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Meriranta L, Sorri S, Huse K, Liu X, Spasevska I, Zafar S, Chowdhury I, Dufva O, Sahlberg E, Tandaric L, Karjalainen-Lindsberg ML, Hyytiainen M, Varjosalo M, Myklebust JH, Leppa S. Disruption of KLHL6 Fuels Oncogenic Antigen Receptor Signaling in B-cell Lymphoma. Blood Cancer Discov 2024:743075. [PMID: 38630892 DOI: 10.1158/2643-3230.bcd-23-0182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Revised: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Pathomechanisms that activate oncogenic B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), are largely unknown. Kelch-like family member 6 (KLHL6) encoding a substrate-adapter for Cullin-3-RING E3 ubiquitin-ligase (CRL) with poorly established targets is recurrently mutated in DLBCL. By applying high-throughput protein interactome screens and functional characterization, we discovered that KLHL6 regulates BCR by targeting its signaling subunits CD79A and CD79B. Loss of physiological KLHL6 expression pattern was frequent among the MCD/C5-like activated B-cell DLBCLs and was associated with higher CD79B levels and dismal outcome. Mutations in the BTB domain of KLHL6 disrupted its localization and heterodimerization, and increased surface BCR levels and signaling, whereas Kelch domain mutants had the opposite effect. Malfunctions of KLHL6 mutants extended beyond proximal BCR signaling with distinct phenotypes from KLHL6 silencing. Collectively, our findings uncover how recurrent mutations in KLHL6 alter BCR signaling and induce actionable phenotypic characteristics in DLBCL.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Olli Dufva
- Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
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2
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Adnan Awad S, Dufva O, Klievink J, Karjalainen E, Ianevski A, Pietarinen P, Kim D, Potdar S, Wolf M, Lotfi K, Aittokallio T, Wennerberg K, Porkka K, Mustjoki S. Integrated drug profiling and CRISPR screening identify BCR::ABL1-independent vulnerabilities in chronic myeloid leukemia. Cell Rep Med 2024:101521. [PMID: 38653245 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/25/2024]
Abstract
BCR::ABL1-independent pathways contribute to primary resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and play a role in leukemic stem cell persistence. Here, we perform ex vivo drug screening of CML CD34+ leukemic stem/progenitor cells using 100 single drugs and TKI-drug combinations and identify sensitivities to Wee1, MDM2, and BCL2 inhibitors. These agents effectively inhibit primitive CD34+CD38- CML cells and demonstrate potent synergies when combined with TKIs. Flow-cytometry-based drug screening identifies mepacrine to induce differentiation of CD34+CD38- cells. We employ genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screening for six drugs, and mediator complex, apoptosis, and erythroid-lineage-related genes are identified as key resistance hits for TKIs, whereas the Wee1 inhibitor AZD1775 and mepacrine exhibit distinct resistance profiles. KCTD5, a consistent TKI-resistance-conferring gene, is found to mediate TKI-induced BCR::ABL1 ubiquitination. In summary, we delineate potential mechanisms for primary TKI resistance and non-BCR::ABL1-targeting drugs, offering insights for optimizing CML treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shady Adnan Awad
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; Foundation for the Finnish Cancer Institute, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Clinical Pathology Department, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, 11796 Cairo, Egypt.
| | - Olli Dufva
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jay Klievink
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ella Karjalainen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute for Life Science, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Aleksandr Ianevski
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute for Life Science, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Paavo Pietarinen
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Daehong Kim
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Swapnil Potdar
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute for Life Science, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Maija Wolf
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute for Life Science, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kourosh Lotfi
- Department of Medical and Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, Linköping University, 58183 Linköping, Sweden
| | - Tero Aittokallio
- Foundation for the Finnish Cancer Institute, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute for Life Science, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, 0424 Oslo, Norway; Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Oslo, 0317 Oslo, Norway
| | - Krister Wennerberg
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute for Life Science, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; Biotech Research & Innovation Centre and Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology (DanStem), University of Copenhagen, 2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Kimmo Porkka
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Satu Mustjoki
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.
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3
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Dai J, Zheng S, Falco MM, Bao J, Eriksson J, Pikkusaari S, Forstén S, Jiang J, Wang W, Gao L, Perez-Villatoro F, Dufva O, Saeed K, Wang Y, Amiryousefi A, Färkkilä A, Mustjoki S, Kauppi L, Tang J, Vähärautio A. Tracing back primed resistance in cancer via sister cells. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1158. [PMID: 38326354 PMCID: PMC10850087 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45478-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Exploring non-genetic evolution of cell states during cancer treatments has become attainable by recent advances in lineage-tracing methods. However, transcriptional changes that drive cells into resistant fates may be subtle, necessitating high resolution analysis. Here, we present ReSisTrace that uses shared transcriptomic features of sister cells to predict the states priming treatment resistance. Applying ReSisTrace in ovarian cancer cells perturbed with olaparib, carboplatin or natural killer (NK) cells reveals pre-resistant phenotypes defined by proteostatic and mRNA surveillance features, reflecting traits enriched in the upcoming subclonal selection. Furthermore, we show that DNA repair deficiency renders cells susceptible to both DNA damaging agents and NK killing in a context-dependent manner. Finally, we leverage the obtained pre-resistance profiles to predict and validate small molecules driving cells to sensitive states prior to treatment. In summary, ReSisTrace resolves pre-existing transcriptional features of treatment vulnerability, facilitating both molecular patient stratification and discovery of synergistic pre-sensitizing therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Dai
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Shuyu Zheng
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matías M Falco
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jie Bao
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Johanna Eriksson
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sanna Pikkusaari
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sofia Forstén
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jing Jiang
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Wenyu Wang
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Luping Gao
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Fernando Perez-Villatoro
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olli Dufva
- Research Program in Translational Immunology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Khalid Saeed
- Research Program in Translational Immunology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Yinyin Wang
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ali Amiryousefi
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anniina Färkkilä
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine, Helsinki, Finland
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and Clinical Trial Unit, Comprehensive Cancer Centre, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Satu Mustjoki
- Research Program in Translational Immunology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Liisa Kauppi
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jing Tang
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Anna Vähärautio
- Research Program in Systems Oncology, Research Programs Unit, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
- Foundation for the Finnish Cancer Institute, Helsinki, Finland.
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4
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Huuhtanen J, Adnan-Awad S, Theodoropoulos J, Forstén S, Warfvinge R, Dufva O, Bouhlal J, Dhapola P, Duàn H, Laajala E, Kasanen T, Klievink J, Ilander M, Jaatinen T, Olsson-Strömberg U, Hjorth-Hansen H, Burchert A, Karlsson G, Kreutzman A, Lähdesmäki H, Mustjoki S. Single-cell analysis of immune recognition in chronic myeloid leukemia patients following tyrosine kinase inhibitor discontinuation. Leukemia 2024; 38:109-125. [PMID: 37919606 PMCID: PMC10776410 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-023-02074-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 09/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/17/2023] [Indexed: 11/04/2023]
Abstract
Immunological control of residual leukemia cells is thought to occur in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) that maintain treatment-free remission (TFR) following tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) discontinuation. To study this, we analyzed 55 single-cell RNA and T cell receptor (TCR) sequenced samples (scRNA+TCRαβ-seq) from patients with CML (n = 13, N = 25), other cancers (n = 28), and healthy (n = 7). The high number and active phenotype of natural killer (NK) cells in CML separated them from healthy and other cancers. Most NK cells in CML belonged to the active CD56dim cluster with high expression of GZMA/B, PRF1, CCL3/4, and IFNG, with interactions with leukemic cells via inhibitory LGALS9-TIM3 and PVR-TIGIT interactions. Accordingly, upregulation of LGALS9 was observed in CML target cells and TIM3 in NK cells when co-cultured together. Additionally, we created a classifier to identify TCRs targeting leukemia-associated antigen PR1 and quantified anti-PR1 T cells in 90 CML and 786 healthy TCRβ-sequenced samples. Anti-PR1 T cells were more prevalent in CML, enriched in bone marrow samples, and enriched in the mature, cytotoxic CD8 + TEMRA cluster, especially in a patient maintaining TFR. Our results highlight the role of NK cells and anti-PR1 T cells in anti-leukemic immune responses in CML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jani Huuhtanen
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.
- Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Shady Adnan-Awad
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
- Foundation for the Finnish Cancer Institute, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jason Theodoropoulos
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sofia Forstén
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Rebecca Warfvinge
- Division of Molecular Hematology, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Olli Dufva
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jonas Bouhlal
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Parashar Dhapola
- Division of Molecular Hematology, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Hanna Duàn
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Essi Laajala
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tiina Kasanen
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jay Klievink
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mette Ilander
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Taina Jaatinen
- Histocompatibility Testing Laboratory, Finnish Red Cross Blood Service, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ulla Olsson-Strömberg
- Department of Medical Sciences, Uppsala University and Hematology Section, Uppsala University Hospital, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Henrik Hjorth-Hansen
- Department of Hematology, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Cancer Research and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
| | - Andreas Burchert
- Department of Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Philipps University Marburg, and University Medical Center Giessen and Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Göran Karlsson
- Division of Molecular Hematology, Lund Stem Cell Center, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Anna Kreutzman
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Harri Lähdesmäki
- Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | - Satu Mustjoki
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland.
