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Agathangelidis A, Chatzikonstantinou T, Stamatopoulos K. B-cell receptor immunoglobulin stereotypy in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: Key to understanding disease biology and stratifying patients. Semin Hematol 2024; 61:91-99. [PMID: 38242773 DOI: 10.1053/j.seminhematol.2023.12.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
Sequence convergence, otherwise stereotypy, of B-cell receptor immunoglobulin (BcR IG) from unrelated patients is a distinctive feature of the IG gene repertoire in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) whereby patients expressing a particular BcR IG archetype are classified into groups termed stereotyped subsets. From a biological perspective, the fact that a considerable fraction (∼41%) of patients with CLL express (quasi)identical or stereotyped BcR IG underscores the key role of antigen selection in the natural history of CLL. From a clinical perspective, at odds with the pronounced heterogeneity of CLL at large, patients belonging to the same stereotyped subset display consistent clinical presentation and outcome, including response to treatment, likely as a reflection of consistent biological background. Many major stereotyped subsets were recently shown to have satellites, that is, smaller subsets that are immunogenetically similar. Preliminary evidence supports that this similarity extends to shared biological and even clinical features, with important implications for patient stratification. Consequently, BcR IG stereotypy emerges as a powerful tool for dissecting the heterogeneity of CLL toward refined risk stratification and, eventually, more precise therapeutic interventions.
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MESH Headings
- Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/immunology
- Leukemia, Lymphocytic, Chronic, B-Cell/genetics
- Humans
- Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell/immunology
- Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell/metabolism
- Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- Andreas Agathangelidis
- Division of Genetics & Biotechnology, Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Kostas Stamatopoulos
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece; Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.
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2
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Zhang X, Wang H, Zhang Y, Wang X. Advances in epigenetic alterations of chronic lymphocytic leukemia: from pathogenesis to treatment. Clin Exp Med 2024; 24:54. [PMID: 38492089 PMCID: PMC10944427 DOI: 10.1007/s10238-023-01268-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a heterogeneous disease with alterations in genetic expression and epigenetic modifications. In recent years, the new insight into epigenetics in the pathogenesis of CLL has been developed considerably, including DNA methylation, histone modification, RNA methylation, non-coding RNAs as well as chromatin remodeling. Epigenetic modification regulates various processes such as stem cell biology, cell growth, and tumorigenesis without altering gene sequence. Growing evidence indicates that the disturbance of gene expression profiles which were regulated by epigenetic modifications exerts vital roles in the development and progress in CLL, which provides novel perspectives to explore the etiology of CLL. In addition, the integration with epigenetic therapeutic targets and the in-depth understanding of epigenetic therapy contribute to develop new therapeutic strategies for CLL. Herein, the present review discusses the advances of epigenetic alterations in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, and prognostic assessment of CLL patients and also highlights existing and emerging agents targeting epigenetic regulators.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Zhang
- Department of Hematology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250021, Shandong, China
| | - Hua Wang
- Department of Hematology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, Shandong, China
| | - Ya Zhang
- Department of Hematology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250021, Shandong, China.
- Department of Hematology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, Shandong, China.
- Taishan Scholars Program of Shandong Province, Jinan, 250021, Shandong, China.
| | - Xin Wang
- Department of Hematology, Shandong Provincial Hospital, Shandong University, Jinan, 250021, Shandong, China.
- Department of Hematology, Shandong Provincial Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, 250021, Shandong, China.
- Taishan Scholars Program of Shandong Province, Jinan, 250021, Shandong, China.
- Branch of National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, Jinan, 250021, Shandong, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Hematologic Diseases, the First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, 251006, China.
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3
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Chatzidavid S, Kontandreopoulou CN, Giannakopoulou N, Diamantopoulos PT, Stafylidis C, Kyrtsonis MC, Dimou M, Panayiotidis P, Viniou NA. The Role of Methylation in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and Its Prognostic and Therapeutic Impacts in the Disease: A Systematic Review. Adv Hematol 2024; 2024:1370364. [PMID: 38435839 PMCID: PMC10907108 DOI: 10.1155/2024/1370364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 02/09/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Epigenetic regulation has been thoroughly investigated in recent years and has emerged as an important aspect of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) biology. Characteristic aberrant features such as methylation patterns and global DNA hypomethylation were the early findings of the research during the last decades. The investigation in this field led to the identification of a large number of genes where methylation features correlated with important clinical and laboratory parameters. Gene-specific analyses investigated methylation in the gene body enhancer regions as well as promoter regions. The findings included genes and proteins involved in key pathways that play central roles in the pathophysiology of the disease. Τhe application of these findings beyond the theoretical understanding can not only lead to the creation of prognostic and predictive models and scores but also to the design of novel therapeutic agents. The following is a review focusing on the present knowledge about single gene/gene promoter methylation or mRNA expression in CLL cases as well as records of older data that have been published in past papers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sevastianos Chatzidavid
- Hematology Unit, First Department of Internal Medicine, Laikon General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Disease Center, Laikon General Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Christina-Nefeli Kontandreopoulou
- Hematology Unit, First Department of Internal Medicine, Laikon General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Panagiotis T. Diamantopoulos
- Hematology Unit, First Department of Internal Medicine, Laikon General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Christos Stafylidis
- Hematology Unit, First Department of Internal Medicine, Laikon General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Marie-Christine Kyrtsonis
- Hematology Section of the First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, Laikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Maria Dimou
- Hematology Section of the First Department of Propaedeutic Internal Medicine, Laikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Panayiotis Panayiotidis
- Department of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Unit, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Laikon General Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Nora-Athina Viniou
- Hematology Unit, First Department of Internal Medicine, Laikon General Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- Hematology Department, Iatriko Kentro Palaiou Falirou, Athens, Greece
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4
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Carbo-Meix A, Guijarro F, Wang L, Grau M, Royo R, Frigola G, Playa-Albinyana H, Buhler MM, Clot G, Duran-Ferrer M, Lu J, Granada I, Baptista MJ, Navarro JT, Espinet B, Puiggros A, Tapia G, Bandiera L, De Canal G, Bonoldi E, Climent F, Ribera-Cortada I, Fernandez-Caballero M, De la Banda E, Do Nascimento J, Pineda A, Vela D, Rozman M, Aymerich M, Syrykh C, Brousset P, Perera M, Yanez L, Ortin JX, Tuset E, Zenz T, Cook JR, Swerdlow SH, Martin-Subero JI, Colomer D, Matutes E, Bea S, Costa D, Nadeu F, Campo E. BCL3 rearrangements in B-cell lymphoid neoplasms occur in two breakpoint clusters associated with different diseases. Haematologica 2024; 109:493-508. [PMID: 37560801 PMCID: PMC10828791 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2023.283209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/11/2023] Open
