Plasma Factors for the Differentiation of Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Diffused Large B Cell Lymphoma and for Monitoring Remission

Transcriptome Analysis of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Cells Inducibly Expressing MyD88 L265P Mutation Identifies Upregulated CD44, LGALS3, NFKBIZ, and BATF as Downstream Targets of Oncogenic NF-κB Signaling

During innate immune responses, myeloid differentiation primary response 88 (MyD88) functions as a critical signaling adaptor protein integrating stimuli from toll-like receptors (TLR) and the interleukin-1 receptor (IL-1R) family and translates them into specific cellular outcomes. In B cells, somatic mutations in MyD88 trigger oncogenic NF-κB signaling independent of receptor stimulation, which leads to the development of B-cell malignancies. However, the exact molecular mechanisms and downstream signaling targets remain unresolved. We established an inducible system to introduce MyD88 to lymphoma cell lines and performed transcriptomic analysis (RNA-seq) to identify genes differentially expressed by MyD88 bearing the L265P oncogenic mutation. We show that MyD88L265P activates NF-κB signaling and upregulates genes that might contribute to lymphomagenesis, including CD44, LGALS3 (coding Galectin-3), NFKBIZ (coding IkBƺ), and BATF. Moreover, we demonstrate that CD44 can serve as a marker of the activated B-cell (ABC) subtype of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and that CD44 expression is correlated with overall survival in DLBCL patients. Our results shed new light on the downstream outcomes of MyD88L265P oncogenic signaling that might be involved in cellular transformation and provide novel therapeutical targets.

Elevation of circulating TNF receptor 2 in cancer: A systematic meta-analysis for its potential as a diagnostic cancer biomarker

High Tumor Necrosis Factor Receptor 2 (TNFR2) expression is characteristic of diverse malignant cells during tumorigenesis. The protein is also expressed by many immunosuppressive cells during cancer development, allowing cancer immune escape. A growing body of evidence further suggests a correlation between the circulating form of this protein and cancer development. Here we conducted a systematic meta-analysis of cancer studies published up until 1st October 2022, in which the circulating soluble TNFR2 (sTNFR2) concentrations in patients with cancers were recorded and their association with cancer risk was assessed. Of the 14,615 identified articles, 44 studies provided data on the correlation between cancer risk and the level of circulating sTNFR2. The pooled means comparison showed a consistently significant increase in the levels of sTNFR2 in diverse cancers when compared to healthy controls. These included colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, breast cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Hodgkin's lymphoma, lung cancer, hepatocarcinoma, and glioblastoma. In a random-effect meta-analysis, the cancer-specific odd ratios (OR) showed significant correlations between increased circulating sTNFR2 levels and the risk of colorectal cancer, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and hepatocarcinoma at 1.59 (95% CI:1.20-2.11), 1.98 (95% CI:1.49-2.64) and 4.32 (95% CI:2.25-8.31) respectively. The overall result showed an association between circulating levels of sTNFR2 and the risk of developing cancer at 1.76 (95% CI:1.53-2.02). This meta-analysis supports sTNFR2 as a potential diagnostic biomarker for cancer, albeit with different predictive strengths for different cancer types. This is consistent with a potential key role for TNFR2 involvement in cancer development.

Interleukin-31 as a Clinical Target for Pruritus Treatment

In recent years, the published literature has suggested the key involvement of the cytokine interleukin-31 (IL-31) in the symptomatology of pruritus, and both IL-31 and its receptor have become potential therapeutic targets for a range of pruritic diseases. Elevated levels of IL-31 or its receptor have been reported in the tissue or serum of patients with pruritic skin diseases, such as atopic dermatitis, prurigo nodularis, and psoriasis. Pruritus places a heavy burden on patients, and can have a negative impact on daily life, sleep, and mental health. Since current anti-pruritic treatments are often ineffective, affected patients are in urgent need of new therapies. As a result, drug development targeting the IL-31 pathway is evolving rapidly. To date, only nemolizumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody targeting the IL-31 receptor, has successfully completed late-stage clinical studies. This article will highlight our current clinical understanding of the role of IL-31 in pruritic disease, and explore recent progress in drug development as well as the anticipated future advances in this field.

The role of trogocytosis in immune surveillance of Hodgkin lymphoma

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a unique type of hematopoietic cancer that has few tumor cells but a massive infiltration of immune cells. Findings on how the cancerous Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (HRS) cells survive and evade immune surveillance have facilitated the development of novel immunotherapies for HL. Trogocytosis is a fast process of intercellular transfer of membrane patches, which can significantly affect immune responses. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge of how trogocytosis contributes to the suppression of immune responses in HL. We focus on the ectopic expression of CD137 on HRS cells, the cause of its expression, and its implication on developing novel therapies for HL. Further, we review data demonstrating that similar mechanisms apply to CD30, PD-L1 and CTLA-4.