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Sample records for bcr-abl positive cells

  1. The Bcr-Abl kinase inhibitor INNO-406 induces autophagy and different modes of cell death execution in Bcr-Abl-positive leukemias.

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    Kamitsuji, Y; Kuroda, J; Kimura, S; Toyokuni, S; Watanabe, K; Ashihara, E; Tanaka, H; Yui, Y; Watanabe, M; Matsubara, H; Mizushima, Y; Hiraumi, Y; Kawata, E; Yoshikawa, T; Maekawa, T; Nakahata, T; Adachi, S

    2008-11-01

    Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibitors are promising therapeutic agents for Bcr-Abl-positive (Bcr-Abl(+)) leukemias. Although they are known to promote caspase-mediated apoptosis, it remains unclear whether caspase-independent cell death-inducing mechanisms are also triggered. Here we demonstrated that INNO-406, a second-generation Bcr-Abl TK inhibitor, induces programmed cell death (PCD) in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cell lines through both caspase-mediated and caspase-independent pathways. The latter pathways include caspase-independent apoptosis (CIA) and necrosis-like cell death (CIND), and the cell lines varied regarding which mechanism was elicited upon INNO-406 treatment. We also observed that the propensity toward CIA or CIND in cells was strongly associated with cellular dependency on apoptosome-mediated caspase activity. Cells that undergo CIND have a high apoptosome activity potential whereas cells that undergo CIA tend to have a lower potential. Moreover, we found that INNO-406 promotes autophagy. When autophagy was inhibited with chloroquine or gene knockdown of beclin1 by shRNA, INNO-406-induced cell death was enhanced, which indicates that the autophagic response of the tumor cells is protective. These findings suggest new insights into the biology and therapy of Bcr-Abl(+) leukemias.

  2. Regulation of hTERT by BCR-ABL at multiple levels in K562 cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chai, Juin Hsien; Zhang, Yong; Tan, Wei Han; Chng, Wee Joo; Li, Baojie; Wang, Xueying

    2011-01-01

    The cytogenetic characteristic of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is the formation of the Philadelphia chromosome gene product, BCR-ABL. Given that BCR-ABL is the specific target of Gleevec in CML treatment, we investigated the regulation of the catalytic component of telomerase, hTERT, by BCR-ABL at multiple levels in K562 cells. Molecular techniques such as over expression, knockdown, real-time PCR, immunoprecipitation, western blotting, reporter assay, confocal microscopy, telomerase assays and microarray were used to suggest that hTERT expression and activity is modulated by BCR-ABL at multiple levels. Our results suggest that BCR-ABL plays an important role in regulating hTERT in K562 (BCR-ABL positive human leukemia) cells. When Gleevec inhibited the tyrosine kinase activity of BCR-ABL, phosphorylation of hTERT was downregulated, therefore suggesting a positive correlation between BCR-ABL and hTERT. Gleevec treatment inhibited hTERT at mRNA level and significantly reduced telomerase activity (TA) in K562 cells, but not in HL60 or Jurkat cells (BCR-ABL negative cells). We also demonstrated that the transcription factor STAT5a plays a critical role in hTERT gene regulation in K562 cells. Knockdown of STAT5a, but not STAT5b, resulted in a marked downregulation of hTERT mRNA level, TA and hTERT protein level in K562 cells. Furthermore, translocation of hTERT from nucleoli to nucleoplasm was observed in K562 cells induced by Gleevec. Our data reveal that BCR-ABL can regulate TA at multiple levels, including transcription, post-translational level, and proper localization. Thus, suppression of cell growth and induction of apoptosis by Gleevec treatment may be partially due to TA inhibition. Additionally, we have identified STAT5a as critical mediator of the hTERT gene expression in BCR-ABL positive CML cells, suggesting that targeting STAT5a may be a promising therapeutic strategy for BCR-ABL positive CML patients

  3. Allosteric inhibition enhances the efficacy of ABL kinase inhibitors to target unmutated BCR-ABL and BCR-ABL-T315I

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    Mian Afsar

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML and Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+ acute lymphatic leukemia (Ph + ALL are caused by the t(9;22, which fuses BCR to ABL resulting in deregulated ABL-tyrosine kinase activity. The constitutively activated BCR/ABL-kinase “escapes” the auto-inhibition mechanisms of c-ABL, such as allosteric inhibition. The ABL-kinase inhibitors (AKIs Imatinib, Nilotinib or Dasatinib, which target the ATP-binding site, are effective in Ph + leukemia. Another molecular therapy approach targeting BCR/ABL restores allosteric inhibition. Given the fact that all AKIs fail to inhibit BCR/ABL harboring the ‘gatekeeper’ mutation T315I, we investigated the effects of AKIs in combination with the allosteric inhibitor GNF2 in Ph + leukemia. Methods The efficacy of this approach on the leukemogenic potential of BCR/ABL was studied in Ba/F3 cells, primary murine bone marrow cells, and untransformed Rat-1 fibroblasts expressing BCR/ABL or BCR/ABL-T315I as well as in patient-derived long-term cultures (PDLTC from Ph + ALL-patients. Results Here, we show that GNF-2 increased the effects of AKIs on unmutated BCR/ABL. Interestingly, the combination of Dasatinib and GNF-2 overcame resistance of BCR/ABL-T315I in all models used in a synergistic manner. Conclusions Our observations establish a new approach for the molecular targeting of BCR/ABL and its resistant mutants using a combination of AKIs and allosteric inhibitors.

  4. Induction of autophagy by Imatinib sequesters Bcr-Abl in autophagosomes and down-regulates Bcr-Abl protein.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Elzinga, Baukje M

    2013-06-01

    Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is a disease of hematopoietic stem cells which harbor the chimeric gene Bcr-Abl. Expression levels of this constitutively active tyrosine kinase are critical for response to tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment and also disease progression, yet the regulation of protein stability is poorly understood. We have previously demonstrated that imatinib can induce autophagy in Bcr-Abl expressing cells. Autophagy has been associated with the clearance of large macromolecular signaling complexes and abnormal proteins, however, the contribution of autophagy to the turnover of Bcr-Abl protein in imatinib treated cells is unknown. In this study, we show that following imatinib treatment, Bcr-Abl is sequestered into vesicular structures that co-localize with the autophagy marker LC3 or GABARAP. This association is inhibited by siRNA mediated knockdown of autophagy regulators (Beclin 1\\/ATG7). Pharmacological inhibition of autophagy also reduced Bcr-Abl\\/LC3 co-localization in both K562 and CML patient cells. Bcr-Abl protein expression was reduced with imatinib treatment. Inhibition of both autophagy and proteasome activity in imatinib treated cells was required to restore Bcr-Abl protein levels to those of untreated cells. This ability to down-regulate Bcr-Abl protein levels through the induction of autophagy may be an additional and important feature of the activity of imatinib.

  5. Combining the ABL1 kinase inhibitor ponatinib and the histone deacetylase inhibitor vorinostat: a potential treatment for BCR-ABL-positive leukemia.

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    Okabe, Seiichi; Tauchi, Tetsuzo; Kimura, Shinya; Maekawa, Taira; Kitahara, Toshihiko; Tanaka, Yoko; Ohyashiki, Kazuma

    2014-01-01

    Resistance to imatinib (Gleevec®) in cancer cells is frequently because of acquired point mutations in the kinase domain of BCR-ABL. Ponatinib, also known as AP24534, is an oral multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), and it has been investigated in a pivotal phase 2 clinical trial. The histone deacetylase inhibitor vorinostat (suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid) has been evaluated for its significant clinical activity in hematological malignancies. Thus, treatments combining ABL TKIs with additional drugs may be a promising strategy in the treatment of leukemia. In the current study, we analyzed the efficacy of ponatinib and vorinostat treatment by using BCR-ABL-positive cell lines. Treatment with ponatinib for 72 h inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in K562 cells in a dose-dependent manner. We found that ponatinib potently inhibited the growth of Ba/F3 cells ectopically expressing BCR-ABL T315I mutation. Upon BCR-ABL phosphorylation, Crk-L was decreased, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) was activated in a dose-dependent manner. Combined treatment of Ba/F3 T315I mutant cells with vorinostat and ponatinib resulted in significantly increased cytotoxicity. Additionally, the intracellular signaling of ponatinib and vorinostat was examined. Caspase 3 and PARP activation increased after combination treatment with ponatinib and vorinostat. Moreover, an increase in the phosphorylation levels of γH2A.X was observed. Previously established ponatinib-resistant Ba/F3 cells were also resistant to imatinib, nilotinib, and dasatinib. We investigated the difference in the efficacy of ponatinib and vorinostat by using ponatinib-resistant Ba/F3 cells. Combined treatment of ponatinib-resistant cells with ponatinib and vorinostat caused a significant increase in cytotoxicity. Thus, combined administration of ponatinib and vorinostat may be a powerful strategy against BCR-ABL mutant cells and could enhance the cytotoxic effects of ponatinib in those BCR-ABL

  6. The novel anticancer agent JNJ-26854165 is active in chronic myeloid leukemic cells with unmutated BCR/ABL and T315I mutant BCR/ABL through promoting proteosomal degradation of BCR/ABL proteins.

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    You, Liangshun; Liu, Hui; Huang, Jian; Xie, Wanzhuo; Wei, Jueying; Ye, Xiujin; Qian, Wenbin

    2017-01-31

    Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a clonal malignant disease caused by the expression of BCR/ABL. MDM2 (human homolog of the murine double minute-2) inhibitors such as Nutlin-3 have been shown to induce apoptosis in a p53-dependent manner in CML cells and sensitize cells to Imatinib. Here, we demonstrate that JNJ-26854165, an inhibitor of MDM2, inhibits proliferation and triggers cell death in a p53-independent manner in various BCR/ABL-expressing cells, which include primary leukemic cells from patients with CML blast crisis and cells expressing the Imatinib-resistant T315I BCR/ABL mutant. The response to JNJ-26854165 is associated with the downregulation of BCR/ABL dependently of proteosome activation. Moreover, in all tested CML cells, with the exception of T315I mutation cells, combining JNJ-26854165 and tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) Imatinib or PD180970 leads to a synergistic effect. In conclusion, our results suggest that JNJ-26854165, used either alone or in combination with TKIs, represents a promising novel targeted approach to overcome TKI resistance and improve patient outcome in CML.

  7. BCR-ABL fusion genes are inducible by X-irradiation in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ito, Takashi; Seyama, Toshio; Mizuno, Terumi; Hayashi, Tomonori; Nakamura, Nori; Akiyama, Mitoshi; Dohi, Kiyohiko.

    1992-01-01

    The Philadelphia chromosome consists of a reciprocal translocation between the ABL oncogene at chromosome 9q34 and the BCR gene at chromosome 22q resulting in the expression of chimeric BCR-ABL mRNAs specific to chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). The presence of the fusion genes can be detected with high specificity and sensitivity by means of reverse transcription and polymerase chain reaction. Using this assay, it was possible to detect BCR-ABL fusion genes induced among HL60 cells after 100 Gy of X-irradiation in vitro. A total of five fusion gene transcripts were obtained. These fusion genes contained not only CML-specific BCR-ABL rearrangements, but also other forms of BCR-ABL fusions. These latter genes had junctions of BCR exon 4/ABL exon 2 intervened by a segment of DNA of unknown origin, BCR exon 5/ABL exon 2, and BCR exon 4/ABL exon 2. The results appear to be the first evidence for the induction of the BCR-ABL fusion gene by X-irradiation. In terms of leukemogenesis, it is suggested that only those cells bearing certain CML-related BCR-ABL fusion genes are positively selected by virtue of a growth advantage in vivo. (author)

  8. Long-term remission in BCR/ABL-positive AML-M6 patient treated with Imatinib Mesylate.

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    Pompetti, Franca; Spadano, Antonio; Sau, Antonella; Mennucci, Antonio; Russo, Rosa; Catinella, Virginia; Franchi, Paolo Guanciali; Calabrese, Giuseppe; Palka, Giandomenico; Fioritoni, Giuseppe; Iacone, Antonio

    2007-04-01

    BCR/ABL-positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a rare disease, characterized by a poor prognosis, with resistance to induction chemotherapy and frequent relapses in responsive patients. Here we report a case of BCR/ABL-positive AML-M6 who, after relapse, was treated with Imatinib Mesylate (600 mg/die) and within 4 months achieved a cytogenetic and molecular complete response. After more than 4 years of continuous Imatinib therapy, nested RT-PCR for BCR/ABL is persistently negative. The case reported shows that the response obtained with Imatinib Mesylate in BCR/ABL-positive AML may be long lasting, offering a chance of successful treatment for this poor prognosis group of patients.

  9. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation for patients harboring T315I BCR-ABL mutated leukemias

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nicolini, Franck Emmanuel; Basak, Grzegorz W; Soverini, Simona

    2011-01-01

    T315I(+) Philadelphia chromosome-positive leukemias are inherently resistant to all licensed tyrosine kinase inhibitors, and therapeutic options remain limited. We report the outcome of allogeneic stem cell transplantation in 64 patients with documented BCR-ABL(T315I) mutations. Median follow......) as unfavorable factors. We conclude that allogeneic stem cell transplantation represents a valuable therapeutic tool for eligible patients with BCR-ABL(T315I) mutation, a tool that may or may not be replaced by third-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors....

  10. Inhibitory effect of PTD-OD-HA fusion protein on Bcr-Abl in K562 cells

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    Miao GAO

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Objective To study the transduction dynamics, location of PTD-OD-HA fusion protein and its interaction with Bcr-Abl oncoprotein in K562 cell lines, and explore the influence of PTD-OD-HA fusion protein on oligomerization and tyrosine kinase activity of Bcr-Abl. Methods PTD-OD-HA fusion protein was labeled with FITC and co-cultured with K562 cells. The transduction efficiency of labeled PTD-OD-HA at different doses and time intervals was observed under fluorescence microscope. The location of labeled PTD-OD-HA fusion protein in K562 cells was detected by confocal microscopy. The interaction of PTD-OD-HA fusion protein with Bcr-Abl oncoprotein was confirmed by coimmunoprecipitation. The phosphorylation of Bcr-Abl oncoprotein was detected by Western blotting. Results PTD-OD-HA fusion protein labeled with FITC was transduced into K562 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. PTD-OD-HA fusion protein was located in the cytoplasm of K562 cells and was consistent with the location of Bcr-Abl oncoprotein. The interaction of PTD-OD-HA fusion protein with Bcr-Abl oncoprotein was proved in K562 cells. This interaction could interrupt the homologous oligomerization of Bcr-Abl oncoprotein and reduce the phosphorylation of Bcr-Abl oncoprotein. Conclusion PTD-OD-HA fusion protein could be transduced into K562 cells efficiently, inhibit the oligomerization and reduce the phosphorylation of Bcr-Abl oncoprotein.

  11. Tyrosine kinase fusion genes in pediatric BCR-ABL1-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia

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    Boer, Judith M.; Steeghs, Elisabeth M.P.; Marchante, João R.M.; Boeree, Aurélie; Beaudoin, James J.; Berna Beverloo, H.; Kuiper, Roland P.; Escherich, Gabriele; van der Velden, Vincent H.J.; van der Schoot, C. Ellen; de Groot-Kruseman, Hester A.; Pieters, Rob; den Boer, Monique L.

    2017-01-01

    Approximately 15% of pediatric B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL) is characterized by gene expression similar to that of BCR-ABL1-positive disease and unfavorable prognosis. This BCR-ABL1-like subtype shows a high frequency of B-cell development gene aberrations and tyrosine kinase-activating lesions. To evaluate the clinical significance of tyrosine kinase gene fusions in children with BCP-ALL, we studied the frequency of recently identified tyrosine kinase fusions, associated genetic features, and prognosis in a representative Dutch/German cohort. We identified 14 tyrosine kinase fusions among 77 BCR-ABL1-like cases (18%) and none among 76 non-BCR-ABL1-like B-other cases. Novel exon fusions were identified for RCSD1-ABL2 and TERF2-JAK2. JAK2 mutation was mutually exclusive with tyrosine kinase fusions and only occurred in cases with high CRLF2 expression. The non/late response rate and levels of minimal residual disease in the fusion-positive BCR-ABL1-like group were higher than in the non-BCR-ABL1-like B-others (p<0.01), and also higher, albeit not statistically significant, compared with the fusion-negative BCR-ABL1-like group. The 8-year cumulative incidence of relapse in the fusion-positive BCR-ABL1-like group (35%) was comparable with that in the fusion-negative BCR-ABL1-like group (35%), and worse than in the non-BCR-ABL1-like B-other group (17%, p=0.07). IKZF1 deletions, predominantly other than the dominant-negative isoform and full deletion, co-occurred with tyrosine kinase fusions. This study shows that tyrosine kinase fusion-positive cases are a high-risk subtype of BCP-ALL, which warrants further studies with specific kinase inhibitors to improve outcome. PMID:27894077

  12. Interphase FISH for BCR-ABL1 rearrangement on neutrophils: A decisive tool to discriminate a lymphoid blast crisis of chronic myeloid leukemia from a de novo BCR-ABL1 positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

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    Balducci, Estelle; Loosveld, Marie; Rahal, Ilhem; Boudjarane, John; Alazard, Emilie; Missirian, Chantal; Lafage-Pochitaloff, Marina; Michel, Gérard; Zattara, Hélène

    2018-02-01

    Discrimination between lymphoid blast crisis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and de novo BCR-ABL1 positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) represents a diagnostic challenge because this distinction has a major incidence on the management of patients. Here, we report an uncommon pediatric case of ALL with cryptic ins(22;9)(q11;q34q34) and p190-type BCR-ABL1 transcript. We performed interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for BCR-ABL1 rearrangement on blood neutrophils, which was positive consistent with the diagnosis of lymphoid blast crisis of CML. This case illustrates the major interest of interphase FISH for BCR-ABL1 rearrangement on blood neutrophils as a decisive method to discriminate a lymphoid blast crisis of CML from a de novo BCR-ABL1 positive ALL. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  13. c-Myb and its target Bmi1 are required for p190BCR/ABL leukemogenesis in mouse and human cells.