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5
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Dufva O, Gandolfi S, Huuhtanen J, Dashevsky O, Duàn H, Saeed K, Klievink J, Nygren P, Bouhlal J, Lahtela J, Näätänen A, Ghimire BR, Hannunen T, Ellonen P, Lähteenmäki H, Rumm P, Theodoropoulos J, Laajala E, Härkönen J, Pölönen P, Heinäniemi M, Hollmén M, Yamano S, Shirasaki R, Barbie DA, Roth JA, Romee R, Sheffer M, Lähdesmäki H, Lee DA, De Matos Simoes R, Kankainen M, Mitsiades CS, Mustjoki S. Single-cell functional genomics reveals determinants of sensitivity and resistance to natural killer cells in blood cancers. Immunity 2023; 56:2816-2835.e13. [PMID: 38091953 DOI: 10.1016/j.immuni.2023.11.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 12/18/2023]
Abstract
Cancer cells can evade natural killer (NK) cell activity, thereby limiting anti-tumor immunity. To reveal genetic determinants of susceptibility to NK cell activity, we examined interacting NK cells and blood cancer cells using single-cell and genome-scale functional genomics screens. Interaction of NK and cancer cells induced distinct activation and type I interferon (IFN) states in both cell types depending on the cancer cell lineage and molecular phenotype, ranging from more sensitive myeloid to less sensitive B-lymphoid cancers. CRISPR screens in cancer cells uncovered genes regulating sensitivity and resistance to NK cell-mediated killing, including adhesion-related glycoproteins, protein fucosylation genes, and transcriptional regulators, in addition to confirming the importance of antigen presentation and death receptor signaling pathways. CRISPR screens with a single-cell transcriptomic readout provided insight into underlying mechanisms, including regulation of IFN-γ signaling in cancer cells and NK cell activation states. Our findings highlight the diversity of mechanisms influencing NK cell susceptibility across different cancers and provide a resource for NK cell-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olli Dufva
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sara Gandolfi
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Jani Huuhtanen
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, 02150 Espoo, Finland
| | - Olga Dashevsky
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Ludwig Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Hanna Duàn
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Khalid Saeed
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jay Klievink
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Petra Nygren
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jonas Bouhlal
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jenni Lahtela
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Anna Näätänen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Bishwa R Ghimire
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tiina Hannunen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pekka Ellonen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hanna Lähteenmäki
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pauliina Rumm
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jason Theodoropoulos
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Essi Laajala
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jouni Härkönen
- Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Petri Pölönen
- Department of Pathology, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN 38105, USA
| | - Merja Heinäniemi
- Faculty of Health Sciences, A.I. Virtanen Institute for Molecular Sciences, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Maija Hollmén
- Medicity Research Laboratory, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland
| | - Shizuka Yamano
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Ludwig Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Ryosuke Shirasaki
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Ludwig Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - David A Barbie
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Ludwig Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Jennifer A Roth
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA
| | - Rizwan Romee
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Ludwig Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Michal Sheffer
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Ludwig Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Harri Lähdesmäki
- Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, 02150 Espoo, Finland
| | - Dean A Lee
- Hematology/Oncology/BMT, Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Diseases, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH 43205, USA
| | - Ricardo De Matos Simoes
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Ludwig Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Matti Kankainen
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Laboratory of Genetics, HUS Diagnostic Center, Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusima (HUS), 00290 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Constantine S Mitsiades
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA; Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Ludwig Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
| | - Satu Mustjoki
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, 00290 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, 00014 Helsinki, Finland; iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, 00290 Helsinki, Finland.
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6
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Kuusanmäki H, Kytölä S, Vänttinen I, Ruokoranta T, Ranta A, Huuhtanen J, Suvela M, Parsons A, Holopainen A, Partanen A, Kuusisto MEL, Koskela S, Räty R, Itälä-Remes M, Västrik I, Dufva O, Siitonen S, Porkka K, Wennerberg K, Heckman CA, Ettala P, Pyörälä M, Rimpiläinen J, Siitonen T, Kontro M. Ex vivo venetoclax sensitivity testing predicts treatment response in acute myeloid leukemia. Haematologica 2023; 108:1768-1781. [PMID: 36519325 PMCID: PMC10316276 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2022.281692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
The BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax has revolutionized the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in patients not benefiting from intensive chemotherapy. Nevertheless, treatment failure remains a challenge, and predictive markers are needed, particularly for relapsed or refractory AML. Ex vivo drug sensitivity testing may correlate with outcomes, but its prospective predictive value remains unexplored. Here we report the results of the first stage of the prospective phase II VenEx trial evaluating the utility and predictiveness of venetoclax sensitivity testing using different cell culture conditions and cell viability assays in patients receiving venetoclax-azacitidine. Participants with de novo AML ineligible for intensive chemotherapy, relapsed or refractory AML, or secondary AML were included. The primary endpoint was the treatment response in participants showing ex vivo sensitivity and the key secondary endpoints were the correlation of sensitivity with responses and survival. Venetoclax sensitivity testing was successful in 38/39 participants. Experimental conditions significantly influenced the predictive accuracy. Blast-specific venetoclax sensitivity measured in conditioned medium most accurately correlated with treatment outcomes; 88% of sensitive participants achieved a treatment response. The median survival was significantly longer for participants who were ex vivo-sensitive to venetoclax (14.6 months for venetoclax-sensitive patients vs. 3.5 for venetoclax-insensitive patients, P<0.001). This analysis illustrates the feasibility of integrating drug-response profiling into clinical practice and demonstrates excellent predictivity. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04267081.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heikki Kuusanmäki
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC), University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark; Foundation for the Finnish Cancer Institute, Helsinki
| | - Sari Kytölä
- Department of Hematology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki
| | - Ida Vänttinen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki
| | - Tanja Ruokoranta
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki
| | - Amanda Ranta
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki
| | - Jani Huuhtanen
- Hematology Research Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki
| | - Minna Suvela
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki
| | - Alun Parsons
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki
| | | | - Anu Partanen
- Department of Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio
| | - Milla E L Kuusisto
- Department of Medicine, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland; Department of Hematology, University of Oulu, Oulu
| | - Sirpa Koskela
- Department of Internal Medicine, Tampere University Hospital, Tampere
| | - Riikka Räty
- Department of Hematology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki
| | | | - Imre Västrik
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki
| | - Olli Dufva
- Hematology Research Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki
| | - Sanna Siitonen
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital
| | - Kimmo Porkka
- Department of Hematology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland; Hematology Research Unit, University of Helsinki, Helsinki
| | - Krister Wennerberg
- Biotech Research and Innovation Centre (BRIC), University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen
| | - Caroline A Heckman
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki
| | - Pia Ettala
- Department of Clinical Hematology, Turku University Hospital, Turku
| | - Marja Pyörälä
- Department of Medicine, Kuopio University Hospital, Kuopio
| | | | - Timo Siitonen
- Department of Medicine, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu
| | - Mika Kontro
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), HiLIFE, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Foundation for the Finnish Cancer Institute, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Hematology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki.