Abstract
The t(14;19)(q32;q13) often juxtaposes BCL3 with immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH) resulting in overexpression of the gene. In contrast to other oncogenic translocations, BCL3 rearrangement (BCL3-R) has been associated with a broad spectrum of lymphoid neoplasms. Here we report an integrative whole-genome sequence, transcriptomic, and DNA methylation analysis of 13 lymphoid neoplasms with BCL3-R. The resolution of the breakpoints at single base-pair revealed that they occur in two clusters at 5' (n=9) and 3' (n=4) regions of BCL3 associated with two different biological and clinical entities. Both breakpoints were mediated by aberrant class switch recombination of the IGH locus. However, the 5' breakpoints (upstream) juxtaposed BCL3 next to an IGH enhancer leading to overexpression of the gene whereas the 3' breakpoints (downstream) positioned BCL3 outside the influence of the IGH and were not associated with its expression. Upstream BCL3-R tumors had unmutated IGHV, trisomy 12, and mutated genes frequently seen in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) but had an atypical CLL morphology, immunophenotype, DNA methylome, and expression profile that differ from conventional CLL. In contrast, downstream BCL3-R neoplasms were atypical splenic or nodal marginal zone lymphomas (MZL) with mutated IGHV, complex karyotypes and mutated genes typical of MZL. Two of the latter four tumors transformed to a large B-cell lymphoma. We designed a novel fluorescence in situ hybridization assay that recognizes the two different breakpoints and validated these findings in 17 independent tumors. Overall, upstream or downstream breakpoints of BCL3-R are mainly associated with two subtypes of lymphoid neoplasms with different (epi)genomic, expression, and clinicopathological features resembling atypical CLL and MZL, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Carbo-Meix
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona
| | - Francesca Guijarro
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Hematopathology Section, laboratory of Pathology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona
| | - Luojun Wang
- Hematopathology Section, laboratory of Pathology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona
| | - Marta Grau
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona
| | - Romina Royo
- Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), Barcelona
| | - Gerard Frigola
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Hematopathology Section, laboratory of Pathology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona
| | - Heribert Playa-Albinyana
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid
| | - Marco M Buhler
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich
| | - Guillem Clot
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona
| | - Marti Duran-Ferrer
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid
| | - Junyan Lu
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Heidelberg
| | - Isabel Granada
- Department of Hematology-Laboratory, Institut Català d'Oncologia, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Josep Carreras Research Institute, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Badalona
| | - Maria-Joao Baptista
- Department of Hematology-Laboratory, Institut Català d'Oncologia, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Josep Carreras Research Institute, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Badalona
| | - Jose-Tomas Navarro
- Department of Hematology-Laboratory, Institut Català d'Oncologia, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Josep Carreras Research Institute, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Badalona
| | - Blanca Espinet
- Molecular Cytogenetics Laboratory, Pathology Department, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain and Translational Research on Hematological Neoplasms Group (GRETNHE) - Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques (IMIM), Barcelona
| | - Anna Puiggros
- Molecular Cytogenetics Laboratory, Pathology Department, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain and Translational Research on Hematological Neoplasms Group (GRETNHE) - Institut Hospital del Mar d'Investigacions Mèdiques (IMIM), Barcelona
| | - Gustavo Tapia
- Department of Pathology, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona
| | - Laura Bandiera
- Anatomia Istologia Patologica e Citogenetica, Dipartimento Ematologia, Oncologia e Medicina Molecolare, Niguarda Cancer Center, Milano
| | - Gabriella De Canal
- Anatomia Istologia Patologica e Citogenetica, Dipartimento Ematologia, Oncologia e Medicina Molecolare, Niguarda Cancer Center, Milano
| | - Emanuela Bonoldi
- Anatomia Istologia Patologica e Citogenetica, Dipartimento Ematologia, Oncologia e Medicina Molecolare, Niguarda Cancer Center, Milano
| | - Fina Climent
- Department o f Pathology, H ospital Universitari d e Bellvitge, I nstitut d'Investigació B iomèdica d e Bellvitge (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet De Llobregat
| | | | - Mariana Fernandez-Caballero
- Department of Hematology-Laboratory, Institut Català d'Oncologia, Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Josep Carreras Research Institute, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Badalona
| | - Esmeralda De la Banda
- Laboratory of Hematology, Hospital Universitari Bellvitge, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), L'Hospitalet De Llobregat
| | | | | | - Dolors Vela
- Hematologia Clínica, Hospital General de Granollers, Granollers
| | - Maria Rozman
- Hematopathology Section, laboratory of Pathology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona
| | - Marta Aymerich
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Hematopathology Section, laboratory of Pathology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona
| | - Charlotte Syrykh
- Department of Pathology, Toulouse University Hospital Center, Cancer Institute University of Toulouse-Oncopole, 1 avenue Irène Joliot-Curie, 31059, Toulouse CEDEX 9
| | - Pierre Brousset
- Department of Pathology, Toulouse University Hospital Center, Cancer Institute University of Toulouse-Oncopole, 1 avenue Irène Joliot-Curie, 31059, Toulouse CEDEX 9, France; INSERM UMR1037 Cancer Research Center of Toulouse (CRCT), ERL 5294 National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), University of Toulouse III Paul-Sabatier, Toulouse, France; Institut Carnot Lymphome CALYM, Laboratoire d'Excellence 'TOUCAN', Toulouse
| | - Miguel Perera
- Hematology Department, Hospital Dr Negrín, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
| | - Lucrecia Yanez
- Hematology Department, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla-Instituto de Investigación Valdecilla (IDIVAL), Santander
| | | | - Esperanza Tuset
- Hematology Department, Institut Català d'Oncologia, Hospital Dr. Josep Trueta, Institut d'Investigació Biomèdica de Girona (IDIBGI), Girona
| | - Thorsten Zenz
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital and University of Zürich, Zurich
| | - James R Cook
- Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH
| | - Steven H Swerdlow
- Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA
| | - Jose I Martin-Subero
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain; Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona
| | - Dolors Colomer
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Hematopathology Section, laboratory of Pathology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain; Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona
| | - Estella Matutes
- Hematopathology Section, laboratory of Pathology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona
| | - Silvia Bea
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Hematopathology Section, laboratory of Pathology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain; Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona
| | - Dolors Costa
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Hematopathology Section, laboratory of Pathology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid
| | - Ferran Nadeu
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid
| | - Elias Campo
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain; Hematopathology Section, laboratory of Pathology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBERONC), Madrid, Spain; Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona.
