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Zhang X, Wang T, Zhang Y, Wang F, Chen J, Ni J, Sun R, Wei Z, Zhang G, Li W, Li J, Lu P. Characteristics and therapeutic approaches for patients diagnosed with T-ALL/LBL exhibiting t(8;14)(q24;q11)/TCRA/D:MYC translocation. Leuk Lymphoma 2023; 64:2133-2139. [PMID: 37674391 DOI: 10.1080/10428194.2023.2254428] [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: 02/21/2023] [Revised: 08/14/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/08/2023]
Abstract
T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma (T-ALL/LBL) patients with t(8;14)(q24;q11)/TCRA/D::MYC translocation represent a rare subgroup, with an aggressive course. In our retrospective analysis of 14 patients, all were identified during refractory or relapsed stages (5 primary tumor, 9 relapse). Notably, extramedullary invasion was detected in most patients. Four exhibited STIL::TAL1 translocation, and six demonstrated CDKN2A/B gene loss. The therapeutic outcomes were notably poor for all seven patients who received only chemotherapy or allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT); all eventually succumbed to the disease with a median OS of 3 months. In the application of CD7 CAR-T therapy in six patients, five achieved CR. Of the four patients who underwent HSCT following CAR-T therapy, all have remained disease-free. The prognosis for T-ALL/LBL patients with t(8;14) translocation remains bleak, but interventions involving CD7 CAR-T may offer a potential pathway to CR. HSCT following CAR-T could be a viable strategy for long-term survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xian Zhang
- Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang, P.R. China
- Beijing Lu Daopei Institute of Hematology, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Tong Wang
- Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang, P.R. China
- Beijing Lu Daopei Institute of Hematology, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Yang Zhang
- Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang, P.R. China
| | - Fang Wang
- Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang, P.R. China
| | - Jiaqi Chen
- Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang, P.R. China
| | - Jingbo Ni
- Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang, P.R. China
| | - Ruijuan Sun
- Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang, P.R. China
- Beijing Lu Daopei Institute of Hematology, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Zhijie Wei
- Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang, P.R. China
- Beijing Lu Daopei Institute of Hematology, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Gailing Zhang
- Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang, P.R. China
| | - Wenqian Li
- Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang, P.R. China
| | - Jingjing Li
- Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang, P.R. China
- Beijing Lu Daopei Institute of Hematology, Beijing, P.R. China
| | - Peihua Lu
- Hebei Yanda Lu Daopei Hospital, Langfang, P.R. China
- Beijing Lu Daopei Institute of Hematology, Beijing, P.R. China
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2
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Zhang ZJ, Wu QF, Ren AQ, Chen Q, Shi JZ, Li JP, Liu XY, Zhang ZJ, Tang YZ, Zhao Y, Yao NN, Zhang XY, Liu CP, Dong G, Zhao JX, Xu MJ, Yue YQ, Hu J, Sun F, Liu Y, Ao QL, Zhou FL, Wu H, Zhang TC, Zhu HC. ATF4 renders human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell resistance to FGFR1 inhibitors through amino acid metabolic reprogramming. Acta Pharmacol Sin 2023; 44:2282-2295. [PMID: 37280363 PMCID: PMC10618259 DOI: 10.1038/s41401-023-01108-4] [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: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Abnormalities of FGFR1 have been reported in multiple malignancies, suggesting FGFR1 as a potential target for precision treatment, but drug resistance remains a formidable obstacle. In this study, we explored whether FGFR1 acted a therapeutic target in human T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and the molecular mechanisms underlying T-ALL cell resistance to FGFR1 inhibitors. We showed that FGFR1 was significantly upregulated in human T-ALL and inversely correlated with the prognosis of patients. Knockdown of FGFR1 suppressed T-ALL growth and progression both in vitro and in vivo. However, the T-ALL cells were resistant to FGFR1 inhibitors AZD4547 and PD-166866 even though FGFR1 signaling was specifically inhibited in the early stage. Mechanistically, we found that FGFR1 inhibitors markedly increased the expression of ATF4, which was a major initiator for T-ALL resistance to FGFR1 inhibitors. We further revealed that FGFR1 inhibitors induced expression of ATF4 through enhancing chromatin accessibility combined with translational activation via the GCN2-eIF2α pathway. Subsequently, ATF4 remodeled the amino acid metabolism by stimulating the expression of multiple metabolic genes ASNS, ASS1, PHGDH and SLC1A5, maintaining the activation of mTORC1, which contributed to the drug resistance in T-ALL cells. Targeting FGFR1 and mTOR exhibited synergistically anti-leukemic efficacy. These results reveal that FGFR1 is a potential therapeutic target in human T-ALL, and ATF4-mediated amino acid metabolic reprogramming contributes to the FGFR1 inhibitor resistance. Synergistically inhibiting FGFR1 and mTOR can overcome this obstacle in T-ALL therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi-Jian Zhang
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Qi-Fang Wu
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - An-Qi Ren
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Qian Chen
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Jiang-Zhou Shi
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Jia-Peng Li
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
- School of Science, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Xi-Yu Liu
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Zhi-Jie Zhang
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Yu-Zhe Tang
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Yuan Zhao
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Ning-Ning Yao
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, and Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Xiao-Yu Zhang
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Chang-Peng Liu
- Department of Medical Records, Office for DRGs (Diagnosis Related Groups), Henan Cancer Hospital, Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450003, China
| | - Ge Dong
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Jia-Xuan Zhao
- Key Lab of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology of the Ministry of Education & Tianjin Key Lab of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457, China
| | - Mei-Jun Xu
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Yun-Qiang Yue
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Jia Hu
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Fan Sun
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Yu Liu
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China
| | - Qi-Lin Ao
- Institute of Pathology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
- Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Science, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430030, China
| | - Fu-Ling Zhou
- Department of Hematology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China
| | - Hong Wu
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, and Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Tong-Cun Zhang
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China.
- Key Lab of Industrial Fermentation Microbiology of the Ministry of Education & Tianjin Key Lab of Industrial Microbiology, College of Biotechnology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Tianjin, 300457, China.
| | - Hai-Chuan Zhu
- Institute of Biology and Medicine, College of Life and Health Sciences, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430065, China.
- College of Life Science, Wuchang University of Technology, Wuhan, 430223, China.
- Synergy Innovation Center of Biological Peptide Antidiabetics of Hubei Province, College of Life Science, Wuchang University of Technology, Wuhan, 430223, China.
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3
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Xu Z, He L, Wu Y, Yang L, Li C, Wu H. PTEN regulates hematopoietic lineage plasticity via PU.1-dependent chromatin accessibility. Cell Rep 2023; 42:112967. [PMID: 37561626 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112967] [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: 02/23/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
PTEN loss in fetal liver hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) leads to alterations in myeloid, T-, and B-lineage potentials and T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) development. To explore the mechanism underlying PTEN-regulated hematopoietic lineage choices, we carry out integrated assay for transposase-accessible chromatin using sequencing (ATAC-seq), single-cell RNA-seq, and in vitro culture analyses using in vivo-isolated mouse pre-leukemic HSCs and progenitors. We find that PTEN loss alters chromatin accessibility of key lineage transcription factor (TF) binding sites at the prepro-B stage, corresponding to increased myeloid and T-lineage potentials and reduced B-lineage potential. Importantly, we find that PU.1 is an essential TF downstream of PTEN and that altering PU.1 levels can reprogram the chromatin accessibility landscape and myeloid, T-, and B-lineage potentials in Ptennull prepro-B cells. Our study discovers prepro-B as the key developmental stage underlying PTEN-regulated hematopoietic lineage choices and suggests a critical role of PU.1 in modulating the epigenetic state and lineage plasticity of prepro-B progenitors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zihan Xu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China; Center for Statistical Science, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Libing He
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yilin Wu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Lu Yang
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Cheng Li
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China; Center for Statistical Science, Peking University, Beijing, China.
| | - Hong Wu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, Center for Bioinformatics, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China; Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Academy for Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies, Peking University, Beijing, China.