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7
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Kuusanmäki H, Dufva O, Vähä-Koskela M, Leppä AM, Huuhtanen J, Vänttinen I, Nygren P, Klievink J, Bouhlal J, Pölönen P, Zhang Q, Adnan-Awad S, Mancebo-Pérez C, Saad J, Miettinen J, Javarappa KK, Aakko S, Ruokoranta T, Eldfors S, Heinäniemi M, Theilgaard-Mönch K, Wartiovaara-Kautto U, Keränen M, Porkka K, Konopleva M, Wennerberg K, Kontro M, Heckman CA, Mustjoki S. Erythroid/megakaryocytic differentiation confers BCL-XL dependency and venetoclax resistance in acute myeloid leukemia. Blood 2023; 141:1610-1625. [PMID: 36508699 PMCID: PMC10651789 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2021011094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Myeloid neoplasms with erythroid or megakaryocytic differentiation include pure erythroid leukemia, myelodysplastic syndrome with erythroid features, and acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (FAB M7) and are characterized by poor prognosis and limited treatment options. Here, we investigate the drug sensitivity landscape of these rare malignancies. We show that acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells with erythroid or megakaryocytic differentiation depend on the antiapoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma (BCL)-XL, rather than BCL-2, using combined ex vivo drug sensitivity testing, genetic perturbation, and transcriptomic profiling. High-throughput screening of >500 compounds identified the BCL-XL-selective inhibitor A-1331852 and navitoclax as highly effective against erythroid/megakaryoblastic leukemia cell lines. In contrast, these AML subtypes were resistant to the BCL-2 inhibitor venetoclax, which is used clinically in the treatment of AML. Consistently, genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 and RNAi screening data demonstrated the striking essentiality of BCL-XL-encoding BCL2L1 but not BCL2 or MCL1, for the survival of erythroid/megakaryoblastic leukemia cell lines. Single-cell and bulk transcriptomics of patient samples with erythroid and megakaryoblastic leukemias identified high BCL2L1 expression compared with other subtypes of AML and other hematological malignancies, where BCL2 and MCL1 were more prominent. BCL-XL inhibition effectively killed blasts in samples from patients with AML with erythroid or megakaryocytic differentiation ex vivo and reduced tumor burden in a mouse erythroleukemia xenograft model. Combining the BCL-XL inhibitor with the JAK inhibitor ruxolitinib showed synergistic and durable responses in cell lines. Our results suggest targeting BCL-XL as a potential therapy option in erythroid/megakaryoblastic leukemias and highlight an AML subgroup with potentially reduced sensitivity to venetoclax-based treatments.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Mice
- Humans
- Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2/genetics
- Myeloid Cell Leukemia Sequence 1 Protein/genetics
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/drug therapy
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/metabolism
- Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic/pharmacology
- Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic/therapeutic use
- bcl-X Protein/genetics
- Leukemia, Megakaryoblastic, Acute/drug therapy
- Leukemia, Megakaryoblastic, Acute/genetics
- Lymphoma, B-Cell
- Cell Differentiation
- Apoptosis
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Affiliation(s)
- Heikki Kuusanmäki
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Biotech Research & Innovation Centre and Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology (DanStem), University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Foundation for the Finnish Cancer Institute, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olli Dufva
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Markus Vähä-Koskela
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Aino-Maija Leppä
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Division of Stem Cells and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center and DKFZ-ZMBH Alliance, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Jani Huuhtanen
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | - Ida Vänttinen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Petra Nygren
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jay Klievink
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jonas Bouhlal
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Petri Pölönen
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Qi Zhang
- Department of Leukemia, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Shady Adnan-Awad
- Foundation for the Finnish Cancer Institute, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Cristina Mancebo-Pérez
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Joseph Saad
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juho Miettinen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Komal K. Javarappa
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sofia Aakko
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tanja Ruokoranta
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Samuli Eldfors
- Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA
| | - Merja Heinäniemi
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Kim Theilgaard-Mönch
- Biotech Research & Innovation Centre and Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology (DanStem), University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Hematology and Finsen Laboratory, Rigshospitalet, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ulla Wartiovaara-Kautto
- Department of Hematology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mikko Keränen
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Hematology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kimmo Porkka
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Hematology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marina Konopleva
- Department of Leukemia, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
| | - Krister Wennerberg
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Biotech Research & Innovation Centre and Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology (DanStem), University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Mika Kontro
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Foundation for the Finnish Cancer Institute, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Hematology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Caroline A. Heckman
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Satu Mustjoki
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
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8
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Huuhtanen J, Kasanen H, Peltola K, Lönnberg T, Glumoff V, Brück O, Dufva O, Peltonen K, Vikkula J, Jokinen E, Ilander M, Lee MH, Mäkelä S, Nyakas M, Li B, Hernberg M, Bono P, Lähdesmäki H, Kreutzman A, Mustjoki S. Single-cell characterization of anti-LAG-3 and anti-PD-1 combination treatment in patients with melanoma. J Clin Invest 2023; 133:164809. [PMID: 36719749 PMCID: PMC10014104 DOI: 10.1172/jci164809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2022] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
BackgroundRelatlimab plus nivolumab (anti-lymphocyte-activation gene 3 plus anti-programmed death 1 [anti-LAG-3+anti-PD-1]) has been approved by the FDA as a first-line therapy for stage III/IV melanoma, but its detailed effect on the immune system is unknown.MethodsWe evaluated blood samples from 40 immunotherapy-naive or prior immunotherapy-refractory patients with metastatic melanoma treated with anti-LAG-3+anti-PD-1 in a phase I trial using single-cell RNA and T cell receptor sequencing (scRNA+TCRαβ-Seq) combined with other multiomics profiling.ResultsThe highest LAG3 expression was noted in NK cells, Tregs, and CD8+ T cells, and these cell populations underwent the most significant changes during the treatment. Adaptive NK cells were enriched in responders and underwent profound transcriptomic changes during the therapy, resulting in an active phenotype. LAG3+ Tregs expanded, but based on the transcriptome profile, became metabolically silent during the treatment. Last, higher baseline TCR clonality was observed in responding patients, and their expanding CD8+ T cell clones gained a more cytotoxic and NK-like phenotype.ConclusionAnti-LAG-3+anti-PD-1 therapy has profound effects on NK cells and Tregs in addition to CD8+ T cells.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01968109)FundingCancer Foundation Finland, Sigrid Juselius Foundation, Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation, Relander Foundation, State funding for university-level health research in Finland, a Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences Fellow grant, Academy of Finland (grant numbers 314442, 311081, 335432, and 335436), and an investigator-initiated research grant from BMS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jani Huuhtanen
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Henna Kasanen
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Katriina Peltola
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Oncology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tapio Lönnberg
- Turku Bioscience Centre, University of Turku and Åbo Akademi University, Turku, Finland
| | - Virpi Glumoff
- Research Unit of Biomedicine, Medical Microbiology and Immunology, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Oscar Brück
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olli Dufva
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Karita Peltonen
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Johanna Vikkula
- Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | - Emmi Jokinen
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mette Ilander
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Moon Hee Lee
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Siru Mäkelä
- Department of Oncology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marta Nyakas
- Oslo University Hospital-Radiumhospitalet, Oslo, Norway
| | - Bin Li
- Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) Research and Development, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Micaela Hernberg
- Department of Oncology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Petri Bono
- Department of Oncology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Harri Lähdesmäki
- Department of Computer Science, Aalto University, Espoo, Finland
| | - Anna Kreutzman
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Satu Mustjoki
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
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9
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Malani D, Kumar A, Brück O, Kontro M, Yadav B, Hellesøy M, Kuusanmäki H, Dufva O, Kankainen M, Eldfors S, Potdar S, Saarela J, Turunen L, Parsons A, Västrik I, Kivinen K, Saarela J, Räty R, Lehto M, Wolf M, Gjertsen BT, Mustjoki S, Aittokallio T, Wennerberg K, Heckman CA, Kallioniemi O, Porkka K. Implementing a Functional Precision Medicine Tumor Board for Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Cancer Discov 2022; 12:388-401. [PMID: 34789538 PMCID: PMC9762335 DOI: 10.1158/2159-8290.cd-21-0410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2021] [Revised: 10/14/2021] [Accepted: 11/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
We generated ex vivo drug-response and multiomics profiling data for a prospective series of 252 samples from 186 patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A functional precision medicine tumor board (FPMTB) integrated clinical, molecular, and functional data for application in clinical treatment decisions. Actionable drugs were found for 97% of patients with AML, and the recommendations were clinically implemented in 37 relapsed or refractory patients. We report a 59% objective response rate for the individually tailored therapies, including 13 complete responses, as well as bridging five patients with AML to allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Data integration across all cases enabled the identification of drug response biomarkers, such as the association of IL15 overexpression with resistance to FLT3 inhibitors. Integration of molecular profiling and large-scale drug response data across many patients will enable continuous improvement of the FPMTB recommendations, providing a paradigm for individualized implementation of functional precision cancer medicine. SIGNIFICANCE: Oncogenomics data can guide clinical treatment decisions, but often such data are neither actionable nor predictive. Functional ex vivo drug testing contributes significant additional, clinically actionable therapeutic insights for individual patients with AML. Such data can be generated in four days, enabling rapid translation through FPMTB.See related commentary by Letai, p. 290.This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 275.
