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Yang M, Tang Y, Zhu P, Lu H, Wan X, Guo Q, Xiao L, Liu C, Guo L, Liu W, Yang Y. The advances of E2A-PBX1 fusion in B-cell acute lymphoblastic Leukaemia. Ann Hematol 2024; 103:3385-3398. [PMID: 38148344 DOI: 10.1007/s00277-023-05595-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Accepted: 12/17/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023]
Abstract
The E2A-PBX1 gene fusion is a common translocation in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Patients harbouring the E2A-PBX1 fusion gene typically exhibit an intermediate prognosis. Furthermore, minimal residual disease has unsatisfactory prognostic value in E2A-PBX1 B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. However, the mechanism of E2A-PBX1 in the occurrence and progression of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is not well understood. Here, we mainly review the roles of E2A and PBX1 in the differentiation and development of B lymphocytes, the mechanism of E2A-PBX1 gene fusion in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, and the potential therapeutic approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mengting Yang
- Department of Paediatrics (Children Haematological Oncology), Birth Defects and Childhood Haematological Oncology Laboratory, Sichuan Clinical Research Centre for Birth Defects, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- Department of Paediatrics, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Yanhui Tang
- Department of Paediatrics (Children Haematological Oncology), Birth Defects and Childhood Haematological Oncology Laboratory, Sichuan Clinical Research Centre for Birth Defects, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- Department of Paediatrics, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Peng Zhu
- School of Pharmacy, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu, 241000, People's Republic of China
| | - Haiquan Lu
- The Second Hospital, Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Advanced Medical Research Institute, Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China
| | - Xiaohong Wan
- Department of Paediatrics (Children Haematological Oncology), Birth Defects and Childhood Haematological Oncology Laboratory, Sichuan Clinical Research Centre for Birth Defects, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- Department of Paediatrics, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Qulian Guo
- Department of Paediatrics (Children Haematological Oncology), Birth Defects and Childhood Haematological Oncology Laboratory, Sichuan Clinical Research Centre for Birth Defects, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- Department of Paediatrics, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Lan Xiao
- Department of Paediatrics (Children Haematological Oncology), Birth Defects and Childhood Haematological Oncology Laboratory, Sichuan Clinical Research Centre for Birth Defects, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- Department of Paediatrics, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Chunyan Liu
- Department of Paediatrics (Children Haematological Oncology), Birth Defects and Childhood Haematological Oncology Laboratory, Sichuan Clinical Research Centre for Birth Defects, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- Department of Paediatrics, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Ling Guo
- Department of Paediatrics (Children Haematological Oncology), Birth Defects and Childhood Haematological Oncology Laboratory, Sichuan Clinical Research Centre for Birth Defects, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China
- Department of Paediatrics, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China
| | - Wenjun Liu
- Department of Paediatrics (Children Haematological Oncology), Birth Defects and Childhood Haematological Oncology Laboratory, Sichuan Clinical Research Centre for Birth Defects, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China.
- Department of Paediatrics, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
| | - You Yang
- Department of Paediatrics (Children Haematological Oncology), Birth Defects and Childhood Haematological Oncology Laboratory, Sichuan Clinical Research Centre for Birth Defects, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, 646000, Sichuan, China.
- Department of Paediatrics, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, Sichuan, China.
- The Second Hospital, Centre for Reproductive Medicine, Advanced Medical Research Institute, Key Laboratory for Experimental Teratology of the Ministry of Education, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong, China.
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2
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Blumel L, Bernardi F, Picard D, Diaz JT, Jepsen VH, Hasselmann R, Schliehe-Diecks J, Bartl J, Qin N, Bornhauser B, Bhatia S, Marovka B, Marsaud V, Dingli F, Loew D, Stanulla M, Bourqin JP, Borkhardt A, Remke M, Ayrault O, Fischer U. Proteogenomic profiling uncovers differential therapeutic vulnerabilities between TCF3::PBX1 and TCF3::HLF translocated B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Haematologica 2024; 109:2290-2296. [PMID: 38426288 PMCID: PMC11215373 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2023.283928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lena Blumel
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, and University Hospital Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany; Division of Pediatric Neuro-Oncogenomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Essen/Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf
| | - Flavia Bernardi
- Institut Curie, CNRS UMR, INSERM, PSL Research University, Orsay, France; CNRS UMR 3347, INSERM U1021, Universite Paris Sud, Universite Paris-Saclay, Orsay
| | - Daniel Picard
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, and University Hospital Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany; Division of Pediatric Neuro-Oncogenomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Essen/Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf
| | - Jacob Torrejon Diaz
- Institut Curie, CNRS UMR, INSERM, PSL Research University, Orsay, France; CNRS UMR 3347, INSERM U1021, Universite Paris Sud, Universite Paris-Saclay, Orsay
| | - Vera H Jepsen
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, and University Hospital Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Essen/Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf
| | - Rebecca Hasselmann
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, and University Hospital Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Essen/Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf
| | - Julian Schliehe-Diecks
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, and University Hospital Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Essen/Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf
| | - Jasmin Bartl
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, and University Hospital Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany; Division of Pediatric Neuro-Oncogenomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Essen/Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany; Group for Interdisciplinary Neurobiology and Immunology - INI-research, Institute of Zoology, University of Hamburg, Hamburg
| | - Nan Qin
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, and University Hospital Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany; Division of Pediatric Neuro-Oncogenomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Essen/Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf
| | - Beat Bornhauser
- Department of Oncology and Children's Research Centre, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich
| | - Sanil Bhatia
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, and University Hospital Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Essen/Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf
| | - Blerim Marovka
- Department of Oncology and Children's Research Centre, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich
| | - Veronique Marsaud
- Institut Curie, CNRS UMR, INSERM, PSL Research University, Orsay, France; CNRS UMR 3347, INSERM U1021, Universite Paris Sud, Universite Paris-Saclay, Orsay
| | - Florent Dingli
- Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Centre de Recherche, CurieCoreTech Spectrometrie de Masse Proteomique, Paris
| | - Damarys Loew
- Institut Curie, PSL Research University, Centre de Recherche, CurieCoreTech Spectrometrie de Masse Proteomique, Paris
| | - Martin Stanulla
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Hannover Medical School, Hannover
| | - Jean-Pierre Bourqin
- Department of Oncology and Children's Research Centre, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich
| | - Arndt Borkhardt
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, and University Hospital Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Essen/Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf
| | - Marc Remke
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, and University Hospital Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany; Division of Pediatric Neuro-Oncogenomics, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) and German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Essen/Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf
| | - Olivier Ayrault
- Institut Curie, CNRS UMR, INSERM, PSL Research University, Orsay, France; CNRS UMR 3347, INSERM U1021, Universite Paris Sud, Universite Paris-Saclay, Orsay
| | - Ute Fischer
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, Heinrich Heine University Dusseldorf, Medical Faculty, and University Hospital Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf, Germany; German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), partner site Essen/Dusseldorf, Dusseldorf.
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3
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Garcia C, Miller-Awe MD, Witkowski MT. Concepts in B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia pathogenesis. J Leukoc Biol 2024; 116:18-32. [PMID: 38243586 DOI: 10.1093/jleuko/qiae015] [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: 10/26/2023] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/21/2024] Open
Abstract
B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) arises from genetic alterations impacting B cell progenitors, ultimately leading to clinically overt disease. Extensive collaborative efforts in basic and clinical research have significantly improved patient prognoses. Nevertheless, a subset of patients demonstrate resistance to conventional chemotherapeutic approaches and emerging immunotherapeutic interventions. This review highlights the mechanistic underpinnings governing B-ALL transformation. Beginning with exploring normative B cell lymphopoiesis, we delineate the influence of recurrent germline and somatic genetic aberrations on the perturbation of B cell progenitor differentiation and protumorigenic signaling, thereby facilitating the neoplastic transformation underlying B-ALL progression. Additionally, we highlight recent advances in the multifaceted landscape of B-ALL, encompassing metabolic reprogramming, microbiome influences, inflammation, and the discernible impact of socioeconomic and racial disparities on B-ALL transformation and patient survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clarissa Garcia
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12800 East 19th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, United States
| | - Megan D Miller-Awe
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12800 East 19th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, United States
| | - Matthew T Witkowski
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12800 East 19th Avenue, Aurora, CO 80045, United States
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4
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Pagliaro L, Chen SJ, Herranz D, Mecucci C, Harrison CJ, Mullighan CG, Zhang M, Chen Z, Boissel N, Winter SS, Roti G. Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. Nat Rev Dis Primers 2024; 10:41. [PMID: 38871740 DOI: 10.1038/s41572-024-00525-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) is a haematological malignancy characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of immature lymphoid cells. Over past decades, significant progress has been made in understanding the biology of ALL, resulting in remarkable improvements in its diagnosis, treatment and monitoring. Since the advent of chemotherapy, ALL has been the platform to test for innovative approaches applicable to cancer in general. For example, the advent of omics medicine has led to a deeper understanding of the molecular and genetic features that underpin ALL. Innovations in genomic profiling techniques have identified specific genetic alterations and mutations that drive ALL, inspiring new therapies. Targeted agents, such as tyrosine kinase inhibitors and immunotherapies, have shown promising results in subgroups of patients while minimizing adverse effects. Furthermore, the development of chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy represents a breakthrough in ALL treatment, resulting in remarkable responses and potential long-term remissions. Advances are not limited to treatment modalities alone. Measurable residual disease monitoring and ex vivo drug response profiling screening have provided earlier detection of disease relapse and identification of exceptional responders, enabling clinicians to adjust treatment strategies for individual patients. Decades of supportive and prophylactic care have improved the management of treatment-related complications, enhancing the quality of life for patients with ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Pagliaro
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
- Translational Hematology and Chemogenomics (THEC), University of Parma, Parma, Italy
- Hematology and BMT Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Sai-Juan Chen
- Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Daniel Herranz
- Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ, USA
| | - Cristina Mecucci
- Department of Medicine, Hematology and Clinical Immunology, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Christine J Harrison
- Leukaemia Research Cytogenetics Group, Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University Centre for Cancer, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Charles G Mullighan
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Ming Zhang
- Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhu Chen
- Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Nicolas Boissel
- Hôpital Saint-Louis, APHP, Institut de Recherche Saint-Louis, Université Paris Cité, Paris, France
| | - Stuart S Winter
- Children's Minnesota Cancer and Blood Disorders Program, Minneapolis, MN, USA
| | - Giovanni Roti
- Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
- Translational Hematology and Chemogenomics (THEC), University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
- Hematology and BMT Unit, Azienda Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Parma, Parma, Italy.
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5
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Gentile G, Poggio T, Catalano A, Voutilainen M, Lahnalampi M, Andrade-Martinez M, Ma T, Sankowski R, Goncharenko L, Tholen S, Han K, Morgens DW, Prinz M, Lübbert M, Engel S, Hartmann TN, Cario G, Schrappe M, Lenk L, Stanulla M, Duyster J, Bronsert P, Bassik MC, Cleary ML, Schilling O, Heinäniemi M, Duque-Afonso J. Development of combination therapies with BTK inhibitors and dasatinib to treat CNS-infiltrating E2A-PBX1+/preBCR+ ALL. Blood Adv 2024; 8:2846-2860. [PMID: 38598725 PMCID: PMC11176965 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023011582] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 02/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT The t(1;19) translocation, encoding the oncogenic fusion protein E2A (TCF3)-PBX1, is involved in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and associated with a pre-B-cell receptor (preBCR+) phenotype. Relapse in patients with E2A-PBX1+ ALL frequently occurs in the central nervous system (CNS). Therefore, there is a medical need for the identification of CNS active regimens for the treatment of E2A-PBX1+/preBCR+ ALL. Using unbiased short hairpin RNA (shRNA) library screening approaches, we identified Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) as a key gene involved in both proliferation and dasatinib sensitivity of E2A-PBX1+/preBCR+ ALL. Depletion of BTK by shRNAs resulted in decreased proliferation of dasatinib-treated E2A-PBX1+/preBCR+ cells compared with control-transduced cells. Moreover, the combination of dasatinib with BTK inhibitors (BTKi; ibrutinib, acalabrutinib, or zanubrutinib) significantly decreased E2A-PBX1+/preBCR+ human and murine cell proliferation, reduced phospholipase C gamma 2 (PLCG2) and BTK phosphorylation and total protein levels and increased disease-free survival of mice in secondary transplantation assays, particularly reducing CNS-leukemic infiltration. Hence, dasatinib with ibrutinib reduced pPLCG2 and pBTK in primary ALL patient samples, including E2A-PBX1+ ALLs. In summary, genetic depletion and pharmacological inhibition of BTK increase dasatinib effects in human and mouse with E2A-PBX1+/preBCR+ ALL across most of performed assays, with the combination of dasatinib and BTKi proving effective in reducing CNS infiltration of E2A-PBX1+/preBCR+ ALL cells in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaia Gentile
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Teresa Poggio
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Antonella Catalano
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Minna Voutilainen
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Mari Lahnalampi
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Marta Andrade-Martinez
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Ma
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Roman Sankowski
- Department of Neuropathology, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Lina Goncharenko
- Institute for Molecular Medicine and Cell Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Proteomics Platform – Core Facility, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Tholen
- Institute of Surgical Pathology, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Proteomics Platform – Core Facility, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Kyuho Han
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
| | - David W. Morgens
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
| | - Marco Prinz
- Department of Neuropathology, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Center for NeuroModulation, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Signaling Research Centers BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michael Lübbert
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sophia Engel
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Tanja Nicole Hartmann
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Gunnar Cario
- Department of Pediatrics, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Martin Schrappe
- Department of Pediatrics, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Lennart Lenk
- Department of Pediatrics, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Kiel, Germany
| | - Martin Stanulla
- Department of Pediatrics, University Medical Center Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Justus Duyster
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Peter Bronsert
- Institute of Surgical Pathology, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michael C. Bassik
- Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
| | - Michael L. Cleary
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA
| | - Oliver Schilling
- Institute for Molecular Medicine and Cell Research, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- Proteomics Platform – Core Facility, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Merja Heinäniemi
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Jesús Duque-Afonso
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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6
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Malyukova A, Lahnalampi M, Falqués-Costa T, Pölönen P, Sipola M, Mehtonen J, Teppo S, Akopyan K, Viiliainen J, Lohi O, Hagström-Andersson AK, Heinäniemi M, Sangfelt O. Sequential drug treatment targeting cell cycle and cell fate regulatory programs blocks non-genetic cancer evolution in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Genome Biol 2024; 25:143. [PMID: 38822412 PMCID: PMC11143599 DOI: 10.1186/s13059-024-03260-4] [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: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/03/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Targeted therapies exploiting vulnerabilities of cancer cells hold promise for improving patient outcome and reducing side-effects of chemotherapy. However, efficacy of precision therapies is limited in part because of tumor cell heterogeneity. A better mechanistic understanding of how drug effect is linked to cancer cell state diversity is crucial for identifying effective combination therapies that can prevent disease recurrence. RESULTS Here, we characterize the effect of G2/M checkpoint inhibition in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and demonstrate that WEE1 targeted therapy impinges on cell fate decision regulatory circuits. We find the highest inhibition of recovery of proliferation in ALL cells with KMT2A-rearrangements. Single-cell RNA-seq and ATAC-seq of RS4;11 cells harboring KMT2A::AFF1, treated with the WEE1 inhibitor AZD1775, reveal diversification of cell states, with a fraction of cells exhibiting strong activation of p53-driven processes linked to apoptosis and senescence, and disruption of a core KMT2A-RUNX1-MYC regulatory network. In this cell state diversification induced by WEE1 inhibition, a subpopulation transitions to a drug tolerant cell state characterized by activation of transcription factors regulating pre-B cell fate, lipid metabolism, and pre-BCR signaling in a reversible manner. Sequential treatment with BCR-signaling inhibitors dasatinib, ibrutinib, or perturbing metabolism by fatostatin or AZD2014 effectively counteracts drug tolerance by inducing cell death and repressing stemness markers. CONCLUSIONS Collectively, our findings provide new insights into the tight connectivity of gene regulatory programs associated with cell cycle and cell fate regulation, and a rationale for sequential administration of WEE1 inhibitors with low toxicity inhibitors of pre-BCR signaling or metabolism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alena Malyukova
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Solnavägen 9, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Mari Lahnalampi
- The Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Ton Falqués-Costa
- Division of Clinical Genetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Petri Pölönen
- The Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Mikko Sipola
- The Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Juha Mehtonen
- The Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Susanna Teppo
- Tampere Center for Child, Adolescent and Maternal Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Karen Akopyan
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Solnavägen 9, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Johanna Viiliainen
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Solnavägen 9, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Olli Lohi
- Tampere Center for Child, Adolescent and Maternal Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University and Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | | | - Merja Heinäniemi
- The Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
| | - Olle Sangfelt
- Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Biomedicum, Solnavägen 9, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden.