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5
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Cruz-Miranda GM, Olarte-Carrillo I, Bárcenas-López DA, Martínez-Tovar A, Ramírez-Bello J, Ramos-Peñafiel CO, García-Laguna AI, Cerón-Maldonado R, May-Hau D, Jiménez-Morales S. Transcriptome Analysis in Mexican Adults with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Int J Mol Sci 2024; 25:1750. [PMID: 38339034 PMCID: PMC10855968 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25031750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) represents around 25% of adult acute leukemias. Despite the increasing improvement in the survival rate of ALL patients during the last decade, the heterogeneous clinical and molecular features of this malignancy still represent a major challenge for treatment and achieving better outcomes. To identify aberrantly expressed genes in bone marrow (BM) samples from adults with ALL, transcriptomic analysis was performed using Affymetrix Human Transcriptome Array 2.0 (HTA 2.0). Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) (±2-fold change, p-value < 0.05, and FDR < 0.05) were detected using the Transcriptome Analysis Console. Gene Ontology (GO), Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID), and Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) were employed to identify gene function and define the enriched pathways of DEGs. The protein-protein interactions (PPIs) of DEGs were constructed. A total of 871 genes were differentially expressed, and DNTT, MYB, EBF1, SOX4, and ERG were the top five up-regulated genes. Meanwhile, the top five down-regulated genes were PTGS2, PPBP, ADGRE3, LUCAT1, and VCAN. An association between ERG, CDK6, and SOX4 expression levels and the probability of relapse and death was observed. Regulation of the immune system, immune response, cellular response to stimulus, as well as apoptosis signaling, inflammation mediated by chemokines and cytokines, and T cell activation were among the most altered biological processes and pathways, respectively. Transcriptome analysis of ALL in adults reveals a group of genes consistently associated with hematological malignancies and underscores their relevance in the development of ALL in adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela Marisol Cruz-Miranda
- Programa de Doctorado, Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico; (G.M.C.-M.)
- Laboratorio de Innovación en Medicina de Precisión Núcleo A, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica, Mexico City 14610, Mexico;
| | - Irma Olarte-Carrillo
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Servicio de Hematología, Hospital General de México Dr. Eduardo Liceaga, Mexico City 06720, Mexico; (I.O.-C.); (A.M.-T.)
| | - Diego Alberto Bárcenas-López
- Programa de Doctorado, Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico; (G.M.C.-M.)
- Laboratorio de Innovación en Medicina de Precisión Núcleo A, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica, Mexico City 14610, Mexico;
| | - Adolfo Martínez-Tovar
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Servicio de Hematología, Hospital General de México Dr. Eduardo Liceaga, Mexico City 06720, Mexico; (I.O.-C.); (A.M.-T.)
| | - Julian Ramírez-Bello
- Subdirección de Investigación Clínica, Instituto Nacional de Cardiología Ignacio Chávez, Mexico City 14080, Mexico
| | | | - Anel Irais García-Laguna
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Servicio de Hematología, Hospital General de México Dr. Eduardo Liceaga, Mexico City 06720, Mexico; (I.O.-C.); (A.M.-T.)
| | - Rafael Cerón-Maldonado
- Programa de Doctorado, Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Mexico City 04510, Mexico; (G.M.C.-M.)
- Laboratorio de Biología Molecular, Servicio de Hematología, Hospital General de México Dr. Eduardo Liceaga, Mexico City 06720, Mexico; (I.O.-C.); (A.M.-T.)
| | - Didier May-Hau
- Laboratorio de Innovación en Medicina de Precisión Núcleo A, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica, Mexico City 14610, Mexico;
| | - Silvia Jiménez-Morales
- Laboratorio de Innovación en Medicina de Precisión Núcleo A, Instituto Nacional de Medicina Genómica, Mexico City 14610, Mexico;
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Tsagiopoulou M, Gut IG. Machine learning and multi-omics data in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: the future of precision medicine? Front Genet 2024; 14:1304661. [PMID: 38283149 PMCID: PMC10811210 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2023.1304661] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/27/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a complex and heterogeneous hematological malignancy. The advance of high-throughput multi-omics technologies has significantly influenced chronic lymphocytic leukemia research and paved the way for precision medicine approaches. In this review, we explore the role of machine learning in the analysis of multi-omics data in this hematological malignancy. We discuss recent literature on different machine learning models applied to single omic studies in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, with a special focus on the potential contributions to precision medicine. Finally, we highlight the recently published machine learning applications in multi-omics data in this area of research as well as their potential and limitations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Ivo G. Gut
- Centro Nacional de Analisis Genomico (CNAG), Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Barcelona, Spain
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7
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Kyritsis KA, Pechlivanis N, Psomopoulos F. Software pipelines for RNA-Seq, ChIP-Seq and germline variant calling analyses in common workflow language (CWL). FRONTIERS IN BIOINFORMATICS 2023; 3:1275593. [PMID: 38025398 PMCID: PMC10662043 DOI: 10.3389/fbinf.2023.1275593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Automating data analysis pipelines is a key requirement to ensure reproducibility of results, especially when dealing with large volumes of data. Here we assembled automated pipelines for the analysis of High-throughput Sequencing (HTS) data originating from RNA-Seq, ChIP-Seq and Germline variant calling experiments. We implemented these workflows in Common workflow language (CWL) and evaluated their performance by: i) reproducing the results of two previously published studies on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL), and ii) analyzing whole genome sequencing data from four Genome in a Bottle Consortium (GIAB) samples, comparing the detected variants against their respective golden standard truth sets. Findings: We demonstrated that CWL-implemented workflows clearly achieved high accuracy in reproducing previously published results, discovering significant biomarkers and detecting germline SNP and small INDEL variants. Conclusion: CWL pipelines are characterized by reproducibility and reusability; combined with containerization, they provide the ability to overcome issues of software incompatibility and laborious configuration requirements. In addition, they are flexible and can be used immediately or adapted to the specific needs of an experiment or study. The CWL-based workflows developed in this study, along with version information for all software tools, are publicly available on GitHub (https://github.com/BiodataAnalysisGroup/CWL_HTS_pipelines) under the MIT License. They are suitable for the analysis of short-read (such as Illumina-based) data and constitute an open resource that can facilitate automation, reproducibility and cross-platform compatibility for standard bioinformatic analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos A. Kyritsis