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Affiliation(s)
- Disha Malani
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ashwini Kumar
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Oscar Brück
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki, and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Hematology, Helsinki, Finland.,Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mika Kontro
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki, and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Hematology, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Bhagwan Yadav
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki, and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Hematology, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Monica Hellesøy
- Department of Medicine, Hematology Section, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.,Center for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Heikki Kuusanmäki
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC) and Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology (DanStem), University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Olli Dufva
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki, and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Hematology, Helsinki, Finland.,Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matti Kankainen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki, and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Hematology, Helsinki, Finland.,Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Samuli Eldfors
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Swapnil Potdar
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jani Saarela
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Laura Turunen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Alun Parsons
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Imre Västrik
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Katja Kivinen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Janna Saarela
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway, NCMM, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Riikka Räty
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki, and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Hematology, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Minna Lehto
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki, and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Hematology, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Maija Wolf
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Bjorn Tore Gjertsen
- Department of Medicine, Hematology Section, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway.,Center for Cancer Biomarkers (CCBIO), Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Satu Mustjoki
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki, and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Hematology, Helsinki, Finland.,Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tero Aittokallio
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Institute for Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, and Oslo Centre for Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Oslo, Norway
| | - Krister Wennerberg
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Biotech Research & Innovation Centre (BRIC) and Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Biology (DanStem), University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Caroline A. Heckman
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olli Kallioniemi
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland.,Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.,Corresponding Authors: Kimmo Porkka, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 372, FIN-00029 HUCH, Helsinki, Finland. Phone: 358-50-427-0192; Fax: 358-9-471-72351; E-mail: ; and Olli Kallioniemi, Molecular Precision Medicine, Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Box 1031, Solna 171 21, Sweden. Phone: 46-70-7753642; E-mail:
| | - Kimmo Porkka
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki, and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Department of Hematology, Helsinki, Finland.,iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland.,Corresponding Authors: Kimmo Porkka, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 372, FIN-00029 HUCH, Helsinki, Finland. Phone: 358-50-427-0192; Fax: 358-9-471-72351; E-mail: ; and Olli Kallioniemi, Molecular Precision Medicine, Department of Oncology and Pathology, Karolinska Institutet, Box 1031, Solna 171 21, Sweden. Phone: 46-70-7753642; E-mail:
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10
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Sheffer M, Lowry E, Beelen N, Borah M, Amara SNA, Mader CC, Roth JA, Tsherniak A, Freeman SS, Dashevsky O, Gandolfi S, Bender S, Bryan JG, Zhu C, Wang L, Tariq I, Kamath GM, Simoes RDM, Dhimolea E, Yu C, Hu Y, Dufva O, Giannakis M, Syrgkanis V, Fraenkel E, Golub T, Romee R, Mustjoki S, Culhane AC, Wieten L, Mitsiades CS. Genome-scale screens identify factors regulating tumor cell responses to natural killer cells. Nat Genet 2021; 53:1196-1206. [PMID: 34253920 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-021-00889-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
To systematically define molecular features in human tumor cells that determine their degree of sensitivity to human allogeneic natural killer (NK) cells, we quantified the NK cell responsiveness of hundreds of molecularly annotated 'DNA-barcoded' solid tumor cell lines in multiplexed format and applied genome-scale CRISPR-based gene-editing screens in several solid tumor cell lines, to functionally interrogate which genes in tumor cells regulate the response to NK cells. In these orthogonal studies, NK cell-sensitive tumor cells tend to exhibit 'mesenchymal-like' transcriptional programs; high transcriptional signature for chromatin remodeling complexes; high levels of B7-H6 (NCR3LG1); and low levels of HLA-E/antigen presentation genes. Importantly, transcriptional signatures of NK cell-sensitive tumor cells correlate with immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) resistance in clinical samples. This study provides a comprehensive map of mechanisms regulating tumor cell responses to NK cells, with implications for future biomarker-driven applications of NK cell immunotherapies.
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MESH Headings
- Allogeneic Cells/physiology
- Animals
- B7 Antigens/genetics
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Chromatin Assembly and Disassembly/physiology
- Cytotoxicity Tests, Immunologic/methods
- Cytotoxicity, Immunologic/genetics
- Cytotoxicity, Immunologic/physiology
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/drug effects
- Drug Resistance, Neoplasm/genetics
- Female
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
- Genome, Human
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/genetics
- Histocompatibility Antigens Class I/immunology
- Humans
- Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors/pharmacology
- Killer Cells, Natural/physiology
- Mice, Inbred NOD
- Xenograft Model Antitumor Assays
- HLA-E Antigens
- Mice
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Sheffer
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Ludwig Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Emily Lowry
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Nicky Beelen
- Department of Transplantation Immunology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, the Netherlands
- School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center+ GROW, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Minasri Borah
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Chris C Mader
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jennifer A Roth
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Aviad Tsherniak
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Samuel S Freeman
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Olga Dashevsky
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Ludwig Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Sara Gandolfi
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Ludwig Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Samantha Bender
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Jordan G Bryan
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Cong Zhu
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Li Wang
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Ifrah Tariq
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Ricardo De Matos Simoes
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Ludwig Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Eugen Dhimolea
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Ludwig Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Channing Yu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Yiguo Hu
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Olli Dufva
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marios Giannakis
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - Ernest Fraenkel
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
- Department of Biological Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Todd Golub
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Rizwan Romee
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Satu Mustjoki
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
- Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Aedin C Culhane
- Department of Data Science, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
- Department of Biostatistics, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Lotte Wieten
- Department of Transplantation Immunology, Maastricht University Medical Center+, Maastricht, the Netherlands
- School for Oncology and Developmental Biology, Maastricht University Medical Center+ GROW, Maastricht, the Netherlands
| | - Constantine S Mitsiades
- Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
- Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
- Broad Institute of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Harvard, Cambridge, MA, USA.
- Ludwig Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
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11
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Sheffer M, Lowry E, Beelen N, Borah M, Amara SNA, Mader CC, Roth J, Tsherniak A, Dashevsky O, Gandolfi S, Bender S, Bryan J, Zhu C, Wang L, Simoes RDM, Yu C, Hu Y, Dufva O, Giannakis M, Golub T, Romee R, Mustjoki S, Culhane AC, Wieten L, Mitsiades CS. Abstract PO041: Landscape of molecular events regulating tumor cell responses to natural killer cells. Cancer Immunol Res 2021. [DOI: 10.1158/2326-6074.tumimm20-po041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Natural killer (NK) cells exhibit potent activity in pre-clinical models of diverse hematologic malignancies and solid tumors and infusion of high numbers of NK cells, either autologous or allogeneic, after their ex vivo expansion and activation, has been feasible and safe in clinical studies. To systematically define molecular features in human tumor cells which determine their degree of sensitivity to human allogeneic NK cells, we quantified the NK cell responsiveness of hundreds of molecularly-annotated “DNA-barcoded” solid tumor cell lines in multiplexed format (PRISM; Profiling Relative Inhibition Simultaneously in Mixtures approach), correlating cytotoxicity scores for each cell line with the CCLE transcriptional data (RNA-seq), to reveal genes that are associated with resistance or sensitivity to NK cells. In addition, we applied genome-scale CRISPR-based gene editing screens in several solid tumor cell lines to interrogate, at a functional level, which genes regulate tumor cell response to NK cells. Based on these orthogonal studies, NK sensitive tumor cells tend to exhibit high levels of the NK cell-activating ligand B7-H6 (NCR3LG1); low levels of the inhibitory ligand HLA-E; microsatellite instability (MSI) status; high transcriptional signature for chromatin remodeling complexes and low antigen presentation machinery genes. Treatment with an HDAC inhibitor reduced the sensitivity of SW620 colon cancer cells, increased antigen presentation machinery, including HLA-E, and reduced B7-H6. Importantly, we observe that transcriptional signatures of NK cell-sensitive tumor cells correlate with immune checkpoint inhibitor resistance in clinical samples. Strikingly, comprehensive analysis of the CCLE transcriptional signatures revealed that cell lines with mesenchymal-like program tend to be more sensitive to NK cells treatment, compared with cell lines of epithelial-like program. Indeed, mesenchymal tumors tend to have lower expression of antigen presentation machinery in both CCLE and TCGA, suggesting a link between these two machieneries. This study provides a comprehensive map of mechanisms regulating tumor cell responses to NK cells, with implications for future biomarker-driven applications of NK cell immunotherapies.