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7
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Abdoul-Azize S, Hami R, Riou G, Derambure C, Charbonnier C, Vannier JP, Guzman ML, Schneider P, Boyer O. Glucocorticoids paradoxically promote steroid resistance in B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia through CXCR4/PLC signaling. Nat Commun 2024; 15:4557. [PMID: 38811530 PMCID: PMC11136999 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48818-9] [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: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Glucocorticoid (GC) resistance in childhood relapsed B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) represents an important challenge. Despite decades of clinical use, the mechanisms underlying resistance remain poorly understood. Here, we report that in B-ALL, GC paradoxically induce their own resistance by activating a phospholipase C (PLC)-mediated cell survival pathway through the chemokine receptor, CXCR4. We identify PLC as aberrantly activated in GC-resistant B-ALL and its inhibition is able to induce cell death by compromising several transcriptional programs. Mechanistically, dexamethasone (Dex) provokes CXCR4 signaling, resulting in the activation of PLC-dependent Ca2+ and protein kinase C signaling pathways, which curtail anticancer activity. Treatment with a CXCR4 antagonist or a PLC inhibitor improves survival of Dex-treated NSG mice in vivo. CXCR4/PLC axis inhibition significantly reverses Dex resistance in B-ALL cell lines (in vitro and in vivo) and cells from Dex resistant ALL patients. Our study identifies how activation of the PLC signalosome in B-ALL by Dex limits the upfront efficacy of this chemotherapeutic agent.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rihab Hami
- Univ Brest, Inserm, UMR 1101, F-29200, Brest, France
| | - Gaetan Riou
- Univ Rouen Normandie, Inserm, UMR 1234, F-76000, Rouen, France
| | | | | | | | - Monica L Guzman
- Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Pascale Schneider
- Univ Rouen Normandie, Inserm, UMR 1234, F-76000, Rouen, France
- Rouen University Hospital, Department of Pediatric Immuno-Hemato-Oncology, F-76000, Rouen, France
| | - Olivier Boyer
- Univ Rouen Normandie, Inserm, UMR 1234, F-76000, Rouen, France
- Rouen University Hospital, Department of Immunology and Biotherapy, F-76000, Rouen, France
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8
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Kubota H, Ueno H, Tasaka K, Isobe T, Saida S, Kato I, Umeda K, Hiwatari M, Hasegawa D, Imamura T, Kakiuchi N, Nannya Y, Ogawa S, Hiramatsu H, Takita J. RNA-seq-based miRNA signature as an independent predictor of relapse in pediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Blood Adv 2024; 8:1258-1271. [PMID: 38127276 PMCID: PMC10918494 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2023011583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 11/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
ABSTRACT Aberrant micro-RNA (miRNA) expression profiles have been associated with disease progression and clinical outcome in pediatric cancers. However, few studies have analyzed genome-wide dysregulation of miRNAs and messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in pediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL). To identify novel prognostic factors, we comprehensively investigated miRNA and mRNA sequencing (miRNA-seq and mRNA-seq) data in pediatric BCP-ALL samples with poor outcome. We analyzed 180 patients, including 43 matched pairs at diagnosis and relapse. Consensus clustering of miRNA expression data revealed a distinct profile characterized by mainly downregulation of miRNAs (referred to as an miR-low cluster [MLC]). The MLC profile was not associated with any known genetic subgroups. Intriguingly, patients classified as MLC had significantly shorter event-free survival (median 21 vs 33 months; log-rank P = 3 ×10-5). Furthermore, this poor prognosis was retained even in hyperdiploid ALL. This poor prognostic MLC profiling was confirmed in the validation cohort. Notably, non-MLC profiling at diagnosis (n = 9 of 23; Fisher exact test, P = .039) often changed into MLC profiling at relapse for the same patient. Integrated analysis of miRNA-seq and mRNA-seq data revealed that the transcriptional profile of MLC was characterized by enrichment of MYC target and oxidative phosphorylation genes, reduced intron retention, and low expression of DICER1. Thus, our miRNA-mRNA integration approach yielded a truly unbiased molecular stratification of pediatric BCP-ALL cases based on a novel prognostic miRNA signature, which may lead to better clinical outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirohito Kubota
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Hiroo Ueno
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Keiji Tasaka
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Tomoya Isobe
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Hematology, Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Satoshi Saida
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Itaru Kato
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Katsutsugu Umeda
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Mitsuteru Hiwatari
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Teikyo University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Daiichiro Hasegawa
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Hyogo Prefectural Kobe Children Hospital, Hyogo, Japan
| | - Toshihiko Imamura
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Kakiuchi
- Department of Pathology and Tumor Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- The Hakubi Center for Advanced Research, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Yasuhito Nannya
- Department of Pathology and Tumor Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Division of Hematopoietic Disease Control, Institute of Medical Science, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Seishi Ogawa
- Department of Pathology and Tumor Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Institute for the Advanced Study of Human Biology (WPI-ASHBi), Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Department of Medicine, Center for Hematology and Regenerative Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Hidefumi Hiramatsu
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Junko Takita
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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9
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Kao TW, Chen HH, Lin J, Wang TL, Shen YA. PBX1 as a novel master regulator in cancer: Its regulation, molecular biology, and therapeutic applications. Biochim Biophys Acta Rev Cancer 2024; 1879:189085. [PMID: 38341110 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbcan.2024.189085] [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: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/12/2024]
Abstract
PBX1 is a critical transcription factor at the top of various cell fate-determining pathways. In cancer, PBX1 stands at the crossroads of multiple oncogenic signaling pathways and mediates responses by recruiting a broad repertoire of downstream targets. Research thus far has corroborated the involvement of PBX1 in cancer proliferation, resisting apoptosis, tumor-associated neoangiogenesis, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and metastasis, immune evasion, genome instability, and dysregulating cellular metabolism. Recently, our understanding of the functional regulation of the PBX1 protein has advanced, as increasing evidence has depicted a regulatory network consisting of transcriptional, post-transcriptional, and post-translational levels of control mechanisms. Furthermore, accumulating studies have supported the clinical utilization of PBX1 as a prognostic or therapeutic target in cancer. Preliminary results showed that PBX1 entails vast potential as a targetable master regulator in the treatment of cancer, particularly in those with high-risk features and resistance to other therapeutic strategies. In this review, we will explore the regulation, protein-protein interactions, molecular pathways, clinical application, and future challenges of PBX1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ting-Wan Kao
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Han Chen
- Department of General Medicine, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei 100224, Taiwan
| | - James Lin
- School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan
| | - Tian-Li Wang
- Departments of Pathology, Oncology and Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, 1550 Orleans Street, CRB2, Room 306, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA; Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA
| | - Yao-An Shen
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan; Graduate Institute of Clinical Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan; International Master/Ph.D. Program in Medicine, College of Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 110301, Taiwan.
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10
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Mostufi-Zadeh-Haghighi G, Veratti P, Zodel K, Greve G, Waterhouse M, Zeiser R, Cleary ML, Lübbert M, Duque-Afonso J. Functional Characterization of Transforming Growth Factor-β Signaling in Dasatinib Resistance and Pre-BCR + Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:4328. [PMID: 37686604 PMCID: PMC10486903 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15174328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/22/2023] [Indexed: 09/10/2023] Open
Abstract
The multi-kinase inhibitor dasatinib has been implicated to be effective in pre-B-cell receptor (pre-BCR)-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) expressing the E2A-PBX1 fusion oncoprotein. The TGFβ signaling pathway is involved in a wide variety of cellular processes, including embryonic development and cell homeostasis, and it can have dual roles in cancer: suppressing tumor growth at early stages and mediating tumor progression at later stages. In this study, we identified the upregulation of the TGFβ signaling pathway in our previously generated human dasatinib-resistant pre-BCR+/E2A-PBX1+ ALL cells using global transcriptomic analysis. We confirm the upregulation of the TGFβ pathway member SMAD3 at the transcriptional and translational levels in dasatinib-resistant pre-BCR+/E2A-PBX1+ ALL cells. Hence, dasatinib blocks, at least partially, TGFβ-induced SMAD3 phosphorylation in several B-cell precursor (BCP) ALL cell lines as well as in dasatinib-resistant pre-BCR+/E2A-PBX1+ ALL cells. Activation of the TGFβ signaling pathway by TGF-β1 leads to growth inhibition by cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 stage, increase in apoptosis and transcriptional changes of SMAD-targeted genes, e.g. c-MYC downregulation, in pre-BCR+/E2A-PBX1+ ALL cells. These results provide a better understanding about the role that the TGFβ signaling pathway plays in leukemogenesis of BCP-ALL as well as in secondary drug resistance to dasatinib.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gila Mostufi-Zadeh-Haghighi
- Department of Medicine I, Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany; (G.M.-Z.-H.); (P.V.); (K.Z.); (G.G.); (M.W.); (R.Z.); (M.L.)
| | - Pia Veratti
- Department of Medicine I, Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany; (G.M.-Z.-H.); (P.V.); (K.Z.); (G.G.); (M.W.); (R.Z.); (M.L.)
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Kyra Zodel
- Department of Medicine I, Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany; (G.M.-Z.-H.); (P.V.); (K.Z.); (G.G.); (M.W.); (R.Z.); (M.L.)
| | - Gabriele Greve
- Department of Medicine I, Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany; (G.M.-Z.-H.); (P.V.); (K.Z.); (G.G.); (M.W.); (R.Z.); (M.L.)
| | - Miguel Waterhouse
- Department of Medicine I, Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany; (G.M.-Z.-H.); (P.V.); (K.Z.); (G.G.); (M.W.); (R.Z.); (M.L.)
| | - Robert Zeiser
- Department of Medicine I, Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany; (G.M.-Z.-H.); (P.V.); (K.Z.); (G.G.); (M.W.); (R.Z.); (M.L.)
| | - Michael L. Cleary
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA;
| | - Michael Lübbert
- Department of Medicine I, Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany; (G.M.-Z.-H.); (P.V.); (K.Z.); (G.G.); (M.W.); (R.Z.); (M.L.)
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partner Site Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jesús Duque-Afonso
- Department of Medicine I, Medical Center—University of Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany; (G.M.-Z.-H.); (P.V.); (K.Z.); (G.G.); (M.W.); (R.Z.); (M.L.)
