Bland-Altman plots were generated and correlation coefficients were calculated to compare the sequences.

RESULTS

The screening sequence diagnosed fat in 33, iron in 35 and a combination of both in 4 patients. Correlation between R2* values of the screening sequence and the standard relaxometry was excellent (r = 0.988). A slightly lower correlation (r = 0.978) was found between the fat fraction of the screening sequence and the standard sequence. Bland-Altman revealed systematically lower R2* values obtained from the screening sequence and higher fat fraction values obtained with the standard sequence with a rather high variability in agreement.

CONCLUSIONS

The screening sequence is a promising method with fast diagnosis of the predominant liver disease. It is capable of estimating the amount of hepatic fat and iron comparable to standard methods.

KEY POINTS

• MRI plays a major role in the clarification of diffuse liver disease. • The screening sequence was introduced for the assessment of diffuse liver disease. • It is a fast and automated algorithm for the evaluation of hepatic iron and fat. • It is capable of estimating the amount of hepatic fat and iron.

Intramural haematoma of the esophagus: multimodality imaging findings and clinical triad

Intramural haematoma of the esophagus (IHE) is an uncommon clinical condition, which can mimic other cardiothoracic emergencies in both clinical and imaging perspectives. We presented the case of a 54-year-old female who presented to the emergency department with a clinical triad of retrosternal chest pain, odynophagia, and haematemesis for 3 days. Multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) revealed long-segmental, well-defined, isodense mass in postero-lateral wall of esophagus with smooth arc-shaped indentation into the lumen and no obvious enhancement after IV contrast administration. The preserved fat plane between the thickened esophagus and the aorta allows exclusion of aortic dissection. Subsequent esophagogram and endoscopy confirmed the finding of IHE and thus, patient was successfully treated with conservative treatment and discharged uneventfully. Owing to the presence of clinical and image mimickers of IHE, the recognition of clinical triad of retrosternal pain, odynophagia, and haematemesis, and the typical MDCT and esophagographic presentation of submucosal haematoma are important in avoiding misdiagnosis with inappropriate treatment.

Memantine improves spatial learning and memory impairments by regulating NGF signaling in APP/PS1 transgenic mice

Memantine (MEM) is used for improving the cognitive impairments of the patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD) by multiple neuroprotective mechanisms. However, it is still not clear whether nerve growth factor (NGF) signaling is involved in the mechanisms of MEM. The present study investigated the neuroprotective effects of MEM treatment on the cognitive performance and amyloidosis in APP/PS1 transgenic mice, and disclosed the NGF-related mechanism of MEM. We found that MEM treatment improved the cognitive performance by decreasing the escape latency and path length in the navigation test, by shortening the duration in target quadrant and reducing the frequency to pass through the target in probe trial, and by prolonging the latency and decreasing the frequencies of entering the dark compartment in passive avoidance test. The over-expressions of Aβ(1-42) and amyloid precursor protein (APP) were also decreased in the brains of APP/PS1 mice. Interestingly, MEM treatment improved the decreased NGF levels in APP/PS1 mice. Furthermore, NGF/TrkA signaling was activated by increasing the phosphorylation levels of tyrosine kinase (TrkA), proto-oncogene serine/threonine-protein kinase, Raf1 (c-Raf), extracellular regulated protein kinases (ERK)1/2 and cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB) after MEM treatment. Simultaneously, MEM also inhibited NGF/p75(NTR) signaling via decreasing the cleavage substrate of p75(NTR), increasing the JNK2 phosphorylation and decreasing the levels of p53 and cleaved-caspase 3. Therefore, the dual-regulation on NGF signaling was attributed to the improvements of cognitive deficits and Aβ depositions in APP/PS1 mice. In conclusion, MEM treatment activated the NGF/TrkA signaling, and inhibited the p75(NTR) signaling in APP/PS1 mice to ameliorate the behavioral deficits and amyloidosis, indicating that NGF signaling was a new potential target of MEM treatment for AD therapy.