- Institute of Applied Biosciences (INAB), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Pechlivanis
- Institute of Applied Biosciences (INAB), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Thessaloniki, Greece
- Department of Genetics, Development and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Fotis Psomopoulos
- Institute of Applied Biosciences (INAB), Centre for Research and Technology Hellas (CERTH), Thessaloniki, Greece
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8
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Iatrou A, Gounari M, Sofou E, Zaragoza-Infante L, Markopoulos I, Sarrigeorgiou I, Petrakis G, Pechlivanis N, Roumeliotou-Dimou M, Panayiotidis P, Stamatopoulos B, Gkanidou M, Sandaltzopoulos R, Degano M, Koletsa T, Lymberi P, Psomopoulos F, Ghia P, Agathangelidis A, Chatzidimitriou A, Stamatopoulos K. N-Glycosylation of the Ig Receptors Shapes the Antigen Reactivity in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Subset #201. JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY (BALTIMORE, MD. : 1950) 2023; 211:743-754. [PMID: 37466373 DOI: 10.4049/jimmunol.2300330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Abstract
Subset #201 is a clinically indolent subgroup of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia defined by the expression of stereotyped, mutated IGHV4-34/IGLV1-44 BCR Ig. Subset #201 is characterized by recurrent somatic hypermutations (SHMs) that frequently lead to the creation and/or disruption of N-glycosylation sites within the Ig H and L chain variable domains. To understand the relevance of this observation, using next-generation sequencing, we studied how SHM shapes the subclonal architecture of the BCR Ig repertoire in subset #201, particularly focusing on changes in N-glycosylation sites. Moreover, we profiled the Ag reactivity of the clonotypic BCR Ig expressed as rmAbs. We found that almost all analyzed cases from subset #201 carry SHMs potentially affecting N-glycosylation at the clonal and/or subclonal level and obtained evidence for N-glycan occupancy in SHM-induced novel N-glycosylation sites. These particular SHMs impact (auto)antigen recognition, as indicated by differences in Ag reactivity between the authentic rmAbs and germline revertants of SHMs introducing novel N-glycosylation sites in experiments entailing 1) flow cytometry for binding to viable cells, 2) immunohistochemistry against various human tissues, 3) ELISA against microbial Ags, and 4) protein microarrays testing reactivity against multiple autoantigens. On these grounds, N-glycosylation appears as relevant for the natural history of at least a fraction of Ig-mutated chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Moreover, subset #201 emerges as a paradigmatic case for the role of affinity maturation in the evolution of Ag reactivity of the clonotypic BCR Ig.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anastasia Iatrou
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Maria Gounari
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Electra Sofou
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Laura Zaragoza-Infante
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Ioannis Markopoulos
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Ioannis Sarrigeorgiou
- Immunology Laboratory, Immunology Department, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
| | - Georgios Petrakis
- Pathology Department, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Pechlivanis
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Maria Roumeliotou-Dimou
- Hematology Section of the First Department of Propedeutic Internal Medicine, Laikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Panagiotis Panayiotidis
- Hematology Section of the First Department of Propedeutic Internal Medicine, Laikon University Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Basile Stamatopoulos
- Laboratory of Clinical Cell Therapy, Jules Bordet Institute, Free University of Brussels, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Maria Gkanidou
- Blood Transfusion Department, G. Papanikolaou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Rafael Sandaltzopoulos
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | - Massimo Degano
- Biocrystallography Unit, Division of Immunology, Transplantation, and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Triantafyllia Koletsa
- Pathology Department, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Peggy Lymberi
- Immunology Laboratory, Immunology Department, Hellenic Pasteur Institute, Athens, Greece
| | - Fotis Psomopoulos
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Paolo Ghia
- Division of Experimental Oncology, IRCCS Scientific Institute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Andreas Agathangelidis
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Department of Biology, School of Science, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Anastasia Chatzidimitriou
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kostas Stamatopoulos
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research & Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
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9
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Panda D, Das N, Thakral D, Gupta R. Genomic landscape of mature B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas - an appraisal from lymphomagenesis to drug resistance. J Egypt Natl Canc Inst 2022; 34:52. [PMID: 36504392 DOI: 10.1186/s43046-022-00154-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Mature B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas are one of the most common hematological malignancies with a divergent clinical presentation, phenotype, and course of disease regulated by underlying genetic mechanism. MAIN BODY Genetic and molecular alterations are not only critical for lymphomagenesis but also largely responsible for differing therapeutic response in these neoplasms. In recent years, advanced molecular tools have provided a deeper understanding regarding these oncogenic drives for predicting progression as well as refractory behavior in these diseases. The prognostic models based on gene expression profiling have also been proved effective in various clinical scenarios. However, considerable overlap does exist between the genotypes of individual lymphomas and at the same time where additional molecular lesions may be associated with each entity apart from the key genetic event. Therefore, genomics is one of the cornerstones in the multimodality approach essential for classification and risk stratification of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas. CONCLUSION We hereby in this review discuss the wide range of genetic aberrancies associated with tumorigenesis, immune escape, and chemoresistance in major B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Devasis Panda
- Department of Laboratory Oncology, Dr. BRAIRCH, AIIMS, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Nupur Das
- Department of Laboratory Oncology, Dr. BRAIRCH, AIIMS, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Deepshi Thakral
- Department of Laboratory Oncology, Dr. BRAIRCH, AIIMS, New Delhi, 110029, India
| | - Ritu Gupta
- Department of Laboratory Oncology, Dr. BRAIRCH, AIIMS, New Delhi, 110029, India.