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    Waldron, T; De Dominici, M; Soliera, A R; Audia, A; Iacobucci, I; Lonetti, A; Martinelli, G; Zhang, Y; Martinez, R; Hyslop, T; Bender, T P; Calabretta, B

    2012-04-01

    Expression of c-Myb is required for normal hematopoiesis and for proliferation of myeloid leukemia blasts and a subset of T-cell leukemia, but its role in B-cell leukemogenesis is unknown. We tested the role of c-Myb in p190(BCR/ABL)-dependent B-cell leukemia in mice transplanted with p190(BCR/ABL)-transduced marrow cells with a c-Myb allele (Myb(f/d)) and in double transgenic p190(BCR/ABL)/Myb(w/d) mice. In both models, loss of a c-Myb allele caused a less aggressive B-cell leukemia. In p190(BCR/ABL)-expressing human B-cell leukemia lines, knockdown of c-Myb expression suppressed proliferation and colony formation. Compared with c-Myb(w/f) cells, expression of Bmi1, a regulator of stem cell proliferation and maintenance, was decreased in pre-B cells from Myb(w/d) p190(BCR/ABL) transgenic mice. Ectopic expression of a mutant c-Myb or Bmi1 enhanced the proliferation and colony formation of Myb(w/d) p190(BCR/ABL) B-cells; by contrast, Bmi1 downregulation inhibited colony formation of p190(BCR/ABL)-expressing murine B cells and human B-cell leukemia lines. Moreover, c-Myb interacted with a segment of the human Bmi1 promoter and enhanced its activity. In blasts from 19 Ph(1) adult acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients, levels of c-Myb and Bmi1 showed a positive correlation. Together, these findings support the existence of a c-Myb-Bmi1 transcription-regulatory pathway required for p190(BCR/ABL) leukemogenesis.

  14. Heterogeneity of genomic fusion of BCR and ABL in Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rubin, C.M.; Carrino, J.J.; Dickler, M.N.; Leibowitz, D.; Smith, S.D.; Westbrook, C.A.

    1988-01-01

    Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia occurs in two molecular forms, those with and those without rearrangement of the breakpoint cluster region on chromosome 22. The molecular abnormality in the former group is similar to that found in chronic myelogenous leukemia. To characterize the abnormality in the breakpoint cluster region-unrearranged form, the authors have mapped a 9; 22 translocation from the Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia cell line SUP-B13 by using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and have cloned the DNA at the translocation junctions. They demonstrate a BCR-ABL fusion gene on the Philadelphia chromosome. The exons from ABL are the same. Analysis of leukemic cells from four other patients with breakpoint cluster region-unrearranged Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia revealed a rearrangement on chromosome 22 close to the breakpoint in SUP-B13 in only one patient. These data indicate that breakpoints do not cluster tightly in this region but are scattered, possibly in a large intron. Given the large size of BCR and the heterogeneity in breakpoint location, detection of BCR rearrangement by standard Southern blot analysis is difficult. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis should allow detection at the DNA level in every patient and thus will permit clinical correlation of the breakpoint location with prognosis

  15. The Role of Mitochondrial DNA Damage and Repair in the Resistance of BCR/ABL-Expressing Cells to Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors

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    Janusz Blasiak

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML is a hematological malignancy that arises from the transformation of stem hematopoietic cells by the fusion oncogene BCR/ABL and subsequent clonal expansion of BCR/ABL-positive progenitor leukemic cells. The BCR/ABL protein displays a constitutively increased tyrosine kinase activity that alters many regulatory pathways, leading to uncontrolled growth, impaired differentiation and increased resistance to apoptosis featured by leukemic cells. Current CML therapy is based on tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs, primarily imatinib, which induce apoptosis in leukemic cells. However, some patients show primary resistance to TKIs while others develop it in the course of therapy. In both cases, resistance may be underlined by perturbations in apoptotic signaling in leukemic cells. As mitochondria may play an important role in such signaling, alteration in mitochondrial metabolism may change resistance to pro-apoptotic action of TKIs in BCR/ABL-positive cells. Because BCR/ABL may induce reactive oxygen species and unfaithful DNA repair, it may affect the stability of mitochondrial DNA, influencing mitochondrial apoptotic signaling and in this way change the sensitivity of CML cells to TKIs. Moreover, cancer cells, including BCR/ABL-positive cells, show an increased level of glucose metabolism, resulting from the shift from oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis to supply ATP for extensive proliferation. Enhanced level of glycolysis may be associated with TKI resistance and requires change in the expression of several genes regulated mostly by hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, HIF-1α. Such regulation may be associated with the impaired mitochondrial respiratory system in CML cells. In summary, mitochondria and mitochondria-associated molecules and pathways may be attractive targets to overcome TKI resistance in CML.

  16. Successful treatment with allogeneic stem cell transplantation followed by DLI and TKIs for e6a2 BCR-ABL-positive acute myeloid leukaemia

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    Harada, Yasuhiko; Nishiwaki, Satoshi; Sugimoto, Takumi; Onodera, Koichi; Goto, Tatsunori; Sato, Takahiko; Kamoshita, Sonoko; Kawashima, Naomi; Seto, Aika; Okuno, Shingo; Yamamoto, Satomi; Iwasaki, Toshihiro; Ozawa, Yukiyasu; Miyamura, Koichi; Akatsuka, Yoshiki; Sugiura, Isamu

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Rationale: Patients with the e6a2 BCR-ABL transcript, 1 of the atypical transcripts, have been reported to have a poor prognosis, and allogeneic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) can be considered as additional therapy. However, long-term survival after ASCT for this disease is rare. Patient concerns: This report concerns a 55-year-old female patient with e6a2 BCR-ABL-positive acute myeloid leukemia including the outcome of ASCT followed by donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI). Diagnoses: The breakpoint was confirmed by direct sequencing. Her minimal residual disease could be detected by nested reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction using primers for the minor BCR-ABL (e1a2) transcript. Interventions: Treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and ASCT followed by DLI. Outcomes: Despite multiple cytogenetic and molecular relapses after ASCT, she remains in molecular remission at 46 months after ASCT. Lessons: This case indicates the efficacy of the combination of the graft-versus-leukemia effect and TKIs for e6a2 BCR-ABL-positive acute leukemia. When the Philadelphia chromosome with an unusual chromosomal breakpoint is suggested, we should clarify the breakpoint because that information can aid molecular assessments and decisions to provide an additional or alternative therapy. PMID:29390324

  17. Autophagy induction by Bcr-Abl-expressing cells facilitates their recovery from a targeted or nontargeted treatment.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Crowley, Lisa C

    2012-01-31

    Although Imatinib has transformed the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), it is not curative due to the persistence of resistant cells that can regenerate the disease. We have examined how Bcr-Abl-expressing cells respond to two mechanistically different therapeutic agents, etoposide and Imatinib. We also examined Bcr-Abl expression at low and high levels as elevated expression has been associated with treatment failure. Cells expressing low levels of Bcr-Abl undergo apoptosis in response to the DNA-targeting agent (etoposide), whereas high-Bcr-Abl-expressing cells primarily induce autophagy. Autophagic populations engage a delayed nonapoptotic death; however, sufficient cells evade this and repopulate following the withdrawal of the drug. Non-Bcr-Abl-expressing 32D or Ba\\/F3 cells induce both apoptosis and autophagy in response to etoposide and can recover. Imatinib treatment induces both apoptosis and autophagy in all Bcr-Abl-expressing cells and populations rapidly recover. Inhibition of autophagy with ATG7 and Beclin1 siRNA significantly reduced the recovery of Imatinib-treated K562 cells, indicating the importance of autophagy for the recovery of treated cells. Combination regimes incorporating agents that disrupt Imatinib-induced autophagy would remain primarily targeted and may improve response to the treatment in CML.

  18. Overcoming Bcr-Abl T315I mutation by combination of GNF-2 and ATP competitors in an Abl-independent mechanism

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khateb, Mamduh; Ruimi, Nili; Khamisie, Hazem; Najajreh, Yousef; Mian, Afsar; Metodieva, Anna; Ruthardt, Martin; Mahajna, Jamal

    2012-01-01

    Philadelphia positive leukemias are characterized by the presence of Bcr-Abl fusion protein which exhibits an abnormal kinase activity. Selective Abl kinase inhibitors have been successfully established for the treatment of Ph (+) leukemias. Despite high rates of clinical response, Ph (+) patients can develop resistance against these kinase inhibitors mainly due to point mutations within the Abl protein. Of special interest is the ‘gatekeeper’ T315I mutation, which confers complete resistance to Abl kinase inhibitors. Recently, GNF-2, Abl allosteric kinase inhibitor, was demonstrated to possess cellular activity against Bcr-Abl transformed cells. Similarly to Abl kinase inhibitors (AKIs), GNF-2 failed to inhibit activity of mutated Bcr-Abl carrying the T315I mutation. Ba/F3 cells harboring native or T315I mutated Bcr-Abl constructs were treated with GNF-2 and AKIs. We monitored the effect of GNF-2 with AKIs on the proliferation and clonigenicity of the different Ba/F3 cells. In addition, we monitored the auto-phosphorylation activity of Bcr-Abl and JAK2 in cells treated with GNF-2 and AKIs. In this study, we report a cooperation between AKIs and GNF-2 in inhibiting proliferation and clonigenicity of Ba/F3 cells carrying T315I mutated Bcr-Abl. Interestingly, cooperation was most evident between Dasatinib and GNF-2. Furthermore, we showed that GNF-2 was moderately active in inhibiting the activity of JAK2 kinase, and presence of AKIs augmented GNF-2 activity. Our data illustrated the ability of allosteric inhibitors such as GNF-2 to cooperate with AKIs to overcome T315I mutation by Bcr-Abl-independent mechanisms, providing a possibility of enhancing AKIs efficacy and overcoming resistance in Ph+ leukemia cells

  19. Regulatory effects of sestrin 3 (SESN3 in BCR-ABL expressing cells.

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    Eliza Vakana

    Full Text Available Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML and Ph+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL are characterized by the presence of the BCR-ABL oncoprotein, which leads to activation of a plethora of pro-mitogenic and pro-survival pathways, including the mTOR signaling cascade. We provide evidence that in BCR-ABL expressing cells, treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs results in upregulation of mRNA levels and protein expression of sestrin3 (SESN3, a unique cellular inhibitor of mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1. Such upregulation appears to be mediated by regulatory effects on mTOR, as catalytic inhibition of the mTOR kinase also induces SESN3. Catalytic mTOR inhibition also results in upregulation of SESN3 expression in cells harboring the TKI-insensitive T315I-BCR-ABL mutant, which is resistant to imatinib mesylate. Overexpression of SESN3 results in inhibitory effects on different Ph+ leukemic cell lines including KT-1-derived leukemic precursors, indicating that SESN3 mediates anti-leukemic responses in Ph+ cells. Altogether, our findings suggest the existence of a novel mechanism for the generation of antileukemic responses in CML cells, involving upregulation of SESN3 expression.

  20. The proto-oncogene product p120CBL and the adaptor proteins CRKL and c-CRK link c-ABL, p190BCR/ABL and p210BCR/ABL to the phosphatidylinositol-3' kinase pathway.

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    Sattler, M; Salgia, R; Okuda, K; Uemura, N; Durstin, M A; Pisick, E; Xu, G; Li, J L; Prasad, K V; Griffin, J D

    1996-02-15

    Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and some acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALL) are caused by the t(9;22) chromosome translocation, which produces the constitutively activated BCR/ABL tyrosine kinase. When introduced into factor dependent hematopoietic cell lines, BCR/ABL induces the tyrosine phosphorylation of many cellular proteins. One prominent BCR/ABL substrate is p120CBL, the cellular homolog of the v-Cbl oncoprotein. In an effort to understand the possible contribution of p120CBL to transformation by BCR/ABL, we looked for cellular proteins which associate with p120CBL in hematopoietic cell lines transformed by BCR/ABL. In addition to p210BCR/ABL and c-ABL, p120CBL coprecipitated with an 85 kDa phosphoprotein, which was identified as the p85 subunit of PI3K. Anti-p120CBL immunoprecipitates from BCR/ABL-transformed, but not from untransformed, cell lines contained PI3K lipid kinase activity. Interestingly, the adaptor proteins CRKL and c-CRK were also found in these complexes. In vitro binding studies indicated that the SH2 domains of CRKL and c-CRK bound directly to p120CBL, while the SH3 domains of c-CRK and CRKL bound to BCR/ABL and c-ABL. The N-terminal and the C-terminal SH2 and the SH3 domain of p85PI3K bound directly in vitro to p120CBL. The ABL-SH2, but not ABL-SH3, could also bind to p120CBL. These data suggest that BCR/ABL may induce the formation of multimeric complexes of signaling proteins which include p120CBL, PI3K, c-CRK or CRKL, c-ABL and BCR/ABL itself.

  1. Growth of chronic myeloid leukemia cells is inhibited by infection with Ad-SH2-HA adenovirus that disrupts Grb2-Bcr-Abl complexes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Zhi; Luo, Hong-Wei; Yuan, Ying; Shi, Jing; Huang, Shi-Feng; Li, Chun-Li; Cao, Wei-Xi; Huang, Zong-Gan; Feng, Wen-Li

    2011-05-01

    The persistence of Bcr-Abl-positive cells in patients on imatinib therapy indicates that inhibition of the Bcr-Abl kinase activity alone might not be sufficient to eradicate the leukemia cells. Many downstream effectors of Bcr-Abl have been described, including activation of both the Grb2-SoS-Ras-MAPK and Grb2-Gab2-PI3K-Akt pathways. The Bcr-Abl-Grb2 interaction, which is mediated by the direct interaction of the Grb2 SH2 domain with the phospho-Bcr-Abl Y177, is required for activation of these signaling pathways. Therefore, disrupting their interaction represents a potential therapeutic strategy for inhibiting the oncogenic downstream signals of Bcr-Abl. Adenovirus Ad-SH2-HA expressing the Grb2 SH2 domain was constructed and applied in this study. As expected, Ad-SH2-HA efficiently infected CML cells and functioned by binding to the phospho-Bcr-Abl Y177 site, competitively disrupting the Grb2 SH2-phospho-Bcr-Abl Y177 complex. They induced potent anti-proliferation and apoptosis-inducing effects in CML cell lines. Moreover, the Ras, MAPK and Akt activities were significantly reduced in the Ad-SH2-HA treated cells. These were not observed with the point-mutated control adenovirus Ad-Sm-HA with abolished phospho-Bcr-Abl Y177 binding sites. These data indicate that, in addition to the direct targeting of Bcr-Abl, selective inhibition of its downstream signaling pathways may be a therapeutic option for CML, and the Ad-SH2-HA-mediated killing strategy could be explored as a promising anti-leukemia agent in CML.

  2. Quantification of BCR-ABL transcripts in peripheral blood cells and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Purpose: To investigate the feasibility of using peripheral blood plasma samples as surrogates for blood cell sampling for quantification of breakpoint cluster region-Abelson oncogene (BCR-ABL) transcript levels to monitor treatment responses in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. Methods: Peripheral blood samples ...

  3. Characterization of the CDR3 structure of the Vβ21 T cell clone in patients with P210(BCR-ABL)-positive chronic myeloid leukemia and B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zha, Xianfeng; Chen, Shaohua; Yang, Lijian; Li, Bo; Chen, Yu; Yan, Xiaojuan; Li, Yangqiu

    2011-10-01

    The clonally expanded T cells identified in most cancer patients that respond to tumor-associated antigen such as P210(BCR-ABL) protein have definite, specific antitumor cytotoxicity. T cell receptor (TCR) Vβ CDR3 repertoire diversity was analyzed in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and BCR-ABL(+) B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) by GeneScan. A high frequency of oligoclonal expansion of the TCR Vβ21 subfamily was observed in the peripheral blood of CML and B-ALL patients. These clonally expanded Vβ21 T cells were correlated with the pathophysiologic process of CML. A conserved amino acid motif (SLxxV) was observed within the CDR3 region in only 3 patients with CML. Preferential usage of the Jβ segments was also observed in a minority of patients. The 3-dimensional structures of the CDR3 region containing the same motif or using the same Jβ segment displayed low similarity; on the contrary, the conformation of the CDR3 region containing no conserved motif in some T cell clones was highly similar. In conclusion, our findings indicate a high frequency of TCR Vβ21 subfamily expansion in p210(BCR-ABL)-positive CML and B-ALL patients. The characterization of the CDR3 structure was complex. Regrettably, at this time it was not possible to confirm that the Vβ21 T cell clones were derived from the stimulation of p210(BCR-ABL) protein. Copyright © 2011 American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Susceptibility of Ph-positive all to TKI therapy associated with Bcr-Abl rearrangement patterns: a retrospective analysis.

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    Yu Jing

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs have demonstrated success in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL in patients that express BCR-ABL rearrangements (Philadelphia chromosome [Ph]. The current study aimed to assess the efficacy of TKIs and prognostic factors in the treatment of adults with Ph+-ALL. METHODS: In this multicenter retrospective study, the relationship between Ph+-ALL and treatment outcomes among Chinese patients receiving TKI-containing induction/consolidation chemotherapy was examined. A total of 86 Ph+-ALL patients were included and followed for 3.85 (0.43-9.30 years. Overall survival (OS and event-free survival (EFS were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 86 Ph+-ALL patients (40 females and 46 males; median age: 34.0 years were enrolled, including those with BCR/ABL transcripts 190 (n = 52, 210 (n = 25, and 230 (n = 2; BCR/ABL isoform determination was not available for 7 patients. Mortality was influenced by variable BCR/ABL transcripts and TKI administration, and BCR/ABL transcripts, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT, and TKI administration were associated with the occurrence of events. The OS rate in the TKI administration group during steady state was significantly higher compared with those patients who did not receive TKI administration (P = 0.008, the EFS rate in the TKI administration group during steady state was significantly higher compared with those patients who did not receive TKIs (P = 0.012, and also higher than those with TKI salvage administration (P = 0.004. BCR/ABL transcripts 210 showed preferable OS and EFS compared with BCR/ABL transcripts 190 and 230 (P<0.05 for each. CONCLUSIONS: The susceptibility of Ph+-ALL to TKI associated with the patterns of BCR-ABL rearrangement is demonstrated for the first time, thus adding another risk-stratifying molecular prognostic tool for the management of patients with Ph+-ALL.

  5. Hypoxia-Like Signatures Induced by BCR-ABL Potentially Alter the Glutamine Uptake for Maintaining Oxidative Phosphorylation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pallavi Sontakke

    Full Text Available The Warburg effect is probably the most prominent metabolic feature of cancer cells, although little is known about the underlying mechanisms and consequences. Here, we set out to study these features in detail in a number of leukemia backgrounds. The transcriptomes of human CB CD34+ cells transduced with various oncogenes, including BCR-ABL, MLL-AF9, FLT3-ITD, NUP98-HOXA9, STAT5A and KRASG12V were analyzed in detail. Our data indicate that in particular BCR-ABL, KRASG12V and STAT5 could impose hypoxic signaling under normoxic conditions. This coincided with an upregulation of glucose importers SLC2A1/3, hexokinases and HIF1 and 2. NMR-based metabolic profiling was performed in CB CD34+ cells transduced with BCR-ABL versus controls, both cultured under normoxia and hypoxia. Lactate and pyruvate levels were increased in BCR-ABL-expressing cells even under normoxia, coinciding with enhanced glutaminolysis which occurred in an HIF1/2-dependent manner. Expression of the glutamine importer SLC1A5 was increased in BCR-ABL+ cells, coinciding with an increased susceptibility to the glutaminase inhibitor BPTES. Oxygen consumption rates also decreased upon BPTES treatment, indicating a glutamine dependency for oxidative phosphorylation. The current study suggests that BCR-ABL-positive cancer cells make use of enhanced glutamine metabolism to maintain TCA cell cycle activity in glycolytic cells.