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11
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Sarno J, Domizi P, Liu Y, Merchant M, Pedersen CB, Jedoui D, Jager A, Nolan GP, Gaipa G, Bendall SC, Bava FA, Davis KL. Dasatinib overcomes glucocorticoid resistance in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2935. [PMID: 37217509 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38456-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Resistance to glucocorticoids (GC) is associated with an increased risk of relapse in B-cell progenitor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL). Performing transcriptomic and single-cell proteomic studies in healthy B-cell progenitors, we herein identify coordination between the glucocorticoid receptor pathway with B-cell developmental pathways. Healthy pro-B cells most highly express the glucocorticoid receptor, and this developmental expression is conserved in primary BCP-ALL cells from patients at diagnosis and relapse. In-vitro and in vivo glucocorticoid treatment of primary BCP-ALL cells demonstrate that the interplay between B-cell development and the glucocorticoid pathways is crucial for GC resistance in leukemic cells. Gene set enrichment analysis in BCP-ALL cell lines surviving GC treatment show enrichment of B cell receptor signaling pathways. In addition, primary BCP-ALL cells surviving GC treatment in vitro and in vivo demonstrate a late pre-B cell phenotype with activation of PI3K/mTOR and CREB signaling. Dasatinib, a multi-kinase inhibitor, most effectively targets this active signaling in GC-resistant cells, and when combined with glucocorticoids, results in increased cell death in vitro and decreased leukemic burden and prolonged survival in an in vivo xenograft model. Targeting the active signaling through the addition of dasatinib may represent a therapeutic approach to overcome GC resistance in BCP-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolanda Sarno
- Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplant, and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Pablo Domizi
- Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplant, and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Yuxuan Liu
- Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplant, and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Milton Merchant
- Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplant, and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Christina Bligaard Pedersen
- Section for Bioinformatics, Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | - Dorra Jedoui
- Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplant, and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Astraea Jager
- Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplant, and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Garry P Nolan
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Giuseppe Gaipa
- M. Tettamanti Research Center, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, (MB), Italy
| | - Sean C Bendall
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Felice-Alessio Bava
- Baxter Laboratory, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale (INSERM), Paris, France
| | - Kara L Davis
- Hematology, Oncology, Stem Cell Transplant, and Regenerative Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
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12
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Chen Z, Zhou K, Xue J, Small A, Xiao G, Nguyen LXT, Zhang Z, Prince E, Weng H, Huang H, Zhao Z, Qing Y, Shen C, Li W, Han L, Tan B, Su R, Qin H, Li Y, Wu D, Gu Z, Ngo VN, He X, Chao J, Leung K, Wang K, Dong L, Qin X, Cai Z, Sheng Y, Chen Y, Wu X, Zhang B, Shi Y, Marcucci G, Qian Z, Xu M, Müschen M, Chen J, Deng X. Phosphorylation stabilized TET1 acts as an oncoprotein and therapeutic target in B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Sci Transl Med 2023; 15:eabq8513. [PMID: 36989375 PMCID: PMC11163962 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abq8513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 03/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
Although the overall survival rate of B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) in childhood is more than 80%, it is merely 30% in refractory/relapsed and adult patients with B-ALL. This demonstrates a need for improved therapy targeting this subgroup of B-ALL. Here, we show that the ten-eleven translocation 1 (TET1) protein, a dioxygenase involved in DNA demethylation, is overexpressed and plays a crucial oncogenic role independent of its catalytic activity in B-ALL. Consistent with its oncogenic role in B-ALL, overexpression of TET1 alone in normal precursor B cells is sufficient to transform the cells and cause B-ALL in mice within 3 to 4 months. We found that TET1 protein is stabilized and overexpressed because of its phosphorylation mediated by protein kinase C epsilon (PRKCE) and ATM serine/threonine kinase (ATM), which are also overexpressed in B-ALL. Mechanistically, TET1 recruits STAT5B to the promoters of CD72 and JCHAIN and promotes their transcription, which in turn promotes B-ALL development. Destabilization of TET1 protein by treatment with PKC or ATM inhibitors (staurosporine or AZD0156; both tested in clinical trials), or by pharmacological targeting of STAT5B, greatly decreases B-ALL cell viability and inhibits B-ALL progression in vitro and in vivo. The combination of AZD0156 with staurosporine or vincristine exhibits a synergistic effect on inhibition of refractory/relapsed B-ALL cell survival and leukemia progression in PDX models. Collectively, our study reveals an oncogenic role of the phosphorylated TET1 protein in B-ALL independent of its catalytic activity and highlights the therapeutic potential of targeting TET1 signaling for the treatment of refractory/relapsed B-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhenhua Chen
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Keren Zhou
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Jianhuang Xue
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
- Frontier Science Center for Stem Cell Research, School of Life Sciences and Technology, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
| | - Andrew Small
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Gang Xiao
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
- Institute of Immunology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou 311121, China
| | - Le Xuan Truong Nguyen
- Department of Hematological Malignancies Translational Science, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
- Gehr Family Center for Leukemia Research, City of Hope Medical Center and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Zheng Zhang
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Emily Prince
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Hengyou Weng
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
- Guangzhou Laboratory, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510005, China
| | - Huilin Huang
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
- Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center, State Key Laboratory of Oncology in South China, Collaborative Innovation Center for Cancer Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510060, China
| | - Zhicong Zhao
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
- Department of Liver Surgery, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200127, China
| | - Ying Qing
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Chao Shen
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Wei Li
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Li Han
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Brandon Tan
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Rui Su
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Hanjun Qin
- Integrative Genomics Core, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Yangchan Li
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
- Department of Radiation Oncology, First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510080, China
| | - Dong Wu
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Zhaohui Gu
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
- Department of Computational and Quantitative Medicine, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Vu N. Ngo
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Xin He
- Department of Hematological Malignancies Translational Science, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Jianfei Chao
- Division of Stem Cell Biology Research, Department of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Keith Leung
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Kitty Wang
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Lei Dong
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Xi Qin
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
| | - Zhenming Cai
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
- Department of Immunology, Key Laboratory of Immune Microenvironment and Diseases, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China
| | - Yue Sheng
- Department of Medicine and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UF Health Cancer Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
- Department of Hematology, Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410011, China
| | - Yu Chen
- Molecular Instrumentation Center, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Xiwei Wu
- Integrative Genomics Core, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Bin Zhang
- Department of Hematological Malignancies Translational Science, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
- Gehr Family Center for Leukemia Research, City of Hope Medical Center and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Yanhong Shi
- Division of Stem Cell Biology Research, Department of Developmental and Stem Cell Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Guido Marcucci
- Department of Hematological Malignancies Translational Science, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
- Gehr Family Center for Leukemia Research, City of Hope Medical Center and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Zhijian Qian
- Department of Medicine and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, UF Health Cancer Center, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Mingjiang Xu
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
| | - Markus Müschen
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
- Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Jianjun Chen
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
- Gehr Family Center for Leukemia Research, City of Hope Medical Center and Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA 91010, USA
| | - Xiaolan Deng
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, Monrovia, CA 91016, USA
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13
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Lee J, Robinson ME, Sun R, Kume K, Ma N, Cosgun KN, Chan LN, Leveille E, Geng H, Vykunta VS, Shy BR, Marson A, Katz S, Chen J, Paietta E, Meffre E, Vaidehi N, Müschen M. Dynamic phosphatase-recruitment controls B-cell selection and oncogenic signaling. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.03.13.532151. [PMID: 36993276 PMCID: PMC10054997 DOI: 10.1101/2023.03.13.532151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Initiation of B-cell receptor (BCR) 1 signaling, and subsequent antigen-encounter in germinal centers 2,3 represent milestones of B-lymphocyte development that are both marked by sharp increases of CD25 surface-expression. Oncogenic signaling in B-cell leukemia (B-ALL) 4 and lymphoma 5 also induced CD25-surface expression. While CD25 is known as an IL2-receptor chain on T- and NK-cells 6-9 , the significance of its expression on B-cells was unclear. Our experiments based on genetic mouse models and engineered patient-derived xenografts revealed that, rather than functioning as an IL2-receptor chain, CD25 expressed on B-cells assembled an inhibitory complex including PKCδ and SHIP1 and SHP1 phosphatases for feedback control of BCR-signaling or its oncogenic mimics. Recapitulating phenotypes of genetic ablation of PKCδ 10 - 12 , SHIP1 13,14 and SHP1 14, 15,16 , conditional CD25-deletion decimated early B-cell subsets but expanded mature B-cell populations and induced autoimmunity. In B-cell malignancies arising from early (B-ALL) and late (lymphoma) stages of B-cell development, CD25-loss induced cell death in the former and accelerated proliferation in the latter. Clinical outcome annotations mirrored opposite effects of CD25-deletion: high CD25 expression levels predicted poor clinical outcomes for patients with B-ALL, in contrast to favorable outcomes for lymphoma-patients. Biochemical and interactome studies revealed a critical role of CD25 in BCR-feedback regulation: BCR-signaling induced PKCδ-mediated phosphorylation of CD25 on its cytoplasmic tail (S 268 ). Genetic rescue experiments identified CD25-S 268 tail-phosphorylation as central structural requirement to recruit SHIP1 and SHP1 phosphatases to curb BCR-signaling. A single point mutation CD25 S268A abolished recruitment and activation of SHIP1 and SHP1 to limit duration and strength of BCR-signaling. Loss of phosphatase-function, autonomous BCR-signaling and Ca 2+ -oscillations induced anergy and negative selection during early B-cell development, as opposed to excessive proliferation and autoantibody production in mature B-cells. These findings highlight the previously unrecognized role of CD25 in assembling inhibitory phosphatases to control oncogenic signaling in B-cell malignancies and negative selection to prevent autoimmune disease.
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14
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Drug-tolerant persister B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.02.28.530540. [PMID: 36909619 PMCID: PMC10002708 DOI: 10.1101/2023.02.28.530540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
Reduced responsiveness of precursor B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) to chemotherapy can be inferred when leukemia cells persist after 28 days of initial treatment. Survival of these long-term persister (LTP) / minimal residual disease (MRD) cells is partly due to bone marrow stromal cells that protect them under conditions of chemotherapy stress. We used RNA-seq to analyse BCP-ALL cells that survived a long-term, 30-day vincristine chemotherapy treatment while in co-culture with bone marrow stromal cells. RNAs of as many as 10% of the protein-encoding genes were differentially expressed. There was substantial overlap with genes associated with MRD cell persistence reported in other studies. The top pathway regulated in the LTP cells was that involving p53, a master regulator of a spectrum of responses relevant to drug resistance and cytotoxic drug exposure including control of autophagy. We tested a select number of genes for contribution to BCP-ALL cell survival using Cas9/CRISPR in a 2-step selection, initially for overall effect on cell fitness, followed by 21 days of exposure to vincristine. Many genes involved in autophagy and lysosomal function were found to contribute to survival both at steady-state and during drug treatment. We also identified MYH9, NCSTN and KIAA2013 as specific genes contributing to fitness of BCP-ALL cells. CD44 was not essential for growth under steady state conditions but was needed for survival of vincristine treatment. Finally, although the drug transporter ABCC1/MRP1 is not overexpressed in BCP-ALL, a functional gene was needed for DTP cells to survive treatment with vincristine. This suggests that addition of possible ABCC1 inhibitors during induction therapy could provide benefit in eradication of minimal residual disease in patients treated with a chemotherapy regimen that includes vincristine.
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15
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Das Gupta D, Lohoff M. Puppet masters of B-cell progenitor acute lymphoblastic leukemia: The preB cell receptor and the interleukin 7 receptor α. Eur J Immunol 2023; 53:e2250093. [PMID: 36805963 DOI: 10.1002/eji.202250093] [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: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/23/2023]
Abstract
B-cell progenitor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) is enriched for a preB cell phenotype, hinting at a specific vulnerability of this cell stage. Two signaling pathways via the preB cell receptor (preBCR) and the interleukin 7 receptor α (IL-7Rα) chain govern the balance between differentiation and proliferation at this stage and both receptor pathways are routinely altered in human BCP-ALL. Here, we review the immunobiology of both the preBCR as well as the IL-7Rα and analyze the human BCP-ALL spectrum in the light of these signaling complexes. Finally, we present a terminology for preBCR signaling modules that distinguishes a pro-proliferative "phase-I" module from a pro-differentiative "phase-II" module. This terminology might serve as a framework to better address shared oncogenic mechanics of preB cell stage BCP-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dennis Das Gupta
- Institute for Medical Microbiology & Hospital Hygiene, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany.,Medical Department II, Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Michael Lohoff
- Institute for Medical Microbiology & Hospital Hygiene, Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
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16
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Kerketta R, Erasmus MF, Wilson BS, Halasz AM, Edwards JS. Spatial Stochastic Model of the Pre-B Cell Receptor. IEEE/ACM TRANSACTIONS ON COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY AND BIOINFORMATICS 2023; 20:683-693. [PMID: 35482702 PMCID: PMC10123485 DOI: 10.1109/tcbb.2022.3166149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Survival and proliferation of immature B lymphocytes requires expression and tonic signaling of the pre-B cell receptor (pre-BCR). This low level, ligand-independent signaling is likely achieved through frequent, but short-lived, homo interactions. Tonic signaling is also central in the pathology of precursor B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). In order to understand how repeated, transient events can lead to sustained signaling and to assess the impact of receptor accumulation induced by the membrane landscape, we developed a spatial stochastic model of receptor aggregation and downstream signaling events. Our rule- and agent-based model builds on previous mature BCR signaling models and incorporates novel parameters derived from single particle tracking of pre-BCR on surfaces of two different B-ALL cell lines, 697 and Nalm6. Live cell tracking of receptors on the two cell lines revealed characteristic differences in their dimer dissociation rates and diffusion coefficients. We report here that these differences affect pre-BCR aggregation and consequent signal initiation events. Receptors on Nalm6 cells, which have a lower off-rate and lower diffusion coefficient, more frequently form higher order oligomers than pre-BCR on 697 cells, resulting in higher levels of downstream phosphorylation in the Nalm6 cell line.