Citation Format: Michal Sheffer, Emily Lowry, Nicky Beelen, Minasri Borah, Suha Naffar-Abu Amara, Chris C. Mader, Jennifer Roth, Aviad Tsherniak, Olga Dashevsky, Sara Gandolfi, Samantha Bender, Jordan Bryan, Cong Zhu, Li Wang, Ricardo De-Matos Simoes, Channing Yu, Yiguo Hu, Olli Dufva, Marios Giannakis, Todd Golub, Rizwan Romee, Satu Mustjoki, Aedin C. Culhane, Lotte Wieten, Constantine S. Mitsiades. Landscape of molecular events regulating tumor cell responses to natural killer cells [abstract]. In: Abstracts: AACR Virtual Special Conference: Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy; 2020 Oct 19-20. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2021;9(2 Suppl):Abstract nr PO041.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Sheffer
- 1Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Broad Institute, Boston; Cambridge, MA, USA,
| | - Emily Lowry
- 2Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA,
| | - Nicky Beelen
- 3Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands,
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Olga Dashevsky
- 1Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Broad Institute, Boston; Cambridge, MA, USA,
| | - Sara Gandolfi
- 1Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Broad Institute, Boston; Cambridge, MA, USA,
| | | | | | - Cong Zhu
- 5Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA,
| | - Li Wang
- 5Broad Institute, Cambridge, MA, USA,
| | | | | | - Yiguo Hu
- 6Sichuan University, Chengdu, China,
| | - Olli Dufva
- 7Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center; University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Marios Giannakis
- 1Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Broad Institute, Boston; Cambridge, MA, USA,
| | - Todd Golub
- 1Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Broad Institute, Boston; Cambridge, MA, USA,
| | | | - Satu Mustjoki
- 7Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center; University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Lotte Wieten
- 3Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands,
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12
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Dufva O, Pölönen P, Brück O, Keränen MAI, Klievink J, Mehtonen J, Huuhtanen J, Kumar A, Malani D, Siitonen S, Kankainen M, Ghimire B, Lahtela J, Mattila P, Vähä-Koskela M, Wennerberg K, Granberg K, Leivonen SK, Meriranta L, Heckman C, Leppä S, Nykter M, Lohi O, Heinäniemi M, Mustjoki S. Immunogenomic Landscape of Hematological Malignancies. Cancer Cell 2020; 38:380-399.e13. [PMID: 32649887 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2020.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 03/27/2020] [Accepted: 05/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Understanding factors that shape the immune landscape across hematological malignancies is essential for immunotherapy development. We integrated over 8,000 transcriptomes and 2,000 samples with multilevel genomics of hematological cancers to investigate how immunological features are linked to cancer subtypes, genetic and epigenetic alterations, and patient survival, and validated key findings experimentally. Infiltration of cytotoxic lymphocytes was associated with TP53 and myelodysplasia-related changes in acute myeloid leukemia, and activated B cell-like phenotype and interferon-γ response in lymphoma. CIITA methylation regulating antigen presentation, cancer type-specific immune checkpoints, such as VISTA in myeloid malignancies, and variation in cancer antigen expression further contributed to immune heterogeneity and predicted survival. Our study provides a resource linking immunology with cancer subtypes and genomics in hematological malignancies.
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MESH Headings
- Acute Disease
- Epigenesis, Genetic
- Gene Expression Profiling/methods
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
- Genomics/methods
- HLA Antigens/genetics
- Humans
- Immunotherapy/methods
- Leukemia, Myeloid/genetics
- Leukemia, Myeloid/immunology
- Leukemia, Myeloid/therapy
- Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating/immunology
- Lymphocytes, Tumor-Infiltrating/metabolism
- Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/genetics
- Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/immunology
- Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/therapy
- Multiple Myeloma/genetics
- Multiple Myeloma/immunology
- Multiple Myeloma/therapy
- Mutation
- Tumor Suppressor Protein p53/genetics
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Affiliation(s)
- Olli Dufva
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center (HUH CCC), 00029 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki (UH), 00029 Helsinki, Finland; iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Petri Pölönen
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Oscar Brück
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center (HUH CCC), 00029 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki (UH), 00029 Helsinki, Finland; iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mikko A I Keränen
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center (HUH CCC), 00029 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki (UH), 00029 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jay Klievink
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center (HUH CCC), 00029 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki (UH), 00029 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juha Mehtonen
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland
| | - Jani Huuhtanen
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center (HUH CCC), 00029 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki (UH), 00029 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ashwini Kumar
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, UH, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Disha Malani
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, UH, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sanna Siitonen
- Department of Clinical Chemistry, UH and HUSLAB, HUH, 00029 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matti Kankainen
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center (HUH CCC), 00029 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki (UH), 00029 Helsinki, Finland; iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Bishwa Ghimire
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, UH, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jenni Lahtela
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, UH, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pirkko Mattila
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, UH, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | | | | | - Kirsi Granberg
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University (TU), 33014 Tampere, Finland
| | - Suvi-Katri Leivonen
- Department of Oncology, HUH CCC, 00029 Helsinki, Finland; Applied Tumor Genomics Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, UH, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Leo Meriranta
- Department of Oncology, HUH CCC, 00029 Helsinki, Finland; Applied Tumor Genomics Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, UH, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Caroline Heckman
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland; Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, UH, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Sirpa Leppä
- iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland; Department of Oncology, HUH CCC, 00029 Helsinki, Finland; Applied Tumor Genomics Research Program, Faculty of Medicine, UH, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matti Nykter
- Laboratory of Computational Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University (TU), 33014 Tampere, Finland
| | - Olli Lohi
- Tampere Center for Child Health Research, TU and Tays Cancer Center, Tampere University Hospital, 33521 Tampere, Finland
| | - Merja Heinäniemi
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, 70211 Kuopio, Finland.
| | - Satu Mustjoki
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center (HUH CCC), 00029 Helsinki, Finland; Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki (UH), 00029 Helsinki, Finland; iCAN Digital Precision Cancer Medicine Flagship, Helsinki, Finland.
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13
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Dufva O, Pölönen P, Brück O, Keränen MAI, Klievink J, Mehtonen J, Huuhtanen J, Kumar A, Malani D, Siitonen S, Kankainen M, Ghimire B, Lahtela J, Mattila P, Vähä-Koskela M, Wennerberg K, Granberg K, Leivonen SK, Meriranta L, Heckman C, Leppä S, Nykter M, Lohi O, Heinäniemi M, Mustjoki S. Immunogenomic Landscape of Hematological Malignancies. Cancer Cell 2020; 38:424-428. [PMID: 32931743 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2020.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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14
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Mehtonen J, Pölönen P, Häyrynen S, Dufva O, Lin J, Liuksiala T, Granberg K, Lohi O, Hautamäki V, Nykter M, Heinäniemi M. Data-driven characterization of molecular phenotypes across heterogeneous sample collections. Nucleic Acids Res 2020; 47:e76. [PMID: 31329928 PMCID: PMC6648337 DOI: 10.1093/nar/gkz281] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 04/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Existing large gene expression data repositories hold enormous potential to elucidate disease mechanisms, characterize changes in cellular pathways, and to stratify patients based on molecular profiles. To achieve this goal, integrative resources and tools are needed that allow comparison of results across datasets and data types. We propose an intuitive approach for data-driven stratifications of molecular profiles and benchmark our methodology using the dimensionality reduction algorithm t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (t-SNE) with multi-study and multi-platform data on hematological malignancies. Our approach enables assessing the contribution of biological versus technical variation to sample clustering, direct incorporation of additional datasets to the same low dimensional representation, comparison of molecular disease subtypes identified from separate t-SNE representations, and characterization of the obtained clusters based on pathway databases and additional data. In this manner, we performed an integrative analysis across multi-omics acute myeloid leukemia studies. Our approach indicated new molecular subtypes with differential survival and drug responsiveness among samples lacking fusion genes, including a novel myelodysplastic syndrome-like cluster and a cluster characterized with CEBPA mutations and differential activity of the S-adenosylmethionine-dependent DNA methylation pathway. In summary, integration across multiple studies can help to identify novel molecular disease subtypes and generate insight into disease biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juha Mehtonen
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Petri Pölönen
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Sergei Häyrynen
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Olli Dufva
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki and Department of Hematology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jake Lin
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Thomas Liuksiala
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.,Tampere Center for Child Health Research, Tampere University and Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Kirsi Granberg
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Olli Lohi
- Tampere Center for Child Health Research, Tampere University and Tampere University Hospital, Tampere, Finland
| | - Ville Hautamäki
- School of Computing, University of Eastern Finland, Joensuu, Finland
| | - Matti Nykter
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Technology, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Merja Heinäniemi
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
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15
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Kuusanmäki H, Leppä AM, Pölönen P, Kontro M, Dufva O, Deb D, Yadav B, Brück O, Kumar A, Everaus H, Gjertsen BT, Heinäniemi M, Porkka K, Mustjoki S, Heckman CA. Phenotype-based drug screening reveals association between venetoclax response and differentiation stage in acute myeloid leukemia. Haematologica 2019; 105:708-720. [PMID: 31296572 PMCID: PMC7049363 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2018.214882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2018] [Accepted: 07/08/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Heikki Kuusanmäki
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki .,Hematology Research Unit, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki
| | - Aino-Maija Leppä
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki
| | - Petri Pölönen
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Mika Kontro