  6. Bcr-Abl oncoproteins bind directly to activators of the Ras signalling pathway.

    OpenAIRE

    Puil, L; Liu, J; Gish, G; Mbamalu, G; Bowtell, D; Pelicci, P G; Arlinghaus, R; Pawson, T

    1994-01-01

    The cytosolic 185 and 210 kDa Bcr-Abl protein tyrosine kinases play important roles in the development of Philadelphia chromosome positive (Ph+) chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph+ ALL). p185 and p210 Bcr-Abl contain identical abl-encoded sequences juxtaposed to a variable number of bcr-derived amino acids. As the mitogenic and transforming activities of tyrosine kinases involve stimulation of the Ras pathway, we analyzed Bcr-Abl oncoproteins for interacti...

  7. Expression of p210 BCR/ABl increases hematopoietic progenitor cell radiosensitivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santucci, M.A.; Anklesaria, P.; Das, I.J.; Sakakeeny, M.A.; FitzGerald, T.J.; Greenberger, J.S.; Laneuville, P.

    1993-01-01

    The cytogenetic finding of the Ph1+ chromosome and its molecular biologic marker bcr/abl gene rearrangement in cells from patients with chronic myeloid leukemia are associated with a proliferative advantage of the Ph1+ clone in vivo. Although the transition to the acute terminal phase or blastic crisis is often associated with additional cytogenetic abnormalities, the molecular events which correlate the initial cytogenetic lesion with the terminal phase are poorly understood. Defective cellular DNA repair capacity is often associated with chromosomal instability, increased mutation frequency, and biologic alterations. The authors tested whether the protein product of the bcr/abl translocation (p210) could alter DNA repair after gamma-irradiation of murine cell lines expressing the bcr/abl cDNA. The 32D cl 3 parent, 32D cl 3 pYN (containing the control vector plasmid) and each of two sources of 32D cl 3 cells expressing p210 cDNA (32D-PC1 cell line and 32D-LG7 subclone) showed a D 0 of 1.62, 1.57, 1.16, and 1.27 Gy, respectively. Thus, expression of the p210 product induced a significant increase in radiosensitivity at the clinically relevant radiation therapy dose-rate. The increased radiosensitivity of p210-expressing cells persisted if cells were held before plating in a density-inhibited state for 8 hr after gamma-irradiation, indicating little effect on the repair of potentially lethal gamma-irradiation damage. The IL-3 dependent parent 32D cl 3 cells demonstrated programmed cell death in the absence of growth factor or following gamma-irradiation to 200 cGy. Expression of p210 cDNA in the 32D-PC1 and 32D-LG7 subclones abrogated IL-3 requirement of these cell lines and inhibited gamma-irradiation induced programmed cell death. These data suggest a role for p210 in amplifying gamma-irradiation DNA damage or broadly inhibiting DNA repair, conditions that may stimulate further cytogenetic alterations in hematopoietic cells. 43 refs., 3 figs., 1 tab

  8. Disrupting BCR-ABL in combination with secondary leukemia-specific pathways in CML cells leads to enhanced apoptosis and decreased proliferation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Woessner, David W; Lim, Carol S

    2013-01-07

    Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disorder caused by expression of the fusion gene BCR-ABL following a chromosomal translocation in the hematopoietic stem cell. Therapeutic management of CML uses tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), which block ABL-signaling and effectively kill peripheral cells with BCR-ABL. However, TKIs are not curative, and chronic use is required in order to treat CML. The primary failure for TKIs is through the development of a resistant population due to mutations in the TKI binding regions. This led us to develop the mutant coiled-coil, CC(mut2), an alternative method for BCR-ABL signaling inhibition by targeting the N-terminal oligomerization domain of BCR, necessary for ABL activation. In this article, we explore additional pathways that are important for leukemic stem cell survival in K562 cells. Using a candidate-based approach, we test the combination of CC(mut2) and inhibitors of unique secondary pathways in leukemic cells. Transformative potential was reduced following silencing of the leukemic stem cell factor Alox5 by RNA interference. Furthermore, blockade of the oncogenic protein MUC-1 by the novel peptide GO-201 yielded reductions in proliferation and increased cell death. Finally, we found that inhibiting macroautophagy using chloroquine in addition to blocking BCR-ABL signaling with the CC(mut2) was most effective in limiting cell survival and proliferation. This study has elucidated possible combination therapies for CML using novel blockade of BCR-ABL and secondary leukemia-specific pathways.

  9. BCR/ABL downregulates DNA-PK(CS)-dependent and upregulates backup non-homologous end joining in leukemic cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poplawski, Tomasz; Blasiak, Janusz

    2010-06-01

    Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) and homologous recombination repair (HRR) are the main mechanisms involved in the processing of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) in humans. We showed previously that the oncogenic tyrosine kinase BCR/ABL stimulated DSBs repair by HRR. To evaluate the role of BCR/ABL in DSBs repair by NHEJ we examined the ability of leukemic BCR/ABL-expressing cell line BV173 to repair DNA damage induced by two DNA topoisomerase II inhibitors: etoposide and sobuzoxane. DNA lesions induced by sobuzoxane are repaired by a NHEJ pathway which is dependent on the catalytic subunit of protein kinase dependent on DNA (DNA-PK(CS); D-NHEJ), whereas damage evoked by etoposide are repaired by two distinct NHEJ pathways, dependent on or independent of DNA-PK(CS) (backup NHEJ, B-NHEJ). Cells incubated with STI571, a highly specific inhibitor of BCR/ABL, displayed resistance to these agents associated with an accelerated kinetics of DSBs repair, as measured by the neutral comet assay and pulsed field gel electrophoresis. However, in a functional NHEJ assay, cells preincubated with STI571 repaired DSBs induced by a restriction enzyme with a lower efficacy than without the preincubation and addition of wortmannin, a specific inhibitor of DNA-PK(CS), did not change efficacy of the NHEJ reaction. We suggest that BCR/ABL switch on B-NHEJ which is more error-prone then D-NHEJ and in such manner contribute to the increase of the genomic instability of leukemic cells.

  10. Unexpected heterogeneity of BCR-ABL fusion mRNA detected by polymerase chain reaction in Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hooberman, A.L.; Carrino, J.J.; Leibowitz, D.; Rowley, J.D.; Le Beau, M.M.; Arlin, Z.A.; Westbrook, C.A.

    1989-01-01

    The Philadelphia (Ph 1 ) chromosome results in a fusion of portions of the BCR gene from chromosome 22 and the ABL gene from chromosome 9, producing a chimeric BCR-ABL mRNA and protein. In lymphoblastic leukemias, there are two molecular subtypes of the Ph 1 chromosome, one with a rearrangement of the breakpoint cluster region (bcr) of the BCR gene, producing the same 8.5-kilobase BCR-ABL fusion mRNA seen in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), and the other, without a bcr rearrangement, producing a 7.0-kilobase BCR-ABL fusion mRNA that is seen only in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). The authors studied the molecular subtype of the Ph 1 chromosome in 11 cases of Ph 1 -positive ALL, including 2 with a previous diagnosis of CML, using a sensitive method to analyze the mRNA species based on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). They observed unexpected heterogeneity in BCR-ABL mRNA in this population. They conclude that the PCR gives additional information about the Ph 1 chromosome gene products that cannot be obtained by genomic analysis, but that it cannot be used as the sole means of detection of this chromosomal abnormality in ALL because of the high incidence of false negative results

  11. Molecular measurement of BCR-ABL transcript variations in chronic myeloid leukemia patients in cytogenetic remission

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    Costa Juliana

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The monitoring of BCR-ABL transcript levels by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR has become important to assess minimal residual disease (MRD and standard of care in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML. In this study, we performed a prospective, sequential analysis using RT-qPCR monitoring of BCR-ABL gene rearrangements in blood samples from 91 CML patients in chronic phase (CP who achieved complete cytogenetic remission (CCyR and major molecular remission (MMR throughout imatinib treatment. Methods The absolute level of BCR-ABL transcript from peripheral blood was serially measured every 4 to 12 weeks by RT-qPCR. Only level variations > 0.5%, according to the international scale, was considered positive. Sequential cytogenetic analysis was also performed in bone marrow samples from all patients using standard protocols. Results Based on sequential analysis of BCR-ABL transcripts, the 91 patients were divided into three categories: (A 57 (62.6% had no variation on sequential analysis; (B 30 (32.9% had a single positive variation result obtained in a single sample; and (C 4 (4.39% had variations of BCR-ABL transcripts in at least two consecutive samples. Of the 34 patients who had elevated levels of transcripts (group B and C, 19 (55.8% had a BCR-ABL/BCR ratio, 13 (38.2% patients had a 1% to 10% increase and 2 patients had a >10% increase of RT-qPCR. The last two patients had lost a CCyR, and none of them showed mutations in the ABL gene. Transient cytogenetic alterations in Ph-negative cells were observed in five (5.5% patients, and none of whom lost CCyR. Conclusions Despite an increase levels of BCR-ABL/BCR ratio variations by RT-qPCR, the majority of CML patients with MMR remained in CCyR. Thus, such single variations should neither be considered predictive of subsequent failure and nor an indication for altering imatinib dose or switching to second generation therapy. Changing of

  12. Overcoming imatinib resistance using Src inhibitor CGP76030, Abl inhibitor nilotinib and Abl/Lyn inhibitor INNO-406 in newly established K562 variants with BCR-ABL gene amplification.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morinaga, Koji; Yamauchi, Takahiro; Kimura, Shinya; Maekawa, Taira; Ueda, Takanori

    2008-06-01

    Because imatinib (IM) resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia is primarily caused by the re-establishment of Abl kinase, new inhibitors may be efficacious. We evaluated 3 new agents against 2 new K562 variants, IM-R1 and IM-R2 cells, which were developed having 7- and 27-fold greater IM resistance, respectively, than the parental K562 cells. Both variants possessed BCR-ABL gene amplification along with elevated levels of its transcript and protein. Greater BCR-ABL gene amplification was observed in IM-R2 cells than in IM-R1 cells, which was consistent with the higher mRNA and protein levels of Bcr-Abl, and ultimately correlated with the greater IM resistance in IM-R2 cells. No mutation in the Abl kinase domain was detected in either variant. Despite the absence of Lyn overexpression, the Src kinase inhibitor CGP76030 showed positive cooperability with IM in inhibiting cell growth of not only K562 cells but also these 2 variants. This might be because of the augmented inhibition of Erk1/2 phosphorylation. The new Abl kinase inhibitor nilotinib was 10-fold more potent than IM in inhibiting the growth of K562 cells. Nilotinib inhibited the growth of IM-R1 and IM-R2 cells as potently as K562 cells. The combination of nilotinib with CGP76030 showed little additivity, because the potency of nilotinib masked the efficacy of CGP76030. The new dual Abl/Lyn inhibitor INNO-406 (formerly NS-187) was slightly more potent than nilotinib in inhibiting the growth of all 3 cell lines. Because BCR-ABL gene amplification occurs in blast crisis, these inhibitors might overcome IM resistance in such patients' leukemia. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  13. Targeting the SH2-kinase interface in Bcr-Abl inhibits leukemogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grebien, Florian; Hantschel, Oliver; Wojcik, John; Kaupe, Ines; Kovacic, Boris; Wyrzucki, Arkadiusz M; Gish, Gerald D; Cerny-Reiterer, Sabine; Koide, Akiko; Beug, Hartmut; Pawson, Tony; Valent, Peter; Koide, Shohei; Superti-Furga, Giulio

    2011-10-14

    Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is caused by the constitutively active tyrosine kinase Bcr-Abl and treated with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) imatinib. However, emerging TKI resistance prevents complete cure. Therefore, alternative strategies targeting regulatory modules of Bcr-Abl in addition to the kinase active site are strongly desirable. Here, we show that an intramolecular interaction between the SH2 and kinase domains in Bcr-Abl is both necessary and sufficient for high catalytic activity of the enzyme. Disruption of this interface led to inhibition of downstream events critical for CML signaling and, importantly, completely abolished leukemia formation in mice. Furthermore, disruption of the SH2-kinase interface increased sensitivity of imatinib-resistant Bcr-Abl mutants to TKI inhibition. An engineered Abl SH2-binding fibronectin type III monobody inhibited Bcr-Abl kinase activity both in vitro and in primary CML cells, where it induced apoptosis. This work validates the SH2-kinase interface as an allosteric target for therapeutic intervention. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Concomitant BCR-ABL1 positive chronic myelogenous leukemia emerging in a patient with MPL W515L associated primary myelofibrosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan C. Gomez-Gelvez, MD

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs are clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders characterized by proliferation of one or more cell lineages in the bone marrow. At present, the main criterion in the 2008 World Health Organization classification of MPNs is the presence of an underlying genetic abnormality. These mutations are generally mutually exclusive except for rare reports in the literature. We report for the first time a detailed analysis of the clinical, histologic and cytogenetic/molecular features of a patient who initially presented with MPL W515L positive primary myelofibrosis and over the course of five years developed an MPN associated with both BCR-ABL1 and MPL W515L mutation. We discuss the diagnostic challenges and therapeutic implications of concomitant BCR-ABL1 translocation with MPL W515L mutation. Multiple genetic alterations may simultaneously coexist in patients exhibiting features of myeloproliferative disorders.

  15. Combined Targeting of BCL-2 and BCR-ABL Tyrosine Kinase Eradicates Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mak, Po Yee; Mu, Hong; Zhou, Hongsheng; Mak, Duncan H.; Schober, Wendy; Leverson, Joel D.; Zhang, Bin; Bhatia, Ravi; Huang, Xuelin; Cortes, Jorge; Kantarjian, Hagop; Konopleva, Marina

    2016-01-01

    BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are effective against chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), but they rarely eliminate CML stem cells. Disease relapse is common upon therapy cessation, even in patients with complete molecular responses. Furthermore, once CML progresses to blast crisis (BC), treatment outcomes are dismal. We hypothesized that concomitant targeting of BCL-2 and BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase could overcome these limitations. We demonstrate increased BCL-2 expression at the protein level in bone marrow cells, particularly in Lin−Sca-1+cKit+ cells of inducible CML in mice as determined by CyTOF mass cytometry. Further, selective inhibition of BCL-2, aided by TKI-mediated MCL-1 and BCL-XL inhibition, markedly decreased leukemic Lin−Sca-1+cKit+ cell numbers and long-term stem cell frequency, and prolonged survival in a murine CML model. Additionally, this combination effectively eradicated CD34+CD38−, CD34+CD38+, and quiescent stem/progenitor CD34+ cells from BC CML patient samples. Our results suggest that BCL-2 is a key survival factor for CML stem/progenitor cells and that combined inhibition of BCL-2 and BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase has the potential to significantly improve depth of response and cure rates of chronic phase and BC CML. PMID:27605552

  16. Bach2 regulates aberrant activation of B cell in systemic lupus erythematosus and can be negatively regulated by BCR-ABL/PI3K.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Zhengwei; Yang, Chao; Wen, Leilei; Liu, Lu; Zuo, Xianbo; Zhou, Fusheng; Gao, Jinping; Zheng, Xiaodong; Shi, Yinjuan; Zhu, Caihong; Liang, Bo; Yin, Xianyong; Wang, Wenjun; Cheng, Hui; Shen, Songke; Tang, Xianfa; Tang, Huayang; Sun, Liangdan; Zhang, Anping; Yang, Sen; Cui, Yong; Zhang, Xuejun; Sheng, Yujun

    2018-04-01

    This study was aimed to explore the effect of Bach2 on B cells in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), as well as the underlying mechanisms. Expression of Bach2, phosphorylated-Bach2 (p-Bach2), Akt, p-Akt and BCR-ABL (p210) in B cells isolated from SLE patients and the healthy persons were assessed by Western blot. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to assess the localization of Bach2 in B cells. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was employed to detect IgG produced by B cells. Cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) and Annexin-V FITC/PI double staining assay were adopted to evaluate cell proliferation and apoptosis in B cells, respectively. Compared to the healthy controls, Bach2, p-Akt and p210 were significantly decreased, while nuclear translocation of Bach2, IgG, CD40 and CD86 obviously up-regulated in B cells from SLE patients. Bach2 significantly inhibited the proliferation, promoted apoptosis of B cells from SLE patients, whereas BCR-ABL dramatically reversed cell changes induced by Bach2. Besides, BCR-ABL also inhibited nuclear translocation of Bach2 in B cells from SLE patients. Further, LY294002 treatment had no effect on decreased expression of Bach2 induced by BCR-ABL, but significantly eliminated BCR-ABL-induced phosphorylation of Bach2 and restored reduced nuclear translocation of Bach2 induced by BCR-ABL in B cells from SLE. Bach2 may play a suppressive role in B cells from SLE, and BCR-ABL may inhibit the nuclear translocation of Bach2 via serine phosphorylation through the PI3K pathway. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. A critical role of CDKN3 in Bcr-Abl-mediated tumorigenesis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qinghuang Chen

    Full Text Available CDKN3 (cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 3, a dual specificity protein phosphatase, dephosphorylates cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs and thus functions as a key negative regulator of cell cycle progression. Deregulation or mutations of CDNK3 have been implicated in various cancers. However, the role of CDKN3 in Bcr-Abl-mediated chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML remains unknown. Here we found that CDKN3 acts as a tumor suppressor in Bcr-Abl-mediated leukemogenesis. Overexpression of CDKN3 sensitized the K562 leukemic cells to imanitib-induced apoptosis and dramatically inhibited K562 xenografted tumor growth in nude mouse model. Ectopic expression of CDKN3 significantly reduced the efficiency of Bcr-Abl-mediated transformation of FDCP1 cells to growth factor independence. In contrast, depletion of CDKN3 expression conferred resistance to imatinib-induced apoptosis in the leukemic cells and accelerated the growth of xenograph leukemia in mice. In addition, we found that CDKN3 mutant (CDKN3-C140S devoid of the phosphatase activity failed to affect the K562 leukemic cell survival and xenografted tumor growth, suggesting that the phosphatase of CDKN3 was required for its tumor suppressor function. Furthermore, we observed that overexpression of CDKN3 reduced the leukemic cell survival by dephosphorylating CDK2, thereby inhibiting CDK2-dependent XIAP expression. Moreover, overexpression of CDKN3 delayed G1/S transition in K562 leukemic cells. Our results highlight the importance of CDKN3 in Bcr-Abl-mediated leukemogenesis, and provide new insights into diagnostics and therapeutics of the leukemia.