Effects of linseed oil and palm oil on growth performance, tibia fatty acid and biomarkers of bone metabolism in broilers

1. This study was conducted to determine the effects of different dietary fat sources on growth performance, tibia fatty acids and biomarkers of bone metabolism in broilers. 2. One-d-old commercial Arbor Acres broilers were fed with a maize-soya bean basal diet for 42 d, supplemented with oils according to the following 5 treatments: lard (lard group); linseed oil (linseed oil group); palm oil (palm oil group); linseed oil + palm oil (60:40 or 40:60 w/w, LP-1 group and LP-2 group, respectively). 3. No significant differences in weight gain, feed intake and gain/feed ratio were observed between the lard and linseed oil groups. Birds fed on palm oil had significantly greater weight gain and feed intake than those fed on lard or linseed oil. Growth performance in LP-1 and LP-2 was significantly greater than that of single-oil groups. 4. Tibia growth and bone characteristics were not influenced by supplementation with lard, linseed oil, or palm oil alone, but broilers fed on a mixture of fats had significantly greater tibia weight and length compared to broilers fed on linseed oil. Bone mineral density in tibia was significantly increased in LP-1 and LP-2 groups. 5. Supplementation of linseed oil alone or in combination with palm oil enhanced apparent digestibility of calcium, reduced serum calcium and increased tibia calcium concentrations. Moreover, supplementation with linseed oil alone or in combination with palm oil had a positive effect on biomarkers of bone growth. 6. The combination of linseed and palm oils was beneficial for growth performance, tibia growth and biomarkers of bone metabolism.

Pharmacokinetics of anti-IL17A and anti-IL22 peptide-antibody bispecific genetic fusions in mice

The peptide-antibody (Ab) genetic fusion is a promising technology for targeting multiple antigens in a single Ab-like molecule. We have recently described generation and in vitro characterization of several such genetic fusions, using an interleukin (IL)-17A binding peptide and an anti-IL-22 Ab as a model system. In this study we assessed pharmacokinetic profiles of these model genetic fusions in mice. Specifically an IL-17A binding peptide was fused to either the heavy chain or both the heavy and the light chains of an anti-IL22 human IgG1 (referred to Compounds 1 or 2, respectively). Swiss Webster mice were given a single 10 mg/kg IV dose of Compound 1 or Compound 2 and serum concentrations were measured by a fused molecule immunoassay, in which IL-17A was used as a capture and anti-human IgG was used as a detector. In addition, serum samples were assayed using a total human IgG immunoassay. PK parameters were calculated by non-compartmental modeling. The two genetic fusions had similar PK profiles, with total body clearance of ~0.9-1.0 mL/h/kg, volume of distribution at steady-state of ~63-65 mL/kg, and elimination half-life of ~40 h. Our study provides the first characterization of the PK properties of peptide-Ab genetic fusions and suggests that although these genetic fusions appear to be eliminated faster than a typical Ab, the PK profile may be suitable for preclinical and clinical testing.

Second transplants for multiple myeloma relapsing after a previous autotransplant-reduced-intensity allogeneic vs autologous transplantation

There is no standard therapy for multiple myeloma relapsing after an autotransplant. We compared the outcomes of a second autotransplant (N=137) with those of an allotransplant (N=152) after non-myeloablative or reduced-intensity conditioning (NST/RIC) in 289 subjects reported to the CIBMTR from 1995 to 2008. NST/RIC recipients were younger (median age 53 vs 56 years; P<0.001) and had a shorter time to progression after their first autotransplant. Non-relapse mortality at 1-year post transplant was higher in the NST/RIC cohort, 13% (95% confidence interval (CI), 8-19) vs 2% (95% CI, 1-5, P0.001). Three-year PFS and OS for the NST/RIC cohort were 6% (95% CI, 3-10%) and 20% (95% CI, 14-27%). Similar outcomes for the autotransplant cohort were 12% (95% CI, 7-19%, P=0.038) and 46% (95% CI, 37-55%, P=0.001). In multivariate analyses, risk of death was higher in NST/RIC recipients (hazard ratio (HR) 2.38 (95% CI, 1.79-3.16), P<0.001), those with Karnofsky performance score<90 (HR 1.96 (95% CI, 1.47-2.62), P<0.001) and transplant before 2004 (HR 1.77 (95% CI, 1.34-2.35) P0.001). In conclusion, NST/RIC was associated with higher TRM and lower survival than an autotransplant. As disease status was not available for most allotransplant recipients, it is not possible to determine which type of transplant is superior after autotransplant failure.