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17
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Li K, Liu Y, Ding Y, Zhang Z, Feng J, Hu J, Chen J, Lian Z, Chen Y, Hu K, Chen Z, Cai Z, Liu M, Pang X. BCL6 is regulated by the MAPK/ELK1 axis and promotes KRAS-driven lung cancer. J Clin Invest 2022; 132:161308. [PMID: 36377663 PMCID: PMC9663163 DOI: 10.1172/jci161308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Mutational activation of KRAS is a common oncogenic event in lung cancer, yet effective therapies are still lacking. Here, we identify B cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6) as a lynchpin in KRAS-driven lung cancer. BCL6 expression was increased upon KRAS activation in lung tumor tissue in mice and was positively correlated with the expression of KRAS-GTP, the active form of KRAS, in various human cancer cell lines. Moreover, BCL6 was highly expressed in human KRAS-mutant lung adenocarcinomas and was associated with poor patient survival. Mechanistically, the MAPK/ERK/ELK1 signaling axis downstream of mutant KRAS directly regulated BCL6 expression. BCL6 maintained the global expression of prereplication complex components; therefore, BCL6 inhibition induced stalling of the replication fork, leading to DNA damage and growth arrest in KRAS-mutant lung cancer cells. Importantly, BCL6-specific knockout in lungs significantly reduced the tumor burden and mortality in the LSL-KrasG12D/+ lung cancer mouse model. Likewise, pharmacological inhibition of BCL6 significantly impeded the growth of KRAS-mutant lung cancer cells both in vitro and in vivo. In summary, our findings reveal a crucial role of BCL6 in promoting KRAS-addicted lung cancer and suggest BCL6 as a therapeutic target for the treatment of this intractable disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Li
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology and School of Life Sciences and
- Joint Translational Science and Technology Research Institute, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
- Cancer Institute, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yanan Liu
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology and School of Life Sciences and
| | - Yi Ding
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology and School of Life Sciences and
| | - Zhengwei Zhang
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology and School of Life Sciences and
| | - Juanjuan Feng
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology and School of Life Sciences and
| | - Jiaxin Hu
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology and School of Life Sciences and
| | - Jiwei Chen
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology and School of Life Sciences and
| | - Zhengke Lian
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology and School of Life Sciences and
| | - Yiliang Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kewen Hu
- Cancer Institute, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhi Chen
- Medical Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhenyu Cai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, Tongji University, Shanghai, China
| | - Mingyao Liu
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology and School of Life Sciences and
| | - Xiufeng Pang
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital and Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology and School of Life Sciences and
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18
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Im NG, Guillaumet-Adkins A, Wal M, Rogers AJ, Frede J, Havig CC, Yang J, Anand P, Stegmann SK, Waldschmidt JM, Sotudeh N, Niu L, Voisine J, Schweiger MR, Grassberger C, Lohr JG, Knoechel B. Regulatory Programs of B-cell Activation and Germinal Center Reaction Allow B-ALL Escape from CD19 CAR T-cell Therapy. Cancer Immunol Res 2022; 10:1055-1068. [PMID: 35759797 PMCID: PMC9444959 DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.cir-21-0626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2022] [Accepted: 06/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has led to tremendous successes in the treatment of B-cell malignancies. However, a large fraction of treated patients relapse, often with disease expressing reduced levels of the target antigen. Here, we report that exposing CD19+ B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) cells to CD19 CAR T cells reduced CD19 expression within hours. Initially, CD19 CAR T cells caused clustering of CD19 at the T cell-leukemia cell interface followed by CD19 internalization and decreased CD19 surface expression on the B-ALL cells. CD19 expression was then repressed by transcriptional rewiring. Using single-cell RNA sequencing and single-cell assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing, we demonstrated that a subset of refractory CD19low cells sustained decreased CD19 expression through transcriptional programs of physiologic B-cell activation and germinal center reaction. Inhibiting B-cell activation programs with the Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib increased the cytotoxicity of CD19 CAR T cells without affecting CAR T-cell viability. These results demonstrate transcriptional plasticity as an underlying mechanism of escape from CAR T cells and highlight the importance of combining CAR T-cell therapy with targeted therapies that aim to overcome this plasticity. See related Spotlight by Zhao and Melenhorst, p. 1040.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nam Gyu Im
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Institute for Translational Epigenetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany; Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Amy Guillaumet-Adkins
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Megha Wal
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Anna J. Rogers
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Julia Frede
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Claire C. Havig
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jing Yang
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Praveen Anand
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Johannes M. Waldschmidt
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Noori Sotudeh
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Leili Niu
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jordan Voisine
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Michal R. Schweiger
- Institute for Translational Epigenetics, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany; Center for Molecular Medicine Cologne, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Clemens Grassberger
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Jens G. Lohr
- Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.,Corresponding Authors: Birgit Knoechel, MD, PhD, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Phone: 617-632-2072; ., Jens G. Lohr, MD, PhD, Division of Hematologic Neoplasia, Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Phone: 617-632-2069;
| | - Birgit Knoechel
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.,Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.,Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.,Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, MA, USA.,Corresponding Authors: Birgit Knoechel, MD, PhD, Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Phone: 617-632-2072; ., Jens G. Lohr, MD, PhD, Division of Hematologic Neoplasia, Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, 450 Brookline Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Phone: 617-632-2069;
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19
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Tsuzuki S, Yasuda T, Goto H, Maeda N, Akahane K, Inukai T, Yamamoto H, Karnan S, Ota A, Hyodo T, Konishi H, Hosokawa Y, Kiyoi H, Hayakawa F. BCL6 inhibition ameliorates resistance to ruxolitinib in CRLF2-rearranged acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Haematologica 2022; 108:394-408. [PMID: 36005560 PMCID: PMC9890033 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2022.280879] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2022] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Philadelphia chromosome-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-like ALL) is an intractable disease and most cases harbor genetic alterations that activate JAK or ABL signaling. The commonest subtype of Ph-like ALL exhibits a CRLF2 gene rearrangement that brings about JAK1/2-STAT5 pathway activation. However, JAK1/2 inhibition alone is insufficient as a treatment, so combinatorial therapies targeting multiple signals are needed. To better understand the mechanisms underlying the insufficient efficacy of JAK inhibition, we explored gene expression changes upon treatment with a JAK1/2 inhibitor (ruxolitinib) and found that elevated BCL6 expression was one such mechanism. Upregulated BCL6 suppressed the expression of TP53 along with its downstream cell cycle inhibitor p21 (CDKN2A) and pro-apoptotic molecules, such as FAS, TNFRSF10B, BID, BAX, BAK, PUMA, and NOXA, conferring cells some degree of resistance to therapy. BCL6 inhibition (with FX1) alone was able to upregulate TP53 and restore the TP53 expression that ruxolitinib had diminished. In addition, ruxolitinib and FX1 concertedly downregulated MYC. As a result, FX1 treatment alone had growth-inhibitory and apoptosis- sensitizing effects, but the combination of ruxolitinib and FX1 more potently inhibited leukemia cell growth, enhanced apoptosis sensitivity, and prolonged the survival of xenografted mice. These findings provide one mechanism for the insufficiency of JAK inhibition for the treatment of CRLF2-rearranged ALL and indicate BCL6 inhibition as a potentially helpful adjunctive therapy combined with JAK inhibition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinobu Tsuzuki
- Department of Biochemistry, Aichi Medical University, School of Medicine, Nagakute, Aichi.
| | - Takahiko Yasuda
- Clinical Research Center, National Hospital Organization Nagoya Medical Center, Nagoya, Aichi
| | - Hiroaki Goto
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Kanagawa Children’s Medical Center, Yokohama, Kanagawa
| | - Naoko Maeda
- Department of Pediatrics, National Hospital Organization Nagoya Medical Center, Nagoya, Aichi
| | - Koshi Akahane
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Yamanashi
| | - Takeshi Inukai
- Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Yamanashi
| | - Hideyuki Yamamoto
- Department of Hematology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi
| | - Sivasundaram Karnan
- Department of Biochemistry, Aichi Medical University, School of Medicine, Nagakute, Aichi
| | - Akinobu Ota
- Department of Biochemistry, Aichi Medical University, School of Medicine, Nagakute, Aichi
| | - Toshinori Hyodo
- Department of Biochemistry, Aichi Medical University, School of Medicine, Nagakute, Aichi
| | - Hiroyuki Konishi
- Department of Biochemistry, Aichi Medical University, School of Medicine, Nagakute, Aichi
| | - Yoshitaka Hosokawa
- Department of Biochemistry, Aichi Medical University, School of Medicine, Nagakute, Aichi
| | - Hitoshi Kiyoi
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi
| | - Fumihiko Hayakawa
- Department of Integrated Health Sciences, Division of Cellular and Genetic Sciences, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
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20
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Preclinical Evidence for the Efficacy of CD79b Immunotherapy in B-cell Precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Hemasphere 2022; 6:e754. [PMID: 35935606 PMCID: PMC9351922 DOI: 10.1097/hs9.0000000000000754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 06/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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21
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Leveille E, Chan LN, Mirza AS, Kume K, Müschen M. SYK and ZAP70 kinases in autoimmunity and lymphoid malignancies. Cell Signal 2022; 94:110331. [PMID: 35398488 DOI: 10.1016/j.cellsig.2022.110331] [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: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
SYK and ZAP70 nonreceptor tyrosine kinases serve essential roles in initiating B-cell receptor (BCR) and T-cell receptor (TCR) signaling in B- and T-lymphocytes, respectively. Despite their structural and functional similarity, expression of SYK and ZAP70 is strictly separated during B- and T-lymphocyte development, the reason for which was not known. Aberrant co-expression of ZAP70 with SYK was first identified in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and is considered a biomarker of aggressive disease and poor clinical outcomes. We recently found that aberrant ZAP70 co-expression not only functions as an oncogenic driver in CLL but also in various other B-cell malignancies, including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) and mantle cell lymphoma. Thereby, aberrantly expressed ZAP70 redirects SYK and BCR-downstream signaling from NFAT towards activation of the PI3K-pathway. In the sole presence of SYK, pathological BCR-signaling in autoreactive or premalignant cells induces NFAT-activation and NFAT-dependent anergy and negative selection. In contrast, negative selection of pathological B-cells is subverted when ZAP70 diverts SYK from activation of NFAT towards tonic PI3K-signaling, which promotes survival instead of cell death. We discuss here how both B-cell malignancies and autoimmune diseases frequently evolve to harness this mechanism, highlighting the importance of developmental separation of the two kinases as an essential safeguard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Etienne Leveille
- Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Hematology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Lai N Chan
- Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Hematology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Abu-Sayeef Mirza
- Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Hematology, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06510, USA
| | - Kohei Kume
- Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Markus Müschen
- Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA; Department of Immunobiology, Yale University, CT 06520, USA.
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22
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Liu Y, Feng J, Yuan K, Wu Z, Hu L, Lu Y, Li K, Guo J, Chen J, Ma C, Pang X. The oncoprotein BCL6 enables solid tumor cells to evade genotoxic stress. eLife 2022; 11:69255. [PMID: 35503721 PMCID: PMC9064299 DOI: 10.7554/elife.69255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2021] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Genotoxic agents remain the mainstay of cancer treatment. Unfortunately, the clinical benefits are often countered by a rapid tumor adaptive response. Here, we report that the oncoprotein B cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6) is a core component that confers solid tumor adaptive resistance to genotoxic stress. Multiple genotoxic agents promoted BCL6 transactivation, which was positively correlated with a weakened therapeutic efficacy and a worse clinical outcome. Mechanistically, we discovered that treatment with the genotoxic agent etoposide led to the transcriptional reprogramming of multiple pro-inflammatory cytokines, among which the interferon-α and interferon-γ responses were substantially enriched in resistant cells. Our results further revealed that the activation of interferon/signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 axis directly upregulated BCL6 expression. The increased expression of BCL6 further repressed the tumor suppressor PTEN and consequently enabled resistant cancer cell survival. Accordingly, targeted inhibition of BCL6 remarkably enhanced etoposide-triggered DNA damage and apoptosis both in vitro and in vivo. Our findings highlight the importance of BCL6 signaling in conquering solid tumor tolerance to genotoxic stress, further establishing a rationale for a combined approach with genotoxic agents and BCL6-targeted therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanan Liu
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Juanjuan Feng
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kun Yuan
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhengzhen Wu
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Longmiao Hu
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Yue Lu
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Kun Li
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Jiawei Guo
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University and Collaborative Innovation Center for Biotherapy, Chengdu, China
| | - Jing Chen
- Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Genetics in Ningxia, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, China
| | - Chengbin Ma
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiufeng Pang
- Changning Maternity and Infant Health Hospital, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Regulatory Biology, School of Life Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
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23
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Ketzer F, Abdelrasoul H, Vogel M, Marienfeld R, Müschen M, Jumaa H, Wirth T, Ushmorov A. CCND3 is indispensable for the maintenance of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Oncogenesis 2022; 11:1. [PMID: 35013097 PMCID: PMC8748974 DOI: 10.1038/s41389-021-00377-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2021] [Revised: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
The D-type cyclins (CCND1, CCND2, and CCND3) in association with CDK4/6 are known drivers of cell cycle progression. We reported previously that inactivation of FOXO1 confers growth arrest and apoptosis in B-ALL, partially mediated by subsequent depletion of CCND3. Given that previously the canonical MYC target CCND2 has been considered to play the major role in B-ALL proliferation, further investigation of the role of FOXO1 in CCND3 transcription and the role of CCND3 in B-ALL is warranted. In this study, we demonstrated that CCND3 is essential for the proliferation and survival of B-ALL, independent of the mutational background. Respectively, its expression at mRNA level exceeds that of CCND1 and CCND2. Furthermore, we identified FOXO1 as a CCND3-activating transcription factor in B-ALL. By comparing the effects of CCND3 depletion and CDK4/6 inhibition by palbociclib on B-ALL cells harboring different driver mutations, we found that the anti-apoptotic effect of CCND3 is independent of the kinase activity of the CCND3-CDK4/6 complex. Moreover, we found that CCND3 contributes to CDK8 transcription, which in part might explain the anti-apoptotic effect of CCND3. Finally, we found that increased CCND3 expression is associated with the development of resistance to palbociclib. We conclude that CCND3 plays an essential role in the maintenance of B-ALL, regardless of the underlying driver mutation. Moreover, downregulation of CCND3 expression might be superior to inhibition of CDK4/6 kinase activity in terms of B-ALL treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Franz Ketzer
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Hend Abdelrasoul
- grid.410712.10000 0004 0473 882XInstitute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Mona Vogel
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Institute of Molecular Medicine, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Ralf Marienfeld
- grid.410712.10000 0004 0473 882XInstitute of Pathology, Ulm University Medical Center, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Markus Müschen
- grid.47100.320000000419368710Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Yale School of Medicine, 300 George Street, 06520 New Haven, CT USA
| | - Hassan Jumaa
- grid.410712.10000 0004 0473 882XInstitute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Thomas Wirth
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
| | - Alexey Ushmorov
- grid.6582.90000 0004 1936 9748Institute of Physiological Chemistry, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081 Ulm, Germany
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24
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Grüninger PK, Uhl F, Herzog H, Gentile G, Andrade-Martinez M, Schmidt T, Han K, Morgens DW, Bassik MC, Cleary ML, Gorka O, Zeiser R, Groß O, Duque-Afonso J. Functional characterization of the PI3K/AKT/MTOR signaling pathway for targeted therapy in B-precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Cancer Gene Ther 2022; 29:1751-1760. [PMID: 35794338 PMCID: PMC9663301 DOI: 10.1038/s41417-022-00491-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Revised: 05/22/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemias (B-ALL) are characterized by the activation of signaling pathways, which are involved in survival and proliferation of leukemia cells. Using an unbiased shRNA library screen enriched for targeting signaling pathways, we identified MTOR as the key gene on which human B-ALL E2A-PBX1+ RCH-ACV cells are dependent. Using genetic and pharmacologic approaches, we investigated whether B-ALL cells depend on MTOR upstream signaling pathways including PI3K/AKT and the complexes MTORC1 or MTORC2 for proliferation and survival in vitro and in vivo. Notably, the combined inhibition of MTOR and AKT shows a synergistic effect on decreased cell proliferation in B-ALL with different karyotypes. Hence, B-ALL cells were more dependent on MTORC2 rather than MTORC1 complex in genetic assays. Using cell metabolomics, we identified changes in mitochondrial fuel oxidation after shRNA-mediated knockdown or pharmacological inhibition of MTOR. Dependence of the cells on fatty acid metabolism for their energy production was increased upon inhibition of MTOR and associated upstream signaling pathways, disclosing a possible target for a combination therapy. In conclusion, B-ALL are dependent on the PI3K/AKT/MTOR signaling pathway and the combination of specific small molecules targeting this pathway appears to be promising for the treatment of B-ALL patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia K. Grüninger
- grid.7708.80000 0000 9428 7911Department of Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplantation, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Franziska Uhl
- grid.7708.80000 0000 9428 7911Department of Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplantation, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Heike Herzog
- grid.7708.80000 0000 9428 7911Department of Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplantation, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Gaia Gentile
- grid.7708.80000 0000 9428 7911Department of Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplantation, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Marta Andrade-Martinez
- grid.7708.80000 0000 9428 7911Department of Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplantation, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Tobias Schmidt