  18. Pristimerin induces apoptosis in imatinib-resistant chronic myelogenous leukemia cells harboring T315I mutation by blocking NF-κB signaling and depleting Bcr-Abl

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    Background Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) is characterized by the chimeric tyrosine kinase Bcr-Abl. Bcr-Abl-T315I is the notorious point mutation that causes resistance to imatinib and the second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors, leading to poor prognosis. CML blasts have constitutive p65 (RelA NF-κB) transcriptional activity, and NF-κB may be a potential target for molecular therapies in CML that may also be effective against CML cells with Bcr-Abl-T315I. Results In this report, we discovered that pristimerin, a quinonemethide triterpenoid isolated from Celastraceae and Hippocrateaceae, inhibited growth and induced apoptosis in CML cells, including the cells harboring Bcr-Abl-T315I mutation. Additionally, pristimerin inhibited the growth of imatinib-resistant Bcr-Abl-T315I xenografts in nude mice. Pristimerin blocked the TNFα-induced IκBα phosphorylation, translocation of p65, and expression of NF-κB-regulated genes. Pristimerin inhibited two steps in NF-κB signaling: TAK1→IKK and IKK→IκBα. Pristimerin potently inhibited two pairs of CML cell lines (KBM5 versus KBM5-T315I, 32D-Bcr-Abl versus 32D-Bcr-Abl-T315I) and primary cells from a CML patient with acquired resistance to imatinib. The mRNA and protein levels of Bcr-Abl in imatinib-sensitive (KBM5) or imatinib-resistant (KBM5-T315I) CML cells were reduced after pristimerin treatment. Further, inactivation of Bcr-Abl by imatinib pretreatment did not abrogate the TNFα-induced NF-κB activation while silencing p65 by siRNA did not affect the levels of Bcr-Abl, both results together indicating that NF-κB inactivation and Bcr-Abl inhibition may be parallel independent pathways. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first report to show that pristimerin is effective in vitro and in vivo against CML cells, including those with the T315I mutation. The mechanisms may involve inhibition of NF-κB and Bcr-Abl. We concluded that pristimerin could be a lead compound for further drug development to

  19. Frequency of BCR-ABL Transcript Types in Syrian CML Patients

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    Sulaf Farhat-Maghribi

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. In Syria, CML patients are started on tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs and monitored until complete molecular response is achieved. BCR-ABL mRNA transcript type is not routinely identified, contrary to the recommendations. In this study we aimed to identify the frequency of different BCR-ABL transcripts in Syrian CML patients and highlight their significance on monitoring and treatment protocols. Methods. CML patients positive for BCR-ABL transcripts by quantitative RT-PCR were enrolled. BCR-ABL transcript types were investigated using a home-made PCR method that was adapted from published protocols and optimized. The transcript types were then confirmed using a commercially available research kit. Results. Twenty-four transcripts were found in 21 patients. The most common was b2a2, followed by b3a2, b3a3, and e1a3 present solely in 12 (57.1%, 3 (14.3%, 2 (9.5%, and 1 (4.8%, respectively. Three samples (14.3% contained dual transcripts. While b3a2 transcript was apparently associated with warning molecular response to imatinib treatment, b2a2, b3a3, and e1a3 transcripts collectively proved otherwise (P=0.047. Conclusion. It might be advisable to identify the BCR-ABL transcript type in CML patients at diagnosis, using an empirically verified method, in order to link the detected transcript with the clinical findings, possible resistance to treatment, and appropriate monitoring methods.

  20. A BCR/ABL-hIL-2 DNA Vaccine Enhances the Immune Responses in BALB/c Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yanan Qin

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The use of a DNA vaccine encoding the BCR/ABL fusion gene is thought to be a promising approach for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML to eradicate minimal residual disease after treatment with chemotherapy or targeted therapy. In this study, our strategy employs genetic technology to create a DNA vaccine encoding the BCR/ABL fusion and human interleukin-2 (hIL-2 genes. The successfully constructed plasmids BCR/ABL-pIRES-hIL-2, BCR/ABL-pIRES, and pIRES-hIL-2 were delivered intramuscularly to BALB/c mice at 14-day intervals for three cycles. The transcription and expression of the BCR/ABL and hIL-2 genes were found in the injected muscle tissues. The interferon-γ (IFN-γ serum levels were increased, and the splenic CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio was significantly decreased in the BCR/ABL-pIRES-hIL-2-injected mice. Furthermore, specific antibodies against K562 cells could be detected by indirect immunofluorescence. These results indicate that a DNA vaccine containing BCR/ABL and hIL-2 together may elicit increased in vivo humoral and cellular immune responses in BALB/c mice.

  1. Blockade of Y177 and Nuclear Translocation of Bcr-Abl Inhibits Proliferation and Promotes Apoptosis in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Qianyin; Huang, Zhenglan; Gao, Miao; Cao, Weixi; Xiao, Qin; Luo, Hongwei; Feng, Wenli

    2017-03-02

    The gradual emerging of resistance to imatinib urgently calls for the development of new therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The fusion protein Bcr-Abl, which promotes the malignant transformation of CML cells, is mainly located in the cytoplasm, while the c-Abl protein which is expressed in the nucleus can induce apoptosis. Based on the hetero-dimerization of FKBP (the 12-kDa FK506- and rapamycin-binding protein) and FRB (the FKBP-rapamycin binding domain of the protein kinase, mTOR) mediated by AP21967, we constructed a nuclear transport system to induce cytoplasmic Bcr-Abl into nuclear. In this study, we reported the construction of the nuclear transport system, and we demonstrated that FN3R (three nuclear localization signals were fused to FRBT2098L with a FLAG tag), HF2S (two FKBP domains were in tandem and fused to the SH2 domain of Grb2 with an HA tag) and Bcr-Abl form a complexus upon AP21967. Bcr-Abl was imported into the nucleus successfully by the nuclear transport system. The nuclear transport system inhibited CML cell proliferation through mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) pathways mainly by HF2S. It was proven that nuclear located Bcr-Abl induced CML cell (including imatinib-resistant K562G01 cells) apoptosis by activation of p73 and its downstream molecules. In summary, our study provides a new targeted therapy for the CML patients even with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (TKI)-resistance.

  2. Blockade of Y177 and Nuclear Translocation of Bcr-Abl Inhibits Proliferation and Promotes Apoptosis in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qianyin Li

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The gradual emerging of resistance to imatinib urgently calls for the development of new therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML. The fusion protein Bcr-Abl, which promotes the malignant transformation of CML cells, is mainly located in the cytoplasm, while the c-Abl protein which is expressed in the nucleus can induce apoptosis. Based on the hetero-dimerization of FKBP (the 12-kDa FK506- and rapamycin-binding protein and FRB (the FKBP-rapamycin binding domain of the protein kinase, mTOR mediated by AP21967, we constructed a nuclear transport system to induce cytoplasmic Bcr-Abl into nuclear. In this study, we reported the construction of the nuclear transport system, and we demonstrated that FN3R (three nuclear localization signals were fused to FRBT2098L with a FLAG tag, HF2S (two FKBP domains were in tandem and fused to the SH2 domain of Grb2 with an HA tag and Bcr-Abl form a complexus upon AP21967. Bcr-Abl was imported into the nucleus successfully by the nuclear transport system. The nuclear transport system inhibited CML cell proliferation through mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK and signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5 pathways mainly by HF2S. It was proven that nuclear located Bcr-Abl induced CML cell (including imatinib-resistant K562G01 cells apoptosis by activation of p73 and its downstream molecules. In summary, our study provides a new targeted therapy for the CML patients even with Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor (TKI-resistance.

  3. Disrupting BCR-ABL in Combination with Secondary Leukemia-Specific Pathways in CML Cells Leads to Enhanced Apoptosis and Decreased Proliferation

    OpenAIRE

    Woessner, David W.; Lim, Carol S.

    2012-01-01

    Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative disorder caused by expression of the fusion gene BCR-ABL following a chromosomal translocation in the hematopoietic stem cell.1 Therapeutic management of CML uses tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), which blocks ABL-signaling and effectively kill peripheral cells with BCR-ABL. However, TKIs are not curative, and chronic use of is required in order to treat CML. The primary failure for TKIs is through development of a resistant population d...

  4. bcr-abl oncogene activation in Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hermans, A.; Gow, J.; Selleri, L.; von Lindern, M.; Hagemeijer, A.; Wiedemann, L. M.; Grosveld, G.

    1988-01-01

    Tumor-specific alterations in oncogenes are thought to play a central role in the development of cancer. An example is the consistent fusion of the bcr gene to the c-abl oncogene on the Ph chromosome in CML. The Ph chromosome can also be observed in ALL. About 50% of Ph+ ALL cases, in contrast to

  5. Coupling between p210bcr-abl and Shc and Grb2 adaptor proteins in hematopoietic cells permits growth factor receptor-independent link to ras activation pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tauchi, T; Boswell, H S; Leibowitz, D; Broxmeyer, H E

    1994-01-01

    Enforced expression of p210bcr-abl transforms interleukin 3 (IL-3)-dependent hematopoietic cell lines to growth factor-independent proliferation. It has been demonstrated that nonreceptor tyrosine kinase oncogenes may couple to the p21ras pathway to exert their transforming effect. In particular, p210bcr-abl was recently found to effect p21ras activation in hematopoietic cells. In this context, experiments were performed to evaluate a protein signaling pathway by which p210bcr-abl might regulate p21ras. It was asked whether Shc p46/p52, a protein containing a src-homology region 2 (SH2) domain, and known to function upstream from p21ras, might form specific complexes with p210bcr-abl and thus, possibly alter p21ras activity by coupling to the guanine nucleotide exchange factor (Sos/CDC25) through the Grb2 protein-Sos complex. This latter complex has been previously demonstrated to occur ubiquitously. We found that p210bcr-abl formed a specific complex with Shc and with Grb2 in three different murine cell lines transfected with a p210bcr-abl expression vector. There appeared to be a higher order complex containing Shc, Grb2, and bcr-abl proteins. In contrast to p210bcr-abl transformed cells, in which there was constitutive tight association between Grb2 and Shc, binding between Grb2 and Shc was Steel factor (SLF)-dependent in a SLF-responsive, nontransformed parental cell line. The SLF-dependent association between Grb2 and Shc in nontransformed cells involved formation of a complex of Grb2 with c-kit receptor after SLF treatment. Thus, p210bcr-abl appears to function in a hematopoietic p21ras activation pathway to allow growth factor-independent coupling between Grb2, which exists in a complex with the guanine nucleotide exchange factor (Sos), and p21ras. Shc may not be required for Grb2-c-kit interaction, because it fails to bind strongly to c-kit.

  6. Chronic myeloid leukemia may be associated with several bcr-abl transcripts including the acute lymphoid leukemia-type 7 kb transcript

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Selleri, L.; von Lindern, M.; Hermans, A.; Meijer, D.; Torelli, G.; Grosveld, G.

    1990-01-01

    In the majority of Philadelphia (Ph)-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients, the c-abl gene is fused to the bcr gene, resulting in the transcription of an 8.5 kb chimeric bcr-abl mRNA, which is translated into a p210bcr-abl fusion protein. In about 50% of the Ph-positive acute lymphoid

  7. Biodegradable charged polyester-based vectors (BCPVs) as an efficient non-viral transfection nanoagent for gene knockdown of the BCR-ABL hybrid oncogene in a human chronic myeloid leukemia cell line

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Chengbin; Panwar, Nishtha; Wang, Yucheng; Zhang, Butian; Liu, Maixian; Toh, Huiting; Yoon, Ho Sup; Tjin, Swee Chuan; Chong, Peter Han Joo; Law, Wing-Cheung; Chen, Chih-Kuang; Yong, Ken-Tye

    2016-04-01

    First-line therapy of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) has always involved the use of BCR-ABL tyrosine-kinase inhibitors which is associated with an abnormal chromosome called Philadelphia chromosome. Although the overall survival rate has been improved by the current therapeutic regime, the presence of resistance has resulted in limited efficacy. In this study, an RNA interference (RNAi)-based therapeutic regime is proposed with the aim to knockdown the BCR-ABL hybrid oncogene using small interfering RNA (siRNA). The siRNA transfection rates have usually been limited due to the declining contact probability among polyplexes and the non-adherent nature of leukemic cells. Our work aims at addressing this limitation by using a biodegradable charged polyester-based vector (BCPV) as a nanocarrier for the delivery of BCR-ABL-specific siRNA to the suspension culture of a K562 CML cell line. BCR-ABL siRNAs were encapsulated in the BCPVs by electrostatic force. Cell internalization was facilitated by the BCPV and assessed by confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. The regulation of the BCR-ABL level in K562 cells as a result of RNAi was analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). We observed that BCPV was able to form stable nanoplexes with siRNA molecules, even in the presence of fetal bovine serum (FBS), and successfully assisted in vitro siRNA transfection in the non-adherent K562 cells. As a consequence of downregulation of BCR-ABL, BCPV-siRNA nanoplexes inhibited cell proliferation and promoted cell apoptosis. All results were compared with a commercial transfection reagent, Lipofectamine2000™, which served as a positive control. More importantly, this class of non-viral vector exhibits biodegradable features and negligible cytotoxicity, thus providing a versatile platform to deliver siRNA to non-adherent leukemia cells with high transfection efficiency by effectively overcoming extra- and intra-cellular barriers. Due to the excellent in vitro

  8. Stat5 Exerts Distinct, Vital Functions in the Cytoplasm and Nucleus of Bcr-Abl+ K562 and Jak2(V617F)+ HEL Leukemia Cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weber, Axel; Borghouts, Corina; Brendel, Christian; Moriggl, Richard; Delis, Natalia; Brill, Boris; Vafaizadeh, Vida; Groner, Bernd

    2015-01-01

    Signal transducers and activators of transcription (Stats) play central roles in the conversion of extracellular signals, e.g., cytokines, hormones and growth factors, into tissue and cell type specific gene expression patterns. In normal cells, their signaling potential is strictly limited in extent and duration. The persistent activation of Stat3 or Stat5 is found in many human tumor cells and contributes to their growth and survival. Stat5 activation plays a pivotal role in nearly all hematological malignancies and occurs downstream of oncogenic kinases, e.g., Bcr-Abl in chronic myeloid leukemias (CML) and Jak2(V617F) in other myeloproliferative diseases (MPD). We defined the mechanisms through which Stat5 affects growth and survival of K562 cells, representative of Bcr-Abl positive CML, and HEL cells, representative for Jak2(V617F) positive acute erythroid leukemia. In our experiments we suppressed the protein expression levels of Stat5a and Stat5b through shRNA mediated downregulation and demonstrated the dependence of cell survival on the presence of Stat5. Alternatively, we interfered with the functional capacities of the Stat5 protein through the interaction with a Stat5 specific peptide ligand. This ligand is a Stat5 specific peptide aptamer construct which comprises a 12mer peptide integrated into a modified thioredoxin scaffold, S5-DBD-PA. The peptide sequence specifically recognizes the DNA binding domain (DBD) of Stat5. Complex formation of S5-DBD-PA with Stat5 causes a strong reduction of P-Stat5 in the nuclear fraction of Bcr-Abl-transformed K562 cells and a suppression of Stat5 target genes. Distinct Stat5 mediated survival mechanisms were detected in K562 and Jak2(V617F)-transformed HEL cells. Stat5 is activated in the nuclear and cytosolic compartments of K562 cells and the S5-DBD-PA inhibitor most likely affects the viability of Bcr-Abl + K562 cells through the inhibition of canonical Stat5 induced target gene transcription. In HEL cells, Stat5

  9. Expression of P190 and P210 BCR/ABL1 in normal human CD34(+) cells induces similar gene expression profiles and results in a STAT5-dependent expansion of the erythroid lineage

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Järås, Marcus; Johnels, Petra; Agerstam, Helena

    2009-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: The P190 and P210 BCR/ABL1 fusion genes are mainly associated with different types of hematologic malignancies, but it is presently unclear whether they are functionally different following expression in primitive human hematopoietic cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We investigated...... and systematically compared the effects of retroviral P190 BCR/ABL1 and P210 BCR/ABL1 expression on cell proliferation, differentiation, and global gene expression in human CD34(+) cells from cord blood. RESULTS: Expression of either P190 BCR/ABL1 or P210 BCR/ABL1 resulted in expansion of erythroid cells...... and stimulated erythropoietin-independent burst-forming unit-erythroid colony formation. By using a lentiviral anti-signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) short-hairpin RNA, we found that both P190 BCR/ABL1- and P210 BCR/ABL1-induced erythroid cell expansion were STAT5-dependent. Under...

  10. Association of HLA Class I and Class II genes with bcr-abl transcripts in leukemia patients with t(9;22 (q34;q11

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cano Pedro

    2004-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Based on the site of breakpoint in t(9;22 (q34;q11, bcr-abl fusion in leukemia patients is associated with different types of transcript proteins. In this study we have seen the association of HLA genes with different types of bcr-abl transcripts. The association could predict the bcr-abl peptide presentation by particular HLA molecules. Methods The study included a total of 189 patients of mixed ethnicity with chronic myelogenous leukemia and acute lymphocytic leukemia who were being considered for bone marrow transplantation. Typing of bcr-abl transcripts was done by reverse transcriptase PCR method. HLA typing was performed by molecular methods. The bcr-abl and HLA association was studied by calculating the relative risks and chi-square test. Results Significant negative associations (p Conclusions The negative associations of a particular bcr-abl transcript with specific HLA alleles suggests that these alleles play a critical role in presenting peptides derived from the chimeric proteins and eliciting a successful T-cell cytotoxic response. Knowledge of differential associations between HLA phenotypes and bcr-abl fusion transcript types would help in developing better strategies for immunization with the bcr-abl peptides against t(9;22 (q34;q11-positive leukemia.