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10
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Pokorna Z, Hrabal V, Tichy V, Vojtesek B, Coates PJ. DNA Demethylation Switches Oncogenic ΔNp63 to Tumor Suppressive TAp63 in Squamous Cell Carcinoma. Front Oncol 2022; 12:924354. [PMID: 35912167 PMCID: PMC9331744 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.924354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The TP63 gene encodes two major protein variants; TAp63 contains a p53-like transcription domain and consequently has tumor suppressor activities whereas ΔNp63 lacks this domain and acts as an oncogene. The two variants show distinct expression patterns in normal tissues and tumors, with lymphocytes and lymphomas/leukemias expressing TAp63, and basal epithelial cells and some carcinomas expressing high levels of ΔNp63, most notably squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). Whilst the transcriptional functions of TAp63 and ΔNp63 isoforms are known, the mechanisms involved in their regulation are poorly understood. Using squamous epithelial cells that contain high levels of ΔNp63 and low/undetectable TAp63, the DNA demethylating agent decitabine (5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine, 5-dAza) caused a dose-dependent increase in TAp63, with a simultaneous reduction in ΔNp63, indicating DNA methylation-dependent regulation at the isoform-specific promoters. The basal cytokeratin KRT5, a direct ΔNp63 transcriptional target, was also reduced, confirming functional alteration of p63 activity after DNA demethylation. We also showed high level methylation of three CpG sites in the TAP63 promoter in these cells, which was reduced by decitabine. DNMT1 depletion using inducible shRNAs partially replicated these effects, including an increase in the ratio of TAP63:ΔNP63 mRNAs, a reduction in ΔNp63 protein and reduced KRT5 mRNA levels. Finally, high DNA methylation levels were found at the TAP63 promoter in clinical SCC samples and matched normal tissues. We conclude that DNA methylation at the TAP63 promoter normally silences transcription in squamous epithelial cells, indicating DNA methylation as a therapeutic approach to induce this tumor suppressor in cancer. That decitabine simultaneously reduced the oncogenic activity of ΔNp63 provides a “double whammy” for SCC and other p63-positive carcinomas. Whilst a variety of mechanisms may be involved in producing the opposite effects of DNA demethylation on TAp63 and ΔNp63, we propose an “either or” mechanism in which TAP63 transcription physically interferes with the ability to initiate transcription from the downstream ΔNP63 promoter on the same DNA strand. This mechanism can explain the observed inverse expression of p63 isoforms in normal cells and cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Pokorna
- Research Center of Applied Molecular Oncology (RECAMO), Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno, Czechia
| | - Vaclav Hrabal
- Research Center of Applied Molecular Oncology (RECAMO), Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno, Czechia
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czechia
| | - Vlastimil Tichy
- Research Center of Applied Molecular Oncology (RECAMO), Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno, Czechia
| | - Borivoj Vojtesek
- Research Center of Applied Molecular Oncology (RECAMO), Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno, Czechia
| | - Philip J. Coates
- Research Center of Applied Molecular Oncology (RECAMO), Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno, Czechia
- *Correspondence: Philip J. Coates,
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11
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The TΑp63/BCL2 Axis Represents A Novel Mechanism Of Clinical Aggressiveness In Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Blood Adv 2022; 6:2646-2656. [PMID: 35235952 PMCID: PMC9043946 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2021006348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
High expression of TAp63 is linked to adverse clinical outcomes in CLL. TAp63 contributes to the antiapoptotic phenotype of CLL cells, likely through modulating BCL2 protein expression.
The TA-isoform of the p63 transcription factor (TAp63) has been reported to contribute to clinical aggressiveness in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in a hitherto elusive way. Here, we sought to further understand and define the role of TAp63 in the pathophysiology of CLL. First, we found that elevated TAp63 expression levels are linked with adverse clinical outcomes, including disease relapse and shorter time-to-first treatment and overall survival. Next, prompted by the fact that TAp63 participates in an NF-κB/TAp63/BCL2 antiapoptotic axis in activated mature, normal B cells, we explored molecular links between TAp63 and BCL2 also in CLL. We documented a strong correlation at both the protein and the messenger RNA (mRNA) levels, alluding to the potential prosurvival role of TAp63. This claim was supported by inducible downregulation of TAp63 expression in the MEC1 CLL cell line using clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) system, which resulted in downregulation of BCL2 expression. Next, using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) sequencing, we examined whether BCL2 might constitute a transcriptional target of TAp63 and identified a significant binding profile of TAp63 in the BCL2 gene locus, across a genomic region previously characterized as a super enhancer in CLL. Moreover, we identified high-confidence TAp63 binding regions in genes mainly implicated in immune response and DNA-damage procedures. Finally, we found that upregulated TAp63 expression levels render CLL cells less responsive to apoptosis induction with the BCL2 inhibitor venetoclax. On these grounds, TAp63 appears to act as a positive modulator of BCL2, hence contributing to the antiapoptotic phenotype that underlies clinical aggressiveness and treatment resistance in CLL.
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12
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Tsagiopoulou M, Pechlivanis N, Maniou M, Psomopoulos F. InterTADs: integration of multi-omics data on topologically associated domains, application to chronic lymphocytic leukemia. NAR Genom Bioinform 2022; 4:lqab121. [PMID: 35047813 PMCID: PMC8759567 DOI: 10.1093/nargab/lqab121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The integration of multi-omics data can greatly facilitate the advancement of research in Life Sciences by highlighting new interactions. However, there is currently no widespread procedure for meaningful multi-omics data integration. Here, we present a robust framework, called InterTADs, for integrating multi-omics data derived from the same sample, and considering the chromatin configuration of the genome, i.e. the topologically associating domains (TADs). Following the integration process, statistical analysis highlights the differences between the groups of interest (normal versus cancer cells) relating to (i) independent and (ii) integrated events through TADs. Finally, enrichment analysis using KEGG database, Gene Ontology and transcription factor binding sites and visualization approaches are available. We applied InterTADs to multi-omics datasets from 135 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and found that the integration through TADs resulted in a dramatic reduction of heterogeneity compared to individual events. Significant differences for individual events and on TADs level were identified between patients differing in the somatic hypermutation status of the clonotypic immunoglobulin genes, the core biological stratifier in CLL, attesting to the biomedical relevance of InterTADs. In conclusion, our approach suggests a new perspective towards analyzing multi-omics data, by offering reasonable execution time, biological benchmarking and potentially contributing to pattern discovery through TADs.