- Hematology Research Unit, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki
| | - Olli Dufva
- Hematology Research Unit, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki
| | - Debashish Deb
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki
| | - Bhagwan Yadav
- Hematology Research Unit, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki
| | - Oscar Brück
- Hematology Research Unit, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki
| | - Ashwini Kumar
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki
| | - Hele Everaus
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Bjørn T Gjertsen
- Centre for Cancer Biomarkers, Department of Clinical Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway
| | - Merja Heinäniemi
- Institute of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland
| | - Kimmo Porkka
- Hematology Research Unit, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki
| | - Satu Mustjoki
- Hematology Research Unit, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki.,Translational Immunology Research Program and Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Caroline A Heckman
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki
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16
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Kuusanmäki H, Dufva O, Leppä AM, Pölönen P, Heinäniemi M, Porkka K, Kontro M, Heckman C, Mustjoki S. PS973 BCL-XL AS A PUTATIVE THERAPY TARGET IN ACUTE ERYTHROID LEUKEMIA. Hemasphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1097/01.hs9.0000562196.89852.c2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
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17
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Dufva O, Klievink J, Saeed K, Kankainen M, Ilander M, Hannunen T, Lagström S, Ellonen P, Lee DA, Mustjoki S. Abstract A065: Genome-scale CRISPR screens identify essential genes for tumor sensitivity to NK cells. Cancer Immunol Res 2019. [DOI: 10.1158/2326-6074.cricimteatiaacr18-a065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Harnessing natural killer (NK) cells to attack tumors could improve immune-based cancer treatment strategies. However, mechanisms regulating sensitivity or resistance of cancer cells to the effector function of NK cells are incompletely understood. Here, we performed genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 loss-of-function screens in human cancer cells to discover genes that influence susceptibility to primary human NK cells. To screen for genes essential for the interaction between NK cells and cancer cells, we infected human cancer cells expressing Cas9 with a genome-scale lentiviral guide RNA library. The resulting pool of knockout cells was exposed to NK cells expanded from peripheral blood of healthy donors. Enriched and depleted knockout clones were detected by next-generation sequencing of the integrated sgRNA cassettes, enabling identification of genes conferring resistance or susceptibility to NK cell-mediated lysis. The screens were performed in cell lines from diverse cancer types, including chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), and multiple myeloma. We recovered several known mechanisms of NK cell/cancer cell interactions, demonstrating feasibility of the screening approach. Loss of genes encoding components of the MHC class I complex (B2M, HLA-A, HLA-C, HLA-E) sensitized multiple cancer cell lines to NK cell-mediated lysis. This is consistent with missing-self recognition as a fundamental mechanism of NK cell activation. Furthermore, knockout of IFN-JAK-STAT signaling mediators led to increased tumor cell lysis, suggesting that MHC class I induction in response to NK cell-derived IFN gamma enables NK cell evasion by tumor cells. We also identified genes essential for effective NK cell-mediated lysis. NCR3LG1, encoding the B7-H6 ligand for the NKp30 activating NK cell receptor, was essential for NK cell lysis of CML cells. In contrast, knockout of apoptotic mediators and TRAIL pathway components conferred resistance to NK cell cytotoxicity in DLBCL cells, indicating heterogeneity in NK cell/cancer cell interactions between cancer types. Our data support a view that distinct mechanisms regulate sensitivity to NK cell cytotoxicity in different cancers. Importantly, our results indicate that loss-of-function mutations in the antigen-presenting machinery and the IFN-JAK-STAT pathway sensitize tumors to NK cell effector function. As alterations in these genes are associated with resistance to T-cell immunotherapies such as PD-1 blockade, NK cell-based therapies could be employed to overcome resistance in these patients. In summary, we suggest that systematic identification of mechanisms governing tumor immune susceptibility has the potential to uncover novel immunotherapy targets.
Citation Format: Olli Dufva, Jay Klievink, Khalid Saeed, Matti Kankainen, Mette Ilander, Tiiina Hannunen, Sonja Lagström, Pekka Ellonen, Dean A Lee, Satu Mustjoki. Genome-scale CRISPR screens identify essential genes for tumor sensitivity to NK cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Fourth CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival; Sept 30-Oct 3, 2018; New York, NY. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Immunol Res 2019;7(2 Suppl):Abstract nr A065.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olli Dufva
- Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and BMT, Columbus, OH
| | - Jay Klievink
- Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and BMT, Columbus, OH
| | - Khalid Saeed
- Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and BMT, Columbus, OH
| | - Matti Kankainen
- Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and BMT, Columbus, OH
| | - Mette Ilander
- Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and BMT, Columbus, OH
| | - Tiiina Hannunen
- Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and BMT, Columbus, OH
| | - Sonja Lagström
- Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and BMT, Columbus, OH
| | - Pekka Ellonen
- Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and BMT, Columbus, OH
| | - Dean A Lee
- Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and BMT, Columbus, OH
| | - Satu Mustjoki
- Helsinki University Central Hospital, Helsinki, Finland; Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and BMT, Columbus, OH
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18
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Brück O, Blom S, Dufva O, Turkki R, Chheda H, Ribeiro A, Kovanen P, Aittokallio T, Koskenvesa P, Kallioniemi O, Porkka K, Pellinen T, Mustjoki S. Immune cell contexture in the bone marrow tumor microenvironment impacts therapy response in CML. Leukemia 2018; 32:1643-1656. [DOI: 10.1038/s41375-018-0175-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2018] [Revised: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 05/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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19
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Dufva O, Kankainen M, Kelkka T, Sekiguchi N, Awad SA, Eldfors S, Yadav B, Kuusanmäki H, Malani D, Andersson EI, Pietarinen P, Saikko L, Kovanen PE, Ojala T, Lee DA, Loughran TP, Nakazawa H, Suzumiya J, Suzuki R, Ko YH, Kim WS, Chuang SS, Aittokallio T, Chan WC, Ohshima K, Ishida F, Mustjoki S. Aggressive natural killer-cell leukemia mutational landscape and drug profiling highlight JAK-STAT signaling as therapeutic target. Nat Commun 2018; 9:1567. [PMID: 29674644 PMCID: PMC5908809 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-03987-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 90] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2017] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Aggressive natural killer-cell (NK-cell) leukemia (ANKL) is an extremely aggressive malignancy with dismal prognosis and lack of targeted therapies. Here, we elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of ANKL using a combination of genomic and drug sensitivity profiling. We study 14 ANKL patients using whole-exome sequencing (WES) and identify mutations in STAT3 (21%) and RAS-MAPK pathway genes (21%) as well as in DDX3X (29%) and epigenetic modifiers (50%). Additional alterations include JAK-STAT copy gains and tyrosine phosphatase mutations, which we show recurrent also in extranodal NK/T-cell lymphoma, nasal type (NKTCL) through integration of public genomic data. Drug sensitivity profiling further demonstrates the role of the JAK-STAT pathway in the pathogenesis of NK-cell malignancies, identifying NK cells to be highly sensitive to JAK and BCL2 inhibition compared to other hematopoietic cell lineages. Our results provide insight into ANKL genetics and a framework for application of targeted therapies in NK-cell malignancies. Aggressive natural killer-cell leukemia (ANKL) has few targeted therapies. Here ANKL patients are reported to harbor STAT3, RAS-MAPK pathway, DDX3X and epigenetic modifier mutations; and drug sensitivity profiling uncovers the importance of the JAK-STAT pathway, revealing potential ANKL therapeutic targets.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olli Dufva
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki and Department of Hematology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, FIN-00290, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Matti Kankainen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland.,Medical and Clinical Genetics, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, FIN-00290, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tiina Kelkka
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki and Department of Hematology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, FIN-00290, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Nodoka Sekiguchi
- Department of Comprehensive Cancer Therapy, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, 390-8621, Japan
| | - Shady Adnan Awad
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki and Department of Hematology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, FIN-00290, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Samuli Eldfors
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Bhagwan Yadav
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki and Department of Hematology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, FIN-00290, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Heikki Kuusanmäki
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki and Department of Hematology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, FIN-00290, Helsinki, Finland.,Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Disha Malani
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Emma I Andersson
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki and Department of Hematology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, FIN-00290, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Paavo Pietarinen
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki and Department of Hematology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, FIN-00290, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Leena Saikko
- Department of Pathology, HUSLAB and Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, FIN-00290, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Panu E Kovanen
- Department of Pathology, HUSLAB and Haartman Institute, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, FIN-00290, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Teija Ojala
- Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Dean A Lee
- Nationwide Children's Hospital, Division of Hematology, Oncology, and BMT, Columbus, OH, 43205, USA
| | - Thomas P Loughran
- Department of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, 22908-0334, USA
| | - Hideyuki Nakazawa
- Division of Hematology, Internal Medicine, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, 390-8621, Japan
| | - Junji Suzumiya
- Department of Oncology/Hematology, Shimane University Hospital, Izumo, 693-8501, Japan
| | - Ritsuro Suzuki
- Department of Oncology/Hematology, Shimane University Hospital, Izumo, 693-8501, Japan
| | - Young Hyeh Ko
- Department of Pathology, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, 0635, South Korea
| | - Won Seog Kim
- Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, 0635, South Korea
| | - Shih-Sung Chuang
- Department of Pathology, Chi-Mei Medical Center, Tainan, 71004, Taiwan
| | - Tero Aittokallio
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Wing C Chan
- Department of Pathology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, 91010, USA
| | - Koichi Ohshima
- Department of Pathology, Kurume University School of Medicine, Kurume, 830-0011, Japan
| | - Fumihiro Ishida
- Department of Biomedical Laboratory Sciences, Shinshu University School of Medicine, Matsumoto, 390-8621, Japan
| | - Satu Mustjoki
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, University of Helsinki and Department of Hematology, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, FIN-00290, Helsinki, Finland. .,Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Helsinki, FIN-00014, Helsinki, Finland.