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4
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Panelli P, De Santis E, Colucci M, Tamiro F, Sansico F, Miroballo M, Murgo E, Padovano C, Gusscott S, Ciavarella M, Chavez EA, Bianchi F, Rossi G, Carella AM, Steidl C, Weng AP, Giambra V. Noncanonical β-catenin interactions promote leukemia-initiating activity in early T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Blood 2023; 141:1597-1609. [PMID: 36315912 PMCID: PMC10651788 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2022017079] [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: 05/18/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a T-cell malignancy characterized by cell subsets and enriched with leukemia-initiating cells (LICs). β-Catenin modulates LIC activity in T-ALL. However, its role in maintaining established leukemia stem cells remains largely unknown. To identify functionally relevant protein interactions of β-catenin in T-ALL, we performed coimmunoprecipitation followed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Here, we report that a noncanonical functional interaction of β-catenin with the Forkhead box O3 (FOXO3) transcription factor positively regulates LIC-related genes, including the cyclin-dependent kinase 4, which is a crucial modulator of cell cycle and tumor maintenance. We also confirm the relevance of these findings using stably integrated fluorescent reporters of β-catenin and FOXO3 activity in patient-derived xenografts, which identify minor subpopulations with enriched LIC activity. In addition, gene expression data at the single-cell level of leukemic cells of primary patients at the time of diagnosis and minimal residual disease (MRD) up to 30 days after the standard treatments reveal that the expression of β-catenin- and FOXO3-dependent genes is present in the CD82+CD117+ cell fraction, which is substantially enriched with LICs in MRD as well as in early T-cell precursor ALL. These findings highlight key functional roles for β-catenin and FOXO3 and suggest novel therapeutic strategies to eradicate aggressive cell subsets in T-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patrizio Panelli
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Elisabetta De Santis
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Mattia Colucci
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Francesco Tamiro
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Francesca Sansico
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Mattia Miroballo
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Emanuele Murgo
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Costanzo Padovano
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Sam Gusscott
- Terry Fox Laboratory, British Columbia Cancer, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Michele Ciavarella
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | | | - Fabrizio Bianchi
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Giovanni Rossi
- Department of Hematology and Stem Cell Transplant Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Angelo M. Carella
- Department of Hematology and Stem Cell Transplant Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Christian Steidl
- Centre for Lymphoid Cancer, British Columbia Cancer, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Andrew P. Weng
- Terry Fox Laboratory, British Columbia Cancer, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Vincenzo Giambra
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies, Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
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5
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Zhang Z, Yang K, Zhang H. Targeting Leukemia-Initiating Cells and Leukemic Niches: The Next Therapy Station for T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia? Cancers (Basel) 2022; 14:cancers14225655. [PMID: 36428753 PMCID: PMC9688677 DOI: 10.3390/cancers14225655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2022] [Revised: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive subtype of hematological malignancy characterized by its high heterogeneity and potentially life-threatening clinical features. Despite the advances in risk stratification and therapeutic management of T-ALL, patients often suffer from treatment failure and chemotherapy-induced toxicity, calling for greater efforts to improve therapeutic efficacy and safety in the treatment of T-ALL. During the past decades, increasing evidence has shown the indispensable effects of leukemia-initiating cells (LICs) and leukemic niches on T-ALL initiation and progression. These milestones greatly facilitate precision medicine by interfering with the pathways that are associated with LICs and leukemic niches or by targeting themselves directly. Most of these novel agents, either alone or in combination with conventional chemotherapy, have shown promising preclinical results, facilitating them to be further evaluated under clinical trials. In this review, we summarize the latest discoveries in LICs and leukemic niches in terms of T-ALL, with a particular highlight on the current precision medicine. The challenges and future prospects are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ziting Zhang
- Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming 650118, China
| | - Kun Yang
- Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming 650118, China
- School of Life Sciences, Yunnan University, Kunming 650500, China
| | - Han Zhang
- Institute of Medical Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Kunming 650118, China
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-158-7796-3252
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6
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El Naggar O, Doyle B, Mariner K, Gilmour SK. Difluoromethylornithine (DFMO) Enhances the Cytotoxicity of PARP Inhibition in Ovarian Cancer Cells. Med Sci (Basel) 2022; 10:medsci10020028. [PMID: 35736348 PMCID: PMC9230675 DOI: 10.3390/medsci10020028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Ovarian cancer accounts for 3% of the total cancers in women, yet it is the fifth leading cause of cancer deaths among women. The BRCA1/2 germline and somatic mutations confer a deficiency of the homologous recombination (HR) repair pathway. Inhibitors of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), another important component of DNA damage repair, are somewhat effective in BRCA1/2 mutant tumors. However, ovarian cancers often reacquire functional BRCA and develop resistance to PARP inhibitors. Polyamines have been reported to facilitate the DNA damage repair functions of PARP. Given the elevated levels of polyamines in tumors, we hypothesized that treatment with the polyamine synthesis inhibitor, α-difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), may enhance ovarian tumor sensitivity to the PARP inhibitor, rucaparib. In HR-competent ovarian cancer cell lines with varying sensitivities to rucaparib, we show that co-treatment with DFMO increases the sensitivity of ovarian cancer cells to rucaparib. Immunofluorescence assays demonstrated that, in the presence of hydrogen peroxide-induced DNA damage, DFMO strongly inhibits PARylation, increases DNA damage accumulation, and reduces cell viability in both HR-competent and deficient cell lines. In vitro viability assays show that DFMO and rucaparib cotreatment significantly enhances the cytotoxicity of the chemotherapeutic agent, cisplatin. These results suggest that DFMO may be a useful adjunct chemotherapeutic to improve the anti-tumor efficacy of PARP inhibitors in treating ovarian cancer.
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7
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Piya S, Yang Y, Bhattacharya S, Sharma P, Ma H, Mu H, He H, Ruvolo V, Baran N, Davis RE, Jain AK, Konopleava M, Kantarjian H, Andreeff M, You MJ, Borthakur G. Targeting the NOTCH1-MYC-CD44 axis in leukemia-initiating cells in T-ALL. Leukemia 2022; 36:1261-1273. [PMID: 35173274 PMCID: PMC9061299 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-022-01516-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 01/04/2022] [Accepted: 01/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
The NOTCH1-MYC-CD44 axis integrates cell-intrinsic and extrinsic signaling to ensure the persistence of leukemia-initiating cells (LICs) in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) but a common pathway to target this circuit is poorly defined. Bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) is implicated to have a role in the transcriptional regulation of oncogenes MYC and targets downstream of NOTCH1, and here we demonstrate its role in transcriptional regulation of CD44. Hence, targeting BRD4 will dismantle the NOTCH1-MYC-CD44 axis. As a proof of concept, degrading BRD4 with proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) ARV-825, prolonged the survival of mice in Notch1 mutated patient-derived xenograft (PDX) and genetic models (ΔPTEN) of T-ALL. Single-cell proteomics analysis from the PDX model, demonstrated quantitative reduction of LICs (CD34+ CD7+ CD19−) and downregulation of the NOTCH1-MYC-CD44 axis, along with cell cycle, apoptosis and PI3K/Akt pathways. Moreover, secondary transplantation from PDX and ΔPTEN models of T-ALL, confirmed delayed leukemia development and extended survival of mice engrafted with T-ALL from ARV-825 treated mice, providing functional confirmation of depletion of LICs. Hence, BRD4 degradation is a promising LIC-targeting therapy for T-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sujan Piya
- Department of Leukemia, Unit 428, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| | - Yaling Yang
- Department of Hematopathology, Unit 72, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Seemana Bhattacharya
- Department of Leukemia, Unit 428, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Priyanka Sharma
- Department of Leukemia, Unit 428, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Huaxian Ma
- Department of Leukemia, Unit 428, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Hong Mu
- Department of Leukemia, Unit 428, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Hua He
- Department of Hematopathology, Unit 72, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Vivian Ruvolo
- Department of Leukemia, Unit 428, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Natalia Baran
- Department of Leukemia, Unit 428, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - R Eric Davis
- Department of Lymphoma/Myeloma, Unit 903, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Abhinav K Jain
- Department of Epigenetics & Molecular Carcinogenesis, Center for Cancer Epigenetics, Unit 1000, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, UTHealth Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Marina Konopleava
- Department of Leukemia, Unit 428, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Hagop Kantarjian
- Department of Leukemia, Unit 428, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - Michael Andreeff
- Department of Leukemia, Unit 428, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA
| | - M James You
- Department of Hematopathology, Unit 72, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
| | - Gautam Borthakur
- Department of Leukemia, Unit 428, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX, 77030, USA.
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8
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Integrated genomic analyses identify high-risk factors and actionable targets in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. BLOOD SCIENCE 2022; 4:16-28. [PMID: 35399540 PMCID: PMC8974951 DOI: 10.1097/bs9.0000000000000102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive hematologic malignancy often associated with poor outcomes. To identify high-risk factors and potential actionable targets for T-ALL, we perform integrated genomic and transcriptomic analyses on samples from 165 Chinese pediatric and adult T-ALL patients, of whom 85% have outcome information. The genomic mutation landscape of this Chinese cohort is very similar to the Western cohort published previously, except that the rate of NOTCH1 mutations is significant lower in the Chinese T-ALL patients. Among 47 recurrently mutated genes in 7 functional categories, we identify RAS pathway and PTEN mutations as poor survival factors for non-TAL and TAL subtypes, respectively. Mutations in the PI3K pathway are mutually exclusive with mutations in the RAS and NOTCH1 pathways as well as transcription factors. Further analysis demonstrates that approximately 43% of the high-risk patients harbor at least one potential actionable alteration identified in this study, and T-ALLs with RAS pathway mutations are hypersensitive to MEKi in vitro and in vivo. Thus, our integrated genomic analyses not only systematically identify high-risk factors but suggest that these high-risk factors are promising targets for T-ALL therapies.