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13
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Gerousi M, Laidou S, Gemenetzi K, Stamatopoulos K, Chatzidimitriou A. Distinctive Signaling Profiles With Distinct Biological and Clinical Implications in Aggressive CLL Subsets With Stereotyped B-Cell Receptor Immunoglobulin. Front Oncol 2021; 11:771454. [PMID: 34804974 PMCID: PMC8595110 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.771454] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The ontogeny and evolution of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) are critically dependent on interactions between leukemic cells and their microenvironment, including antigens, the latter recognized through the clonotypic B-cell receptor immunoglobulin (BcR IG). Antigen selection is key to the pathogenesis of CLL, as evidenced by the remarkable skewing of the BcR IG gene repertoire, culminating in BcR IG stereotypy, referring to the existence of subsets of patients with (quasi)identical BcR IG. Notably, certain of these subsets have been found to display distinct, subset-biased biological background, clinical presentation, and outcome, including the response to treatment. This points to BcR IG centrality while also emphasizing the need to dissect the signaling pathways triggered by the distinctive BcR IG expressed by different subsets, particularly those with aggressive clinical behavior. In this mini-review, we discuss the current knowledge on the implicated signaling pathways as well as the recurrent gene mutations in these pathways that characterize major aggressive stereotyped subsets. Special emphasis is given on the intertwining of BcR IG and Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling and the molecular characterization of signaling activation, which has revealed novel players implicated in shaping clinical aggressiveness in CLL, e.g., the histone methyltransferase EZH2 and the transcription factor p63.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Gerousi
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Stamatia Laidou
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Katerina Gemenetzi
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Kostas Stamatopoulos
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece.,Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Anastasia Chatzidimitriou
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece.,Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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14
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Choudhury SR, Dutta S, Bhaduri U, Rao MRS. LncRNA Hmrhl regulates expression of cancer related genes in chronic myelogenous leukemia through chromatin association. NAR Cancer 2021; 3:zcab042. [PMID: 34734184 PMCID: PMC8559160 DOI: 10.1093/narcan/zcab042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Long non-coding RNA has emerged as a key regulator of myriad gene functions. One such lncRNA mrhl, reported by our group, was found to have important role in spermatogenesis and embryonic development in mouse. Recently, its human homolog, Hmrhl was shown to have differential expression in several type of cancers. In the present study, we further characterize molecular features of Hmrhl and gain insight into its functional role in leukemia by gene silencing and transcriptome-based studies. Results indicate its high expression in CML patient samples as well as in K562 cell line. Silencing experiments suggest role of Hmrhl in cell proliferation, migration & invasion. RNA-seq and ChiRP-seq data analysis further revealed its association with important biological processes, including perturbed expression of crucial TFs and cancer-related genes. Among them ZIC1, PDGRFβ and TP53 were identified as regulatory targets, with high possibility of triplex formation by Hmrhl at their promoter site. Further, overexpression of PDGRFβ in Hmrhl silenced cells resulted in rescue effect of cancer associated cellular phenotypes. In addition, we also found TAL-1 to be a potential regulator of Hmrhl expression in K562 cells. Thus, we hypothesize that Hmrhl lncRNA may play a significant role in the pathobiology of CML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Subhendu Roy Choudhury
- Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advance Scientific Research, Bangalore, India
| | - Sangeeta Dutta
- Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advance Scientific Research, Bangalore, India
| | - Utsa Bhaduri
- Molecular Biology and Genetics Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advance Scientific Research, Bangalore, India
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15
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Koutroumani M, Laidou S, Kotta K, Stamatopoulos K. TAp63 and BCL2 expression are co-affected by cell-extrinsic signals in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Leuk Lymphoma 2021; 62:3288-3291. [PMID: 34323626 DOI: 10.1080/10428194.2021.1957870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Koutroumani
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Stamatia Laidou
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Konstantia Kotta
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Kostas Stamatopoulos
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece.,Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
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16
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Higher-order connections between stereotyped subsets: implications for improved patient classification in CLL. Blood 2021; 137:1365-1376. [PMID: 32992344 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2020007039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/04/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by the existence of subsets of patients with (quasi)identical, stereotyped B-cell receptor (BcR) immunoglobulins. Patients in certain major stereotyped subsets often display remarkably consistent clinicobiological profiles, suggesting that the study of BcR immunoglobulin stereotypy in CLL has important implications for understanding disease pathophysiology and refining clinical decision-making. Nevertheless, several issues remain open, especially pertaining to the actual frequency of BcR immunoglobulin stereotypy and major subsets, as well as the existence of higher-order connections between individual subsets. To address these issues, we investigated clonotypic IGHV-IGHD-IGHJ gene rearrangements in a series of 29 856 patients with CLL, by far the largest series worldwide. We report that the stereotyped fraction of CLL peaks at 41% of the entire cohort and that all 19 previously identified major subsets retained their relative size and ranking, while 10 new ones emerged; overall, major stereotyped subsets had a cumulative frequency of 13.5%. Higher-level relationships were evident between subsets, particularly for major stereotyped subsets with unmutated IGHV genes (U-CLL), for which close relations with other subsets, termed "satellites," were identified. Satellite subsets accounted for 3% of the entire cohort. These results confirm our previous notion that major subsets can be robustly identified and are consistent in relative size, hence representing distinct disease variants amenable to compartmentalized research with the potential of overcoming the pronounced heterogeneity of CLL. Furthermore, the existence of satellite subsets reveals a novel aspect of repertoire restriction with implications for refined molecular classification of CLL.