- grid.7708.80000 0000 9428 7911Department of Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplantation, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Kyuho Han
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA USA
| | - David W. Morgens
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Michael C. Bassik
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Genetics, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Michael L. Cleary
- grid.168010.e0000000419368956Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA USA
| | - Oliver Gorka
- grid.5963.9Institute of Neuropathology, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Robert Zeiser
- grid.7708.80000 0000 9428 7911Department of Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplantation, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany ,grid.5963.9Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Olaf Groß
- grid.5963.9Institute of Neuropathology, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany ,grid.5963.9Signalling Research Centres BIOSS and CIBSS, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany ,grid.7708.80000 0000 9428 7911Center for Basics in NeuroModulation (NeuroModulBasics), University of Freiburg Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Jesús Duque-Afonso
- grid.7708.80000 0000 9428 7911Department of Hematology/Oncology/Stem Cell Transplantation, University of Freiburg Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
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25
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Luong A, Cerignoli F, Abassi Y, Heisterkamp N, Abdel-Azim H. Analysis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia drug sensitivity by changes in impedance via stromal cell adherence. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0258140. [PMID: 34591931 PMCID: PMC8483355 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0258140] [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: 05/21/2021] [Accepted: 09/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The bone marrow is a frequent location of primary relapse after conventional cytotoxic drug treatment of human B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL). Because stromal cells have a major role in promoting chemotherapy resistance, they should be included to more realistically model in vitro drug treatment. Here we validated a novel application of the xCELLigence system as a continuous co-culture to assess long-term effects of drug treatment on BCP-ALL cells. We found that bone marrow OP9 stromal cells adhere to the electrodes but are progressively displaced by dividing patient-derived BCP-ALL cells, resulting in reduction of impedance over time. Death of BCP-ALL cells due to drug treatment results in re-adherence of the stromal cells to the electrodes, increasing impedance. Importantly, vincristine inhibited proliferation of sensitive BCP-ALL cells in a dose-dependent manner, correlating with increased impedance. This system was able to discriminate sensitivity of two relapsed Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) positive ALLs to four different targeted kinase inhibitors. Moreover, differences in sensitivity of two CRLF2-drivenBCP-ALL cell lines to ruxolitinib were also seen. These results show that impedance can be used as a novel approach to monitor drug treatment and sensitivity of primary BCP-ALL cells in the presence of protective microenvironmental cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annie Luong
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
| | - Fabio Cerignoli
- Agilent Technologies, Inc., Santa Clara, CA, United States of America
| | - Yama Abassi
- Agilent Technologies, Inc., Santa Clara, CA, United States of America
| | - Nora Heisterkamp
- Department of Systems Biology, Beckman Research Institute City of Hope, Monrovia, CA, United States of America
| | - Hisham Abdel-Azim
- Division of Hematology, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America.,Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, United States of America
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26
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Ren A, Sun J, Yin W, Westerberg LS, Miller H, Lee P, Candotti F, Guan F, Lei J, Gong Q, Chen Y, Liu C. Signaling networks in B cell development and related therapeutic strategies. J Leukoc Biol 2021; 111:877-891. [PMID: 34528729 DOI: 10.1002/jlb.2ru0221-088rrr] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
B cells are essential for Ab production during humoral immune responses. From decades of B cell research, there is now a detailed understanding of B cell subsets, development, functions, and most importantly, signaling pathways. The complicated pathways in B cells and their interactions with each other are stage-dependent, varying with surface marker expression during B cell development. With the increasing understanding of B cell development and signaling pathways, the mechanisms underlying B cell related diseases are being unraveled as well, making it possible to provide more precise and effective treatments. In this review, we describe several essential and recently discovered signaling pathways in B cell development and take a look at newly developed therapeutic strategies targeted at B cell signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anwen Ren
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jianxuan Sun
- Department and Institute of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Wei Yin
- Wuhan Children's Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Lisa S Westerberg
- Department of Microbiology Tumor and Cell Biology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Heather Miller
- The Laboratory of Intracellular Parasites, Rocky Mountain Laboratories, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, Montana, USA
| | - Pamela Lee
- Department of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Fabio Candotti
- Division of Immunology and Allergy, Lausanne University Hospital and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Fei Guan
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiahui Lei
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Quan Gong
- Department of Immunology, School of Medicine, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China.,Clinical Molecular Immunology Center, School of Medicine, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
| | - Yan Chen
- The Second Department of Pediatrics, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou, China
| | - Chaohong Liu
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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27
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Metabolic determinants of B-cell selection. Biochem Soc Trans 2021; 49:1467-1478. [PMID: 34196360 DOI: 10.1042/bst20201316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2021] [Revised: 06/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
B-cells are antibody-producing cells of the adaptive immune system. Approximately 75% of all newly generated B-cells in the bone marrow are autoreactive and express potentially harmful autoantibodies. To prevent autoimmune disease, the immune system has evolved a powerful mechanism to eliminate autoreactive B-cells, termed negative B-cell selection. While designed to remove autoreactive clones during early B-cell development, our laboratory recently discovered that transformed B-cells in leukemia and lymphoma are also subject to negative selection. Indeed, besides the risk of developing autoimmune disease, B-cells are inherently prone to malignant transformation: to produce high-affinity antibodies, B-cells undergo multiple rounds of somatic immunoglobulin gene recombination and hypermutation. Reflecting high frequencies of DNA-breaks, adaptive immune protection by B-cells comes with a dramatically increased risk of development of leukemia and lymphoma. Of note, B-cells exist under conditions of chronic restriction of energy metabolism. Here we discuss how these metabolic gatekeeper functions during B-cell development provide a common mechanism for the removal of autoreactive and premalignant B-cells to safeguard against both autoimmune diseases and B-cell malignancies.
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28
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Mediator subunit MED1 is required for E2A-PBX1-mediated oncogenic transcription and leukemic cell growth. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:1922864118. [PMID: 33542097 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1922864118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The chimeric transcription factor E2A-PBX1, containing the N-terminal activation domains of E2A fused to the C-terminal DNA-binding domain of PBX1, results in 5% of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALL). We recently have reported a mechanism for RUNX1-dependent recruitment of E2A-PBX1 to chromatin in pre-B leukemic cells; but the subsequent E2A-PBX1 functions through various coactivators and the general transcriptional machinery remain unclear. The Mediator complex plays a critical role in cell-specific gene activation by serving as a key coactivator for gene-specific transcription factors that facilitates their function through the RNA polymerase II transcriptional machinery, but whether Mediator contributes to aberrant expression of E2A-PBX1 target genes remains largely unexplored. Here we show that Mediator interacts directly with E2A-PBX1 through an interaction of the MED1 subunit with an E2A activation domain. Results of MED1 depletion by CRISPR/Cas9 further indicate that MED1 is specifically required for E2A-PBX1-dependent gene activation and leukemic cell growth. Integrated transcriptome and cistrome analyses identify pre-B cell receptor and cell cycle regulatory genes as direct cotargets of MED1 and E2A-PBX1. Notably, complementary biochemical analyses also demonstrate that recruitment of E2A-PBX1 to a target DNA template involves a direct interaction with DNA-bound RUNX1 that can be further stabilized by EBF1. These findings suggest that E2A-PBX1 interactions with RUNX1 and MED1/Mediator are of functional importance for both gene-specific transcriptional activation and maintenance of E2A-PBX1-driven leukemia. The MED1 dependency for E2A-PBX1-mediated gene activation and leukemogenesis may provide a potential therapeutic opportunity by targeting MED1 in E2A-PBX1+ pre-B leukemia.
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29
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A reporter system for enriching CRISPR/Cas9 knockout cells in technically challenging settings like patient models. Sci Rep 2021; 11:12649. [PMID: 34135367 PMCID: PMC8209181 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-91760-9] [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: 11/29/2020] [Accepted: 05/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
CRISPR/Cas9 represents a valuable tool to determine protein function, but technical hurdles limit its use in challenging settings such as cells unable to grow in vitro like primary leukemia cells and xenografts derived thereof (PDX). To enrich CRISPR/Cas9-edited cells, we improved a dual-reporter system and cloned the genomic target sequences of the gene of interest (GOI) upstream of an out-of-frame fluorochrome which was expressed only upon successful gene editing. To reduce rounds of in vivo passaging required for PDX leukemia growth, targets of 17 GOI were cloned in a row, flanked by an improved linker, and PDX cells were lentivirally transduced for stable expression. The reporter enriched scarce, successfully gene-edited PDX cells as high as 80%. Using the reporter, we show that KO of the SRC-family kinase LYN increased the response of PDX cells of B precursor cell ALL towards Vincristine, even upon heterozygous KO, indicating haploinsufficiency. In summary, our reporter system enables enriching KO cells in technically challenging settings and extends the use of gene editing to highly patient-related model systems.
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30
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Antileukemic efficacy of a potent artemisinin combined with sorafenib and venetoclax. Blood Adv 2021; 5:711-724. [PMID: 33560385 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020003429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/28/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Artemisinins are active against human leukemia cell lines and have low clinical toxicity in worldwide use as antimalarials. Because multiagent combination regimens are necessary to cure fully evolved leukemias, we sought to leverage our previous finding that artemisinin analogs synergize with kinase inhibitors, including sorafenib (SOR), by identifying additional synergistic antileukemic drugs with low toxicity. Screening of a targeted antineoplastic drug library revealed that B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL2) inhibitors synergize with artemisinins, and validation assays confirmed that the selective BCL2 inhibitor, venetoclax (VEN), synergized with artemisinin analogs to inhibit growth and induce apoptotic cell death of multiple acute leukemia cell lines in vitro. An oral 3-drug "SAV" regimen (SOR plus the potent artemisinin-derived trioxane diphenylphosphate 838 dimeric analog [ART838] plus VEN) killed leukemia cell lines and primary cells in vitro. Leukemia cells cultured in ART838 had decreased induced myeloid leukemia cell differentiation protein (MCL1) levels and increased levels of DNA damage-inducible transcript 3 (DDIT3; GADD153) messenger RNA and its encoded CCATT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP), a key component of the integrated stress response. Thus, synergy of the SAV combination may involve combined targeting of MCL1 and BCL2 via discrete, tolerable mechanisms, and cellular levels of MCL1 and DDIT3/CHOP may serve as biomarkers for action of artemisinins and SAV. Finally, SAV treatment was tolerable and resulted in deep responses with extended survival in 2 acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell line xenograft models, both harboring a mixed lineage leukemia gene rearrangement and an FMS-like receptor tyrosine kinase-3 internal tandem duplication, and inhibited growth in 2 AML primagraft models.
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31
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Mäkinen A, Nikkilä A, Mehtonen J, Teppo S, Oksa L, Nordlund J, Rounioja S, Pohjolainen V, Laukkanen S, Heinäniemi M, Paavonen T, Lohi O. Expression of BCL6 in paediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and association with prognosis. Pathology 2021; 53:875-882. [PMID: 34049715 DOI: 10.1016/j.pathol.2021.02.013] [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: 11/03/2020] [Revised: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
B-cell lineage acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) is the most common paediatric malignancy. Transcription factor B-cell lymphoma 6 (BCL6) is essential to germinal centre formation and antibody affinity maturation and plays a major role in mature B-cell malignancies. More recently, it was shown to act as a critical downstream regulator in pre-BCR+ B-ALL. We investigated the expression of the BCL6 protein in a population-based cohort of paediatric B-ALL cases and detected moderate to strong positivity through immunohistochemistry in 7% of cases (8/117); however, only two of eight BCL6 cases (25%) co-expressed the ZAP70 protein. In light of these data, the subtype with active pre-BCR signalling constitutes a rare entity in paediatric B-ALL. In three independent larger cohorts with gene expression data, high BCL6 mRNA levels were associated with the TCF3-PBX1, Ph-like, NUTM1, MEF2D and PAX5-alt subgroups and the 'metagene' signature for pre-BCR-associated genes. However, higher-than-median BCL6 mRNA level alone was associated with favourable event free survival in the Nordic paediatric cohort, indicating that using BCL6 as a diagnostic marker requires careful design, and evaluation of protein level is needed alongside the genetic or transcriptomic data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artturi Mäkinen
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere Center for Child Health Research, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland; Fimlab Laboratories, Department of Pathology, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland.
| | - Atte Nikkilä
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere Center for Child Health Research, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Juha Mehtonen
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Susanna Teppo
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere Center for Child Health Research, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Laura Oksa
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere Center for Child Health Research, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Jessica Nordlund
- Department of Medical Sciences, Molecular Medicine and Science for Life Laboratory, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Samuli Rounioja
- Fimlab Laboratories, Department of Hematology, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Virva Pohjolainen
- Fimlab Laboratories, Department of Pathology, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Saara Laukkanen
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere Center for Child Health Research, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Merja Heinäniemi
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Timo Paavonen
- Fimlab Laboratories, Department of Pathology, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland; Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Olli Lohi
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere Center for Child Health Research, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland; Tays Cancer Centre, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
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32
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Sadras T, Martin M, Kume K, Robinson ME, Saravanakumar S, Lenz G, Chen Z, Song JY, Siddiqi T, Oksa L, Knapp AM, Cutler J, Cosgun KN, Klemm L, Ecker V, Winchester J, Ghergus D, Soulas-Sprauel P, Kiefer F, Heisterkamp N, Pandey A, Ngo V, Wang L, Jumaa H, Buchner M, Ruland J, Chan WC, Meffre E, Martin T, Müschen M. Developmental partitioning of SYK and ZAP70 prevents autoimmunity and cancer. Mol Cell 2021; 81:2094-2111.e9. [PMID: 33878293 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.03.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2020] [Revised: 12/01/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Even though SYK and ZAP70 kinases share high sequence homology and serve analogous functions, their expression in B and T cells is strictly segregated throughout evolution. Here, we identified aberrant ZAP70 expression as a common feature in a broad range of B cell malignancies. We validated SYK as the kinase that sets the thresholds for negative selection of autoreactive and premalignant clones. When aberrantly expressed in B cells, ZAP70 competes with SYK at the BCR signalosome and redirects SYK from negative selection to tonic PI3K signaling, thereby promoting B cell survival. In genetic mouse models for B-ALL and B-CLL, conditional expression of Zap70 accelerated disease onset, while genetic deletion impaired malignant transformation. Inducible activation of Zap70 during B cell development compromised negative selection of autoreactive B cells, resulting in pervasive autoantibody production. Strict segregation of the two kinases is critical for normal B cell selection and represents a central safeguard against the development of autoimmune disease and B cell malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Sadras
- Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Mickaël Martin
- CNRS UPR 3572 "Immunopathology and Therapeutic Chemistry," Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMC), Strasbourg, France; Department of Clinical Immunology, Strasbourg University Hospital, Strasbourg, France
| | - Kohei Kume
- Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Mark E Robinson
- Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Supraja Saravanakumar
- Department of Systems Biology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Gal Lenz
- Department of Cancer Biology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Zhengshan Chen
- Department of Systems Biology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Joo Y Song
- Department of Pathology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Tanya Siddiqi
- Department of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Laura Oksa
- Tampere Center for Child Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Anne Marie Knapp
- CNRS UPR 3572 "Immunopathology and Therapeutic Chemistry," Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMC), Strasbourg, France
| | - Jevon Cutler
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Kadriye Nehir Cosgun
- Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Lars Klemm
- Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Veronika Ecker
- Department of Systems Biology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA; Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Technical University of Munich, Klinikum rechts der Isar, 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Janet Winchester
- Department of Systems Biology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Dana Ghergus
- Department of Clinical Hematology, Hospices Civils de Lyon, Lyon, France
| | - Pauline Soulas-Sprauel
- CNRS UPR 3572 "Immunopathology and Therapeutic Chemistry," Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMC), Strasbourg, France; Department of Clinical Immunology, Strasbourg University Hospital, Strasbourg, France
| | - Friedemann Kiefer
- Mammalian Cell Signaling Laboratory, Department of Vascular Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, Münster, Germany
| | - Nora Heisterkamp
- Department of Systems Biology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Akhilesh Pandey
- Department of Biological Chemistry, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Vu Ngo
- Department of Systems Biology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Lili Wang
- Department of Systems Biology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Hassan Jumaa
- Department of Immunology, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Maike Buchner
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Technical University of Munich, Klinikum rechts der Isar, 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Jürgen Ruland
- Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Technical University of Munich, Klinikum rechts der Isar, 81675 Munich, Germany
| | - Wing-Chung Chan
- Department of Pathology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Eric Meffre
- Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Thierry Martin
- CNRS UPR 3572 "Immunopathology and Therapeutic Chemistry," Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMC), Strasbourg, France; Department of Clinical Immunology, Strasbourg University Hospital, Strasbourg, France.
