1
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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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2
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Boldrin E, Gaffo E, Niedermayer A, Boer JM, Zimmermann M, Weichenhan D, Claus R, Münch V, Sun Q, Enzenmüller S, Seyfried F, Demir S, Zinngrebe J, Cario G, Schrappe M, Den Boer ML, Plass C, Debatin KM, Te Kronnie G, Bortoluzzi S, Meyer LH. MicroRNA-497/195 is tumor suppressive and cooperates with CDKN2A/B in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Blood 2021; 138:1953-1965. [PMID: 34098582 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2020007591] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We previously identified an association of rapid engraftment of patient-derived leukemia cells transplanted into NOD/SCID mice with early relapse in B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL). In a search for the cellular and molecular profiles associated with this phenotype, we investigated the expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) in different engraftment phenotypes and patient outcomes. We found high expression of miR-497 and miR-195 (hereafter miR-497/195) in patient-derived xenograft samples with slow engraftment derived from patients with favorable outcome. In contrast, epigenetic repression and low expression of these miRNAs was observed in rapidly engrafting samples associated with early relapse. Overexpression of miR-497/195 in patient-derived leukemia cells suppressed in vivo growth of leukemia and prolonged recipient survival. Conversely, inhibition of miR-497/195 led to increased leukemia cell growth. Key cell cycle regulators were downregulated upon miR-497/195 overexpression, and we identified cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4)- and cyclin-D3 (CCND3)-mediated control of G1/S transition as a principal mechanism for the suppression of BCP-ALL progression by miR-497/195. The critical role for miR-497/195-mediated cell cycle regulation was underscored by finding (in an additional independent series of patient samples) that high expression of miR-497/195 together with a full sequence for CDKN2A and CDKN2B (CDKN2A/B) was associated with excellent outcome, whereas deletion of CDKN2A/B together with low expression of miR-497/195 was associated with clearly inferior relapse-free survival. These findings point to the cooperative loss of cell cycle regulators as a new prognostic factor indicating possible therapeutic targets for pediatric BCP-ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elena Boldrin
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Enrico Gaffo
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Padua University, Padua, Italy
| | - Alexandra Niedermayer
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Judith M Boer
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Martin Zimmermann
- Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Medical School Hannover, Hannover, Germany
| | - Dieter Weichenhan
- Division of Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rainer Claus
- Division of Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Hematology/Oncology, Augsburg University Medical Center, Augsburg, Germany
| | - Vera Münch
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Qian Sun
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Stefanie Enzenmüller
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Felix Seyfried
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Salih Demir
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Julia Zinngrebe
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Gunnar Cario
- Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Schleswig Holstein, Campus Kiel, Germany
| | - Martin Schrappe
- Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Hospital Schleswig Holstein, Campus Kiel, Germany
| | - Monique L Den Boer
- Princess Máxima Center for Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Oncode Institute, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Christoph Plass
- Division of Cancer Epigenomics, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Klaus-Michael Debatin
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Geertruij Te Kronnie
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Padua University, Padua, Italy; and
| | - Stefania Bortoluzzi
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Padua University, Padua, Italy
- Interdepartmental Research Center for Innovative Biotechnologies, Padua University, Padua, Italy
| | - Lüder Hinrich Meyer
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
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3
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Abstract
Cell cycle involves a series of changes that lead to cell growth and division. Cell cycle analysis is crucial to understand cellular responses to changing environmental conditions. Since its inception, flow cytometry has been particularly useful for cell cycle analysis at single cell level due to its speed and precision. Previously, flow cytometric cell cycle analysis relied solely on the measurement of cellular DNA content. Later, methods were developed for multiparametric analysis. This review explains the journey of flow cytometry to understand different molecular and cellular events underlying cell cycle using various protocols. Recent advances in the field that overcome the shortcomings of traditional flow cytometry and expand its scope for cell cycle studies are also discussed.