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9
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Mihashi Y, Kimura S, Iwasaki H, Oshiro Y, Takamatsu Y, Kawauchi S, Shimajiri S, Ishizuka K, Takeshita M. Large cell morphology, CMYC+ tumour cells, and PD-1+ tumour cell/intense PD-L1+ cell reactions are important prognostic factors in nodal peripheral T-cell lymphomas with T follicular helper markers. Diagn Pathol 2021; 16:101. [PMID: 34742294 PMCID: PMC8571911 DOI: 10.1186/s13000-021-01163-7] [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: 08/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The clinicopathological characteristics and prognostic factors in nodal peripheral T-cell lymphomas (PTCLs) with two or more T follicular helper markers (TFH+) are not adequately investigated. METHODS Immunohistologically, we selected 22 patients with TFH+ lymphoma (PTCL-TFH) in 47 of PTCL-not otherwise specified (NOS), and subclassified into large and small cell groups. We compared the two groups with 39 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma (AITL) and seven follicular T-cell lymphoma (F-TCL) patients. Prognostic factors were analysed by overall survival in patients with three types of TFH+ PTCLs. RESULTS Thirteen large cell and nine small cell PTCL-TFH patients had more than two TFH markers including programmed cell death-1 (PD-1). Large cell PTCL-TFH showed frequent CMYC expression in 10 patients (77%), and four of 11 large cell group (36%) had somatic RHOA G17V gene mutation by Sanger sequencing. Large cell PTCL-TFH patients showed significantly worse prognosis than those of the small cell group, AITL, and F-TCL (p < 0.05). In TFH+ PTCLs, CMYC+ tumour cells, and combined PD-1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) + tumour cells and intense reaction of PD-L1+ non-neoplastic cells (high PD-L1+ cell group) were significantly poor prognostic factors (p < 0.05). Combinations of CMYC+ or PD-1+ tumour cells and high PD-L1+ cell group indicated significantly poor prognosis (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION Large cell PTCL-TFH indicated poor prognosis in TFH+ PTCLs. These data suggested that CMYC+ tumour cells and intense PD-L1+ cell reaction influenced tumour cell progression in TFH+ PTCLs, and PD-1+ tumour cell/intense PD-L1+ cell reactions may play a role in immune evasion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yasuhito Mihashi
- Departments of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, 814-0180, Japan.,Departments of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, 814-0180, Japan
| | - Shoichi Kimura
- Departments of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, 814-0180, Japan.,Departments of Otolaryngology, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, 814-0180, Japan
| | - Hiromi Iwasaki
- Departments of Haematology, Clinical Research Centre, National Hospital Organisation Kyushu Medical Centre, 1-8-1 Jigyohama, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka, 810-8563, Japan
| | - Yumi Oshiro
- Department of Pathology, Matsuyama Red Cross Hospital, 1 Bunkyo-cho, Matsuyama, 791-0000, Japan
| | - Yasushi Takamatsu
- Departments of Internal Medicine, Division of Medical Oncology, Haematology and Infectious Disease, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, 814-0180, Japan
| | - Shigeto Kawauchi
- Departments of Pathology, Clinical Research Centre, National Hospital Organisation Kyushu Medical Centre, 1-8-1 Jigyohama, Chuo-ku, Fukuoka, 810-8563, Japan
| | - Shohei Shimajiri
- Department of Pathology, University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Iseigaoko Yahata Nishi-ku, Kitakyushu, Japan
| | - Kenji Ishizuka
- Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kagoshima University, Sakuragaoka 8-35-1, Kagoshima, 890-8544, Japan
| | - Morishige Takeshita
- Departments of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, Fukuoka University, 7-45-1 Nanakuma, Jonan-ku, Fukuoka, 814-0180, Japan.
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10
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"Root"ing for successful T-ALL treatment. Blood 2021; 137:2422-2423. [PMID: 33956068 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2020009748] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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11
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Tamiro F, Weng AP, Giambra V. Targeting Leukemia-Initiating Cells in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Cancer Res 2021; 81:4165-4173. [PMID: 33414170 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-20-2571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 12/02/2020] [Accepted: 01/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The concept that different leukemias are developmentally distinct and, like in normal hematopoiesis, generated by restricted populations of cells named leukemia-initiating cells (LIC), is becoming more established. These cancer stem-like cells have been assumed to have unique properties, including the capability of self-renewing and giving rise to "differentiated" or non-LICs that make up the whole tumor. Cell populations enriched with LIC activity have been characterized in different hematopoietic malignancies, including human acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Related studies have also demonstrated that LICs are functionally distinct from bulk cells and modulated by distinct molecular signaling pathways and epigenetic mechanisms. Here we review several biological and clinical aspects related to LICs in ALL, including (i) immunophenotypic characterization of LIC-enriched subsets in human and mouse models of ALL, (ii) emerging therapeutics against regulatory signaling pathways involved in LIC progression and maintenance in T- and B-cell leukemias, (iii) novel epigenetic and age-related mechanisms of LIC propagation, and (iv) ongoing efforts in immunotherapy to eradicate LIC-enriched cell subsets in relapsed and refractory ALL cases. Current conventional treatments do not efficiently eliminate LICs. Therefore, innovative therapeutics that exclusively target LICs hold great promise for developing an effective cure for ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Tamiro
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies (ISBReMIT), Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy
| | - Andrew P Weng
- Terry Fox Laboratory, BC Cancer Agency, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Vincenzo Giambra
- Institute for Stem Cell Biology, Regenerative Medicine and Innovative Therapies (ISBReMIT), Fondazione IRCCS Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza, San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy.
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12
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Wu Y, Zhu H, Wu H. PTEN in Regulating Hematopoiesis and Leukemogenesis. Cold Spring Harb Perspect Med 2020; 10:cshperspect.a036244. [PMID: 31712222 DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a036244] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
PTEN is one of the most frequently mutated tumor suppressor genes in human cancers. By counteracting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, PTEN plays an essential role in regulating hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) self-renewal, migration, lineage commitment, and differentiation. PTEN also plays important roles in suppressing leukemogenesis, especially T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). Herein, we will review the function of PTEN in regulating hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis and discuss potential therapeutic approaches against leukemia with PTEN mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yilin Wu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Haichuan Zhu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Hong Wu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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13
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Ruan Y, Kim HN, Ogana H, Kim YM. Wnt Signaling in Leukemia and Its Bone Marrow Microenvironment. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21176247. [PMID: 32872365 PMCID: PMC7503842 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21176247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2020] [Revised: 08/16/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Leukemia is an aggressive hematologic neoplastic disease. Therapy-resistant leukemic stem cells (LSCs) may contribute to the relapse of the disease. LSCs are thought to be protected in the leukemia microenvironment, mainly consisting of mesenchymal stem/stromal cells (MSC), endothelial cells, and osteoblasts. Canonical and noncanonical Wnt pathways play a critical role in the maintenance of normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) and LSCs. In this review, we summarize recent findings on the role of Wnt signaling in leukemia and its microenvironment and provide information on the currently available strategies for targeting Wnt signaling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongsheng Ruan
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology, Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA; (Y.R.); (H.N.K.); (H.O.)
- Department of Pediatrics, Nanfang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China
| | - Hye Na Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology, Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA; (Y.R.); (H.N.K.); (H.O.)
| | - Heather Ogana
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology, Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA; (Y.R.); (H.N.K.); (H.O.)
| | - Yong-Mi Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, Division of Hematology, Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA; (Y.R.); (H.N.K.); (H.O.)