| | - Markus Müschen
- Center of Molecular and Cellular Oncology, Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA; Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
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33
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Loftus JP, Yahiaoui A, Brown PA, Niswander LM, Bagashev A, Wang M, Schauf A, Tannheimer S, Tasian SK. Combinatorial efficacy of entospletinib and chemotherapy in patient-derived xenograft models of infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Haematologica 2021; 106:1067-1078. [PMID: 32414848 PMCID: PMC8018117 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2019.241729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Survival of infants with KMT2A-rearranged acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) remains dismal despite intensive chemotherapy. We observed constitutive phosphorylation of spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) and associated signaling proteins in infant ALL patient-derived xenograft (PDX) model specimens and hypothesized that the SYK inhibitor entospletinib would inhibit signaling and cell growth in vitro and leukemia proliferation in vivo. We further predicted that combined entospletinib and chemotherapy could augment anti-leukemia effects. Basal kinase signaling activation and HOXA9/MEIS1 expression differed among KMT2Arearranged (KMT2A-AFF1 [n=4], KMT2A-MLLT3 [n=1], KMT2A-MLLT1 [n=4]) and non-KMT2A-rearranged [n=3] ALL specimens and stratified by genetic subgroup. Incubation of KMT2A-rearranged ALL cells in vitro with entospletinib inhibited methylcellulose colony formation and SYK pathway signaling in a dose-dependent manner. In vivo inhibition of leukemia proliferation with entospletinib monotherapy was observed in RAS-wild-type KMT2A-AFF1, KMT2A-MLLT3, and KMT2A-MLLT1 ALL PDX models with enhanced activity in combination with vincristine chemotherapy in several models. Surprisingly, entospletinib did not decrease leukemia burden in two KMT2A-AFF1 PDX models with NRAS or KRAS mutations, suggesting potential RAS-mediated resistance to SYK inhibition. As hypothesized, superior inhibition of ALL proliferation was observed in KMT2A-AFF1 PDX models treated with entospletinib and the MEK inhibitor selumetinib versus vehicle or inhibitor monotherapies (P<0.05). In summary, constitutive activation of SYK and associated signaling occurs in KMT2A-rearranged ALL with in vitro and in vivo sensitivity to entospletinib. Combination therapy with vincristine or selumetinib further enhanced treatment effects of SYK inhibition. Clinical study of entospletinib and chemotherapy or other kinase inhibitors in patients with KMT2A-rearranged leukemias may be warranted.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph P Loftus
- Div of Oncology, Children Hospital and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Philadelphia, USA
| | | | - Patrick A Brown
- Johns Hopkins University and Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, USA
| | - Lisa M Niswander
- Div of Oncology, Children Hospital and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Asen Bagashev
- Div of Oncology, Children Hospital and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Philadelphia, USA
| | - Min Wang
- Gilead Sciences; Foster City, CA, USA
| | | | | | - Sarah K Tasian
- Div of Oncology, Children Hospital and Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Philadelphia, USA
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Mäkinen A, Nikkilä A, Haapaniemi T, Oksa L, Mehtonen J, Vänskä M, Heinäniemi M, Paavonen T, Lohi O. IGF2BP3 Associates with Proliferative Phenotype and Prognostic Features in B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:1505. [PMID: 33805930 PMCID: PMC8037952 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13071505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 03/22/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The oncofetal protein insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA-binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3) belongs to a family of RNA-binding proteins involved in localization, stability, and translational regulation of target RNAs. IGF2BP3 is used as a diagnostic and prognostic marker in several malignancies. Although the prognosis of pediatric B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) has improved, a subgroup of patients exhibits high-risk features and suffer from disease recurrence. We sought to identify additional biomarkers to improve diagnostics, and we assessed expression of IGF2BP3 in a population-based pediatric cohort of B-ALL using a tissue microarray platform. The majority of pediatric B-ALL cases were positive for IGF2BP3 immunohistochemistry and were associated with an increased proliferative phenotype and activated STAT5 signaling pathway. Two large gene expression data sets were probed for the expression of IGF2BP3-the highest levels were seen among the B-cell lymphomas of a germinal center origin and well-established (KMT2A-rearranged and ETV6-RUNX1) and novel subtypes of B-ALL (e.g., NUTM1 and ETV6-RUNX1-like). A high mRNA for IGF2BP3 was associated with a proliferative "metagene" signature and a high expression of CDK6 in B-ALL. A low expression portended inferior survival in a high-risk cohort of pediatric B-ALL. Overall, our results show that IGF2BP3 shows subtype-specificity in expression and provides prognostic utility in high-risk B-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Artturi Mäkinen
- Tampere Center for Child, Adolescent and Maternal Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33520 Tampere, Finland; (A.N.); (L.O.); (O.L.)
- Fimlab Laboratories, Department of Pathology, Tampere University Hospital, 33520 Tampere, Finland; (T.H.); (T.P.)
| | - Atte Nikkilä
- Tampere Center for Child, Adolescent and Maternal Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33520 Tampere, Finland; (A.N.); (L.O.); (O.L.)
| | - Teppo Haapaniemi
- Fimlab Laboratories, Department of Pathology, Tampere University Hospital, 33520 Tampere, Finland; (T.H.); (T.P.)
- Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Laura Oksa
- Tampere Center for Child, Adolescent and Maternal Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33520 Tampere, Finland; (A.N.); (L.O.); (O.L.)
| | - Juha Mehtonen
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland; (J.M.); (M.H.)
| | - Matti Vänskä
- Department of Internal Medicine, Tampere University Hospital, 33520 Tampere, Finland;
| | - Merja Heinäniemi
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland; (J.M.); (M.H.)
| | - Timo Paavonen
- Fimlab Laboratories, Department of Pathology, Tampere University Hospital, 33520 Tampere, Finland; (T.H.); (T.P.)
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33520 Tampere, Finland
| | - Olli Lohi
- Tampere Center for Child, Adolescent and Maternal Health Research, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, 33520 Tampere, Finland; (A.N.); (L.O.); (O.L.)
- Tays Cancer Centre, Tampere University Hospital, 33520 Tampere, Finland
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Support of BCP-ALL-cells by autologous bone marrow Th-cells involves induction of AID expression but not widespread AID off-target mutagenesis. Cancer Immunol Immunother 2021; 70:2275-2289. [PMID: 33507341 PMCID: PMC8289808 DOI: 10.1007/s00262-020-02835-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) is the most common childhood malignancy. The two-step BCP-ALL pathogenesis requires in utero-induced chromosomal aberrations and additional mutagenic events for overt leukemia. In mouse models, activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID/AICDA) was suggested to contribute to BCP-ALL pathogenesis by off-target mutagenic activity. The role of AID in patients, however, remains unclear. Moreover, AID is usually not expressed in precursor B-cells but in germinal center B-cells, where it is induced upon T-helper (Th) cell stimulation. We have previously demonstrated that autologous Th-cells supportively interacted with BCP-ALL-cells. Here, we hypothesize that this interaction additionally induces AID expression in BCP-ALL-cells, leading to off-target mutagenic activity. We show that co-culture with autologous bone marrow Th-cells induced high AICDA expression in primary BCP-ALL-cells. This induction was mediated by a mechanism similar to the induction in mature B-cells involving IL-13/Stat6, CD40L/NF-κB and TGFβ/Smad2/3 signaling. Even though Th-cell-induced AID seemed to be active in vitro in a BCP-ALL reporter cell line, extensive mutational signature analysis revealed no major contribution of AID activity to the mutational landscape in BCP-ALL patients. AID activity was neither detected in mutation clusters nor in known AID targets. Moreover, no recurrently mutated gene showed a relevant enrichment of mutations in the AID motif. Together, the lack of AID-induced mutational consequences argues towards a Th-cell-promoted yet AID-independent BCP-ALL pathogenesis and favors therapeutic research focusing on Th-cell-derived support of BCP-ALL-cells rather than AID-induced effects.
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Lenk L, Carlet M, Vogiatzi F, Spory L, Winterberg D, Cousins A, Vossen-Gajcy M, Ibruli O, Vokuhl C, Cario G, El Ayoubi O, Kramer L, Ritgen M, Brüggemann M, Häsler R, Schrappe M, Fuhrmann S, Halsey C, Jeremias I, Hobeika E, Jumaa H, Alsadeq A, Schewe DM. CD79a promotes CNS-infiltration and leukemia engraftment in pediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Commun Biol 2021; 4:73. [PMID: 33452446 PMCID: PMC7810877 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01591-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Accepted: 11/25/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Central nervous system (CNS) involvement remains a challenge in the diagnosis and treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). In this study, we identify CD79a (also known as Igα), a signaling component of the preB cell receptor (preBCR), to be associated with CNS-infiltration and –relapse in B-cell precursor (BCP)-ALL patients. Furthermore, we show that downregulation of CD79a hampers the engraftment of leukemia cells in different murine xenograft models, particularly in the CNS. Lenk et al find that the preB cell receptor (preBCR) is associated with infiltration and relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in the central nervous system (CNS). They also show that downregulation of preBCR component CD79a reduces the engraftment of leukemia cells in different murine xenograft models, particularly in the CNS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lennart Lenk
- Department of Pediatrics I, ALL-BFM Study Group, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Haus C, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Michela Carlet
- Research Unit Apoptosis in Hematopoietic Stem Cells, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Center for Environmental Health (HMGU), Marchioninistraße 25, 81377, Munich, Germany
| | - Fotini Vogiatzi
- Department of Pediatrics I, ALL-BFM Study Group, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Haus C, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Lea Spory
- Department of Pediatrics I, ALL-BFM Study Group, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Haus C, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Dorothee Winterberg
- Department of Pediatrics I, ALL-BFM Study Group, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Haus C, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Antony Cousins
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Bearsden, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Michaela Vossen-Gajcy
- Department of Pediatrics I, ALL-BFM Study Group, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Haus C, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Olta Ibruli
- Department of Pediatrics I, ALL-BFM Study Group, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Haus C, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Christian Vokuhl
- Department of Pathology, Section of Pediatric Pathology, Venusberg-Campus 1, Gebäude 62, 53127, Bonn, Germany
| | - Gunnar Cario
- Department of Pediatrics I, ALL-BFM Study Group, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Haus C, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Omar El Ayoubi
- Institute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Lisa Kramer
- Institute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Matthias Ritgen
- Department of Medicine II, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Langer Segen 8-10, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Monika Brüggemann
- Department of Medicine II, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Langer Segen 8-10, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Robert Häsler
- Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Rosalind-Franklin-Straße 12, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Martin Schrappe
- Department of Pediatrics I, ALL-BFM Study Group, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Haus C, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Stephan Fuhrmann
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, HELIOS Hospital Berlin-Buch, Rosalind-Franklin-Straße 12, 24105, Kiel, Germany
| | - Christina Halsey
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Garscube Estate, Switchback Road, Bearsden, Glasgow, G61 1QH, UK
| | - Irmela Jeremias
- Research Unit Apoptosis in Hematopoietic Stem Cells, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Center for Environmental Health (HMGU), Marchioninistraße 25, 81377, Munich, Germany.,German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Partnering Site Munich, Pettenkoferstr. 8a, 80336, München, Germany.,Department of Pediatrics, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, University Hospital, LMU Munich, Lindwurmstraße 4, 80337, München, Germany
| | - Elias Hobeika
- Institute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Hassan Jumaa
- Institute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Ameera Alsadeq
- Institute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Denis M Schewe
- Department of Pediatrics I, ALL-BFM Study Group, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3, Haus C, 24105, Kiel, Germany.