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17
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Pokorná Z, Vysloužil J, Hrabal V, Vojtěšek B, Coates PJ. The foggy world(s) of p63 isoform regulation in normal cells and cancer. J Pathol 2021; 254:454-473. [PMID: 33638205 DOI: 10.1002/path.5656] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Revised: 02/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The p53 family member p63 exists as two major protein variants (TAp63 and ΔNp63) with distinct expression patterns and functional properties. Whilst downstream target genes of p63 have been studied intensively, how p63 variants are themselves controlled has been relatively neglected. Here, we review advances in understanding ΔNp63 and TAp63 regulation, highlighting their distinct pathways. TAp63 has roles in senescence and metabolism, and in germ cell genome maintenance, where it is activated post-transcriptionally by phosphorylation cascades after DNA damage. The function and regulation of TAp63 in mesenchymal and haematopoietic cells is less clear but may involve epigenetic control through DNA methylation. ΔNp63 functions to maintain stem/progenitor cells in various epithelia and is overexpressed in squamous and certain other cancers. ΔNp63 is transcriptionally regulated through multiple enhancers in concert with chromatin modifying proteins. Many signalling pathways including growth factors, morphogens, inflammation, and the extracellular matrix influence ΔNp63 levels, with inconsistent results reported. There is also evidence for reciprocal regulation, including ΔNp63 activating its own transcription. ΔNp63 is downregulated during cell differentiation through transcriptional regulation, while post-transcriptional events cause proteasomal degradation. Throughout the review, we identify knowledge gaps and highlight discordances, providing potential explanations including cell-context and cell-matrix interactions. Identifying individual p63 variants has roles in differential diagnosis and prognosis, and understanding their regulation suggests clinically approved agents for targeting p63 that may be useful combination therapies for selected cancer patients. © 2021 The Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zuzana Pokorná
- Research Centre of Applied Molecular Oncology (RECAMO), Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Vysloužil
- Research Centre of Applied Molecular Oncology (RECAMO), Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Václav Hrabal
- Research Centre of Applied Molecular Oncology (RECAMO), Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno, Czech Republic.,Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Borˇivoj Vojtěšek
- Research Centre of Applied Molecular Oncology (RECAMO), Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Philip J Coates
- Research Centre of Applied Molecular Oncology (RECAMO), Masaryk Memorial Cancer Institute, Brno, Czech Republic
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18
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Prognostic value of aberrantly expressed methylation genes in human hepatocellular carcinoma. Biosci Rep 2021; 40:226463. [PMID: 32955083 PMCID: PMC7536330 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20192593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2019] [Revised: 08/19/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Objectives: To identify the prognostic value of aberrantly methylated differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and to explore the underlying mechanisms of tumorigenesis. Methods: Gene expression profiles (GSE65372 and GSE37988) were analyzed using GEO2R to obtain aberrantly methylated DEGs. Functional enrichment analysis of screened genes was performed by the Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery (DAVID). Cytoscape software was used to analyze the PPI network and to select hub genes. Transcriptional and proteinic expression data of hub genes were obtained through UALCAN and the Human Protein Reference Database. Finally, we analyzed the prognostic value of hub genes with the Kaplan–Meier Plotter and MethSurv database. Results: In total, 24 up-hypomethylated oncogenes and 37 down-hypermethylated tumor suppressor genes (TSGs) were identified, and 8 hub genes, including 4 up-hypomethylated oncogenes (CDC5L, MERTK, RHOA and YBX1) and 4 down-hypermethylated TSGs (BCR, DFFA, SCUBE2 and TP63), were selected by PPI. Higher expression of methylated CDC5L-cg05671347, MERTK-cg08279316, RHOA-cg05657651 and YBX1-cg16306148, and lower expression of methylated BCR-cg25410636, DFFA-cg20696875, SCUBE2-cg19000089 and TP63-cg06520450, were associated with better overall survival (OS) in HCC patients. Multivariate analysis also showed they were independent prognostic factors for OS of HCC patients. Conclusions: In summary, different expression of methylated genes above mentioned were associated with better prognosis in HCC patients. Altering the methylation status of these genes may be a therapeutic target for HCC, but it should be further evaluated in clinical studies.
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19
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Gavriilidis GI, Ntoufa S, Papakonstantinou N, Kotta K, Koletsa T, Chartomatsidou E, Moysiadis T, Stavroyianni N, Anagnostopoulos A, Papadaki E, Tsiftsoglou AS, Stamatopoulos K. Stem cell factor is implicated in microenvironmental interactions and cellular dynamics of chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Haematologica 2021; 106:692-700. [PMID: 32336682 PMCID: PMC7927890 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2019.236513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The inflammatory cytokine stem cell factor (SCF, ligand of c-kit receptor)
has been implicated as a pro-oncogenic driver and an adverse
prognosticator in several human cancers. Increased SCF levels have
recently been reported in a small series of patients with chronic lymphocytic
leukemia (CLL), however its precise role in CLL pathophysiology
remains elusive. In this study, CLL cells were found to express predominantly
the membrane isoform of SCF, which is known to elicit a more
robust activation of the c-kit receptor. SCF was significantly overexpressed
in CLL cells compared to healthy tonsillar B cells and it correlated with
adverse prognostic biomarkers, shorter time-to-first treatment and shorter
overall survival. Activation of immune receptors and long-term cell-cell
interactions with the mesenchymal stroma led to an elevation of SCF primarily
in CLL cases with an adverse prognosis. Contrariwise, suppression
of oxidative stress and the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib lowered SCF levels.
Interestingly, SCF significantly correlated with mitochondrial dynamics
and hypoxia-inducible factor-1a which have previously been linked with
clinical aggressiveness in CLL. SCF was able to elicit direct biological
effects in CLL cells, affecting redox homeostasis and cell proliferation.
Overall, the aberrantly expressed SCF in CLL cells emerges as a key
response regulator to microenvironmental stimuli while correlating with
poor prognosis. On these grounds, specific targeting of this inflammatory
molecule could serve as a novel therapeutic approach in CLL.