  11. Suppression of bcr-abl synthesis by siRNAs or tyrosine kinase activity by Glivec alters different oncogenes, apoptotic/antiapoptotic genes and cell proliferation factors (microarray study).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhelev, Zhivko; Bakalova, Rumiana; Ohba, Hideki; Ewis, Ashraf; Ishikawa, Mitsuru; Shinohara, Yasuo; Baba, Yoshinobu

    2004-07-16

    Short 21-mer double-stranded/small-interfering RNAs (ds/siRNAs) were designed to target bcr-abl mRNA in chronic myelogenous leukemia. The ds/siRNAs were transfected into bcr-abl-positive K-562 (derived from blast crisis chronic myelogenous leukemia), using lipofectamine. Penetrating of ds/siRNAs into the cells was detected by fluorescent confocal microscopy, using fluorescein-labeled ds/siRNAs. The cells were treated with mix of three siRNA sequences (3 x 60 nM) during 6 days with three repetitive transfections. The siRNA-treatment was accompanied with significant reduction of bcr-abl mRNA, p210, protein tyrosine kinase activity and cell proliferation index. Treatment of cells with Glivec (during 8 days with four repetitive doses, 180 nM single dose) resulted in analogous reduction of cell proliferation activity, stronger suppression of protein tyrosine kinase activity, and very low reduction of p210. siRNA-mix and Glivec did not affect significantly the viability of normal lymphocytes. Microarray analysis of siRNA- and Glivec-treated K-562 cells demonstrated that both pathways of bcr-abl suppression were accompanied with overexpression and suppression of many different oncogenes, apoptotic/antiapoptotic and cell proliferation factors. The following genes of interest were found to decrease in relatively equal degree in both siRNA- and Glivec-treated cells: Bcd orf1 and orf2 proto-oncogene, chromatin-specific transcription elongation factor FACT 140-kDa subunit mRNA, gene encoding splicing factor SF1, and mRNA for Tec protein tyrosine kinase. siRNA-mix and Glivec provoked overexpression of the following common genes: c-jun proto-oncogene, protein kinase C-alpha, pvt-1 oncogene homologue (myc activator), interleukin-6, 1-8D gene from interferon-inducible gene family, tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily (10b), and STAT-induced STAT inhibitor.

  12. Detection of a rare BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase fusion protein in H929 multiple myeloma cells using immunoprecipitation (IP)-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Breitkopf, Susanne B; Yuan, Min; Pihan, German A; Asara, John M

    2012-10-02

    Hypothesis directed proteomics offers higher throughput over global analyses. We show that immunoprecipitation (IP)-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in H929 multiple myeloma (MM) cancer cells led to the discovery of a rare and unexpected BCR-ABL fusion, informing a therapeutic intervention using imatinib (Gleevec). BCR-ABL is the driving mutation in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and is uncommon to other cancers. Three different IP-MS experiments central to cell signaling pathways were sufficient to discover a BCR-ABL fusion in H929 cells: phosphotyrosine (pY) peptide IP, p85 regulatory subunit of phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) IP, and the GRB2 adaptor IP. The pY peptides inform tyrosine kinase activity, p85 IP informs the activating adaptors and receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) involved in AKT activation and GRB2 IP identifies RTKs and adaptors leading to ERK activation. Integration of the bait-prey data from the three separate experiments identified the BCR-ABL protein complex, which was confirmed by biochemistry, cytogenetic methods, and DNA sequencing revealed the e14a2 fusion transcript. The tyrosine phosphatase SHP2 and the GAB2 adaptor protein, important for MAPK signaling, were common to all three IP-MS experiments. The comparative treatment of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) drugs revealed only imatinib, the standard of care in CML, was inhibitory to BCR-ABL leading to down-regulation of pERK and pS6K and inhibiting cell proliferation. These data suggest a model for directed proteomics from patient tumor samples for selecting the appropriate TKI drug(s) based on IP and LC-MS/MS. The data also suggest that MM patients, in addition to CML patients, may benefit from BCR-ABL diagnostic screening.

  13. Heterogeneity of BCR-ABL rearrangement in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in Pakistan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabassum, Najia; Saboor, Mohammad; Ghani, Rubina; Moinuddin, Moinuddin

    2014-07-01

    Breakpoint cluster region-Abelson (BCR-ABL) rearrangement or Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is derived from a reciprocal chromosomal translocation between ABL gene on chromosome 9 and BCR gene on chromosome 22. This chimeric protein has various sizes and therefore different clinical behaviour. The purpose of this study was to determine the heterogeneity of BCR-ABL rearrangement in patients with Ph(+)CML in Pakistan. The study was conducted at Civil Hospital and Baqai Institute of Hematology (BIH) Karachi. Blood samples from 25 patients with CML were collected. Multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to identify various BCR-ABL transcripts. All 25 samples showed BCR-ABL rearrangements. Out of these, 24 (96%) patients expressed p210 BCR-ABL rearrangements i.e. 60% (n=15) had b3a2 and 32% (n=8) had b2a2 rearrangements. Co-expression of b3a2 /b2a2 rearrangement and p190 (e1a3) rearrangement was also identified in two patients. It is apparent that majority of the patients had p210 BCR-ABL rearrangements. Frequency of co-expression and rare fusion transcripts was very low.

  14. Expression of p190 BCR-ABL fusion gene in a patient with chronic myeloid leukemia Expressão do rearranjo gênico BCR-ABL com ponto de quebra na região menor do gene BCR em um paciente com leucemia mielóide crônica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. V. B. Carvalho

    2003-01-01

    Full Text Available A minority of chronic myeloid leukemia cases have breakpoints in the minor cluster region (m-bcr of the BCR-ABL gene. We report on a patient with Ph-positive and m-bcr breakpoint at diagnosis. She was treated with hydroxyurea and interferon-alpha. Two years later, she developed a lymphoid blast crisis and died shortly after. We discuss herein the different forms of the BCR-ABL oncogene, its products, and the possible influence of them on the clinical outcome of patients with the disease.A leucemia mielóide crônica (LMC é uma doença mieloproliferativa clonal e caracteriza-se pela presença da translocação cromossômica entre os braços longos dos cromossomos 9 e 22, o denominado cromossomo Ph. Esta translocação determina a fusão dos genes BCR e ABL. Os diferentes pontos de quebra no gene BCR determinam a síntese de proteínas com diferentes pesos moleculares pelo gene BCR-ABL. Nós relatamos o caso de uma paciente portadora de LMC com ponto de quebra cromossômico na região menor do gene BCR. Foi tratada com hidroxiuréia e interferon alfa. Dois anos após o diagnóstico desenvolveu crise blástica linfóide e evoluiu rapidamente para o óbito. Nós discutimos nesta apresentação as diferentes formas do gene BCR-ABL e seus produtos e a possível influência dos mesmos na evolução clínica dos pacientes com a doença.

  15. Loss of the xeroderma pigmentosum group B protein binding site impairs p210 BCR/ABL1 leukemogenic activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pannucci, N L; Li, D; Sahay, S; Thomas, E K; Chen, R; Tala, I; Hu, T; Ciccarelli, B T; Megjugorac, N J; Adams III, H C; Rodriguez, P L; Fitzpatrick, E R; Lagunoff, D; Williams, D A; Whitehead, I P

    2013-01-01

    Previous studies have demonstrated that p210 BCR/ABL1 interacts directly with the xeroderma pigmentosum group B (XPB) protein, and that XPB is phosphorylated on tyrosine in cells that express p210 BCR/ABL1. In the current study, we have constructed a p210 BCR/ABL1 mutant that can no longer bind to XPB. The mutant has normal kinase activity and interacts with GRB2, but can no longer phosphorylate XPB. Loss of XPB binding is associated with reduced expression of c-MYC and reduced transforming potential in ex-vivo clonogenicity assays, but does not affect nucleotide excision repair in lymphoid or myeloid cells. When examined in a bone marrow transplantation (BMT) model for chronic myelogenous leukemia, mice that express the mutant exhibit attenuated myeloproliferation and lymphoproliferation when compared with mice that express unmodified p210 BCR/ABL1. Thus, the mutant-transplanted mice show predominantly neutrophilic expansion and altered progenitor expansion, and have significantly extended lifespans. This was confirmed in a BMT model for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, wherein the majority of the mutant-transplanted mice remain disease free. These results suggest that the interaction between p210 BCR/ABL1 and XPB can contribute to disease progression by influencing the lineage commitment of lymphoid and myeloid progenitors

  16. Allosteric Inhibition of Bcr-Abl Kinase by High Affinity Monobody Inhibitors Directed to the Src Homology 2 (SH2)-Kinase Interface*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wojcik, John; Lamontanara, Allan Joaquim; Grabe, Grzegorz; Koide, Akiko; Akin, Louesa; Gerig, Barbara; Hantschel, Oliver; Koide, Shohei

    2016-01-01

    Bcr-Abl is a constitutively active kinase that causes chronic myelogenous leukemia. We have shown that a tandem fusion of two designed binding proteins, termed monobodies, directed to the interaction interface between the Src homology 2 (SH2) and kinase domains and to the phosphotyrosine-binding site of the SH2 domain, respectively, inhibits the Bcr-Abl kinase activity. Because the latter monobody inhibits processive phosphorylation by Bcr-Abl and the SH2-kinase interface is occluded in the active kinase, it remained undetermined whether targeting the SH2-kinase interface alone was sufficient for Bcr-Abl inhibition. To address this question, we generated new, higher affinity monobodies with single nanomolar KD values targeting the kinase-binding surface of SH2. Structural and mutagenesis studies revealed the molecular underpinnings of the monobody-SH2 interactions. Importantly, the new monobodies inhibited Bcr-Abl kinase activity in vitro and in cells, and they potently induced cell death in chronic myelogenous leukemia cell lines. This work provides strong evidence for the SH2-kinase interface as a pharmacologically tractable site for allosteric inhibition of Bcr-Abl. PMID:26912659

  17. Allosteric Inhibition of Bcr-Abl Kinase by High Affinity Monobody Inhibitors Directed to the Src Homology 2 (SH2)-Kinase Interface.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wojcik, John; Lamontanara, Allan Joaquim; Grabe, Grzegorz; Koide, Akiko; Akin, Louesa; Gerig, Barbara; Hantschel, Oliver; Koide, Shohei

    2016-04-15

    Bcr-Abl is a constitutively active kinase that causes chronic myelogenous leukemia. We have shown that a tandem fusion of two designed binding proteins, termed monobodies, directed to the interaction interface between the Src homology 2 (SH2) and kinase domains and to the phosphotyrosine-binding site of the SH2 domain, respectively, inhibits the Bcr-Abl kinase activity. Because the latter monobody inhibits processive phosphorylation by Bcr-Abl and the SH2-kinase interface is occluded in the active kinase, it remained undetermined whether targeting the SH2-kinase interface alone was sufficient for Bcr-Abl inhibition. To address this question, we generated new, higher affinity monobodies with single nanomolar KD values targeting the kinase-binding surface of SH2. Structural and mutagenesis studies revealed the molecular underpinnings of the monobody-SH2 interactions. Importantly, the new monobodies inhibited Bcr-Abl kinase activity in vitro and in cells, and they potently induced cell death in chronic myelogenous leukemia cell lines. This work provides strong evidence for the SH2-kinase interface as a pharmacologically tractable site for allosteric inhibition of Bcr-Abl. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  18. Stat5 Exerts Distinct, Vital Functions in the Cytoplasm and Nucleus of Bcr-Abl{sup +} K562 and Jak2(V617F){sup +} HEL Leukemia Cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Weber, Axel [Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt am Main 60596 (Germany); Borghouts, Corina [Ganymed Pharmaceuticals AG, Mainz 55131 (Germany); Brendel, Christian [Boston Children’s Hospital, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston, MA 02115 (United States); Moriggl, Richard [Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Cancer Research (LBI-CR), Vienna 1090 (Austria); Delis, Natalia; Brill, Boris; Vafaizadeh, Vida; Groner, Bernd, E-mail: Groner@em.uni-frankfurt.de [Georg-Speyer-Haus, Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Frankfurt am Main 60596 (Germany)

    2015-03-19

    Signal transducers and activators of transcription (Stats) play central roles in the conversion of extracellular signals, e.g., cytokines, hormones and growth factors, into tissue and cell type specific gene expression patterns. In normal cells, their signaling potential is strictly limited in extent and duration. The persistent activation of Stat3 or Stat5 is found in many human tumor cells and contributes to their growth and survival. Stat5 activation plays a pivotal role in nearly all hematological malignancies and occurs downstream of oncogenic kinases, e.g., Bcr-Abl in chronic myeloid leukemias (CML) and Jak2(V617F) in other myeloproliferative diseases (MPD). We defined the mechanisms through which Stat5 affects growth and survival of K562 cells, representative of Bcr-Abl positive CML, and HEL cells, representative for Jak2(V617F) positive acute erythroid leukemia. In our experiments we suppressed the protein expression levels of Stat5a and Stat5b through shRNA mediated downregulation and demonstrated the dependence of cell survival on the presence of Stat5. Alternatively, we interfered with the functional capacities of the Stat5 protein through the interaction with a Stat5 specific peptide ligand. This ligand is a Stat5 specific peptide aptamer construct which comprises a 12mer peptide integrated into a modified thioredoxin scaffold, S5-DBD-PA. The peptide sequence specifically recognizes the DNA binding domain (DBD) of Stat5. Complex formation of S5-DBD-PA with Stat5 causes a strong reduction of P-Stat5 in the nuclear fraction of Bcr-Abl-transformed K562 cells and a suppression of Stat5 target genes. Distinct Stat5 mediated survival mechanisms were detected in K562 and Jak2(V617F)-transformed HEL cells. Stat5 is activated in the nuclear and cytosolic compartments of K562 cells and the S5-DBD-PA inhibitor most likely affects the viability of Bcr-Abl{sup +} K562 cells through the inhibition of canonical Stat5 induced target gene transcription. In HEL cells

  19. [Development of Ph negative acute myeloid leukemia in a patient with minor-BCR/ABL positive chronic myeloid leukemia achieving a partial cytogenetic response during tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujii, Soichiro; Miura, Ikuo; Tanaka, Hideo

    2015-06-01

    A 78-year-old male, who had CKD and chronic heart failure, was referred to our hospital for evaluation of leukocytosis. His bone marrow contained 12% blast cells and chromosome analysis showed the Ph chromosome as well as other changes. The patient was diagnosed with the accelerated-phase CML because FISH and RT-PCR disclosed BCR/ABL fusion signals and minor BCR/ABL, respectively. Imatinib was administered, but the CML was resistant to this treatment. We gave him nilotinib employing a reduced and intermittent administration protocol because of the progression of anemia and heart failure. The patient achieved PCyR in 8 months, but, 12 months later, his WBC count increased and 83% of the cells were blasts. Because the probable diagnosis was the blast crisis of CML, we switched from nilotinib to dasatinib. However, leukocytosis worsened and he died of pneumonia. It was later revealed that he had a normal karyotype and both FISH and RT-PCR analysis of BCR/ABL were negative. His final diagnosis was Ph negative AML developing from Ph positive CML in PCyR. Since there were no dysplastic changes indicative of MDS, it was assumed that the AML was not secondary leukemia caused by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor but, rather, de novo AML.

  20. Predictive value of minimal residual disease in Philadelphia-chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with imatinib in the European intergroup study of post-induction treatment of Philadelphia-chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia, based on immunoglobulin/T-cell receptor and BCR/ABL1 methodologies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cazzaniga, Giovanni; De Lorenzo, Paola; Alten, Julia; Röttgers, Silja; Hancock, Jeremy; Saha, Vaskar; Castor, Anders; Madsen, Hans O.; Gandemer, Virginie; Cavé, Hélène; Leoni, Veronica; Köhler, Rolf; Ferrari, Giulia M.; Bleckmann, Kirsten; Pieters, Rob; van der Velden, Vincent; Stary, Jan; Zuna, Jan; Escherich, Gabriele; zur Stadt, Udo; Aricò, Maurizio; Conter, Valentino; Schrappe, Martin; Valsecchi, Maria Grazia; Biondi, Andrea

    2018-01-01

    The prognostic value of minimal residual disease (MRD) in Philadelphia-chromosome-positive (Ph+) childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors is not fully established. We detected MRD by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) of rearranged immunoglobulin/T-cell receptor genes (IG/TR) and/or BCR/ABL1 fusion transcript to investigate its predictive value in patients receiving Berlin-Frankfurt-Münster (BFM) high-risk (HR) therapy and post-induction intermittent imatinib (the European intergroup study of post-induction treatment of Philadelphia-chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (EsPhALL) study). MRD was monitored after induction (time point (TP)1), consolidation Phase IB (TP2), HR Blocks, reinductions, and at the end of therapy. MRD negativity progressively increased over time, both by IG/TR and BCR/ABL1. Of 90 patients with IG/TR MRD at TP1, nine were negative and none relapsed, while 11 with MRD<5×10−4 and 70 with MRD≥5×10−4 had a comparable 5-year cumulative incidence of relapse of 36.4 (15.4) and 35.2 (5.9), respectively. Patients who achieved MRD negativity at TP2 had a low relapse risk (5-yr cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR)=14.3[9.8]), whereas those who attained MRD negativity at a later date showed higher CIR, comparable to patients with positive MRD at any level. BCR/ABL1 MRD negative patients at TP1 had a relapse risk similar to those who were IG/TR MRD negative (1/8 relapses). The overall concordance between the two methods is 69%, with significantly higher positivity by BCR/ABL1. In conclusion, MRD monitoring by both methods may be functional not only for measuring response but also for guiding biological studies aimed at investigating causes for discrepancies, although from our data IG/TR MRD monitoring appears to be more reliable. Early MRD negativity is highly predictive of favorable outcome. The earlier MRD negativity is achieved, the better the prognosis. PMID

  1. Sensitive detection of pre-existing BCR-ABL kinase domain mutations in CD34+ cells of newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia patients is associated with imatinib resistance: implications in the post-imatinib era.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zafar Iqbal

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: BCR-ABL kinase domain mutations are infrequently detected in newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML patients. Recent studies indicate the presence of pre-existing BCR-ABL mutations in a higher percentage of CML patients when CD34+ stem/progenitor cells are investigated using sensitive techniques, and these mutations are associated with imatinib resistance and disease progression. However, such studies were limited to smaller number of patients. METHODS: We investigated BCR-ABL kinase domain mutations in CD34+ cells from 100 chronic-phase CML patients by multiplex allele-specific PCR and sequencing at diagnosis. Mutations were re-investigated upon manifestation of imatinib resistance using allele-specific PCR and direct sequencing of BCR-ABL kinase domain. RESULTS: Pre-existing BCR-ABL mutations were detected in 32/100 patients and included F311L, M351T, and T315I. After a median follow-up of 30 months (range 8-48, all patients with pre-existing BCR-ABL mutations exhibited imatinib resistance. Of the 68 patients without pre-existing BCR-ABL mutations, 24 developed imatinib resistance; allele-specific PCR and BCR-ABL kinase domain sequencing detected mutations in 22 of these patients. All 32 patients with pre-existing BCR-ABL mutations had the same mutations after manifestation of imatinib-resistance. In imatinib-resistant patients without pre-existing BCR-ABL mutations, we detected F311L, M351T, Y253F, and T315I mutations. All imatinib-resistant patients except T315I and Y253F mutations responded to imatinib dose escalation. CONCLUSION: Pre-existing BCR-ABL mutations can be detected in a substantial number of chronic-phase CML patients by sensitive allele-specific PCR technique using CD34+ cells. These mutations are associated with imatinib resistance if affecting drug binding directly or indirectly. After the recent approval of nilotinib, dasatinib, bosutinib and ponatinib for treatment of chronic myeloid

  2. Frequency of p190 and p210 BCR-ABL rearrangements and survival in Brazilian adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ilana de França Azevedo

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Objective: This study investigated the occurrence of the p190 and p210 break point clusterregion-Abelson (BCR-ABL rearrangements in adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and possible associations with clinical and laboratory characteristics and survival. Methods: Forty-one over 18-year-old patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia of both genders followed-up between January 2008 and May 2012 were included in this study. Clinical and laboratory data were obtained from the medical charts of the patients. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR using specific primers was employed to identify molecular rearrangements. Results: At diagnosis, the median age was 33 years, and there was a predominance of males (61%. The most common immunophenotype was B lineage (76%. BCR-ABL rearrangements was detected in 14 (34% patients with the following distribution: p190 (28%, p210 (50% and double positive (22%. Overall survival of patients with a mean/median of 331/246 days of follow up was 39%, respectively, negative BCR-ABL (44% and positive BCR-ABL (28%. Conclusion: These results confirm the high frequency of BCR-ABL rearrangements and the low survival rate of adult Brazilian patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

  3. Cytoprotective effect of imatinib mesylate in non-BCR-ABL-expressing cells along with autophagosome formation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohtomo, Tadashi; Miyazawa, Keisuke; Naito, Munekazu; Moriya, Shota; Kuroda, Masahiko; Itoh, Masahiro; Tomoda, Akio

    2010-01-01

    Treatment with imatinib mesylate (IM) results in an increased viable cell number of non-BCR-ABL-expressing cell lines by inhibiting spontaneous apoptosis. Electron microscopy revealed an increase of autophagosomes in response to IM. IM attenuated the cytotoxic effect of cytosine arabinoside, as well as inhibiting cell death with serum-deprived culture. Cytoprotection with autophagosome formation by IM was observed in various leukemia and cancer cell lines as well as normal murine embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). Complete inhibition of autophagy by knockdown of atg5 in the Tet-off atg5 -/- MEF system attenuated the cytoprotective effect of IM, indicating that the effect is partially dependent on autophagy. However, cytoprotection by IM was not mediated through suppression of ROS production via mitophagy, ER stress via ribophagy, or proapoptotic function of ABL kinase. Although the target tyrosine kinase(s) of IM remains unclear, our data provide novel therapeutic possibilities of using IM for cytoprotection.