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Sender S, Sekora A, Villa Perez S, Chabanovska O, Becker A, Ngezahayo A, Junghanss C, Murua Escobar H. Precursor B-ALL Cell Lines Differentially Respond to SYK Inhibition by Entospletinib. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:E592. [PMID: 33435587 PMCID: PMC7827334 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22020592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2020] [Revised: 01/04/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Impaired B-cell receptor (BCR) function has been associated with the progress of several B-cell malignancies. The spleen tyrosine kinase (SYK) represents a potential therapeutic target in a subset of B-cell neoplasias. In precursor B-acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), the pathogenic role and therapeutic potential of SYK is still controversially discussed. We evaluate the application of the SYK inhibitor entospletinib (Ento) in pre- and pro-B-ALL cell lines, characterizing the biologic and molecular effects. METHODS SYK expression was characterized in pre-B-ALL (NALM-6) and pro-B-ALL cell lines (SEM and RS4;11). The cell lines were exposed to different Ento concentrations and the cell biological response analyzed by proliferation, metabolic activity, apoptosis induction, cell-cycle distribution and morphology. BCR pathway gene expression and protein modulations were further characterized. RESULTS Ento significantly induced anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in NALM-6 and SEM, while barely affecting RS4;11. Targeted RNAseq revealed pronounced gene expression modulation only in NALM-6, while Western Blot analyses demonstrated that vital downstream effector proteins, such as pAKT, pERK, pGSK3β, p53 and BCL-6, were affected by Ento exposure in the inhibitor-sensitive cell lines. CONCLUSION Different acting modes of Ento, independent of pre-BCR dependency, were characterized, unexpected in SEM. Accordingly, SYK classifies as a potential target structure in a subset of pro-B-ALLs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sina Sender
- Division of Medicine, Department of Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine, University of Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (S.S.); (A.S.); (S.V.P.); (O.C.); (C.J.)
| | - Anett Sekora
- Division of Medicine, Department of Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine, University of Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (S.S.); (A.S.); (S.V.P.); (O.C.); (C.J.)
| | - Simon Villa Perez
- Division of Medicine, Department of Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine, University of Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (S.S.); (A.S.); (S.V.P.); (O.C.); (C.J.)
| | - Oleksandra Chabanovska
- Division of Medicine, Department of Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine, University of Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (S.S.); (A.S.); (S.V.P.); (O.C.); (C.J.)
| | - Annegret Becker
- Department of Cell Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Leibniz University Hannover, 30419 Hannover, Germany; (A.B.); (A.N.)
| | - Anaclet Ngezahayo
- Department of Cell Physiology and Biophysics, Institute of Cell Biology and Biophysics, Leibniz University Hannover, 30419 Hannover, Germany; (A.B.); (A.N.)
| | - Christian Junghanss
- Division of Medicine, Department of Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine, University of Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (S.S.); (A.S.); (S.V.P.); (O.C.); (C.J.)
| | - Hugo Murua Escobar
- Division of Medicine, Department of Hematology, Oncology and Palliative Medicine, University of Rostock, 18057 Rostock, Germany; (S.S.); (A.S.); (S.V.P.); (O.C.); (C.J.)
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Delahaye MC, Salem KI, Pelletier J, Aurrand-Lions M, Mancini SJC. Toward Therapeutic Targeting of Bone Marrow Leukemic Niche Protective Signals in B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Front Oncol 2021; 10:606540. [PMID: 33489914 PMCID: PMC7820772 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2020.606540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) represents the malignant counterpart of bone marrow (BM) differentiating B cells and occurs most frequently in children. While new combinations of chemotherapeutic agents have dramatically improved the prognosis for young patients, disease outcome remains poor after relapse or in adult patients. This is likely due to heterogeneity of B-ALL response to treatment which relies not only on intrinsic properties of leukemic cells, but also on extrinsic protective cues transmitted by the tumor cell microenvironment. Alternatively, leukemic cells have the capacity to shape their microenvironment towards their needs. Most knowledge on the role of protective niches has emerged from the identification of mesenchymal and endothelial cells controlling hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal or B cell differentiation. In this review, we discuss the current knowledge about B-ALL protective niches and the development of therapies targeting the crosstalk between leukemic cells and their microenvironment.
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Ramamoorthy S, Kometani K, Herman JS, Bayer M, Boller S, Edwards-Hicks J, Ramachandran H, Li R, Klein-Geltink R, Pearce EL, Grün D, Grosschedl R. EBF1 and Pax5 safeguard leukemic transformation by limiting IL-7 signaling, Myc expression, and folate metabolism. Genes Dev 2020; 34:1503-1519. [PMID: 33004416 PMCID: PMC7608749 DOI: 10.1101/gad.340216.120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
In this study, Ramamoorthy et al. investigate EBF1 and PAX5 combined haploinsufficiency in the development of a B-ALL phenotype in mice. Using transcriptional and metabolomic profiling, the authors report that EBF1 and Pax5 may safeguard early stage B cells from transformation to B-ALL by limiting IL-7 signaling, folate metabolism, and Myc expression. EBF1 and PAX5 mutations are associated with the development of B progenitor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) in humans. To understand the molecular networks driving leukemia in the Ebf1+/−Pax5+/− (dHet) mouse model for B-ALL, we interrogated the transcriptional profiles and chromatin status of leukemic cells, preleukemic dHet pro-B, and wild-type pro-B cells with the corresponding EBF1 and Pax5 cistromes. In dHet B-ALL cells, many EBF1 and Pax5 target genes encoding pre-BCR signaling components and transcription factors were down-regulated, whereas Myc and genes downstream from IL-7 signaling or associated with the folate pathway were up-regulated. We show that blockade of IL-7 signaling in vivo and methotrexate treatment of leukemic cells in vitro attenuate the expansion of leukemic cells. Single-cell RNA-sequencing revealed heterogeneity of leukemic cells and identified a subset of wild-type pro-B cells with reduced Ebf1 and enhanced Myc expression that show hallmarks of dHet B-ALL cells. Thus, EBF1 and Pax5 may safeguard early stage B cells from transformation to B-ALL by limiting IL-7 signaling, folate metabolism and Myc expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Kohei Kometani
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Josip S Herman
- Laboratory of Single-Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108 Freiburg, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Marc Bayer
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108 Freiburg, Germany.,International Max Planck Research School, University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sören Boller
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Joy Edwards-Hicks
- Department of Immunometabolism, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Haribaskar Ramachandran
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Rui Li
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Ramon Klein-Geltink
- Department of Immunometabolism, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Erika L Pearce
- Department of Immunometabolism, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Dominic Grün
- Laboratory of Single-Cell Biology, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108 Freiburg, Germany.,Center for Integrative Biological Signaling Studies (CIBSS), University of Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Rudolf Grosschedl
- Department of Cellular and Molecular Immunology, Max Planck Institute of Immunobiology and Epigenetics, 79108 Freiburg, Germany
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Replication timing alterations in leukemia affect clinically relevant chromosome domains. Blood Adv 2020; 3:3201-3213. [PMID: 31698451 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2019000641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2019] [Accepted: 08/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Human B-cell precursor acute lymphoid leukemias (BCP-ALLs) comprise a group of genetically and clinically distinct disease entities with features of differentiation arrest at known stages of normal B-lineage differentiation. We previously showed that BCP-ALL cells display unique and clonally heritable, stable DNA replication timing (RT) programs (ie, programs describing the variable order of replication and subnuclear 3D architecture of megabase-scale chromosomal units of DNA in different cell types). To determine the extent to which BCP-ALL RT programs mirror or deviate from specific stages of normal human B-cell differentiation, we transplanted immunodeficient mice with quiescent normal human CD34+ cord blood cells and obtained RT signatures of the regenerating B-lineage populations. We then compared these with RT signatures for leukemic cells from a large cohort of BCP-ALL patients with varied genetic subtypes and outcomes. The results identify BCP-ALL subtype-specific features that resemble specific stages of B-cell differentiation and features that seem to be associated with relapse. These results suggest that the genesis of BCP-ALL involves alterations in RT that reflect biologically significant and potentially clinically relevant leukemia-specific epigenetic changes.
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Signalling input from divergent pathways subverts B cell transformation. Nature 2020; 583:845-851. [PMID: 32699415 PMCID: PMC7394729 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2513-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2019] [Accepted: 04/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Malignant transformation typically involves multiple genetic lesions whose combined activity gives rise to cancer1. Our analysis of 1,148 patient-derived B-cell leukemia (B-ALL) samples revealed that individual mutations did not promote leukemogenesis unless they converged on one single oncogenic pathway characteristic for the differentiation stage of transformed B cells. Mutations not aligned with the central oncogenic driver activated divergent pathways and subverted transformation. Oncogenic lesions in B-ALL frequently mimic cytokine receptor signaling at the pro-B cell stage (through activation of STAT5)2–4 or the pre-B cell receptor in more mature cells (through activation of ERK)5–8. STAT5- and ERK-activating lesions were frequently found but only co-occurred in ~3% of cases (P=2.2E-16). Single-cell mutation and phosphoprotein analyses revealed the segregation of oncogenic STAT5- or ERK-activation to competing clones. STAT5 and ERK engaged opposing biochemical and transcriptional programs orchestrated by MYC and BCL6, respectively. Genetic reactivation of the divergent (suppressed) pathway came at the expense of the principal oncogenic driver and reversed transformation. Conversely, deletion of divergent pathway components accelerated leukemogenesis. Thus, persistence of divergent signaling pathways represents a powerful barrier to transformation while convergence on one principal driver defines a central event in leukemia-initiation. Pharmacological reactivation of suppressed divergent circuits strongly synergized with inhibition of the principal oncogenic driver. Hence, reactivation of divergent pathways can be leveraged as a previously unrecognized strategy to deepen treatment responses.
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Pi WC, Wang J, Shimada M, Lin JW, Geng H, Lee YL, Lu R, Li D, Wang GG, Roeder RG, Chen WY. E2A-PBX1 functions as a coactivator for RUNX1 in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Blood 2020; 136:11-23. [PMID: 32276273 PMCID: PMC7332894 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2019003312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 03/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
E2A, a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, plays a crucial role in determining tissue-specific cell fate, including differentiation of B-cell lineages. In 5% of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the t(1,19) chromosomal translocation specifically targets the E2A gene and produces an oncogenic E2A-PBX1 fusion protein. Although previous studies have shown the oncogenic functions of E2A-PBX1 in cell and animal models, the E2A-PBX1-enforced cistrome, the E2A-PBX1 interactome, and related mechanisms underlying leukemogenesis remain unclear. Here, by unbiased genomic profiling approaches, we identify the direct target sites of E2A-PBX1 in t(1,19)-positive pre-B ALL cells and show that, compared with normal E2A, E2A-PBX1 preferentially binds to a subset of gene loci cobound by RUNX1 and gene-activating machineries (p300, MED1, and H3K27 acetylation). Using biochemical analyses, we further document a direct interaction of E2A-PBX1, through a region spanning the PBX1 homeodomain, with RUNX1. Our results also show that E2A-PBX1 binding to gene enhancers is dependent on the RUNX1 interaction but not the DNA-binding activity harbored within the PBX1 homeodomain of E2A-PBX1. Transcriptome analyses and cell transformation assays further establish a significant RUNX1 requirement for E2A-PBX1-mediated target gene activation and leukemogenesis. Notably, the RUNX1 locus itself is also directly activated by E2A-PBX1, indicating a multilayered interplay between E2A-PBX1 and RUNX1. Collectively, our study provides the first unbiased profiling of the E2A-PBX1 cistrome in pre-B ALL cells and reveals a previously unappreciated pathway in which E2A-PBX1 acts in concert with RUNX1 to enforce transcriptome alterations for the development of pre-B ALL.