- Correspondence:
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14
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Perry JM, Tao F, Roy A, Lin T, He XC, Chen S, Lu X, Nemechek J, Ruan L, Yu X, Dukes D, Moran A, Pace J, Schroeder K, Zhao M, Venkatraman A, Qian P, Li Z, Hembree M, Paulson A, He Z, Xu D, Tran TH, Deshmukh P, Nguyen CT, Kasi RM, Ryan R, Broward M, Ding S, Guest E, August K, Gamis AS, Godwin A, Sittampalam GS, Weir SJ, Li L. Overcoming Wnt-β-catenin dependent anticancer therapy resistance in leukaemia stem cells. Nat Cell Biol 2020; 22:689-700. [PMID: 32313104 PMCID: PMC8010717 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-020-0507-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 03/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Leukaemia stem cells (LSCs) underlie cancer therapy resistance but targeting these cells remains difficult. The Wnt-β-catenin and PI3K-Akt pathways cooperate to promote tumorigenesis and resistance to therapy. In a mouse model in which both pathways are activated in stem and progenitor cells, LSCs expanded under chemotherapy-induced stress. Since Akt can activate β-catenin, inhibiting this interaction might target therapy-resistant LSCs. High-throughput screening identified doxorubicin (DXR) as an inhibitor of the Akt-β-catenin interaction at low doses. Here we repurposed DXR as a targeted inhibitor rather than a broadly cytotoxic chemotherapy. Targeted DXR reduced Akt-activated β-catenin levels in chemoresistant LSCs and reduced LSC tumorigenic activity. Mechanistically, β-catenin binds multiple immune-checkpoint gene loci, and targeted DXR treatment inhibited expression of multiple immune checkpoints specifically in LSCs, including PD-L1, TIM3 and CD24. Overall, LSCs exhibit distinct properties of immune resistance that are reduced by inhibiting Akt-activated β-catenin. These findings suggest a strategy for overcoming cancer therapy resistance and immune escape.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antibiotics, Antineoplastic/pharmacology
- Apoptosis
- Cell Proliferation
- Doxorubicin/pharmacology
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm
- Female
- Humans
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/drug therapy
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/metabolism
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/pathology
- Male
- Mice
- Mice, Knockout
- Neoplastic Stem Cells/drug effects
- Neoplastic Stem Cells/metabolism
- Neoplastic Stem Cells/pathology
- PTEN Phosphohydrolase/physiology
- Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/genetics
- Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinases/metabolism
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/genetics
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-akt/metabolism
- Tumor Cells, Cultured
- Wnt Proteins/physiology
- Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
- beta Catenin/physiology
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Affiliation(s)
- John M Perry
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
- Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
- University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
- University of Missouri Kansas City School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Fang Tao
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
- Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Anuradha Roy
- High Throughput Screening Laboratory, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA
| | - Tara Lin
- University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - Xi C He
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Shiyuan Chen
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Xiuling Lu
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | | | - Linhao Ruan
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
- Center for Cell Dynamics, Department of Cell Biology, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Xiazhen Yu
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
- Department of Hepatobiliary and Pancreatic Surgery, First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Debra Dukes
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Andrea Moran
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | | | | | - Meng Zhao
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
- Key Laboratory of Stem Cells and Tissue Engineering, Ministry of Education, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China
| | | | - Pengxu Qian
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
- Center of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine and Bone Marrow Transplantation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Institute of Hematology, Zhejiang University and Zhejiang Engineering Laboratory for Stem Cell and Immunotherapy, Hangzhou, China
| | - Zhenrui Li
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
- St. Jude, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - Mark Hembree
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Ariel Paulson
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Zhiquan He
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and C.S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Dong Xu
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and C.S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
| | - Thanh-Huyen Tran
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, US
| | - Prashant Deshmukh
- Polymer Program, Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Chi Thanh Nguyen
- Department of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Rajeswari M Kasi
- Polymer Program, Institute of Materials Science, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
- Department of Chemistry, University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, USA
| | - Robin Ryan
- Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | | | - Sheng Ding
- School of Pharmaceutical Science, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
| | - Erin Guest
- Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Keith August
- Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Alan S Gamis
- Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO, USA
| | - Andrew Godwin
- University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
| | - G Sitta Sittampalam
- University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA
- Therapeutics for Rare and Neglected Diseases, National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, USA
| | - Scott J Weir
- Department of Cancer Biology, The Institute for Advancing Medical Innovation and University of Kansas Cancer Center, Kansas City, Kansas, USA
| | - Linheng Li
- Stowers Institute for Medical Research, Kansas City, MO, USA.
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine and Division of Medical Oncology, Internal Medicine, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS, USA.
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15
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Chen Y, Jiang P, Wen J, Wu Z, Li J, Chen Y, Wang L, Gan D, Chen Y, Yang T, Lin M, Hu J. Integrated bioinformatics analysis of the crucial candidate genes and pathways associated with glucocorticoid resistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Cancer Med 2020; 9:2918-2929. [PMID: 32096603 PMCID: PMC7163086 DOI: 10.1002/cam4.2934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2019] [Revised: 01/07/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Glucocorticoids (GC) are the foundation of the chemotherapy regimen in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, resistance to GC is observed more frequently than resistance to other chemotherapy agents in patients with ALL relapse. Moreover, the mechanism underlying the development of GC resistance in ALL has not yet been fully uncovered. In this study, we used bioinformatic analysis methods to integrate the candidate genes and pathways participating in GC resistance in ALL and subsequently verified the bioinformatics findings with in vitro cell experiments. Ninety‐nine significant common differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with GC resistance were determined by integrating two gene profile datasets, including GC‐sensitive and ‐resistant samples. Using Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and REACTOME pathways analysis, the signaling pathways in which DEGs were significantly enriched were clustered. The GC resistance‐related biologically functional interactions were visualized as DEG‐associated Protein–Protein Interaction (PPI) network complexes, with 98 nodes and 127 edges. MYC, a node which displayed the highest connectivity in all edges, was highlighted as the core gene in the PPI network. Increased C‐MYC expression was observed in adriamycin‐resistant BALL‐1/ADR cells, which we demonstrated was also resistant to dexamethasone. These results outlined a panorama in which the solitary and scattered experimental results were integrated and expanded. The potential promising target of the candidate pathways and genes involved in GC resistance of ALL was concomitantly revealed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanxin Chen
- Fujian Institute of HematologyFujian Provincial Key Laboratory of HematologyFujian Medical University Union HospitalFuzhouChina
| | - Peifang Jiang
- Fujian Institute of HematologyFujian Provincial Key Laboratory of HematologyFujian Medical University Union HospitalFuzhouChina
| | - Jingjing Wen
- Fujian Institute of HematologyFujian Provincial Key Laboratory of HematologyFujian Medical University Union HospitalFuzhouChina
| | - Zhengjun Wu
- Fujian Institute of HematologyFujian Provincial Key Laboratory of HematologyFujian Medical University Union HospitalFuzhouChina
| | - Jiazheng Li
- Fujian Institute of HematologyFujian Provincial Key Laboratory of HematologyFujian Medical University Union HospitalFuzhouChina
| | - Yuwen Chen
- Fujian Institute of HematologyFujian Provincial Key Laboratory of HematologyFujian Medical University Union HospitalFuzhouChina
| | - Lingyan Wang
- Fujian Institute of HematologyFujian Provincial Key Laboratory of HematologyFujian Medical University Union HospitalFuzhouChina
| | - Donghui Gan
- Fujian Institute of HematologyFujian Provincial Key Laboratory of HematologyFujian Medical University Union HospitalFuzhouChina
| | - Yingyu Chen
- Fujian Institute of HematologyFujian Provincial Key Laboratory of HematologyFujian Medical University Union HospitalFuzhouChina
| | - Ting Yang
- Fujian Institute of HematologyFujian Provincial Key Laboratory of HematologyFujian Medical University Union HospitalFuzhouChina
| | - Minhui Lin
- Fujian Institute of HematologyFujian Provincial Key Laboratory of HematologyFujian Medical University Union HospitalFuzhouChina
| | - Jianda Hu
- Fujian Institute of HematologyFujian Provincial Key Laboratory of HematologyFujian Medical University Union HospitalFuzhouChina
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16
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The Role Played by Wnt/β-Catenin Signaling Pathway in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21031098. [PMID: 32046053 PMCID: PMC7037748 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21031098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is an aggressive hematologic neoplastic disorder that arises from the clonal expansion of transformed T-cell or B-cell precursors. Thanks to progress in chemotherapy protocols, ALL outcome has significantly improved. However, drug-resistance remains an unresolved issue in the treatment of ALL and toxic effects limit dose escalation of current chemotherapeutics. Therefore, the identification of novel targeted therapies to support conventional chemotherapy is required. The Wnt/β-catenin pathway is a conserved signaling axis involved in several physiological processes such as development, differentiation, and adult tissue homeostasis. As a result, deregulation of this cascade is closely related to initiation and progression of various types of cancers, including hematological malignancies. In particular, deregulation of this signaling network is involved in the transformation of healthy HSCs in leukemic stem cells (LSCs), as well as cancer cell multi-drug-resistance. This review highlights the recent findings on the role of Wnt/β-catenin in hematopoietic malignancies and provides information on the current status of Wnt/β-catenin inhibitors with respect to their therapeutic potential in the treatment of ALL.
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17
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Evangelisti C, Chiarini F, Cappellini A, Paganelli F, Fini M, Santi S, Martelli AM, Neri LM, Evangelisti C. Targeting Wnt/β-catenin and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. J Cell Physiol 2020; 235:5413-5428. [PMID: 31904116 DOI: 10.1002/jcp.29429] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2019] [Accepted: 12/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive hematological disorder that results from the clonal transformation of T-cell precursors. Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) and canonical Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathways play a crucial role in T-cell development and in self-renewal of healthy and leukemic stem cells. Notably, β-catenin is a transcriptional regulator of several genes involved in cancer cell proliferation and survival. In this way, aberrations of components belonging to the aforementioned networks contribute to T-ALL pathogenesis. For this reason, inhibition of both pathways could represent an innovative strategy in this hematological malignancy. Here, we show that combined targeting of Wnt/β-catenin pathway through ICG-001, a CBP/β-catenin transcription inhibitor, and of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR axis through ZSTK-474, a PI3K inhibitor, downregulated proliferation, survival, and clonogenic activity of T-ALL cells. ICG-001 and ZSTK-474 displayed cytotoxic effects, and, when combined together, induced a significant increase in apoptotic cells. This induction of apoptosis was associated with the downregulation of Wnt/β-catenin and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways. All these findings were confirmed under hypoxic conditions that mimic the bone marrow niche where leukemic stem cells are believed to reside. Taken together, our findings highlight potentially promising treatment consisting of cotargeting Wnt/β-catenin and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathways in T-ALL settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cecilia Evangelisti
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Francesca Chiarini
- CNR Institute of Molecular Genetics "Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza", Bologna, Italy.,IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alessandra Cappellini
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Francesca Paganelli
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Milena Fini
- IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy
| | - Spartaco Santi
- CNR Institute of Molecular Genetics "Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza", Bologna, Italy.,IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy
| | - Alberto M Martelli
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Luca M Neri
- Department of Morphology, Surgery and Experimental Medicine, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.,LTTA-Electron Microscopy Center, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy
| | - Camilla Evangelisti
- CNR Institute of Molecular Genetics "Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza", Bologna, Italy.,IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy
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18
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Paganelli F, Lonetti A, Anselmi L, Martelli AM, Evangelisti C, Chiarini F. New advances in targeting aberrant signaling pathways in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Adv Biol Regul 2019; 74:100649. [PMID: 31523031 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbior.2019.100649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Revised: 08/24/2019] [Accepted: 09/03/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive disorder characterized by malignant transformation of immature progenitors primed towards T-cell development. Over the past 15 years, advances in the molecular characterization of T-ALL have uncovered oncogenic key drivers and crucial signaling pathways of this disease, opening new chances for the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Currently, T-ALL patients are still treated with aggressive therapies, consisting of high dose multiagent chemotherapy. To minimize and overcome the unfavorable effects of these regimens, it is critical to identify innovative targets and test selective inhibitors of such targets. Major efforts are being made to develop small molecules against deregulated signaling pathways, which sustain T-ALL cell growth, survival, metabolism, and drug-resistance. This review will focus on recent improvements in the understanding of the signaling pathways involved in the pathogenesis of T-ALL and on the challenging opportunities for T-ALL targeted therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Paganelli
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza-CNR National Research Council of Italy, Bologna, Italy; IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy; Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Annalisa Lonetti
- "Giorgio Prodi" Cancer Research Center, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Laura Anselmi
- Department of Biomedical, Metabolic, and Neural Sciences, Section of Morphology, Signal Transduction Unit, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy
| | - Alberto M Martelli
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Camilla Evangelisti
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza-CNR National Research Council of Italy, Bologna, Italy; IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy
| | - Francesca Chiarini
- Institute of Molecular Genetics, Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza-CNR National Research Council of Italy, Bologna, Italy; IRCCS Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli, Bologna, Italy.