  4. Effect of Thai saraphi flower extracts on WT1 and BCR/ABL protein ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In this study, the cytotoxic effects of crude ethanolic and fractional extracts including hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol fractions from M. siamensis flowers were investigated in order to determine their effect on WT1 expression in Molt4 and K562 cells and Bcr/Abl expression in K562 cells. Materials and Methods: The ...

  5. Association of HLA Class I and Class II genes with bcr-abl transcripts in leukemia patients with t(9;22) (q34;q11)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mundhada, Shailendra; Luthra, Rajyalakshmi; Cano, Pedro

    2004-01-01

    Based on the site of breakpoint in t(9;22) (q34;q11), bcr-abl fusion in leukemia patients is associated with different types of transcript proteins. In this study we have seen the association of HLA genes with different types of bcr-abl transcripts. The association could predict the bcr-abl peptide presentation by particular HLA molecules. The study included a total of 189 patients of mixed ethnicity with chronic myelogenous leukemia and acute lymphocytic leukemia who were being considered for bone marrow transplantation. Typing of bcr-abl transcripts was done by reverse transcriptase PCR method. HLA typing was performed by molecular methods. The bcr-abl and HLA association was studied by calculating the relative risks and chi-square test. Significant negative associations (p < 0.05) were observed with HLA-A*02 (b2a2, e1a2), -A*68 (b2a2, b3a2, e1a2), -B*14 (b2a2, b3a2, e1a2), -B*15 (b2a2, b3a2), -B*40 (b2a2), -DQB1*0303 (b2a2, b3a2), -DQB1*0603 (b2a2), -DRB1*0401 (e1a2), -DRB1*0701 (b3a2), and -DRB1*1101 (b2a2). The negative associations of a particular bcr-abl transcript with specific HLA alleles suggests that these alleles play a critical role in presenting peptides derived from the chimeric proteins and eliciting a successful T-cell cytotoxic response. Knowledge of differential associations between HLA phenotypes and bcr-abl fusion transcript types would help in developing better strategies for immunization with the bcr-abl peptides against t(9;22) (q34;q11)-positive leukemia

  6. AP24534, a Pan-BCR-ABL Inhibitor for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, Potently Inhibits the T315I Mutant and Overcomes Mutation-Based Resistance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    O’Hare, Thomas; Shakespeare, William C.; Zhu, Xiaotian; Eide, Christopher A.; Rivera, Victor M.; Wang, Frank; Adrian, Lauren T.; Zhou, Tianjun; Huang, Wei-Sheng; Xu, Qihong; Metcalf, III, Chester A.; Tyner, Jeffrey W.; Loriaux, Marc M.; Corbin, Amie S.; Wardwell, Scott; Ning, Yaoyu; Keats, Jeffrey A.; Wang, Yihan; Sundaramoorthi, Raji; Thomas, Mathew; Zhou, Dong; Snodgrass, Joseph; Commodore, Lois; Sawyer, Tomi K.; Dalgarno, David C.; Deininger, Michael W.N.; Druker, Brian J.; Clackson, Tim; (OHSU- Cancer Instit.); (ARIAD)

    2010-09-07

    Inhibition of BCR-ABL by imatinib induces durable responses in many patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), but resistance attributable to kinase domain mutations can lead to relapse and a switch to second-line therapy with nilotinib or dasatinib. Despite three approved therapeutic options, the cross-resistant BCR-ABL{sup T315I} mutation and compound mutants selected on sequential inhibitor therapy remain major clinical challenges. We report design and preclinical evaluation of AP24534, a potent, orally available multitargeted kinase inhibitor active against T315I and other BCR-ABL mutants. AP24534 inhibited all tested BCR-ABL mutants in cellular and biochemical assays, suppressed BCR-ABL{sup T315I}-driven tumor growth in mice, and completely abrogated resistance in cell-based mutagenesis screens. Our work supports clinical evaluation of AP24534 as a pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor for treatment of CML.

  7. Ascorbate/menadione-induced oxidative stress kills cancer cells that express normal or mutated forms of the oncogenic protein Bcr-Abl. An in vitro and in vivo mechanistic study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beck, Raphaël; Pedrosa, Rozangela Curi; Dejeans, Nicolas; Glorieux, Christophe; Levêque, Philippe; Gallez, Bernard; Taper, Henryk; Eeckhoudt, Stéphane; Knoops, Laurent; Calderon, Pedro Buc; Verrax, Julien

    2011-10-01

    Numerous studies suggest that generation of oxidative stress could be useful in cancer treatment. In this study, we evaluated, in vitro and in vivo, the antitumor potential of oxidative stress induced by ascorbate/menadione (asc/men). This combination of a reducing agent (ascorbate) and a redox active quinone (menadione) generates redox cycling leading to formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Asc/men was tested in several cell types including K562 cells (a stable human-derived leukemia cell line), freshly isolated leukocytes from patients with chronic myeloid leukemia, BaF3 cells (a murine pro-B cell line) transfected with Bcr-Abl and peripheral blood leukocytes derived from healthy donors. Although these latter cells were resistant to asc/men, survival of all the other cell lines was markedly reduced, including the BaF3 cells expressing either wild-type or mutated Bcr-Abl. In a standard in vivo model of subcutaneous tumor transplantation, asc/men provoked a significant delay in the proliferation of K562 and BaF3 cells expressing the T315I mutated form of Bcr-Abl. No effect of asc/men was observed when these latter cells were injected into blood of mice most probably because of the high antioxidant potential of red blood cells, as shown by in vitro experiments. We postulate that cancer cells are more sensitive to asc/men than healthy cells because of their lack of antioxidant enzymes, mainly catalase. The mechanism underlying this cytotoxicity involves the oxidative cleavage of Hsp90 with a subsequent loss of its chaperone function thus leading to degradation of wild-type and mutated Bcr-Abl protein.

  8. AP24534, a Pan-BCR-ABL Inhibitor for Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, Potently Inhibits the T315I Mutant and Overcomes Mutation-Based Resistance

    Science.gov (United States)

    O’Hare, Thomas; Shakespeare, William C.; Zhu, Xiaotian; Eide, Christopher A.; Rivera, Victor M.; Wang, Frank; Adrian, Lauren T.; Zhou, Tianjun; Huang, Wei-Sheng; Xu, Qihong; Metcalf, Chester A.; Tyner, Jeffrey W.; Loriaux, Marc M.; Corbin, Amie S.; Wardwell, Scott; Ning, Yaoyu; Keats, Jeffrey A.; Wang, Yihan; Sundaramoorthi, Raji; Thomas, Mathew; Zhou, Dong; Snodgrass, Joseph; Commodore, Lois; Sawyer, Tomi K.; Dalgarno, David C.; Deininger, Michael W.N.; Druker, Brian J.; Clackson, Tim

    2009-01-01

    SUMMARY Inhibition of BCR-ABL by imatinib induces durable responses in many patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), but resistance attributable to kinase domain mutations can lead to relapse and a switch to second-line therapy with nilotinib or dasatinib. Despite three approved therapeutic options, the cross-resistant BCR-ABLT315I mutation and compound mutants selected on sequential inhibitor therapy remain major clinical challenges. We report design and pre-clinical evaluation of AP24534, a potent, orally available multi-targeted kinase inhibitor active against T315I and other BCR-ABL mutants. AP24534 inhibited all tested BCR-ABL mutants in cellular and biochemical assays, suppressed BCR-ABLT315I-driven tumor growth in mice, and completely abrogated resistance in cell-based mutagenesis screens. Our work supports clinical evaluation of AP24534 as a pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor for treatment of CML. PMID:19878872

  9. The chimeric ubiquitin ligase SH2-U-box inhibits the growth of imatinib-sensitive and resistant CML by targeting the native and T315I-mutant BCR-ABL.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ru, Yi; Wang, Qinhao; Liu, Xiping; Zhang, Mei; Zhong, Daixing; Ye, Mingxiang; Li, Yuanchun; Han, Hua; Yao, Libo; Li, Xia

    2016-06-22

    Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized by constitutively active fusion protein tyrosine kinase BCR-ABL. Although the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) against BCR-ABL, imatinib, is the first-line therapy for CML, acquired resistance almost inevitably emerges. The underlying mechanism are point mutations within the BCR-ABL gene, among which T315I is notorious because it resists to almost all currently available inhibitors. Here we took use of a previously generated chimeric ubiquitin ligase, SH2-U-box, in which SH2 from the adaptor protein Grb2 acts as a binding domain for activated BCR-ABL, while U-box from CHIP functions as an E3 ubiquitin ligase domain, so as to target the ubiquitination and degradation of both native and T315I-mutant BCR-ABL. As such, SH2-U-box significantly inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis in CML cells harboring either the wild-type or T315I-mutant BCR-ABL (K562 or K562R), with BCR-ABL-dependent signaling pathways being repressed. Moreover, SH2-U-box worked in concert with imatinib in K562 cells. Importantly, SH2-U-box-carrying lentivirus could markedly suppress the growth of K562-xenografts in nude mice or K562R-xenografts in SCID mice, as well as that of primary CML cells. Collectively, by degrading the native and T315I-mutant BCR-ABL, the chimeric ubiquitin ligase SH2-U-box may serve as a potential therapy for both imatinib-sensitive and resistant CML.

  10. Detection of BCR-ABL Fusion mRNA Using Reverse Transcriptase Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dugan, L C; Hall, S; Kohlgruber, A; Urbin, S; Torres, C; Wilson, P

    2011-12-08

    RT-PCR is commonly used for the detection of Bcr-Abl fusion transcripts in patients diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia, CML. Two fusion transcripts predominate in CML, Br-Abl e13a2 and e14a2. They have developed reverse transcriptase isothermal loop-mediated amplification (RT-LAMP) assays to detect these two fusion transcripts along with the normal Bcr transcript.

  11. Translocation of BCR to chromosome 9: A new cytogenetic variant detected by FISH in two Ph-negative, BCR-positive patients with chronic myeloid leukemia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    A. Hagemeijer (Anne); A. Buijs (Arjan); E.M.E. Smit (Elisabeth); L.A.J. Janssen (Bart); G.J.M. Creemers (Geert-Jan); D. van der Plas (D.); G.C. Grosveld (Gerard)

    1993-01-01

    textabstractLeukemic cells from two patients with Philadelphia-negative chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) were investigated: I) Cytogenetics showed a normal 46.XY karyotype in both cases, 2) molecular studies revealed rearrangement of the M-BCR region and formation of BCR-ABL fusion mRNA with b2a2

  12. Activity of dual SRC-ABL inhibitors highlights the role of BCR/ABL kinase dynamics in drug resistance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azam, Mohammad; Nardi, Valentina; Shakespeare, William C.; Metcalf, Chester A.; Bohacek, Regine S.; Wang, Yihan; Sundaramoorthi, Raji; Sliz, Piotr; Veach, Darren R.; Bornmann, William G.; Clarkson, Bayard; Dalgarno, David C.; Sawyer, Tomi K.; Daley, George Q.

    2006-01-01

    Mutation in the ABL kinase domain is the principal mechanism of imatinib resistance in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia. Many mutations favor active kinase conformations that preclude imatinib binding. Because the active forms of ABL and SRC resemble one another, we tested two dual SRC-ABL kinase inhibitors, AP23464 and PD166326, against 58 imatinib-resistant (IMR) BCR/ABL kinase variants. Both compounds potently inhibit most IMR variants, and in vitro drug selection demonstrates that active (AP23464) and open (PD166326) conformation-specific compounds are less susceptible to resistance than imatinib. Combinations of inhibitors suppressed essentially all resistance mutations, with the notable exception of T315I. Guided by mutagenesis studies and molecular modeling, we designed a series of AP23464 analogues to target T315I. The analogue AP23846 inhibited both native and T315I variants of BCR/ABL with submicromolar potency but showed nonspecific cellular toxicity. Our data illustrate how conformational dynamics of the ABL kinase accounts for the activity of dual SRC-ABL inhibitors against IMR-mutants and provides a rationale for combining conformation specific inhibitors to suppress resistance. PMID:16754879

  13. A comprehensive target selectivity survey of the BCR-ABL kinase inhibitor INNO-406 by kinase profiling and chemical proteomics in chronic myeloid leukemia cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rix, U; Remsing Rix, L L; Terker, A S; Fernbach, N V; Hantschel, O; Planyavsky, M; Breitwieser, F P; Herrmann, H; Colinge, J; Bennett, K L; Augustin, M; Till, J H; Heinrich, M C; Valent, P; Superti-Furga, G

    2010-01-01

    Resistance to the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib poses a pressing challenge in treating chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). This resistance is often caused by point mutations in the ABL kinase domain or by overexpression of LYN. The second-generation BCR-ABL inhibitor INNO-406 is known to inhibit most BCR-ABL mutants and LYN efficiently. Knowledge of its full target spectrum would provide the molecular basis for potential side effects or suggest novel therapeutic applications and possible combination therapies. We have performed an unbiased chemical proteomics native target profile of INNO-406 in CML cells combined with functional assays using 272 recombinant kinases thereby identifying several new INNO-406 targets. These include the kinases ZAK, DDR1/2 and various ephrin receptors. The oxidoreductase NQO2, inhibited by both imatinib and nilotinib, is not a relevant target of INNO-406. Overall, INNO-406 has an improved activity over imatinib but a slightly broader target profile than both imatinib and nilotinib. In contrast to dasatinib and bosutinib, INNO-406 does not inhibit all SRC kinases and most TEC family kinases and is therefore expected to elicit fewer side effects. Altogether, these properties may make INNO-406 a valuable component in the drug arsenal against CML.

  14. Flow Cytometric Immunobead Assay for Detection of BCR-ABL1 Fusion Proteins in Chronic Myleoid Leukemia: Comparison with FISH and PCR Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    Recchia, Anna Grazia; Caruso, Nadia; Bossio, Sabrina; Pellicanò, Mariavaleria; De Stefano, Laura; Franzese, Stefania; Palummo, Angela; Abbadessa, Vincenzo; Lucia, Eugenio; Gentile, Massimo; Vigna, Ernesto; Caracciolo, Clementina; Agostino, Antolino; Galimberti, Sara; Levato, Luciano; Stagno, Fabio; Molica, Stefano; Martino, Bruno; Vigneri, Paolo; Di Raimondo, Francesco; Morabito, Fortunato

    2015-01-01

    Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML) is characterized by a balanced translocation juxtaposing the Abelson (ABL) and breakpoint cluster region (BCR) genes. The resulting BCR-ABL1 oncogene leads to increased proliferation and survival of leukemic cells. Successful treatment of CML has been accompanied by steady improvements in our capacity to accurately and sensitively monitor therapy response. Currently, measurement of BCR-ABL1 mRNA transcript levels by real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR) defines critical response endpoints. An antibody-based technique for BCR-ABL1 protein recognition could be an attractive alternative to RQ-PCR. To date, there have been no studies evaluating whether flow-cytometry based assays could be of clinical utility in evaluating residual disease in CML patients. Here we describe a flow-cytometry assay that detects the presence of BCR-ABL1 fusion proteins in CML lysates to determine the applicability, reliability, and specificity of this method for both diagnosis and monitoring of CML patients for initial response to therapy. We show that: i) CML can be properly diagnosed at onset, (ii) follow-up assessments show detectable fusion protein (i.e. relative mean fluorescent intensity, rMFI%>1) when BCR-ABL1IS transcripts are between 1–10%, and (iii) rMFI% levels predict CCyR as defined by FISH analysis. Overall, the FCBA assay is a rapid technique, fully translatable to the routine management of CML patients. PMID:26111048

  15. Flow Cytometric Immunobead Assay for Detection of BCR-ABL1 Fusion Proteins in Chronic Myleoid Leukemia: Comparison with FISH and PCR Techniques.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anna Grazia Recchia

    Full Text Available Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML is characterized by a balanced translocation juxtaposing the Abelson (ABL and breakpoint cluster region (BCR genes. The resulting BCR-ABL1 oncogene leads to increased proliferation and survival of leukemic cells. Successful treatment of CML has been accompanied by steady improvements in our capacity to accurately and sensitively monitor therapy response. Currently, measurement of BCR-ABL1 mRNA transcript levels by real-time quantitative PCR (RQ-PCR defines critical response endpoints. An antibody-based technique for BCR-ABL1 protein recognition could be an attractive alternative to RQ-PCR. To date, there have been no studies evaluating whether flow-cytometry based assays could be of clinical utility in evaluating residual disease in CML patients. Here we describe a flow-cytometry assay that detects the presence of BCR-ABL1 fusion proteins in CML lysates to determine the applicability, reliability, and specificity of this method for both diagnosis and monitoring of CML patients for initial response to therapy. We show that: i CML can be properly diagnosed at onset, (ii follow-up assessments show detectable fusion protein (i.e. relative mean fluorescent intensity, rMFI%>1 when BCR-ABL1IS transcripts are between 1-10%, and (iii rMFI% levels predict CCyR as defined by FISH analysis. Overall, the FCBA assay is a rapid technique, fully translatable to the routine management of CML patients.