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20
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Schubert C, Chatain N, Braunschweig T, Schemionek M, Feldberg K, Hoffmann M, Dufva O, Mustjoki S, Brümmendorf TH, Koschmieder S. The SCLtTAxBCR-ABL transgenic mouse model closely reflects the differential effects of dasatinib on normal and malignant hematopoiesis in chronic phase-CML patients. Oncotarget 2018; 8:34736-34749. [PMID: 28423730 PMCID: PMC5471007 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.16152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2016] [Accepted: 02/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) dasatinib is a clinically approved drug for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) as well as Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In addition to its antileukemic effects, dasatinib was shown to impact on normal hematopoiesis and cells of the immune system.Due to the fact that the murine in vivo studies so far have not been performed in a chronic-phase CML model under steady-state conditions, our aim was to study the hematopoietic effects of dasatinib (20 mg/kg p.o.) in BCR-ABL expressing SCLtTAxBCR-ABL double transgenic (dtg) mice. Dasatinib robustly antagonized the CML phenotype in vivo in our transgenic mouse model, and this effect included both mature and immature cell populations. However, similar to patients with CML, the fraction of LinnegSca-1+KIT+CD48negCD150+ hematopoietic stem cells was not reduced by dasatinib treatment, suggesting that these cells are not oncogene-addicted. Moreover, we observed differential effects of dasatinib in these animals as compared to wild-type (wt) animals: while granulocytes were significantly reduced in dtg animals, they were increased in wt mice. And Ter119+ erythrocytic and B220+ B cells were increased in dtg mice but decreased in wt mice. Finally, while dasatinib induced a shift from CD49b/NK1.1 positive NK cells from the bone marrow to the spleen in wt animals, there was no change in dtg mice. In conclusion, the present mouse model provides a useful tool to study mechanisms of TKI resistance and dasatinib-associated beneficial effects and adverse events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Schubert
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Nicolas Chatain
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Till Braunschweig
- Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Mirle Schemionek
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Kristina Feldberg
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Melanie Hoffmann
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Olli Dufva
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Satu Mustjoki
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tim H Brümmendorf
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - Steffen Koschmieder
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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21
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Kuusanmäki H, Dufva O, Parri E, van Adrichem AJ, Rajala H, Majumder MM, Yadav B, Parsons A, Chan WC, Wennerberg K, Mustjoki S, Heckman CA. Drug sensitivity profiling identifies potential therapies for lymphoproliferative disorders with overactive JAK/STAT3 signaling. Oncotarget 2017; 8:97516-97527. [PMID: 29228628 PMCID: PMC5722580 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.22178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2016] [Accepted: 08/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Constitutive JAK/STAT3 signaling contributes to disease progression in many lymphoproliferative disorders. Recent genetic analyses have revealed gain-of-function STAT3 mutations in lymphoid cancers leading to hyperactivation of STAT3, which may represent a potential therapeutic target. Using a functional reporter assay, we screened 306 compounds with selective activity against various target molecules to identify drugs capable of inhibiting the cellular activity of STAT3. Top hits were further validated with additional models including STAT3-mutated natural killer (NK)-cell leukemia/lymphoma cell lines and primary large granular lymphocytic (LGL) leukemia cells to assess their ability to inhibit STAT3 phosphorylation and STAT3 dependent cell viability. We identified JAK, mTOR, Hsp90 and CDK inhibitors as potent inhibitors of both WT and mutant STAT3 activity. The Hsp90 inhibitor luminespib was highly effective at reducing the viability of mutant STAT3 NK cell lines and LGL leukemia patient samples. Luminespib decreased the phosphorylation of mutant STAT3 at Y705, whereas JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor ruxolitinib had reduced efficacy on mutant STAT3 phosphorylation. Additionally, combinations involving Hsp90, JAK and mTOR inhibitors were more effective at reducing cell viability than single agents. Our findings show alternative approaches to inhibit STAT3 activity and suggest Hsp90 as a therapeutic target in lymphoproliferative disorders with constitutively active STAT3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heikki Kuusanmäki
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hematology Research Unit, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olli Dufva
- Hematology Research Unit, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Elina Parri
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Arjan J van Adrichem
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Hanna Rajala
- Hematology Research Unit, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Muntasir M Majumder
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Bhagwan Yadav
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Alun Parsons
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Wing C Chan
- Department of Pathology, City of Hope National Medical Center, Duarte, CA, USA
| | - Krister Wennerberg
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Satu Mustjoki
- Hematology Research Unit, Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Caroline A Heckman
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland, Helsinki Institute of Life Science, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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22
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Andersson EI, Pützer S, Yadav B, Dufva O, Khan S, He L, Sellner L, Schrader A, Crispatzu G, Oleś M, Zhang H, Adnan-Awad S, Lagström S, Bellanger D, Mpindi JP, Eldfors S, Pemovska T, Pietarinen P, Lauhio A, Tomska K, Cuesta-Mateos C, Faber E, Koschmieder S, Brümmendorf TH, Kytölä S, Savolainen ER, Siitonen T, Ellonen P, Kallioniemi O, Wennerberg K, Ding W, Stern MH, Huber W, Anders S, Tang J, Aittokallio T, Zenz T, Herling M, Mustjoki S. Discovery of novel drug sensitivities in T-PLL by high-throughput ex vivo drug testing and mutation profiling. Leukemia 2017; 32:774-787. [PMID: 28804127 DOI: 10.1038/leu.2017.252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 66] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2017] [Revised: 06/30/2017] [Accepted: 07/17/2017] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia (T-PLL) is a rare and aggressive neoplasm of mature T-cells with an urgent need for rationally designed therapies to address its notoriously chemo-refractory behavior. The median survival of T-PLL patients is <2 years and clinical trials are difficult to execute. Here we systematically explored the diversity of drug responses in T-PLL patient samples using an ex vivo drug sensitivity and resistance testing platform and correlated the findings with somatic mutations and gene expression profiles. Intriguingly, all T-PLL samples were sensitive to the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor SNS-032, which overcame stromal-cell-mediated protection and elicited robust p53-activation and apoptosis. Across all patients, the most effective classes of compounds were histone deacetylase, phosphoinositide-3 kinase/AKT/mammalian target of rapamycin, heat-shock protein 90 and BH3-family protein inhibitors as well as p53 activators, indicating previously unexplored, novel targeted approaches for treating T-PLL. Although Janus-activated kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription factor (JAK-STAT) pathway mutations were common in T-PLL (71% of patients), JAK-STAT inhibitor responses were not directly linked to those or other T-PLL-specific lesions. Overall, we found that genetic markers do not readily translate into novel effective therapeutic vulnerabilities. In conclusion, novel classes of compounds with high efficacy in T-PLL were discovered with the comprehensive ex vivo drug screening platform warranting further studies of synergisms and clinical testing.
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Affiliation(s)
- E I Andersson
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - S Pützer
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO) Köln-Bonn, Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Response and Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), CMMC, Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Cologne, Germany
| | - B Yadav
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland.,Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - O Dufva
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - S Khan
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - L He
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - L Sellner
- Department of Translational Oncology and Molecular Therapy in Haematology and Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Medicine V, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - A Schrader
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO) Köln-Bonn, Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Response and Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), CMMC, Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Cologne, Germany
| | - G Crispatzu
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO) Köln-Bonn, Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Response and Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), CMMC, Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Cologne, Germany
| | - M Oleś
- Genome Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - H Zhang
- Division of Hematology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - S Adnan-Awad
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - S Lagström
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - D Bellanger
- Institut Curie, INSERM U830, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - J P Mpindi
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - S Eldfors
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - T Pemovska
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - P Pietarinen
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
| | - A Lauhio
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH), Helsinki, Finland
| | - K Tomska
- Department of Translational Oncology and Molecular Therapy in Haematology and Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Medicine V, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - C Cuesta-Mateos
- Departamento de Immunología, Hospital Universitario de la Princesa, Madrid, Spain
| | - E Faber
- Department of Hemato-oncology, University Hospital Olomouc, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - S Koschmieder
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - T H Brümmendorf
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Hemostaseology and Stem Cell Transplantation, Faculty of Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
| | - S Kytölä
- Helsinki University Central Hospital (HUCH), Laboratory of Genetics, HUSLAB, Helsinki, Finland
| | - E-R Savolainen
- Nordlab Oulu, Hematology Laboratory, MRC Oulu, Oulu University Hospital, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - T Siitonen
- Department of Hematology, Oulu University Hospital, MRC Oulu, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - P Ellonen
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - O Kallioniemi
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - K Wennerberg
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - W Ding
- Division of Hematology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA
| | - M-H Stern
- Institut Curie, INSERM U830, PSL Research University, Paris, France
| | - W Huber
- Genome Biology Unit, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - S Anders
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - J Tang
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - T Aittokallio
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Turku, Turku, Finland
| | - T Zenz
- Department of Translational Oncology and Molecular Therapy in Haematology and Oncology, National Center for Tumor Diseases and German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.,Department of Medicine V, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - M Herling
- Department I of Internal Medicine, Center for Integrated Oncology (CIO) Köln-Bonn, Excellence Cluster for Cellular Stress Response and Aging-Associated Diseases (CECAD), CMMC, Center for Molecular Medicine, University of Cologne, Germany
| | - S Mustjoki
- Hematology Research Unit Helsinki, Department of Clinical Chemistry and Hematology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki, Finland
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Brück O, Keränen M, Dufva O, Kreutzman A, Mustjoki S. T cells and cancer - why do the killers become exhausted? Duodecim 2016; 132:1984-1992. [PMID: 29190050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Nascent tumors are mostly eliminated by the immune system. During carcinogenesis mutated cells find a way to escape from the immune system´s surveillance. As the tumor microenvironment evolves it becomes increasingly difficult for T cells to recognize and kill cancer cells. Recently, novel immunological targets have been recognized and potent immunomodulatory drugs discovered in clinical trials. This has resulted in the emergence of immunotherapy as a novel potent therapy for cancer in addition to chemotherapy, targeted therapy, operative therapy and radiotherapy.