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4
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Rolf N, Liu LYT, Tsang A, Lange PF, Lim CJ, Maxwell CA, Vercauteren SM, Reid GSD. A cross-standardized flow cytometry platform to assess phenotypic stability in precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) xenografts. Cytometry A 2021; 101:57-71. [PMID: 34128309 PMCID: PMC9292200 DOI: 10.1002/cyto.a.24473] [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: 03/02/2021] [Revised: 05/07/2021] [Accepted: 06/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
With the continued poor outcome of relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), new patient‐specific approaches for disease progression monitoring and therapeutic intervention are urgently needed. Patient‐derived xenografts (PDX) of primary ALL in immune‐deficient mice have become a powerful tool for studying leukemia biology and therapy response. In PDX mice, the immunophenotype of the patient's leukemia is commonly believed to be stably propagated. In patients, however, the surface marker expression profile of the leukemic population often displays poorly understood immunophenotypic shifts during chemotherapy and ALL progression. We therefore developed a translational flow cytometry platform to study whether the patient‐specific immunophenotype is faithfully recapitulated in PDX mice. To enable valid assessment of immunophenotypic stability and subpopulation complexity of the patient's leukemia after xenotransplantation, we comprehensively immunophenotyped diagnostic B‐ALL from children and their matched PDX using identical, clinically standardized flow protocols and instrument settings. This cross‐standardized approach ensured longitudinal stability and cross‐platform comparability of marker expression intensity at high phenotyping depth. This analysis revealed readily detectable changes to the patient leukemia‐associated immunophenotype (LAIP) after xenotransplantation. To further investigate the mechanism underlying these complex immunophenotypic shifts, we applied an integrated analytical approach that combined clinical phenotyping depth and high analytical sensitivity with unbiased high‐dimensional algorithm‐based analysis. This high‐resolution analysis revealed that xenotransplantation achieves patient‐specific propagation of phenotypically stable B‐ALL subpopulations and that the immunophenotypic shifts observed at the level of bulk leukemia were consistent with changes in underlying subpopulation abundance. By incorporating the immunophenotypic complexity of leukemic populations, this novel cross‐standardized analytical platform could greatly expand the utility of PDX for investigating ALL progression biology and assessing therapies directed at eliminating relapse‐driving leukemic subpopulations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina Rolf
- Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Research Program, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Lorraine Y T Liu
- Clinical Immunology Lab, Division of Hematopathology, BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Angela Tsang
- Clinical Immunology Lab, Division of Hematopathology, BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Philipp F Lange
- Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Research Program, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Chinten James Lim
- Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Research Program, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Christopher A Maxwell
- Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Research Program, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Suzanne M Vercauteren
- Clinical Immunology Lab, Division of Hematopathology, BC Children's Hospital, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Gregor S D Reid
- Michael Cuccione Childhood Cancer Research Program, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.,Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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5
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Seyfried F, Demir S, Hörl RL, Stirnweiß FU, Ryan J, Scheffold A, Villalobos-Ortiz M, Boldrin E, Zinngrebe J, Enzenmüller S, Jenni S, Tsai YC, Bornhauser B, Fürstberger A, Kraus JM, Kestler HA, Bourquin JP, Stilgenbauer S, Letai A, Debatin KM, Meyer LH. Prediction of venetoclax activity in precursor B-ALL by functional assessment of apoptosis signaling. Cell Death Dis 2019; 10:571. [PMID: 31358732 PMCID: PMC6662703 DOI: 10.1038/s41419-019-1801-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2019] [Revised: 06/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/02/2019] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Abstract
Deregulated cell death pathways contribute to leukemogenesis and treatment failure in B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL). Intrinsic apoptosis signaling is regulated by different proapoptotic and antiapoptotic molecules: proapoptotic BCL-2 homology domain 3 (BH3) proteins activate prodeath molecules leading to cellular death, while antiapoptotic molecules including B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) prevent activation of prodeath proteins and counter-regulate apoptosis induction. Inhibition of these antiapoptotic regulators has become a promising strategy for anticancer treatment, but variable anticancer activities in different malignancies indicate the need for upfront identification of responsive patients. Here, we investigated the activity of the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax (VEN, ABT-199) in B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia and found heterogeneous sensitivities in BCP-ALL cell lines and in a series of patient-derived primografts. To identify parameters of sensitivity and resistance, we evaluated genetic aberrations, gene-expression profiles, expression levels of apoptosis regulators, and functional apoptosis parameters analyzed by mitochondrial profiling using recombinant BH3-like peptides. Importantly, ex vivo VEN sensitivity was most accurately associated with functional BCL-2 dependence detected by BH3 profiling. Modeling clinical application of VEN in a preclinical trial in a set of individual ALL primografts, we identified that leukemia-free survival of VEN treated mice was precisely determined by functional BCL-2 dependence. Moreover, the predictive value of ex vivo measured functional BCL-2 dependence for preclinical in vivo VEN response was confirmed in an independent set of primograft ALL including T- and high risk-ALL. Thus, integrative analysis of the apoptosis signaling indicating mitochondrial addiction to BCL-2 accurately predicts antileukemia activity of VEN, robustly identifies VEN-responsive patients, and provides information for stratification and clinical guidance in future clinical applications of VEN in patients with ALL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix Seyfried
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Salih Demir
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany.,International Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Rebecca Louise Hörl
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Felix Uli Stirnweiß
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany.,International Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Jeremy Ryan
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Annika Scheffold
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | | | - Elena Boldrin
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany.,International Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Julia Zinngrebe
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Stefanie Enzenmüller
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Silvia Jenni
- Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Yi-Chien Tsai
- Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Beat Bornhauser
- Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Axel Fürstberger
- Institute of Medical Systems Biology, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | | | | | - Jean-Pierre Bourquin
- Department of Oncology and Children's Research Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stephan Stilgenbauer
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Anthony Letai
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Klaus-Michael Debatin
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany
| | - Lüder Hinrich Meyer
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Ulm University Medical Center, Ulm, Germany.
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