  16. Droplet Digital PCR for BCR/ABL(P210) Detecting of CML: A High Sensitive Method of the Minimal Residual Disease& Disease Progression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Wen-Jun; Zheng, Chao-Feng; Liu, Zhuang; Tan, Yan-Hong; Chen, Xiu-Hua; Zhao, Bin-Liang; Li, Guo-Xia; Xu, Zhi-Fang; Ren, Fang-Gang; Zhang, Yao-Fang; Chang, Jian-Mei; Wang, Hong-Wei

    2018-04-25

    The present study intended to establish a droplet digital PCR (dd-PCR) for monitoring minimal residual disease (MRD) in patients with BCR/ABL (P210)-positive CML, thereby achieving deep-level monitoring of tumor load and determining the efficacy for guided clinically individualized treatment. Using dd-PCR and RT-qPCR, two cell suspensions were obtained from K562 cells and normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells by gradient dilution and were measured at the cellular level. At peripheral blood(PB) level, 61 cases with CML-chronic phase (CML-CP) were obtained after tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) treatment and regular follow-ups. By RT-qPCR, BCR/ABL (P210) fusion gene was undetectable in PB after three successive analyses, which were performed once every three months. At the same time, dd-PCR was performed simultaneously with the last equal amount of cDNA. Ten CML patients with MR4.5 were followed up by the two methods. At the cellular level, consistency of results of dd-PCR and RT-qPCR reached R 2 ≥0.99, with conversion equation of Y=33.148X 1.222 (Y: dd-PCR results; X: RT-qPCR results). In the dd-PCR test, 11 of the 61 CML patients (18.03%) tested positive and showed statistically significant difference (PPCR 3 months earlier than by RT-qPCR. In contrast with RT-qPCR, dd-PCR is more sensitive, thus enabling accurate conversion of dd-PCR results into internationally standard RT-qPCR results by conversion equation, to achieve a deeper molecular biology-based stratification of BCR/ABL(P210) MRD. It has some reference value to monitor disease progression in clinic. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  17. Evidence-based guidelines for the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors in adults with Philadelphia chromosome–positive or BCR-ABL–positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a Canadian consensus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Couban, S.; Savoie, L.; Mourad, Y. Abou; Leber, B.; Minden, M.; Turner, R.; Palada, V.; Shehata, N.; Christofides, A.; Lachance, S.

    2014-01-01

    Adult Philadelphia chromosome–positive (Ph+) or BCR-ABL–positive (BCR-ABL+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (all) is an acute leukemia previously associated with a high relapse rate, short disease-free survival, and poor overall survival. In adults, allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant in first remission remains the only proven curative strategy for transplant-eligible patients. The introduction of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (tkis) in the treatment of patients with Ph+ or BCR-ABL+ all has significantly improved the depth and duration of complete remission, allowing more patients to proceed to transplantation. Although tkis are now considered a standard of care in this setting, few randomized trials have examined the optimal use of tkis in patients with Ph+ all. Questions of major importance remain, including the best way to administer these medications, the choice of tki to administer, and the schedule and the duration to use. We present the results of a systematic review of the literature with consensus recommendations based on the available evidence. PMID:24764712

  18. Guidelines for molecular monitoring of BCR-ABL1 in chronic myeloid leukemia patients by RT-qPCR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irene Larripa

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Current clinical guidelines for managing chronic myeloid leukemia include molecular monitoring of BCR-ABL1 transcript quantitative reverse-transcription PCR. Despite the proven prognostic significance of molecular response, it is not widely appreciated that quantitative reverse-transcription PCR potentially produces highly variable data, which may affect the validity of results, making comparability between different laboratories difficult. Therefore, standardized reporting of BCR-ABL1 measurements is needed for optimal clinical management. An approach to achieve comparable BCR-ABL1 values is the use of an international reporting scale. Conversion to the international scale is achieved by the application of laboratory specific conversion factor that is obtained by using validated secondary reference calibrators. Moreover, with the aim to mitigate the interlaboratory imprecision of quantitative BCR-ABL1 measurements and to facilitate local laboratory results interpretation and reporting, we decide to prepare laboratory guidelines that will further facilitate interlaboratory comparative studies and independent quality-assessment programs, which are of paramount importance for worldwide standardization of BCR-ABL1 monitoring results, in particular for those most isolated laboratories, with not easy access to commercial kits or sample interchange programs

  19. FUSION TRANSCRIPTS OF BCR/ABL GENE IN PATIENTES WITH CHRONIC MYELOID LEUKEMIA

    OpenAIRE

    Artigas, Carmen Gloria; Melo, Angélica; Roa, Juan Carlos; Roa, Iván; Quijada, Ingrid; Vittini, Cecilia; Cabrera, María Elena; Risueño, Concepción

    2003-01-01

    La anormalidad citogenética más común en la leucemia mieloide crónica (LMC) es el cromosoma Philadelphia, producida por la t(9;22), cuya expresión molecular es el gen de fusión BCR-ABL, que codifica proteínas con actividad tirosinquinasa. Según el punto de ruptura de los genes BCR o ABL se produce una proteína de fusión de 210-kD(p210) o 190-kD(p190). La presencia de este gen de fusión en pacientes con LMC tiene implicancia diagnóstica. Con el propósito de detectar transcriptos de fusión del ...

  20. INNO-406, a novel BCR-ABL/Lyn dual tyrosine kinase inhibitor, suppresses the growth of Ph+ leukemia cells in the central nervous system, and cyclosporine A augments its in vivo activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yokota, Asumi; Kimura, Shinya; Masuda, Satohiro; Ashihara, Eishi; Kuroda, Junya; Sato, Kiyoshi; Kamitsuji, Yuri; Kawata, Eri; Deguchi, Yasuyuki; Urasaki, Yoshimasa; Terui, Yasuhito; Ruthardt, Martin; Ueda, Takanori; Hatake, Kiyohiko; Inui, Ken-ichi; Maekawa, Taira

    2007-01-01

    Central nervous system (CNS) relapse accompanying the prolonged administration of imatinib mesylate has recently become apparent as an impediment to the therapy of Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) leukemia. CNS relapse may be explained by limited penetration of imatinib mesylate into the cerebrospinal fluid because of the presence of P-glycoprotein at the blood-brain barrier. To overcome imatinib mesylate-resistance mechanisms such as bcr-abl amplification, mutations within the ABL kinase domain, and activation of Lyn, we developed a dual BCR-ABL/Lyn inhibitor, INNO-406 (formerly NS-187), which is 25 to 55 times more potent than imatinib mesylate in vitro and at least 10 times more potent in vivo. The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of INNO-406 in treating CNS Ph+ leukemia. We found that INNO-406, like imatinib mesylate, is a substrate for P-glycoprotein. The concentrations of INNO-406 in the CNS were about 10% of those in the plasma. However, this residual concentration was enough to inhibit the growth of Ph+ leukemic cells which expressed not only wild-type but also mutated BCR-ABL in the murine CNS. Furthermore, cyclosporine A, a P-glycoprotein inhibitor, augmented the in vivo activity of INNO-406 against CNS Ph+ leukemia. These findings indicate that INNO-406 is a promising agent for the treatment of CNS Ph+ leukemia.

  1. [Early monitoring of BCR-ABL transcript levels and cytogenetic in assessing the prognosis of chronic myeloid leukemia].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Qin; Zhang, Xiao-yan; Li, Yan; Wang, Xiao-min

    2013-10-15

    To explore the prognostic significance of early monitoring of BCR-ABL transcript levels and cytogenetic evaluations for chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP). From July 2007 to May 2012, 56 CML-CP patients received oral imatinib 400 mg/d. The BCR-ABL transcript levels were monitored and cytogenetic examinations performed after 3 and 6 months respectively. The median follow-up time was 48 months. The 3-month BCR-ABL transcript levels ≤ 10% of patients 5-year overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were better than BCR-ABL transcript levels >10% of patients (OS: 100% vs 84.6%, P = 0.011; PFS: 94.6% vs 67.7%, P = 0.045); cytogenetics: Ph(+) ≤ 35 % of patients 5-year OS and PFS better than Ph(+) > 35% of patients (OS: 100% vs 76.2%, P = 0.001; PFS: 95.2% vs 38.1%, P = 0.001); the 6-month BCR-ABL transcripts level ≤ 1% of patients 5-year OS and PFS also better than BCR-ABL transcript levels> 1% of patients (OS: 100% vs 71.4%, P = 0.000; PFS: 95.2% vs 47.6%, P = 0.001); Ph(+) = 0% and Ph(+)> 0% patients, 5-year OS and PFS were significantly different (OS: 100% vs 68.6%, P = 0.000; PFS: 95.3% vs 45.7%, P = 0.000). Early molecular biology and cytogenetics monitoring have some significance in the prognostic assessment of CML-CP. And individualized treatment strategies should be based upon the monitoring results in conjunctions with comprehensive judgments.

  2. MPT0B169, a New Antitubulin Agent, Inhibits Bcr-Abl Expression and Induces Mitochondrion-Mediated Apoptosis in Nonresistant and Imatinib-Resistant Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells.

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    Shuit-Mun Wong

    Full Text Available Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML is a clonal disorder of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells that is caused by the Bcr-Abl oncoprotein. Clinical resistance to the Bcr-Abl inhibitor imatinib is a critical problem in treating CML. This study investigated the antitumor effect and mechanism of MPT0B169, a new antitubulin agent, in K562 CML cells and their derived imatinib-resistant cells, IMR2 and IMR3. IMR2 and IMR3 cells showed complete resistance to imatinib-induced growth inhibition and apoptosis. Resistance involved ERK1/2 overactivation and MDR1 overexpression. MPT0B169 inhibited the growth of K562, IMR2, and IMR3 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. MPT0B169 substantially inhibited the mRNA and protein levels of Bcr-Abl, followed by its downstream pathways including Akt, ERK1/2, and STAT3 in these cells. MPT0B169 treatment resulted in a decrease in the polymer form of tubulin according to Western blot analysis. It triggered cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase before apoptosis, which was related to the upregulation of the mitotic marker MPM2 and the cyclin B1 level, and a change in the phosphorylation of Cdk1. MPT0B169 induced apoptosis in nonresistant and imatinib-resistant cells via a mitochondrion-mediated caspase pathway. Further study showed that the agent led to a decrease in the antiapoptotic proteins Bcl-2, Bcl-xL, and Mcl-1 and an increase in the apoptotic protein Bax. Taken together, our results suggest that MPT0B169 might be a promising agent for overcoming imatinib resistance in CML cells.

  3. Combined inhibition of β-catenin and Bcr-Abl synergistically targets tyrosine kinase inhibitor-resistant blast crisis chronic myeloid leukemia blasts and progenitors in vitro and in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, H; Mak, P Y; Mu, H; Mak, D H; Zeng, Z; Cortes, J; Liu, Q; Andreeff, M; Carter, B Z

    2017-10-01

    Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) resistance and progression to blast crisis (BC), both related to persistent β-catenin activation, remain formidable challenges for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). We observed overexpression of β-catenin in BC-CML stem/progenitor cells, particularly in granulocyte-macrophage progenitors, and highest among a novel CD34 + CD38 + CD123 hi Tim-3 hi subset as determined by CyTOF analysis. Co-culture with mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) induced the expression of β-catenin and its target CD44 in CML cells. A novel Wnt/β-catenin signaling modulator, C82, and nilotinib synergistically killed KBM5 T315I and TKI-resistant primary BC-CML cells with or without BCR-ABL kinase mutations even under leukemia/MSC co-culture conditions. Silencing of β-catenin by short interfering RNA restored sensitivity of primary BCR-ABL T315I/E255V BC-CML cells to nilotinib. Combining the C82 pro-drug, PRI-724, with nilotinib significantly prolonged the survival of NOD/SCID/IL2Rγ null mice injected with primary BCR-ABL T315I/E255V BC-CML cells. The combined treatment selectively targeted CML progenitors and inhibited CD44, c-Myc, survivin, p-CRKL and p-STAT5 expression. In addition, pretreating primary BC-CML cells with C82, or the combination, but not with nilotinib alone, significantly impaired their engraftment potential in NOD/SCID/IL2Rγ-null-3/GM/SF mice and significantly prolonged survival. Our data suggest potential benefit of concomitant β-catenin and Bcr-Abl inhibition to prevent or overcome Bcr-Abl kinase-dependent or -independent TKI resistance in BC-CML.

  4. Early BCR-ABL1 Transcript Decline after 1 Month of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Therapy as an Indicator for Treatment Response in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia.

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    Mohamed El Missiry

    Full Text Available In chronic myeloid leukemia (CML, early treatment prediction is important to identify patients with inferior overall outcomes. We examined the feasibility of using reductions in BCR-ABL1 transcript levels after 1 month of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI treatment to predict therapy response. Fifty-two first-line TKI-treated CML patients were included (imatinib n = 26, dasatinib n = 21, nilotinib n = 5, and BCR-ABL1 transcript levels were measured at diagnosis (dg and 1, 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months. The fold change of the BCR-ABL1 transcripts at 1 month compared to initial BCR-ABL1 transcript levels was used to indicate early therapy response. In our cohort, 21% of patients had no decrease in BCR-ABL1 transcript levels after 1 month and were classified as poor responders. Surprisingly, these patients had lower BCR-ABL1 transcript levels at dg compared to responders (31% vs. 48%, p = 0.0083. Poor responders also significantly more often had enlarged spleen (55% vs. 15%; p<0.01 and a higher percentage of Ph+ CD34+CD38- cells in the bone marrow (91% vs. 75%, p<0.05. The major molecular response rates were inferior in the poor responders (at 12m 18% vs. 64%, p<0.01; 18m 27% vs. 75%, p<0.01; 24m 55% vs. 87%, p<0.01. In conclusion, early treatment response analysis defines a biologically distinct patient subgroup with inferior long-term outcomes.

  5. Efficacy of ponatinib against ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor-resistant leukemia cells

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    Okabe, Seiichi; Tauchi, Tetsuzo; Tanaka, Yuko; Ohyashiki, Kazuma

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Efficacy of ponatinib against ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor-resistant leukemia cells okabe et al. •Imatinib or nilotinib resistance was involved Src family kinase. •The BCR-ABL point mutation (E334V) was highly resistant to imatinib or nilotinib. •Ponatinib was a powerful strategy against imatinib or nilotinib resistant Ph-positive cells. -- Abstract: Because a substantial number of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia acquire resistance to ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), their management remains a challenge. Ponatinib, also known as AP24534, is an oral multi-targeted TKI. Ponatinib is currently being investigated in a pivotal phase 2 clinical trial. In the present study, we analyzed the molecular and functional consequences of ponatinib against imatinib- or nilotinib-resistant (R) K562 and Ba/F3 cells. The proliferation of imatinib- or nilotinib-resistant K562 cells did not decrease after treatment with imatinib or nilotinib. Src family kinase Lyn was activated. Point mutation Ba/F3 cells (E334 V) were also highly resistant to imatinib and nilotinib. Treatment with ponatinib for 72 h inhibited the growth of imatinib- and nilotinib-resistant cells. The phosphorylation of BCR-ABL, Lyn, and Crk-L was reduced. This study demonstrates that ponatinib has an anti-leukemia effect by reducing ABL and Lyn kinase activity and this information may be of therapeutic relevance

  6. Efficacy of ponatinib against ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor-resistant leukemia cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Okabe, Seiichi, E-mail: okabe@tokyo-med.ac.jp; Tauchi, Tetsuzo; Tanaka, Yuko; Ohyashiki, Kazuma

    2013-06-07

    Highlights: •Efficacy of ponatinib against ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor-resistant leukemia cells okabe et al. •Imatinib or nilotinib resistance was involved Src family kinase. •The BCR-ABL point mutation (E334V) was highly resistant to imatinib or nilotinib. •Ponatinib was a powerful strategy against imatinib or nilotinib resistant Ph-positive cells. -- Abstract: Because a substantial number of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia acquire resistance to ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), their management remains a challenge. Ponatinib, also known as AP24534, is an oral multi-targeted TKI. Ponatinib is currently being investigated in a pivotal phase 2 clinical trial. In the present study, we analyzed the molecular and functional consequences of ponatinib against imatinib- or nilotinib-resistant (R) K562 and Ba/F3 cells. The proliferation of imatinib- or nilotinib-resistant K562 cells did not decrease after treatment with imatinib or nilotinib. Src family kinase Lyn was activated. Point mutation Ba/F3 cells (E334 V) were also highly resistant to imatinib and nilotinib. Treatment with ponatinib for 72 h inhibited the growth of imatinib- and nilotinib-resistant cells. The phosphorylation of BCR-ABL, Lyn, and Crk-L was reduced. This study demonstrates that ponatinib has an anti-leukemia effect by reducing ABL and Lyn kinase activity and this information may be of therapeutic relevance.

  7. Modeling of molecular interaction between apoptin, BCR-Abl and CrkL--an alternative approach to conventional rational drug design.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Soumya Panigrahi

    Full Text Available In this study we have calculated a 3D structure of apoptin and through modeling and docking approaches, we show its interaction with Bcr-Abl oncoprotein and its downstream signaling components, following which we confirm some of the newly-found interactions by biochemical methods. Bcr-Abl oncoprotein is aberrantly expressed in chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML. It has several distinct functional domains in addition to the Abl kinase domain. The SH3 and SH2 domains cooperatively play important roles in autoinhibiting its kinase activity. Adapter molecules such as Grb2 and CrkL interact with proline-rich region and activate multiple Bcr-Abl downstream signaling pathways that contribute to growth and survival. Therefore, the oncogenic effect of Bcr-Abl could be inhibited by the interaction of small molecules with these domains. Apoptin is a viral protein with well-documented cancer-selective cytotoxicity. Apoptin attributes such as SH2-like sequence similarity with CrkL SH2 domain, unique SH3 domain binding sequence, presence of proline-rich segments, and its nuclear affinity render the molecule capable of interaction with Bcr-Abl. Despite almost two decades of research, the mode of apoptin's action remains elusive because 3D structure of apoptin is unavailable. We performed in silico three-dimensional modeling of apoptin, molecular docking experiments between apoptin model and the known structure of Bcr-Abl, and the 3D structures of SH2 domains of CrkL and Bcr-Abl. We also biochemically validated some of the interactions that were first predicted in silico. This structure-property relationship of apoptin may help in unlocking its cancer-selective toxic properties. Moreover, such models will guide us in developing of a new class of potent apoptin-like molecules with greater selectivity and potency.