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Affiliation(s)
- George I Gavriilidis
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Stavroula Ntoufa
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Nikos Papakonstantinou
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Konstantia Kotta
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Triantafyllia Koletsa
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Elisavet Chartomatsidou
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Theodoros Moysiadis
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece,Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Niki Stavroyianni
- Hematology Department and HCT Unit, G. Papanicolaou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | | | - Eleni Papadaki
- Department of Medicine, University of Crete, Heraklion, Greece
| | - Asterios S Tsiftsoglou
- Laboratory of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Kostas Stamatopoulos
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece,Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
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20
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Gemenetzi K, Agathangelidis A, Zaragoza-Infante L, Sofou E, Papaioannou M, Chatzidimitriou A, Stamatopoulos K. B Cell Receptor Immunogenetics in B Cell Lymphomas: Immunoglobulin Genes as Key to Ontogeny and Clinical Decision Making. Front Oncol 2020; 10:67. [PMID: 32083012 PMCID: PMC7006488 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.00067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/15/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The clonotypic B cell receptor immunoglobulin (BcR IG) plays a seminal role in B cell lymphoma development and evolution. From a clinical perspective, this view is supported by the remarkable therapeutic efficacy of BcR signaling inhibitors, even among heavily pre-treated, relapsed/refractory patients. This clinical development complements immunogenetic evidence for antigen drive in the natural history of these tumors. Indeed, BcR IG gene repertoire biases have been documented in different B cell lymphoma subtypes, alluding to selection of B cell progenitors that express particular BcR IG. Moreover, distinct entities display imprints of somatic hypermutation within the clonotypic BcR IG gene following patterns that strengthen the argument for antigen selection. Of note, at least in certain B cell lymphomas, the BcR IG genes are intraclonally diversified, likely in a context of ongoing interactions with antigen(s). Moreover, BcR IG gene repertoire profiling suggests that unique immune pathways lead to distinct B cell lymphomas through targeting cells at different stages in the B cell differentiation trajectory (e.g., germinal center B cells in follicular lymphoma, FL). Regarding the implicated antigens, although their precise nature remains to be fully elucidated, immunogenetic analysis has offered important hints by revealing similarities between the BcR IG of particular lymphomas and B cell clones with known antigenic specificity: this has paved the way to functional studies that identified relevant antigenic determinants of classes of structurally similar epitopes. Finally, in certain tumors, most notably chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), immunogenetic analysis has also proven instrumental in accurate patient risk stratification since cases with differing BcR IG gene sequence features follow distinct disease courses and respond differently to particular treatment modalities. Overall, delving into the BcR IG gene sequences emerges as key to understanding B cell lymphoma pathophysiology, refining prognostication and assisting in making educated treatment choices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina Gemenetzi
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Andreas Agathangelidis
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Laura Zaragoza-Infante
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Electra Sofou
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Maria Papaioannou
- Hematology Department, University General Hospital of Thessaloniki AHEPA, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | | | - Kostas Stamatopoulos
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Centre for Research and Technology Hellas, Thessaloniki, Greece
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21
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Tsagiopoulou M, Papakonstantinou N, Moysiadis T, Mansouri L, Ljungström V, Duran-Ferrer M, Malousi A, Queirós AC, Plevova K, Bhoi S, Kollia P, Oscier D, Anagnostopoulos A, Trentin L, Ritgen M, Pospisilova S, Stavroyianni N, Ghia P, Martin-Subero JI, Pott C, Rosenquist R, Stamatopoulos K. DNA methylation profiles in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients treated with chemoimmunotherapy. Clin Epigenetics 2019; 11:177. [PMID: 31791414 PMCID: PMC6889736 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-019-0783-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2019] [Accepted: 11/19/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Background In order to gain insight into the contribution of DNA methylation to disease progression of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), using 450K Illumina arrays, we determined the DNA methylation profiles in paired pre-treatment/relapse samples from 34 CLL patients treated with chemoimmunotherapy, mostly (n = 31) with the fludarabine-cyclophosphamide-rituximab (FCR) regimen. Results The extent of identified changes in CLL cells versus memory B cells from healthy donors was termed “epigenetic burden” (EB) whereas the number of changes between the pre-treatment versus the relapse sample was termed “relapse changes” (RC). Significant (p < 0.05) associations were identified between (i) high EB and short time-to-first-treatment (TTFT); and, (ii) few RCs and short time-to-relapse. Both the EB and the RC clustered in specific genomic regions and chromatin states, including regulatory regions containing binding sites of transcription factors implicated in B cell and CLL biology. Conclusions Overall, we show that DNA methylation in CLL follows different dynamics in response to chemoimmunotherapy. These epigenetic alterations were linked with specific clinical and biological features.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Tsagiopoulou
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Center for Research and Technology Hellas, 6th km Charilaou-Thermi Rd, 57001, Thermi, Thessaloniki, GR, Greece.,Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Nikos Papakonstantinou
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Center for Research and Technology Hellas, 6th km Charilaou-Thermi Rd, 57001, Thermi, Thessaloniki, GR, Greece
| | - Theodoros Moysiadis
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Center for Research and Technology Hellas, 6th km Charilaou-Thermi Rd, 57001, Thermi, Thessaloniki, GR, Greece.,Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Larry Mansouri
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.,Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Viktor Ljungström
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Martí Duran-Ferrer
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Departamento de Fundamentos Clínicos, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Andigoni Malousi
- Laboratory of Biological Chemistry, Medical School, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Ana C Queirós
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Departamento de Fundamentos Clínicos, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Karla Plevova
- Department of Internal Medicine-Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Brno and Medical Faculty of Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.,Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Sujata Bhoi
- Department of Immunology, Genetics and Pathology, Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Panagoula Kollia
- Department of Biology, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - David Oscier
- Department of Haematology, Royal Bournemouth Hospital, Bournemouth, UK
| | | | - Livio Trentin
- Department of Medicine, Hematology and Clinical Immunology Branch, Padua University School of Medicine, Padua, Italy
| | - Matthias Ritgen
- Second Medical Department, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Sarka Pospisilova
- Department of Internal Medicine-Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Brno and Medical Faculty of Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.,Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Niki Stavroyianni
- Hematology Department and HCT Unit, G. Papanicolaou Hospital, Thessaloniki, Greece
| | - Paolo Ghia
- Division of Experimental Oncology and Department of Onco-Hematology, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute and Università Vita-Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy
| | - Jose I Martin-Subero
- Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Departamento de Fundamentos Clínicos, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.,Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Christiane Pott
- Second Medical Department, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Richard Rosenquist
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kostas Stamatopoulos
- Institute of Applied Biosciences, Center for Research and Technology Hellas, 6th km Charilaou-Thermi Rd, 57001, Thermi, Thessaloniki, GR, Greece. .,Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
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22
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Xanthopoulos C, Kostareli E. Advances in Epigenetics and Epigenomics in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. CURRENT GENETIC MEDICINE REPORTS 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s40142-019-00178-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Purpose of Review
The development and progression of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), a highly heterogenous B cell malignancy, are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Environmental factors, including pharmacological interventions, can affect the epigenetic landscape of CLL and thereby determine the CLL phenotype, clonal evolution, and clinical outcome. In this review, we critically present the latest advances in the field of CLL epigenomics/epigenetics in order to provide a systematic overview of to-date achievements and highlight the potential of epigenomics approaches in light of novel treatment therapies.
Recent Findings
Recent technological advances have enabled broad and precise mapping of the CLL epigenome. The identification of CLL-specific DNA methylation patterns has allowed for accurate CLL subtype definition, a better understanding of clonal origin and evolution, and the discovery of reliable biomarkers. More recently, studies have started to unravel the prognostic, predictive, and therapeutic potential of mapping chromatin dynamics and histone modifications in CLL. Finally, analysis of non-coding RNA expression has indicated their contribution to disease pathogenesis and helped to define prognostic subsets in CLL.
Summary
Overall, the potential of CLL epigenomics for predicting treatment response and resistance is mounting, especially with the advent of novel targeted CLL therapies.
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