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Dufva O, El Missiry M, Lähteenmäki H, Mustjoki S. Expression of immune checkpoint molecules in chronic myeloid leukemia at diagnosis and during tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy. Ann Oncol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/annonc/mdv514.15] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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25
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Wiener Z, Hyvönen V, Högström J, Holopainen T, Band A, Kallio P, Dufva O, Haglund C, Kruuna O, Oliver G, Ben-Neriah Y, Alitalo K. Abstract 1908: The Wnt-target Prox1 promotes colorectal cancer stem cell survival to fuel tumor growth. Cancer Res 2014. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2014-1908] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer mortality in the Western countries. In most of the CRC patients, an initial mutation occurs in the APC or CTNNB1 genes, leading to the ligand-independent activation of the canonical Wnt pathway. Besides having a central role in the development of CRC, the Wnt pathway plays a critical role also in the maintenance of the normal intestine. Attempts at therapeutic inhibition of this pathway could thus lead to serious side effects in CRC patients. We have previously shown that the Prox1 transcription factor is induced in the intestinal epithelium by mutations activating the Wnt pathway and it critically contributes to CRC progression via an unknown mechanism. Here we provide evidence that Prox1 expression is induced in the Lgr5+ adenoma stem cells early after Apc deletion. Our in vivo models and ex vivo organoid experiments suggest that Prox1 silencing or deletion restricts the expansion of the Lgr5+ adenoma stem cell population both in humans and in mice. Interestingly, silencing the phospholipid binding protein Annexin A1 (Anxa1), a gene suppressed by Prox1, is responsible for several of the effects of Prox1 on adenoma cells, such as the re-organization of the actin cytoskeleton, enhanced stem cell activity and tumor growth. Furthermore, Prox1 deletion abnormally increases the mTORC1 pathway activity, which results in decreased survival of the adenoma stem cells. Since Prox1 is expressed at low level only in rare neuroendocrine cells and in some Paneth cells in the wild type intestinal epithelium, furthermore, its genetic deletion in the adult gut does not lead to obvious phenotypes, Prox1 may serve as an attractive therapeutic target for restricting the progression of early intestinal adenomas.
Citation Format: Zoltan Wiener, Ville Hyvönen, Jenny Högström, Tanja Holopainen, Arja Band, Pauliina Kallio, Olli Dufva, Caj Haglund, Olli Kruuna, Guillermo Oliver, Yinon Ben-Neriah, Kari Alitalo. The Wnt-target Prox1 promotes colorectal cancer stem cell survival to fuel tumor growth. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 105th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2014 Apr 5-9; San Diego, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2014;74(19 Suppl):Abstract nr 1908. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2014-1908
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoltan Wiener
- 1Translational Cancer Biology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ville Hyvönen
- 1Translational Cancer Biology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jenny Högström
- 1Translational Cancer Biology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tanja Holopainen
- 1Translational Cancer Biology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Arja Band
- 1Translational Cancer Biology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pauliina Kallio
- 1Translational Cancer Biology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olli Dufva
- 1Translational Cancer Biology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Caj Haglund
- 2Department of Surgery, Helsinki University Central Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olli Kruuna
- 2Department of Surgery, Helsinki University Central Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Guillermo Oliver
- 3Department of Genetics, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN
| | - Yinon Ben-Neriah
- 44Lautenberg Center for Immunology, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Kari Alitalo
- 1Translational Cancer Biology Research Program, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Wiener Z, Högström J, Hyvönen V, Band A, Kallio P, Holopainen T, Dufva O, Haglund C, Kruuna O, Oliver G, Ben-Neriah Y, Alitalo K. Prox1 Promotes Expansion of the Colorectal Cancer Stem Cell Population to Fuel Tumor Growth and Ischemia Resistance. Cell Rep 2014; 8:1943-1956. [DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2014.08.034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2013] [Revised: 01/14/2014] [Accepted: 08/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
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Wiener Z, Högström J, Hyvönen V, Band A, Kallio P, Holopainen T, Dufva O, Haglund C, Kruuna O, Oliver G, Ben-Neriah Y, Alitalo K. [Prox1 promotes expansion of the colorectal cancer stem cell population to fuel tumor growth and ischemia resistance]. Duodecim 2014; 130:2208. [PMID: 25582015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
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Wiener Z, Högström J, Hyvönen V, Holopainen T, Band A, Kallio P, Dufva O, Haglund C, Kruuna O, Ben-Neriah Y. Abstract B49: Prox1 Transcription factor promotes colorectal cancer growth by expanding the Lgr5-positive stem cell pool. Mol Cancer Ther 2013. [DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.targ-13-b49] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
The Wnt pathway that is central in the development of colorectal cancer (CRC) plays a critical role also in the maintenance of the normal gut. Inhibition of this pathway could thus lead to serious side-effects in CRC patients. We have previously shown that the Prox1 transcription factor is expressed only in a few cells of normal intestinal crypts, yet it contributes to CRC progression via an unknown mechanism. In this study, we show that Prox1 deletion in the WT intestinal epithelium has no obvious phenotypic consequence and that Prox1 regulates the number of Lgr5+ CRC stem cells via establishing a proper niche for them. Upon Apc deletion, Prox1 expression is rapidly induced in both the Lgr5+ CRC stem cells and Lgr5- non-stem. Prox1 deletion in 3D organoid cultures derived from mouse intestinal adenomas or human CRC cells leads to a decrease in lumen formation and crypt-like "outpocketings” that are enriched in Lgr5+ CRC stem cells. This results in a decreased number of Lgr5+ stem cells and a shift from the CRC stem cell-like phenotype to a progenitor-like phenotype, which consequently leads to decreased tumor cell growth. Interestingly, we show that silencing of the Prox1-suppressed Wnt-target Annexin A1 (Anxa1) mimics the effects of Prox1, including the establishment of a niche for Lgr5+ CRC stem cells. Anxa1 silencing in human and mouse CRC organoids results in an enhanced formation of outpocketings, an elevated number of Lgr5+ CRC stem cells and increased tumor growth in xenotransplantation assays. We propose a model where the deletion of the Apc gene induces both Anxa1 and Prox1 expression in the intestinal epithelium. Prox1 silencing elevates the expression of Anxa1, which inhibits the formation of crypt-like outpocketings and the Lgr5+ CRC stem cell niche, consequently leading to reduced tumor growth. Based on this study Prox1 is the first molecule which regulates the number of CRC stem cells without affecting the homeostasis of the adult WT intestine and it provides an attractive therapeutic target for drug development in CRC.
Citation Information: Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):B49.
Citation Format: Zoltan Wiener, Jenny Högström, Ville Hyvönen, Tanja Holopainen, Arja Band, Pauliina Kallio, Olli Dufva, Caj Haglund, Olli Kruuna, Yinon Ben-Neriah. Prox1 Transcription factor promotes colorectal cancer growth by expanding the Lgr5-positive stem cell pool. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2013 Oct 19-23; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2013;12(11 Suppl):Abstract nr B49.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoltan Wiener
- 1Translational Cancer Biology, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jenny Högström
- 1Translational Cancer Biology, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ville Hyvönen
- 1Translational Cancer Biology, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tanja Holopainen
- 1Translational Cancer Biology, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Arja Band
- 1Translational Cancer Biology, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Pauliina Kallio
- 1Translational Cancer Biology, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olli Dufva
- 1Translational Cancer Biology, Biomedicum Helsinki, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Caj Haglund
- 2Department of Surgery, Helsinki University Central Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olli Kruuna
- 2Department of Surgery, Helsinki University Central Hospital, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Yinon Ben-Neriah
- 3Lautenberg Center for Immunology, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
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