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19
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Luongo F, Colonna F, Calapà F, Vitale S, Fiori ME, De Maria R. PTEN Tumor-Suppressor: The Dam of Stemness in Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:E1076. [PMID: 31366089 PMCID: PMC6721423 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11081076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2019] [Revised: 07/24/2019] [Accepted: 07/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
PTEN is one of the most frequently inactivated tumor suppressor genes in cancer. Loss or variation in PTEN gene/protein levels is commonly observed in a broad spectrum of human cancers, while germline PTEN mutations cause inherited syndromes that lead to increased risk of tumors. PTEN restrains tumorigenesis through different mechanisms ranging from phosphatase-dependent and independent activities, subcellular localization and protein interaction, modulating a broad array of cellular functions including growth, proliferation, survival, DNA repair, and cell motility. The main target of PTEN phosphatase activity is one of the most significant cell growth and pro-survival signaling pathway in cancer: PI3K/AKT/mTOR. Several shreds of evidence shed light on the critical role of PTEN in normal and cancer stem cells (CSCs) homeostasis, with its loss fostering the CSC compartment in both solid and hematologic malignancies. CSCs are responsible for tumor propagation, metastatic spread, resistance to therapy, and relapse. Thus, understanding how alterations of PTEN levels affect CSC hallmarks could be crucial for the development of successful therapeutic approaches. Here, we discuss the most significant findings on PTEN-mediated control of CSC state. We aim to unravel the role of PTEN in the regulation of key mechanisms specific for CSCs, such as self-renewal, quiescence/cell cycle, Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal-Transition (EMT), with a particular focus on PTEN-based therapy resistance mechanisms and their exploitation for novel therapeutic approaches in cancer treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Luongo
- Istituto di Patologia Generale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Colonna
- Istituto di Patologia Generale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Federica Calapà
- Istituto di Patologia Generale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Sara Vitale
- Istituto di Patologia Generale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy
| | - Micol E Fiori
- Department of Oncology and Molecular Medicine, Istituto Superiore di Sanità, 00161 Rome, Italy.
| | - Ruggero De Maria
- Istituto di Patologia Generale, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168 Rome, Italy.
- Scientific Vice-Direction, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli"-I.R.C.C.S., Largo Francesco Vito 1-8, 00168 Rome, Italy.
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Martelli AM, Paganelli F, Fazio A, Bazzichetto C, Conciatori F, McCubrey JA. The Key Roles of PTEN in T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Development, Progression, and Therapeutic Response. Cancers (Basel) 2019; 11:cancers11050629. [PMID: 31064074 PMCID: PMC6562458 DOI: 10.3390/cancers11050629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2019] [Revised: 04/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/04/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive blood cancer that comprises 10–15% of pediatric and ~25% of adult ALL cases. Although the curative rates have significantly improved over the past 10 years, especially in pediatric patients, T-ALL remains a challenge from a therapeutic point of view, due to the high number of early relapses that are for the most part resistant to further treatment. Considerable advances in the understanding of the genes, signaling networks, and mechanisms that play crucial roles in the pathobiology of T-ALL have led to the identification of the key drivers of the disease, thereby paving the way for new therapeutic approaches. PTEN is critical to prevent the malignant transformation of T-cells. However, its expression and functions are altered in human T-ALL. PTEN is frequently deleted or mutated, while PTEN protein is often phosphorylated and functionally inactivated by casein kinase 2. Different murine knockout models recapitulating the development of T-ALL have demonstrated that PTEN abnormalities are at the hub of an intricate oncogenic network sustaining and driving leukemia development by activating several signaling cascades associated with drug-resistance and poor outcome. These aspects and their possible therapeutic implications are highlighted in this review.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto M Martelli
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
| | - Francesca Paganelli
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
| | - Antonietta Fazio
- Department of Biomedical and Neuromotor Sciences, University of Bologna, 40126 Bologna, Italy.
| | - Chiara Bazzichetto
- Medical Oncology 1, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, 00144 Rome, Italy.
| | - Fabiana Conciatori
- Medical Oncology 1, IRCCS Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, 00144 Rome, Italy.
| | - James A McCubrey
- Department of Microbiology & Immunology, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27834, USA.
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21
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Lowinus T, Heidel FH, Bose T, Nimmagadda SC, Schnöder T, Cammann C, Schmitz I, Seifert U, Fischer T, Schraven B, Bommhardt U. Memantine potentiates cytarabine-induced cell death of acute leukemia correlating with inhibition of K v1.3 potassium channels, AKT and ERK1/2 signaling. Cell Commun Signal 2019; 17:5. [PMID: 30651113 PMCID: PMC6335768 DOI: 10.1186/s12964-018-0317-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2018] [Accepted: 12/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Treatment of acute leukemia is challenging and long-lasting remissions are difficult to induce. Innovative therapy approaches aim to complement standard chemotherapy to improve drug efficacy and decrease toxicity. Promising new therapeutic targets in cancer therapy include voltage-gated Kv1.3 potassium channels, but their role in acute leukemia is unclear. We reported that Kv1.3 channels of lymphocytes are blocked by memantine, which is known as an antagonist of neuronal N-methyl-D-aspartate type glutamate receptors and clinically applied in therapy of advanced Alzheimer disease. Here we evaluated whether pharmacological targeting of Kv1.3 channels by memantine promotes cell death of acute leukemia cells induced by chemotherapeutic cytarabine. Methods We analyzed acute lymphoid (Jurkat, CEM) and myeloid (HL-60, Molm-13, OCI-AML-3) leukemia cell lines and patients’ acute leukemic blasts after treatment with either drug alone or the combination of cytarabine and memantine. Patch-clamp analysis was performed to evaluate inhibition of Kv1.3 channels and membrane depolarization by memantine. Cell death was determined with propidium iodide, Annexin V and SYTOX staining and cytochrome C release assay. Molecular effects of memantine co-treatment on activation of Caspases, AKT, ERK1/2, and JNK signaling were analysed by Western blot. Kv1.3 channel expression in Jurkat cells was downregulated by shRNA. Results Our study demonstrates that memantine inhibits Kv1.3 channels of acute leukemia cells and in combination with cytarabine potentiates cell death of acute lymphoid and myeloid leukemia cell lines as well as primary leukemic blasts from acute leukemia patients. At molecular level, memantine co-application fosters concurrent inhibition of AKT, S6 and ERK1/2 and reinforces nuclear down-regulation of MYC, a common target of AKT and ERK1/2 signaling. In addition, it augments mitochondrial dysfunction resulting in enhanced cytochrome C release and activation of Caspase-9 and Caspase-3 leading to amplified apoptosis. Conclusions Our study underlines inhibition of Kv1.3 channels as a therapeutic strategy in acute leukemia and proposes co-treatment with memantine, a licensed and safe drug, as a potential approach to promote cytarabine-based cell death of various subtypes of acute leukemia. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12964-018-0317-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theresa Lowinus
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Immunology, Health Campus Immunology, Infectiology and Inflammation (GC-I3), Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany.,Present address: Department of Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, Freiburg University Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Florian H Heidel
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, GC-I3, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,Leibniz Institute on Aging, Fritz-Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany.,Innere Medizin II, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Tanima Bose
- Leibniz Institute of Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany.,Present address: Institute for Clinical Neuroimmunology, Ludwigs-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany
| | - Subbaiah Chary Nimmagadda
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, GC-I3, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Tina Schnöder
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, GC-I3, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany.,Leibniz Institute on Aging, Fritz-Lipmann Institute, Jena, Germany.,Innere Medizin II, Universitätsklinikum Jena, Jena, Germany
| | - Clemens Cammann
- Friedrich Loeffler Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Ingo Schmitz
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Immunology, Health Campus Immunology, Infectiology and Inflammation (GC-I3), Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany.,Systems-Oriented Immunology and Inflammation Research Group, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Ulrike Seifert
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Immunology, Health Campus Immunology, Infectiology and Inflammation (GC-I3), Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany.,Friedrich Loeffler Institute for Medical Microbiology, University Medicine Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Thomas Fischer
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, GC-I3, Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Burkhart Schraven
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Immunology, Health Campus Immunology, Infectiology and Inflammation (GC-I3), Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany.,Department of Immune Control, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany
| | - Ursula Bommhardt
- Institute of Molecular and Clinical Immunology, Health Campus Immunology, Infectiology and Inflammation (GC-I3), Otto-von-Guericke-University Magdeburg, Leipziger Str. 44, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany.