Screening of feature genes of the renal cell carcinoma with DNA microarray

AIM

To investigate the underlying molecular mechanisms of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) by using the microarray expression profiles of normal kidney and RCC tissue for early diagnosis and treatment of RCC.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The gene expression profile of GES781 was downloaded from Gene Expression Omnibus database, including including nine tissue samples of RCC tissues removed from nine patients and eight adjacent normal renal tissue samples. We identified the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by Multtest package in R software. The screened DEGs were further analyzed by bioinformatics methods. Firstly, the comparison of the DEGs expression degree was performed by cluster analysis. Secondly, DAVID was used to perform functional analysis of up- and down- regulated genes and the protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed by prePPI. Finally, the pathways of genes in PPI networks were discovered by WebGestalt.

RESULTS

Compared with the control, we screened 648 down-regulated and 681 up-regulated DEGs. And the down- and up-regulated DEGs with maximum expression degree were UMOD (uromodulin) and FABP7 (fatty acid binding protein 7), respectively. There was significant difference in the gene expression between the normal kidney and RCC tissue. The up-regulated DEGs in RCC tissue were significantly related to the immune responses and the down-regulated DEGs were significantly related to the oxidation reduction. The most significant pathway in the PPI network of UMOD was cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction.

CONCLUSIONS

The screened DEGs have the potential to become candidate target molecules to monitor, diagnose and treat the RCC, and might be beneficial for the early diagnosis and medication control of RCC.

Predictive performance of reported population pharmacokinetic models of vancomycin in Chinese adult patients

WHAT IS KNOWN AND OBJECTIVE

There are numerous studies on population pharmacokinetics of vancomycin in adult patients. However, there is no such research for Chinese adult patients. This study was conducted to evaluate the predictive performance of reported population pharmacokinetic models of vancomycin in Chinese adult patients and to identify some models appropriate for our population.

METHODS

A literature search was conducted in PubMed to obtain the population pharmacokinetic models of vancomycin published between December 2010 and September 2012. The models were assessed using concentration data collected from Chinese patients for external validation. Models with relatively poor predictability were excluded from further analysis. The performance of the remaining models was evaluated in patients with different levels of creatinine clearance, age, body weight and sex by Bayesian method. This method was also used to compare the predictive performance based on peak concentration and trough concentration and the predictability based on different number of observed concentrations.

RESULTS

One hundred and sixty-five blood concentrations from 72 Chinese adult patients were collected retrospectively to serve as the test data set. The evaluated models included all those reported in the seven publications reviewed by Marsot et al. and three other studies published after December 2010. Three models with poor performance on external validation were excluded from the next Bayesian analysis. The distribution of covariates in the model building data set had an important effect on prediction. The predictability based on peak/trough concentration was similar among the evaluated models, and no significant difference was found using our data set except for Roberts' model. As expected, an increased number of samples improved the performance of the Bayesian prediction.

WHAT IS NEW AND CONCLUSION

With our data set, the performance of the evaluated models varied. The characteristics of the patient population and distribution of covariates should be given more consideration when choosing a model to predict blood concentrations. The model developed by Purwonugroho et al. using a data set from patients similar to ours is appropriate for Bayesian dose predictions for vancomycin concentrations in our population of Chinese adult patients.