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MESH Headings
- Amino Acid Motifs
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cell Transformation, Neoplastic/genetics
- Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit/chemistry
- Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit/genetics
- Core Binding Factor Alpha 2 Subunit/physiology
- DNA/metabolism
- Enhancer Elements, Genetic
- Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic/genetics
- Histone Code
- Homeodomain Proteins/chemistry
- Homeodomain Proteins/physiology
- Humans
- Mediator Complex/metabolism
- Neoplasm Proteins/metabolism
- Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/chemistry
- Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/physiology
- Precursor B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/genetics
- Precursor B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma/pathology
- Protein Domains
- Protein Interaction Mapping
- RNA, Messenger/biosynthesis
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- RNA, Neoplasm/biosynthesis
- RNA, Neoplasm/genetics
- Structure-Activity Relationship
- Transcriptome
- p300-CBP Transcription Factors/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Wen-Chieh Pi
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and
- Biomedical Industry PhD Program, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jun Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Miho Shimada
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY
| | - Jia-Wei Lin
- Department of Medicine, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Huimin Geng
- Laboratory Medicine, UCSF School of Medicine, San Francisco, CA; and
| | - Yu-Ling Lee
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY
| | - Rui Lu
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Dongxu Li
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Gang Greg Wang
- Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and
- Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC
| | - Robert G Roeder
- Laboratory of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY
| | - Wei-Yi Chen
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and
- Biomedical Industry PhD Program, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Cancer Progression Research Center, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
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43
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Hurtz C, Wertheim GB, Loftus JP, Blumenthal D, Lehman A, Li Y, Bagashev A, Manning B, Cummins KD, Burkhardt JK, Perl AE, Carroll M, Tasian SK. Oncogene-independent BCR-like signaling adaptation confers drug resistance in Ph-like ALL. J Clin Invest 2020; 130:3637-3653. [PMID: 32191635 PMCID: PMC7324172 DOI: 10.1172/jci134424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 03/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Children and adults with Philadelphia chromosome-like B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-like B-ALL) experience high relapse rates despite best-available conventional chemotherapy. Ph-like ALL is driven by genetic alterations that activate constitutive cytokine receptor and kinase signaling, and early-phase trials are investigating the potential of the addition of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) to chemotherapy to improve clinical outcomes. However, preclinical studies have shown that JAK or PI3K pathway inhibition is insufficient to eradicate the most common cytokine receptor-like factor 2-rearranged (CRLF2-rearranged) Ph-like ALL subset. We thus sought to define additional essential signaling pathways required in Ph-like leukemogenesis for improved therapeutic targeting. Herein, we describe an adaptive signaling plasticity of CRLF2-rearranged Ph-like ALL following selective TKI pressure, which occurs in the absence of genetic mutations. Interestingly, we observed that Ph-like ALL cells have activated SRC, ERK, and PI3K signaling consistent with activated B cell receptor (BCR) signaling, although they do not express cell surface μ-heavy chain (μHC). Combinatorial targeting of JAK/STAT, PI3K, and "BCR-like" signaling with multiple TKIs and/or dexamethasone prevented this signaling plasticity and induced complete cell death, demonstrating a more optimal and clinically pragmatic therapeutic strategy for CRLF2-rearranged Ph-like ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Hurtz
- Division of Hematology and Oncology and
- Abramson Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, and
| | - Gerald B. Wertheim
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Division of Hematopathology
| | - Joseph P. Loftus
- Division of Oncology, and
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Daniel Blumenthal
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Division of Hematopathology
| | - Anne Lehman
- Division of Hematology and Oncology and
- Abramson Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, and
| | - Yong Li
- Division of Oncology, and
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Asen Bagashev
- Division of Oncology, and
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Bryan Manning
- Division of Hematology and Oncology and
- Abramson Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, and
| | - Katherine D. Cummins
- Division of Hematology and Oncology and
- Abramson Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, and
- Center for Cellular Immunotherapies
| | - Janis K. Burkhardt
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Division of Hematopathology
| | - Alexander E. Perl
- Division of Hematology and Oncology and
- Abramson Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, and
| | - Martin Carroll
- Division of Hematology and Oncology and
- Abramson Cancer Center, Department of Medicine, and
| | - Sarah K. Tasian
- Division of Oncology, and
- Center for Childhood Cancer Research, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, and
- Abramson Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
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44
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Tsuzuki S, Yasuda T, Kojima S, Kawazu M, Akahane K, Inukai T, Imaizumi M, Morishita T, Miyamura K, Ueno T, Karnan S, Ota A, Hyodo T, Konishi H, Sanada M, Nagai H, Horibe K, Tomita A, Suzuki K, Muramatsu H, Takahashi Y, Miyazaki Y, Matsumura I, Kiyoi H, Hosokawa Y, Mano H, Hayakawa F. Targeting MEF2D-fusion Oncogenic Transcriptional Circuitries in B-cell Precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Blood Cancer Discov 2020; 1:82-95. [PMID: 34661142 PMCID: PMC8447276 DOI: 10.1158/2643-3230.bcd-19-0080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2019] [Revised: 03/14/2020] [Accepted: 05/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The cellular context that integrates gene expression, signaling, and metabolism dictates the oncogenic behavior and shapes the treatment responses in distinct cancer types. Although chimeric fusion proteins involving transcription factors (TF) are hallmarks of many types of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), therapeutically targeting the fusion proteins is a challenge. In this work, we characterize the core regulatory circuitry (CRC; interconnected autoregulatory loops of TFs) of B-ALL involving MEF2D-fusions and identify MEF2D-fusion and SREBF1 TFs as crucial CRC components. By gene silencing and pharmacologic perturbation, we reveal that the CRC integrates the pre-B-cell receptor (BCR) and lipid metabolism to maintain itself and govern malignant phenotypes. Small-molecule inhibitors of pre-BCR signaling and lipid biosynthesis disrupt the CRC and silence the MEF2D fusion in cell culture and show therapeutic efficacy in xenografted mice. Therefore, pharmacologic disruption of CRC presents a potential therapeutic strategy to target fusion protein-driven leukemia. SIGNIFICANCE Cancer type-specific gene expression is governed by transcription factors involved in a highly interconnected autoregulatory loop called CRC. Here, we characterized fusion protein-driven CRC and identified its pharmacologic vulnerabilities, opening therapeutic avenues to indirectly target fusion-driven leukemia by disrupting its CRC.See related commentary by Sadras and Müschen, p. 18. This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinobu Tsuzuki
- Department of Biochemistry, Aichi Medical University, School of Medicine, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan
| | - Takahiko Yasuda
- Clinical Research Center, National Hospital Organization Nagoya Medical Center, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Shinya Kojima
- Division of Cellular Signaling, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masahito Kawazu
- Division of Cellular Signaling, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Koshi Akahane
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Japan
| | - Takeshi Inukai
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Chuo, Japan
| | | | - Takanobu Morishita
- Department of Hematology, Japanese Red Cross Nagoya First Hospital, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Koichi Miyamura
- Department of Hematology, Japanese Red Cross Nagoya First Hospital, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Toshihide Ueno
- Division of Cellular Signaling, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Sivasundaram Karnan
- Department of Biochemistry, Aichi Medical University, School of Medicine, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan
| | - Akinobu Ota
- Department of Biochemistry, Aichi Medical University, School of Medicine, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan
| | - Toshinori Hyodo
- Department of Biochemistry, Aichi Medical University, School of Medicine, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Konishi
- Department of Biochemistry, Aichi Medical University, School of Medicine, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan
| | - Masashi Sanada
- Clinical Research Center, National Hospital Organization Nagoya Medical Center, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Hirokazu Nagai
- Clinical Research Center, National Hospital Organization Nagoya Medical Center, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Keizo Horibe
- Clinical Research Center, National Hospital Organization Nagoya Medical Center, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Akihiro Tomita
- Department of Hematology, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, Toyoake, Aichi, Japan
| | - Kyogo Suzuki
- Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Hideki Muramatsu
- Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Yoshiyuki Takahashi
- Department of Pediatrics, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Yasushi Miyazaki
- Department of Hematology, Atomic Bomb Disease Institute, Nagasaki University, Nagasaki, Japan
| | - Itaru Matsumura
- Department of Hematology and Rheumatology, Kindai University Faculty of Medicine, Sayama, Osaka, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Kiyoi
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Yoshitaka Hosokawa
- Department of Biochemistry, Aichi Medical University, School of Medicine, Nagakute, Aichi, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Mano
- Division of Cellular Signaling, National Cancer Center Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Fumihiko Hayakawa
- Department of Pathophysiological Laboratory Sciences, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
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45
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Sadras T, Müschen M. MEF2D Fusions Drive Oncogenic Pre-BCR Signaling in B-ALL. Blood Cancer Discov 2020; 1:18-20. [PMID: 34661138 PMCID: PMC8500730 DOI: 10.1158/2643-3249.bcd-20-0078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimeric fusion proteins involving transcriptional regulators are a common feature in pre-B acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). However, systematic dissection of the core regulatory circuits by which these fusions exert their oncogenic effects is still required. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing and robust functional assays, Tsuzuki and colleagues identify the core transcription factor network directed by MEF2D fusions in B-ALL. The new findings demonstrate how activation of MEF2D fusions ultimately converge on pre-BCR signaling and lipid metabolism to drive malignant B-cell transformation. See related article by Tsuzuki et al., p. 82.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa Sadras
- Department of Systems Biology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Monrovia, California
| | - Markus Müschen
- Department of Systems Biology, City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Monrovia, California.
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46
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Abdelrasoul H, Vadakumchery A, Werner M, Lenk L, Khadour A, Young M, El Ayoubi O, Vogiatzi F, Krämer M, Schmid V, Chen Z, Yousafzai Y, Cario G, Schrappe M, Müschen M, Halsey C, Mulaw MA, Schewe DM, Hobeika E, Alsadeq A, Jumaa H. Synergism between IL7R and CXCR4 drives BCR-ABL induced transformation in Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Nat Commun 2020; 11:3194. [PMID: 32581241 PMCID: PMC7314847 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-16927-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is characterized by the expression of an oncogenic fusion kinase termed BCR-ABL1. Here, we show that interleukin 7 receptor (IL7R) interacts with the chemokine receptor CXCR4 to recruit BCR-ABL1 and JAK kinases in close proximity. Treatment with BCR-ABL1 kinase inhibitors results in elevated expression of IL7R which enables the survival of transformed cells when IL7 was added together with the kinase inhibitors. Importantly, treatment with anti-IL7R antibodies prevents leukemia development in xenotransplantation models using patient-derived Ph+ ALL cells. Our results suggest that the association between IL7R and CXCR4 serves as molecular platform for BCR-ABL1-induced transformation and development of Ph+ ALL. Targeting this platform with anti-IL7R antibody eliminates Ph+ ALL cells including those with resistance to commonly used ABL1 kinase inhibitors. Thus, anti-IL7R antibodies may provide alternative treatment options for ALL in general and may suppress incurable drug-resistant leukemia forms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hend Abdelrasoul
- Institute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Anila Vadakumchery
- Institute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Markus Werner
- Institute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Lennart Lenk
- Department of Pediatrics I, ALL-BFM Study Group, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Ahmad Khadour
- Institute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Marc Young
- Institute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Omar El Ayoubi
- Institute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Fotini Vogiatzi
- Department of Pediatrics I, ALL-BFM Study Group, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Markus Krämer
- Institute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Vera Schmid
- Institute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Zhengshan Chen
- Department of Systems Biology and City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Monrovia, CA, USA
| | - Yasar Yousafzai
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Gunnar Cario
- Department of Pediatrics I, ALL-BFM Study Group, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Martin Schrappe
- Department of Pediatrics I, ALL-BFM Study Group, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Markus Müschen
- Department of Systems Biology and City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Monrovia, CA, USA
| | - Christina Halsey
- Institute of Cancer Sciences, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Medhanie A Mulaw
- Institute of Experimental Cancer Research, Medical Faculty, University of Ulm, Ulm, Germany
| | - Denis M Schewe
- Department of Pediatrics I, ALL-BFM Study Group, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Elias Hobeika
- Institute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Ameera Alsadeq
- Institute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany
| | - Hassan Jumaa
- Institute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, 89081, Ulm, Germany.
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47
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van de Ven C, Boeree A, Stalpers F, Zwaan CM, Den Boer ML. Ibrutinib is not an effective drug in primografts of TCF3-PBX1. Transl Oncol 2020; 13:100817. [PMID: 32563910 PMCID: PMC7306596 DOI: 10.1016/j.tranon.2020.100817] [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: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 05/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
AIM The Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor Ibrutinib (PCI-32765) is effective in patients with multiple myeloma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and chronic lymphoblastic leukemia. We previously showed that primary cells of children with TCF3-PBX1 positive B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) express BTK and are sensitive to ibrutinib in vitro. However, preclinical studies in mice are lacking that justify clinical implementation. METHODS Immunocompromised NSG mice were engrafted with a luciferase-positive TCF3-PBX1 leukemic cell line or primary leukemic cells and treated with ibrutinib or placebo. Additionally, primary cells were exposed in vitro to 4 main induction drugs as monotherapy and in combination with ibrutinib. RESULTS Treatment with ibrutinib of mice engrafted with a TCF3-PBX1 cell line, TCF3-PBX1 positive or TCF3-PBX1 negative primary leukemic cells did not result in prolonged life span compared to placebo treated mice. In vitro sensitivity to ibrutinib was unaltered in leukemic cells obtained from engrafted mice compared to the original material. However, ibrutinib treatment did not affect leukemic cell viability and tumor outgrowth, nor could lymphocytosis be detected. Ibrutinib was biologically active, since hCD19+ cells harvested from ibrutinib treated mice had no detectable levels of phospho-BTK at tyrosine 223 (pBTK Y223), whereas pBTK Y223 was still detectable in placebo treated cases. In combination tests, we noticed an antagonistic effect of ibrutinib on vincristine sensitivity, which was not observed for prednisolone, L-asparaginase and daunorubicin. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that ibrutinib is not the precision medicine of choice for TCF3-PBX1 positive BCP-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cesca van de Ven
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Aurélie Boeree
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - Femke Stalpers
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands
| | - C Michel Zwaan
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Erasmus MC - Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Monique L Den Boer
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Oncode Institute, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Erasmus MC - Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
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48
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Impaired Expression of Rearranged Immunoglobulin Genes and Premature p53 Activation Block B Cell Development in BMI1 Null Mice. Cell Rep 2020; 26:108-118.e4. [PMID: 30605667 PMCID: PMC6362848 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.12.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2018] [Revised: 11/01/2018] [Accepted: 12/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
B cell development is a highly regulated process that requires stepwise rearrangement of immunoglobulin genes to generate a functional B cell receptor (BCR). The polycomb group protein BMI1 is required for B cell development, but its function in developing B cells remains poorly defined. We demonstrate that BMI1 functions in a cell-autonomous manner at two stages during early B cell development. First, loss of BMI1 results in a differentiation block at the pro-B cell to pre-B cell transition due to the inability of BMI1-deficient cells to transcribe newly rearranged Igh genes. Accordingly, introduction of a pre-rearranged Igh allele partially restored B cell development in Bmi1−/− mice. In addition, BMI1 is required to prevent premature p53 signaling, and as a consequence, Bmi1−/− large pre-B cells fail to properly proliferate. Altogether, our results clarify the role of BMI1 in early B cell development and uncover an unexpected function of BMI1 during VDJ recombination. Cantor et al. identify a cell-autonomous role for the polycomb group protein BMI1 in early B cell development. At the pro-B cell to pre-B cell transition, BMI1 promotes the expression of newly rearranged Igh genes in pro-B cells and subsequently prevents premature p53 activation and enables large pre-B cell proliferation.
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49
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Brown MA, Edwards MA, Alshiraihi I, Geng H, Dekker JD, Tucker HO. The lysine methyltransferase SMYD2 is required for normal lymphocyte development and survival of hematopoietic leukemias. Genes Immun 2020; 21:119-130. [PMID: 32115575 PMCID: PMC7183909 DOI: 10.1038/s41435-020-0094-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2019] [Revised: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/19/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
The 5 membered SET and MYND Domain-containing lysine methyltransferase (SMYD) family plays pivotal roles in development and proliferation. Initially characterized within the cardiovascular system, one such member, SMYD2, has been implicated as an oncogene in leukemias deriving from flawed hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) differentiation. We show here that conditional SMYD2 loss disrupts hematopoiesis at and downstream of the HSC via both apoptotic loss and transcriptional deregulation of HSC proliferation and disruption of Wnt-β-Catenin signaling. Yet previously documented SMYD2 cell cycle targets were unscathed. Turning our analysis to human leukemias, we observed that SMYD2 is highly expressed in CML, MLLr-B-ALL, AML, T-ALL and B-ALL leukemias and its levels in B-ALL correlate with poor survival. SMYD2 knockdown results in apoptotic death and loss of anchorage-independent transformation of each of these hematopoietic leukemias. These data provide an underlying mechanism by which SMYD2 acts during normal hematopoiesis and as a proto-oncogene in leukemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A Brown
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA.,Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Melissa A Edwards
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA.,Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station A5000, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Ilham Alshiraihi
- Cell and Molecular Biology Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Huimin Geng
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Joseph D Dekker
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station A5000, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Haley O Tucker
- Department of Molecular Biosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, 1 University Station A5000, Austin, TX, 78712, USA.
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50
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Lenk L, Alsadeq A, Schewe DM. Involvement of the central nervous system in acute lymphoblastic leukemia: opinions on molecular mechanisms and clinical implications based on recent data. Cancer Metastasis Rev 2020; 39:173-187. [PMID: 31970588 PMCID: PMC7098933 DOI: 10.1007/s10555-020-09848-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common childhood cancer. One of the major clinical challenges is adequate diagnosis and treatment of central nervous system (CNS) involvement in this disease. Intriguingly, there is little solid evidence on the mechanisms sustaining CNS disease in ALL. Here, we present and discuss recent data on this topic, which are mainly derived from preclinical model systems. We thereby highlight sites and routes of leukemic CNS infiltration, cellular features promoting infiltration and survival of leukemic cells in a presumably hostile niche, and dormancy as a potential mechanism of survival and relapse in CNS leukemia. We also focus on the impact of ALL cytogenetic subtypes on features associated with a particular CNS tropism. Finally, we speculate on new perspectives in the treatment of ALL in the CNS, including ideas on the impact of novel immunotherapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lennart Lenk
- Department of Pediatrics I, ALL-BFM Study Group, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany
| | - Ameera Alsadeq
- Institute of Immunology, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Denis M Schewe
- Department of Pediatrics I, ALL-BFM Study Group, Christian-Albrechts University Kiel and University Medical Center Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany.
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