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22
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ALK positively regulates MYCN activity through repression of HBP1 expression. Oncogene 2018; 38:2690-2705. [PMID: 30538293 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-018-0595-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2017] [Revised: 05/03/2018] [Accepted: 10/23/2018] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
ALK mutations occur in 10% of primary neuroblastomas and represent a major target for precision treatment. In combination with MYCN amplification, ALK mutations infer an ultra-high-risk phenotype resulting in very poor patient prognosis. To open up opportunities for future precision drugging, a deeper understanding of the molecular consequences of constitutive ALK signaling and its relationship to MYCN activity in this aggressive pediatric tumor entity will be essential. We show that mutant ALK downregulates the 'HMG-box transcription factor 1' (HBP1) through the PI3K-AKT-FOXO3a signaling axis. HBP1 inhibits both the transcriptional activating and repressing activity of MYCN, the latter being mediated through PRC2 activity. HBP1 itself is under negative control of MYCN through miR-17~92. Combined targeting of HBP1 by PI3K antagonists and MYCN signaling by BET- or HDAC-inhibitors blocks MYCN activity and significantly reduces tumor growth, suggesting a novel targeted therapy option for high-risk neuroblastoma.
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23
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Zhu H, Zhang L, Wu Y, Dong B, Guo W, Wang M, Yang L, Fan X, Tang Y, Liu N, Lei X, Wu H. T-ALL leukemia stem cell 'stemness' is epigenetically controlled by the master regulator SPI1. eLife 2018; 7:38314. [PMID: 30412053 PMCID: PMC6251627 DOI: 10.7554/elife.38314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Leukemia stem cells (LSCs) are regarded as the origins and key therapeutic targets of leukemia, but limited knowledge is available on the key determinants of LSC 'stemness'. Using single-cell RNA-seq analysis, we identify a master regulator, SPI1, the LSC-specific expression of which determines the molecular signature and activity of LSCs in the murine Pten-null T-ALL model. Although initiated by PTEN-controlled β-catenin activation, Spi1 expression and LSC 'stemness' are maintained by a β-catenin-SPI1-HAVCR2 regulatory circuit independent of the leukemogenic driver mutation. Perturbing any component of this circuit either genetically or pharmacologically can prevent LSC formation or eliminate existing LSCs. LSCs lose their 'stemness' when Spi1 expression is silenced by DNA methylation, but Spi1 expression can be reactivated by 5-AZ treatment. Importantly, similar regulatory mechanisms may be also present in human T-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Haichuan Zhu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Liuzhen Zhang
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yilin Wu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Bingjie Dong
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Weilong Guo
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Mei Wang
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Lu Yang
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiaoying Fan
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Yuliang Tang
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Ningshu Liu
- Drug Discovery Oncology, Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Berlin, Germany
| | - Xiaoguang Lei
- Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Department of Chemical Biology, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing, China
| | - Hong Wu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics, Peking University, Beijing, China
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24
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A Novel t(8;14)(q24;q11) Rearranged Human Cell Line as a Model for Mechanistic and Drug Discovery Studies of NOTCH1-Independent Human T-Cell Leukemia. Cells 2018; 7:cells7100160. [PMID: 30304769 PMCID: PMC6209910 DOI: 10.3390/cells7100160] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/10/2018] [Revised: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 10/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
MYC-translocated T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a rare subgroup of T-ALL associated with CDKN2A/B deletions, PTEN inactivation, and absence of NOTCH1 or FBXW7 mutations. This subtype of T-ALL has been associated with induction failure and aggressive disease. Identification of drug targets and mechanistic insights for this disease are still limited. Here, we established a human NOTCH1-independent MYC-translocated T-ALL cell line that maintains the genetic and phenotypic characteristics of the parental leukemic clone at diagnosis. The University of Padua T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia 13 (UP-ALL13) cell line has all the main features of the above described MYC-translocated T-ALL. Interestingly, UP-ALL13 was found to harbor a heterozygous R882H DNMT3A mutation typically found in myeloid leukemia. Chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with high-throughput sequencing for histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27) acetylation revealed numerous putative super-enhancers near key transcription factors, including MYC, MYB, and LEF1. Marked cytotoxicity was found following bromodomain-containing protein 4 (BRD4) inhibition with AZD5153, suggesting a strict dependency of this particular subtype of T-ALL on the activity of super-enhancers. Altogether, this cell line may be a useful model system for dissecting the signaling pathways implicated in NOTCH1-independent T-ALL and for the screening of targeted anti-leukemia agents specific for this T-ALL subgroup.
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25
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Therapeutic Targeting of mTOR in T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia: An Update. Int J Mol Sci 2018; 19:ijms19071878. [PMID: 29949919 PMCID: PMC6073309 DOI: 10.3390/ijms19071878] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2018] [Revised: 06/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive blood malignancy that arises from the clonal expansion of transformed T-cell precursors. Although T-ALL prognosis has significantly improved due to the development of intensive chemotherapeutic protocols, primary drug-resistant and relapsed patients still display a dismal outcome. In addition, lifelong irreversible late effects from conventional therapy are a growing problem for leukemia survivors. Therefore, novel targeted therapies are required to improve the prognosis of high-risk patients. The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is the kinase subunit of two structurally and functionally distinct multiprotein complexes, which are referred to as mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) and mTORC2. These two complexes regulate a variety of physiological cellular processes including protein, lipid, and nucleotide synthesis, as well as autophagy in response to external cues. However, mTOR activity is frequently deregulated in cancer, where it plays a key oncogenetic role driving tumor cell proliferation, survival, metabolic transformation, and metastatic potential. Promising preclinical studies using mTOR inhibitors have demonstrated efficacy in many human cancer types, including T-ALL. Here, we highlight our current knowledge of mTOR signaling and inhibitors in T-ALL, with an emphasis on emerging evidence of the superior efficacy of combinations consisting of mTOR inhibitors and either traditional or targeted therapeutics.
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26
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Animal models of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: mimicking the human disease. JOURNAL OF BIO-X RESEARCH 2018. [DOI: 10.1097/jbr.0000000000000001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
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27
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Dual inhibition of PI3K/mTOR signaling in chemoresistant AML primary cells. Adv Biol Regul 2018; 68:2-9. [PMID: 29576448 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbior.2018.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2018] [Revised: 03/18/2018] [Accepted: 03/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
A main cause of treatment failure for AML patients is resistance to chemotherapy. Survival of AML cells may depend on mechanisms that elude conventional drugs action and/or on the presence of leukemia initiating cells at diagnosis, and their persistence after therapy. MDR1 gene is an ATP-dependent drug efflux pump known to be a risk factor for the emergence of resistance, when combined to unstable cytogenetic profile of AML patients. In the present study, we analyzed the sensitivity to conventional chemotherapeutic drugs of 26 samples of primary blasts collected from AML patients at diagnosis. Detection of cell viability and apoptosis allowed to identify two group of samples, one resistant and one sensitive to in vitro treatment. The cells were then analyzed for the presence and the activity of P-glycoprotein. A comparative analysis showed that resistant samples exhibited a high level of MDR1 mRNA as well as of P-glycoprotein content and activity. Moreover, they also displayed high PI3K signaling. Therefore, we checked whether the association with signaling inhibitors might resensitize resistant samples to chemo-drugs. The combination showed a very potent cytotoxic effect, possibly through down modulation of MDR1, which was maintained also when primary blasts were co-cultured with human stromal cells. Remarkably, dual PI3K/mTOR inactivation was cytotoxic also to leukemia initiating cells. All together, our findings indicate that signaling activation profiling associated to gene expression can be very useful to stratify patients and improve therapy.
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28
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Saracatinib impairs maintenance of human T-ALL by targeting the LCK tyrosine kinase in cells displaying high level of lipid rafts. Leukemia 2018. [PMID: 29535432 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-018-0081-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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29
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Lee KM, Giltnane JM, Balko JM, Schwarz LJ, Guerrero-Zotano AL, Hutchinson KE, Nixon MJ, Estrada MV, Sánchez V, Sanders ME, Lee T, Gómez H, Lluch A, Pérez-Fidalgo JA, Wolf MM, Andrejeva G, Rathmell JC, Fesik SW, Arteaga CL. MYC and MCL1 Cooperatively Promote Chemotherapy-Resistant Breast Cancer Stem Cells via Regulation of Mitochondrial Oxidative Phosphorylation. Cell Metab 2017; 26:633-647.e7. [PMID: 28978427 PMCID: PMC5650077 DOI: 10.1016/j.cmet.2017.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 403] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2017] [Revised: 07/06/2017] [Accepted: 09/15/2017] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Most patients with advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) develop drug resistance. MYC and MCL1 are frequently co-amplified in drug-resistant TNBC after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Herein, we demonstrate that MYC and MCL1 cooperate in the maintenance of chemotherapy-resistant cancer stem cells (CSCs) in TNBC. MYC and MCL1 increased mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (mtOXPHOS) and the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), processes involved in maintenance of CSCs. A mutant of MCL1 that cannot localize in mitochondria reduced mtOXPHOS, ROS levels, and drug-resistant CSCs without affecting the anti-apoptotic function of MCL1. Increased levels of ROS, a by-product of activated mtOXPHOS, led to the accumulation of HIF-1α. Pharmacological inhibition of HIF-1α attenuated CSC enrichment and tumor initiation in vivo. These data suggest that (1) MYC and MCL1 confer resistance to chemotherapy by expanding CSCs via mtOXPHOS and (2) targeting mitochondrial respiration and HIF-1α may reverse chemotherapy resistance in TNBC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyung-Min Lee
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Jennifer M Giltnane
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Justin M Balko
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Luis J Schwarz
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | | | | | - Mellissa J Nixon
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Mónica V Estrada
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Violeta Sánchez
- Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Melinda E Sanders
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Taekyu Lee
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Henry Gómez
- Instituto Nacional de Enfermedades Neoplásicas, 15038 Lima, Perú
| | - Ana Lluch
- Hospital Clínico Universitario, Biomedical Research Institute INCLIVA, Universidad de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - J Alejandro Pérez-Fidalgo
- Hospital Clínico Universitario, Biomedical Research Institute INCLIVA, Universidad de Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain
| | - Melissa Magdalene Wolf
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Gabriela Andrejeva
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Jeffrey C Rathmell
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology & Immunology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Stephen W Fesik
- Department of Biochemistry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA
| | - Carlos L Arteaga
- Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Breast Cancer Research Program, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37232, USA.
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30
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Tan SH, Bertulfo FC, Sanda T. Leukemia-Initiating Cells in T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Front Oncol 2017; 7:218. [PMID: 29034206 PMCID: PMC5627022 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2017.00218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2017] [Accepted: 09/01/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a hematological malignancy characterized by the clonal proliferation of immature T-cell precursors. T-ALL has many similar pathophysiological features to acute myeloid leukemia, which has been extensively studied in the establishment of the cancer stem cell (CSC) theory, but the CSC concept in T-ALL is still debatable. Although leukemia-initiating cells (LICs), which can generate leukemia in a xenograft setting, have been found in both human T-ALL patients and animal models, the nature and origin of LICs are largely unknown. In this review, we discuss recent studies on LICs in T-ALL and the potential mechanisms of LIC emergence in this disease. We focus on the oncogenic transcription factors TAL1, LMO2, and NOTCH1 and highlight the significance of the transcriptional regulatory programs in normal hematopoietic stem cells and T-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shi Hao Tan
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Fatima Carla Bertulfo
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Takaomi Sanda
- Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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C-MYC and Its Main Ubiquitin Ligase, FBXW7, Influence Cell Proliferation and Prognosis in Adult T-cell Leukemia/Lymphoma. Am J Surg Pathol 2017; 41:1139-1149. [DOI: 10.1097/pas.0000000000000871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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32
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Mendes RD, Canté-Barrett K, Pieters R, Meijerink JPP. The relevance of PTEN-AKT in relation to NOTCH1-directed treatment strategies in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Haematologica 2017; 101:1010-7. [PMID: 27582570 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2016.146381] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 06/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The tumor suppressor phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) negatively regulates phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-AKT signaling and is often inactivated by mutations (including deletions) in a variety of cancer types, including T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Here we review mutation-associated mechanisms that inactivate PTEN together with other molecular mechanisms that activate AKT and contribute to T-cell leukemogenesis. In addition, we discuss how Pten mutations in mouse models affect the efficacy of gamma-secretase inhibitors to block NOTCH1 signaling through activation of AKT. Based on these models and on observations in primary diagnostic samples from patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, we speculate that PTEN-deficient cells employ an intrinsic homeostatic mechanism in which PI3K-AKT signaling is dampened over time. As a result of this reduced PI3K-AKT signaling, the level of AKT activation may be insufficient to compensate for NOTCH1 inhibition, resulting in responsiveness to gamma-secretase inhibitors. On the other hand, de novo acquired PTEN-inactivating events in NOTCH1-dependent leukemia could result in temporary, strong activation of PI3K-AKT signaling, increased glycolysis and glutaminolysis, and consequently gamma-secretase inhibitor resistance. Due to the central role of PTEN-AKT signaling and in the resistance to NOTCH1 inhibition, AKT inhibitors may be a promising addition to current treatment protocols for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui D Mendes
- Department of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Erasmus MC Rotterdam-Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Kirsten Canté-Barrett
- Department of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Erasmus MC Rotterdam-Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Rob Pieters
- Department of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Erasmus MC Rotterdam-Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jules P P Meijerink
- Department of Pediatric Oncology/Hematology, Erasmus MC Rotterdam-Sophia Children's Hospital, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Skalska-Sadowska J, Dawidowska M, Szarzyńska-Zawadzka B, Jarmuż-Szymczak M, Czerwińska-Rybak J, Machowska L, Derwich K. Translocation t(8;14)(q24;q11) with concurrent PTEN alterations and deletions of STIL/TAL1 and CDKN2A/B in a pediatric case of acute T-lymphoblastic leukemia: A genetic profile associated with adverse prognosis. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2017; 64. [PMID: 27759908 DOI: 10.1002/pbc.26266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Revised: 08/17/2016] [Accepted: 08/19/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
We report a pediatric case of acute T-lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) with NOTCH1wt , FBXW7wt , STIL/TAL1, and PTEN (exons 2, 3, 4, 5) monoallelic deletions, biallelic CDKN2A/B deletion, and a minor t(8;14)(q24;q11)-positive subclone. Undetectable by a flow cytometric minimal residual disease assay, the t(8;14)(q24;q11) subclone expanded as detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization from 5% at diagnosis to 26% before consolidation and 100% at relapse bearing a monoallelic deletion (exons 2, 3) with a new frameshift mutation of PTEN and the same set of remaining molecular alterations. This case documents an unfavorable prognostic potential of a co-occurrence of this set of molecular genetic events and addresses risk stratification in T-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jolanta Skalska-Sadowska
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Transplantology, University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| | | | | | - Małgorzata Jarmuż-Szymczak
- Institute of Human Genetics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poznań, Poland.,Department of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| | - Joanna Czerwińska-Rybak
- Department of Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation, University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| | - Ludomiła Machowska
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Transplantology, University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| | - Katarzyna Derwich
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hematology and Transplantology, University of Medical Sciences, Poznań, Poland
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Kobayashi M, Nabinger SC, Bai Y, Yoshimoto M, Gao R, Chen S, Yao C, Dong Y, Zhang L, Rodriguez S, Yashiro-Ohtani Y, Pear WS, Carlesso N, Yoder MC, Kapur R, Kaplan MH, Daniel Lacorazza H, Zhang ZY, Liu Y. Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase PRL2 Mediates Notch and Kit Signals in Early T Cell Progenitors. Stem Cells 2017; 35:1053-1064. [PMID: 28009085 DOI: 10.1002/stem.2559] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2016] [Revised: 11/23/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The molecular pathways regulating lymphoid priming, fate, and development of multipotent bone marrow hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) that continuously feed thymic progenitors remain largely unknown. While Notch signal is indispensable for T cell specification and differentiation, the downstream effectors are not well understood. PRL2, a protein tyrosine phosphatase that regulates hematopoietic stem cell proliferation and self-renewal, is highly expressed in murine thymocyte progenitors. Here we demonstrate that protein tyrosine phosphatase PRL2 and receptor tyrosine kinase c-Kit are critical downstream targets and effectors of the canonical Notch/RBPJ pathway in early T cell progenitors. While PRL2 deficiency resulted in moderate defects of thymopoiesis in the steady state, de novo generation of T cells from Prl2 null hematopoietic stem cells was significantly reduced following transplantation. Prl2 null HSPCs also showed impaired T cell differentiation in vitro. We found that Notch/RBPJ signaling upregulated PRL2 as well as c-Kit expression in T cell progenitors. Further, PRL2 sustains Notch-mediated c-Kit expression and enhances stem cell factor/c-Kit signaling in T cell progenitors, promoting effective DN1-DN2 transition. Thus, we have identified a critical role for PRL2 phosphatase in mediating Notch and c-Kit signals in early T cell progenitors. Stem Cells 2017;35:1053-1064.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sarah C Nabinger
- Department of Pediatrics, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research
| | - Yunpeng Bai
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Momoko Yoshimoto
- Department of Pediatrics, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research
| | - Rui Gao
- Department of Pediatrics, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research
| | - Sisi Chen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Chonghua Yao
- Department of Pediatrics, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research
| | - Yuanshu Dong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Lujuan Zhang
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
| | - Sonia Rodriguez
- Department of Pediatrics, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research
| | - Yumi Yashiro-Ohtani
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Warren S Pear
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Nadia Carlesso
- Department of Pediatrics, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research
| | - Mervin C Yoder
- Department of Pediatrics, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research
| | - Reuben Kapur
- Department of Pediatrics, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research
| | - Mark H Kaplan
- Department of Pediatrics, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research
| | - Hugo Daniel Lacorazza
- Department of Pathology, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
| | - Zhong-Yin Zhang
- Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Yan Liu
- Department of Pediatrics, Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
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35
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Passaro D, Quang CT, Ghysdael J. Microenvironmental cues for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia development. Immunol Rev 2016; 271:156-72. [PMID: 27088913 DOI: 10.1111/imr.12402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Intensive chemotherapy regimens have led to a substantial improvement in the cure rate of patients suffering from T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). Despite this progress, about 15% and 50% of pediatric and adult cases, respectively, show resistance to treatment or relapse with dismal prognosis, calling for further therapeutic investigations. T-ALL is an heterogeneous disease, which presents intrinsic alterations leading to aberrant expression of transcription factors normally involved in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell development and mutations in genes implicated in the regulation of cell cycle progression, apoptosis, and T-cell development. Gene expression profiling allowed the classification of T-ALL into defined molecular subgroups that mostly reflects the stage of their differentiation arrest. So far this knowledge has not translated into novel, targeted therapy. Recent evidence points to the importance of extrinsic signaling cues in controlling the ability of T-ALL to home, survive, and proliferate, thus offering the perspective of new therapeutic options. This review summarizes the present understanding of the interactions between hematopoietic cells and bone marrow/thymic niches during normal hematopoiesis, describes the main signaling pathways implicated in this dialog, and finally highlights how malignant T cells rely on specific niches to maintain their ability to sustain and propagate leukemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diana Passaro
- Hematopoietic Stem Cell Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, Lincoln's Inn Fields Laboratories, London, UK
| | - Christine Tran Quang
- Institut Curie, Centre Universitaire, Orsay, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Universitaire, Orsay, France
| | - Jacques Ghysdael
- Institut Curie, Centre Universitaire, Orsay, France.,Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Centre Universitaire, Orsay, France
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Schubbert S, Jiao J, Ruscetti M, Nakashima J, Wu S, Lei H, Xu Q, Yi W, Zhu H, Wu H. Methods for PTEN in Stem Cells and Cancer Stem Cells. Methods Mol Biol 2016; 1388:233-85. [PMID: 27033080 DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4939-3299-3_15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/26/2023]
Abstract
PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homologue) is the first tumor suppressor identified to have phosphatase activity and its gene is the second most frequently deleted or mutated tumor-suppressor gene associated with human cancers. Germline PTEN mutations are the cause of three inherited autosomal dominant disorders. Phosphatidylinositol 3,4,5,-triphosphate (PIP3), the product of the PI3 kinase, is one of the key intracellular targets of PTEN's phosphatase activity, although PTEN's phosphatase-independent activities have also been identified. PTEN is critical for stem cell maintenance, which contributes to its controlled tumorigenesis. PTEN loss leads the development of cancer stem cells (CSCs) that share properties with somatic stem cells, including the capacity for self-renewal and multi-lineage differentiation. Methods to isolate and functionally test stem cells and CSCs are important for understanding PTEN functions and the development of therapeutic approaches to target CSCs without having adverse effects on normal stem cells. Here, we describe protocols for the isolation and functional analysis of PTEN deficient embryonic stem cells, hematopoietic stem cells and leukemia-initiating cells (LICs), neural stem cells, and prostate stem cells and CSCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne Schubbert
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jing Jiao
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Marcus Ruscetti
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Jonathan Nakashima
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Shumin Wu
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Hong Lei
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, 5 Yheyuan Road, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Qinzhi Xu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, 5 Yheyuan Road, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Wenkai Yi
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, 5 Yheyuan Road, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Haichuan Zhu
- The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, 5 Yheyuan Road, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Hong Wu
- Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology, University of California at Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA. .,The MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Proliferation and Differentiation, School of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, 5 Yheyuan Road, Beijing, 100871, China.
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Abstract
MYC is a major driver of cancer cell growth and mediates a transcriptional program spanning cell growth, the cell cycle, metabolism, and cell survival. Many efforts have been made to deliberately target MYC for cancer therapy. A variety of compounds have been generated to inhibit MYC function or stability, either directly or indirectly. The most direct inhibitors target the interaction between MYC and MAX, which is required for DNA binding. Unfortunately, these compounds do not have the desired pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics for in vivo application. Recent studies report the indirect inhibition of MYC through the development of two compounds, JQ1 and THZ1, which target factors involved in unique stages of transcription. These compounds appear to have significant therapeutic value for cancers with high levels of MYC, although some effects are MYC-independent. These approaches serve as a foundation for developing novel compounds to pharmacologically target MYC-driven cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valeriya Posternak
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
| | - Michael D Cole
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Lebanon, NH, USA; Department of Genetics, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Norris Cotton Cancer Center, Lebanon, NH, USA
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39
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Oncogenic PTEN functions and models in T-cell malignancies. Oncogene 2015; 35:3887-96. [PMID: 26616857 DOI: 10.1038/onc.2015.462] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2015] [Revised: 10/07/2015] [Accepted: 10/13/2015] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
PTEN is a protein phosphatase that is crucial to prevent the malignant transformation of T-cells. Although a numerous mechanisms regulate its expression and function, they are often altered in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemias and T-cell lymphomas. As such, PTEN inactivation frequently occurs in these malignancies, where it can be associated with chemotherapy resistance and poor prognosis. Different Pten knockout models recapitulated the development of T-cell leukaemia/lymphoma, demonstrating that PTEN loss is at the center of a complex oncogenic network that sustains and drives tumorigenesis via the activation of multiple signalling pathways. These aspects and their therapeutic implications are discussed in this review.
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40
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Daver N, Boumber Y, Kantarjian H, Ravandi F, Cortes J, Rytting ME, Kawedia JD, Basnett J, Culotta KS, Zeng Z, Lu H, Richie MA, Garris R, Xiao L, Liu W, Baggerly KA, Jabbour E, O'Brien S, Burger J, Bendall LJ, Thomas D, Konopleva M. A Phase I/II Study of the mTOR Inhibitor Everolimus in Combination with HyperCVAD Chemotherapy in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Clin Cancer Res 2015; 21:2704-14. [PMID: 25724525 DOI: 10.1158/1078-0432.ccr-14-2888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2014] [Accepted: 02/17/2015] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Previous studies suggest a potential therapeutic role for mTOR inhibition in lymphoid malignancies. This single-center phase I/II study was designed to test the safety and efficacy of the mTOR inhibitor everolimus in combination with HyperCVAD chemotherapy in relapsed/refractory acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN Twenty-four patients were treated; 15 received everolimus 5 mg/day and 9 received 10 mg/day with HyperCVAD. RESULTS The median age of patients was 25 years (range, 11-64) and median number of prior treatments was 2 (range, 1-7). Grade 3 mucositis was the dose-limiting toxicity and the maximum tolerated everolimus dose was 5 mg/day. Responses included complete remission (CR) in 6 patients (25%), CR without platelet recovery (CRp) in 1 (4%), and CR without recovery of counts (CRi) in 1 (4%), for an overall response rate of 33%. In addition, partial response (PR) was noted in 2 patients (8%). Seven of 11 patients treated in first salvage achieved CR/CRp (64%). The median OS was 29 weeks for patients in first salvage versus 15 weeks for patients in second salvage and beyond (P ≤ 0.001). A response was noted in 5 of 10 (50%) heavily pretreated T-ALL patients (median of 4 prior salvage regimens). Everolimus significantly inhibited phosphorylation of S6RP, but this did not correlate with response. No significant decreases in p4EBP1 and pAkt levels were noted. Responders had higher everolimus dose-adjusted area under the curve (P = 0.025) and lower clearance (P = 0.025) than nonresponders. CONCLUSIONS The combination of HyperCVAD and everolimus is well tolerated and moderately effective in relapsed ALL, specifically T-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naval Daver
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Yanis Boumber
- Hematology/Oncology Fellowship Program, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Hagop Kantarjian
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Farhad Ravandi
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jorge Cortes
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Michael E Rytting
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jitesh D Kawedia
- Department of Pharmacy Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jordan Basnett
- Center for Cancer Research, Westmead Millennium Institute, University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kirk S Culotta
- Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Zhihong Zeng
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Hongbo Lu
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Mary Ann Richie
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Rebecca Garris
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Lianchun Xiao
- Department of Biostatistics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Wenbin Liu
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Keith A Baggerly
- Department of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Elias Jabbour
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Susan O'Brien
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Jan Burger
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
| | - Linda J Bendall
- Center for Cancer Research, Westmead Millennium Institute, University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Deborah Thomas
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
| | - Marina Konopleva
- Department of Leukemia, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas.
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