  8. Rapid Evolution to Blast Crisis Associated with a Q252H ABL1 Kinase Domain Mutation in e19a2 BCR-ABL1 Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah L. McCarron

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available A minority of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML patients express variant transcripts of which the e19a2 BCR-ABL1 fusion is the most common. Instances of tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI resistance in e19a2 BCR-ABL1 CML patients have rarely been reported. A case of e19a2 BCR-ABL1 CML is described in whom imatinib resistance, associated with a Q252H ABL1 kinase domain mutation, became apparent soon after initiation of TKI therapy. The patient rapidly transformed to myeloid blast crisis (BC with considerable bone marrow fibrosis and no significant molecular response to a second generation TKI. The clinical course was complicated by comorbidities with the patient rapidly succumbing to advanced disease. This scenario of Q252H-associated TKI resistance with rapid BC transformation has not been previously documented in e19a2 BCR-ABL1 CML. This case highlights the considerable challenges remaining in the management of TKI-resistant BC CML, particularly in the elderly patient.

  9. Determination of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH and Bcr-Abl transcript in the follow-up of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia = Determinação da lactate desidrogenase (LDH e do transcrito Bcr-Abl em pacientes com leucemia mielóide crônica

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberto Iemitsu Tatakihara

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML is a malignant myeloproliferative disorder that originates from a pluripotent stem cell characterized by abnormal release of the expanded, malignant stem cell clone from the bone marrow into the bloodstream. The vast majority of patients with CML present Bcr-Abl transcripts. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH is considered a biochemical marker common for tumor growth, anaerobic glycolysis and has been considered a poor prognostic factor for acute myeloid leukemia. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the concentration of LDH in plasma and the detection of the Bcr-Abl transcripts in patients with CML and healthy donors. We analyzed 22 patients demonstrably diagnosed with CML and 56 healthy donors. LDH concentration in plasma was higher in patients with CML. All patients with CML in this study were under treatment, but even so four patients had the Bcr-Abl (b3a2 transcript in peripheral blood. Two out of the four patients with b3a2 showed higher LDH (486 U L-1 and 589 U L-1. Thus, although the study was conducted with small numbers of samples, it is possible to suggest therapy alteration for two patients who presented transcript b3a2 in the peripheral blood samples and whose LDH concentration was high, in order to improve the disease. Leucemia mieloide crônica (LMC é uma desordem mieloproliferativa maligna que é originada de célula-tronco pluripotente caracterizada por expansão anormal, maligna de clones de células tronco da medula óssea na circulação. A grande maioria dos pacientes com LMC apresentam transcritos Bcr-Abl. Lactato desidrogenase (LDH,considerado um marcador bioquímico para crescimento tumoral, glicólise anaeróbica, e tem sido considerado um fator de pior prognóstico da LMC. Portanto, este estudo visa avaliar a concentraçãode LDH no plasma e a detecção do transcrito Bcr-Abl em 22 pacientes com LMC e 56 indivíduos saudáveis. Foram avaliados 22 pacientes com LMC e 56 doadores saudáveis. A

  10. β-Catenin is required for intrinsic but not extrinsic BCR-ABL1 kinase-independent resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors in chronic myeloid leukemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eiring, A M; Khorashad, J S; Anderson, D J; Yu, F; Redwine, H M; Mason, C C; Reynolds, K R; Clair, P M; Gantz, K C; Zhang, T Y; Pomicter, A D; Kraft, I L; Bowler, A D; Johnson, K; Partlin, M Mac; O'Hare, T; Deininger, M W

    2015-12-01

    Activation of nuclear β-catenin and expression of its transcriptional targets promotes chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) progression, tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) resistance, and leukemic stem cell self-renewal. We report that nuclear β-catenin has a role in leukemia cell-intrinsic but not -extrinsic BCR-ABL1 kinase-independent TKI resistance. Upon imatinib inhibition of BCR-ABL1 kinase activity, β-catenin expression was maintained in intrinsically resistant cells grown in suspension culture and sensitive cells cultured in direct contact (DC) with bone marrow (BM) stromal cells. Thus, TKI resistance uncouples β-catenin expression from BCR-ABL1 kinase activity. In β-catenin reporter assays, intrinsically resistant cells showed increased transcriptional activity versus parental TKI-sensitive controls, and this was associated with restored expression of β-catenin target genes. In contrast, DC with BM stromal cells promoted TKI resistance, but had little effects on Lef/Tcf reporter activity and no consistent effects on cytoplasmic β-catenin levels, arguing against a role for β-catenin in extrinsic TKI resistance. N-cadherin or H-cadherin blocking antibodies abrogated DC-based resistance despite increasing Lef/Tcf reporter activity, suggesting that factors other than β-catenin contribute to extrinsic, BM-derived TKI resistance. Our data indicate that, while nuclear β-catenin enhances survival of intrinsically TKI-resistant CML progenitors, it is not required for extrinsic resistance mediated by the BM microenvironment.

  11. Low expression of miR-196b enhances the expression of BCR-ABL1 and HOXA9 oncogenes in chronic myeloid leukemogenesis.

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    Yue Liu

    Full Text Available MicroRNAs (miRNAs can function as tumor suppressors or oncogene promoters during tumor development. In this study, low levels of expression of miR-196b were detected in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. Bisulfite genomic sequencing PCR and methylation-specific PCR were used to examine the methylation status of the CpG islands in the miR-196b promoter in K562 cells, patients with leukemia and healthy individuals. The CpG islands showed more methylation in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia compared with healthy individuals (P<0.05, which indicated that low expression of miR-196b may be associated with an increase in the methylation of CpG islands. The dual-luciferase reporter assay system demonstrated that BCR-ABL1 and HOXA9 are the target genes of miR-196b, which was consistent with predictions from bioinformatics software analyses. Further examination of cell function indicated that miR-196b acts to reduce BCR-ABL1 and HOXA9 protein levels, decrease cell proliferation rate and retard the cell cycle. A low level of expression of miR-196b can cause up-regulation of BCR-ABL1 and HOXA9 expression, which leads to the development of chronic myeloid leukemia. MiR-196b may represent an effective target for chronic myeloid leukemia therapy.

  12. Conventional and fluorescence in situ hybridization analysis of three-way complex BCR-ABL rearrangement in a chronic myeloid leukemia patient

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    Ganguly Bani

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available Chromosomal analysis was carried out in bone marrow sample of an 11-year-old girl suspected of myeloproliferative disorder. Conventional G-banding study detected a complex three-way translocation involving 7, 9 and 22, which has resulted in the formation of a variant Philadelphia chromosome causing rearrangement of abl and bcr genes in 87% cells. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH confirmed the fusion of bcr-abl oncogene. Thus the bone marrow karyotype was observed as 46,XX (13% / 46,XX,t(7;9;22(q11;q34;q11 (87%. Hyperdiploidy was present in two cells. In this study, both conventional cytogenetic and FISH diagnosis proved to be significant to identify the variant nature of the Philadelphia chromosome and hyperdiploid condition for introduction of a suitable treatment regimen and estimation of life expectancy of the young girl.

  13. Silencing of BCR/ABL Chimeric Gene in Human Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Cell Line K562 by siRNA-Nuclear Export Signal Peptide Conjugates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shinkai, Yasuhiro; Kashihara, Shinichi; Minematsu, Go; Fujii, Hirofumi; Naemura, Madoka; Kotake, Yojiro; Morita, Yasutaka; Ohnuki, Koichiro; Fokina, Alesya A; Stetsenko, Dmitry A; Filichev, Vyacheslav V; Fujii, Masayuki

    2017-06-01

    Herein we described the synthesis of siRNA-NES (nuclear export signal) peptide conjugates by solid phase fragment coupling and the application of them to silencing of bcr/abl chimeric gene in human chronic myelogenous leukemia cell line K562. Two types of siRNA-NES conjugates were prepared, and both sense strands at 5' ends were covalently linked to a NES peptide derived from TFIIIA and HIV-1 REV, respectively. Significant enhancement of silencing efficiency was observed for both of them. siRNA-TFIIIA NES conjugate suppressed the expression of BCR/ABL gene to 8.3% at 200 nM and 11.6% at 50 nM, and siRNA-HIV-1REV NES conjugate suppressed to 4.0% at 200 nM and 6.3% at 50 nM, whereas native siRNA suppressed to 36.3% at 200 nM and 30.2% at 50 nM. We could also show complex of siRNA-NES conjugate and designed amphiphilic peptide peptideβ7 could be taken up into cells with no cytotoxicity and showed excellent silencing efficiency. We believe that the complex siRNA-NES conjugate and peptideβ7 is a promising candidate for in vivo use and therapeutic applications.

  14. Computational dissection of allosteric inhibition of the SH2 domain of Bcr-Abl kinase by the monobody inhibitor AS25.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ji, Mingfei; Zheng, Guodong; Li, Xiaolong; Zhang, Zhongqin; Jv, Guanqun; Wang, Xiaowei; Wang, Jialin

    2017-06-01

    The deregulated breakpoint cluster region (Bcr)-Abelson tyrosine kinase (Abl) fusion protein represents an attractive pharmacological target for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The high affinity of monobody AS25 was designed to target the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain of Bcr-Abl, leading to allosteric inhibition of Bcr-Abl through formation of protein-protein interactions. An I164E mutation in the SH2 domain disrupts AS25 binding to the SH2 domain of Bcr-Abl. The detailed mechanisms, however, remain to be unresolved. Here, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and binding free energy calculations were performed to explore the conformational and energetic differences between the wild-type (WT) complexes of Bcr-Abl SH2 domain and AS25 (SH2 WT -AS25) as well as the mutated complexes (SH2 I164E -AS25). The results revealed that I164E mutation not only caused an increase in the conformational flexibility of SH2-AS25 complexes, but also weakened the binding affinity of AS25 to SH2. The comparative binding modes of SH2-AS25 complexes between WT and the I164E mutant were comprehensively analyzed to unravel the disruption of hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions in the interface of the SH2-AS25 complex triggered by the I164E mutation. The results obtained may help to design the next generation of higher affinity Bcr-Abl SH2-specific peptide inhibitors.

  15. Identification of small molecules that disrupt signaling between ABL and its positive regulator RIN1.

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    Pamela Y Ting

    Full Text Available Constitutively active BCR-ABL kinase fusions are causative mutations in the pathogenesis of hematopoietic neoplasias including chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML. Although these fusions have been successfully targeted with kinase inhibitors, drug-resistance and relapse continue to limit long-term survival, highlighting the need for continued innovative drug discovery. We developed a time-resolved Förster resonance energy transfer (TR-FRET -based assay to identify compounds that disrupt stimulation of the ABL kinase by blocking its ability to bind the positive regulator RIN1. This assay was used in a high throughput screen (HTS of two small molecule libraries totaling 444,743 compounds. 708 confirmed hits were counter-screened to eliminate off-target inhibitors and reanalyzed to prioritize compounds with IC50 values below 10 μM. The CML cell line K562 was then used to identify five compounds that decrease MAPK1/3 phosphorylation, which we determined to be an indicator of RIN1-dependent ABL signaling. One of these compounds is a thiadiazole, and the other four are structurally related acyl piperidine amides. Notably, these five compounds lower cellular BCR-ABL1 kinase activity by blocking a positive regulatory interaction rather than directly inhibiting ABL catalytic function.

  16. Dual Drug Targeting of Mutant Bcr-Abl Induces Inactive Conformation: New Strategy for the Treatment of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia and Overcoming Monotherapy Resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Rashedy, Ahmed A; Olotu, Fisayo A; Soliman, Mahmoud E S

    2018-03-01

    Bcr-Abl is an oncogenic fusion protein which expression enhances tumorigenesis, and has been highly associated with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Acquired drug resistance in mutant Bcr-Abl has enhanced pathogenesis with the use of single therapy agents such as nilotinib. Moreover, allosteric targeting has been identified to consequentially inhibit Bcr-Abl activity, which led to the recent development of ABL-001 (asciminib) that selectively binds the myristoyl pocket. Experimental studies have revealed that the combination of nilotinib and ABL-001 induced a 'bent' conformation in the C-terminal helix of Bcr-Abl; a benchmark of inhibition, thereby exhibiting a greater potency in the treatment of CML, surmounting the setbacks of drug resistance, disease regression and relapse. Therefore, we report the first account of the dynamics and conformational analysis of oncogenic T334I Bcr-Abl by dual targeting. Our findings revealed that unlike in the Bcr-Abl-Nilotinib complex, dual targeting by both inhibitors induced the bent conformation in the C-terminal helix that varied with time. This was coupled with significant alteration in Bcr-Abl stability, flexibility, and compactness and an overall structural re-orientation inwards towards the hydrophobic core, which reduced the solvent-exposed residues indicative of protein folding. This study will facilitate allosteric targeting and the design of more potent allosteric inhibitors for resistive target proteins in cancer. © 2018 Wiley-VHCA AG, Zurich, Switzerland.

  17. [JAK2 V617F and exon 12 genetic variations in Korean patients with BCR/ABL1-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jeong Tae; Cho, Yong Gon; Choi, Sam Im; Lee, Young Jin; Kim, Hye Ran; Jang, Sook Jin; Moon, Dae Soo; Park, Young Jin; Park, Geon

    2010-12-01

    JAK2 genetic variations have been described in a high proportion of patients with BCR/ABL1-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN). This study was designed to analyze the frequencies of JAK2 V617F and exon 12 variations, and their correlations with clinical characteristics of Korean patients with BCR/ABL1-negative MPN. We examined a total of 154 patients with BCR/ABL1-negative MPN that included 24, 26, 89, and 15 patients with polycythemia vera (PV), primary myelofibrosis (PMF), essential thrombocythemia (ET), and unclassified myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNU), respectively. We performed allele-specific PCR to detect V617F in all BCR/ABL1-negative patients, and performed direct sequencing to detect exon 12 variations in 47 V617F-negative MPN patients. JAK2 c.1641+179_183del5 variation was detected by restriction fragment length polymorphism assay in 176 healthy subjects. JAK2 V617F was detected in 91 patients (59.1%): PV (91.6%), PMF (46.2%), ET (52.8%), and MPNU (66.7%). In V617F-negative MPN patients, no mutations were found in exon 12. The c.1641+179_183del5 was detected in 68.1% of V617F-negative MPN patients and 45.4% of healthy subjects (P=0.008). JAK2 V617F was closely correlated with age and leukocytosis in BCR/ABL1-negative MPN patients (P<0.05). However, c.1641+179_183del5 was not related to age, sex, or complete blood cell count parameters in V617F-negative MPN patients and healthy subjects. The c.1641+179_183del5 was associated with an increased odds ratio for MPN (odds ratio, 2.6; 95% confidences interval, 1.3-5.1; P=0.007). Frequencies of V617F are similar to reported results. JAK2 exon 12 mutations may be rare and c.1641+179_183del5 may influence the occurrence of MPN in Korean patients with V6 17F-negative MPN.

  18. Intracellular Retention of ABL Kinase Inhibitors Determines Commitment to Apoptosis in CML Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dziadosz, Marek; Schnöder, Tina; Heidel, Florian; Schemionek, Mirle; Melo, Junia V.; Kindler, Thomas; Müller-Tidow, Carsten; Koschmieder, Steffen; Fischer, Thomas

    2012-01-01

    Clinical development of imatinib in CML established continuous target inhibition as a paradigm for successful tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. However, recent reports suggested that transient potent target inhibition of BCR-ABL by high-dose TKI (HD-TKI) pulse-exposure is sufficient to irreversibly commit cells to apoptosis. Here, we report a novel mechanism of prolonged intracellular TKI activity upon HD-TKI pulse-exposure (imatinib, dasatinib) in BCR-ABL-positive cells. Comprehensive mechanistic exploration revealed dramatic intracellular accumulation of TKIs which closely correlated with induction of apoptosis. Cells were rescued from apoptosis upon HD-TKI pulse either by repetitive drug wash-out or by overexpression of ABC-family drug transporters. Inhibition of ABCB1 restored sensitivity to HD-TKI pulse-exposure. Thus, our data provide evidence that intracellular drug retention crucially determines biological activity of imatinib and dasatinib. These studies may refine our current thinking on critical requirements of TKI dose and duration of target inhibition for biological activity of TKIs. PMID:22815843

  19. Structural Mechanism of the Pan-BCR-ABL Inhibitor Ponatinib (AP24534): Lessons for Overcoming Kinase Inhibitor Resistance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Tianjun; Commodore, Lois; Huang, Wei-Sheng; Wang, Yihan; Thomas, Mathew; Keats, Jeff; Xu, Qihong; Rivera, Victor M.; Shakespeare, William C.; Clackson, Tim; Dalgarno, David C.; Zhu, Xiaotian (ARIAD)

    2012-01-20

    The BCR-ABL inhibitor imatinib has revolutionized the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia. However, drug resistance caused by kinase domain mutations has necessitated the development of new mutation-resistant inhibitors, most recently against the T315I gatekeeper residue mutation. Ponatinib (AP24534) inhibits both native and mutant BCR-ABL, including T315I, acting as a pan-BCR-ABL inhibitor. Here, we undertook a combined crystallographic and structure-activity relationship analysis on ponatinib to understand this unique profile. While the ethynyl linker is a key inhibitor functionality that interacts with the gatekeeper, virtually all other components of ponatinib play an essential role in its T315I inhibitory activity. The extensive network of optimized molecular contacts found in the DFG-out binding mode leads to high potency and renders binding less susceptible to disruption by single point mutations. The inhibitory mechanism exemplified by ponatinib may have broad relevance to designing inhibitors against other kinases with mutated gatekeeper residues.

  20. Determination of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH and Bcr-Abl transcript in the follow-up of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia - doi: 10.4025/actascihealthsci.v32i2.6408 Determination of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH and Bcr-Abl transcript in the follow-up of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia - doi: 10.4025/actascihealthsci.v32i2.6408

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thiago Cezar Fujita

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML is a malignant myeloproliferative disorder that originates from a pluripotent stem cell characterized by abnormal release of the expanded, malignant stem cell clone from the bone marrow into the bloodstream. The vast majority of patients with CML present Bcr-Abl transcripts. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH is considered a biochemical marker common for tumor growth, anaerobic glycolysis and has been considered a poor prognostic factor for acute myeloid leukemia. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the concentration of LDH in plasma and the detection of the Bcr-Abl transcripts in patients with CML and healthy donors. We analyzed 22 patients demonstrably diagnosed with CML and 56 healthy donors. LDH concentration in plasma was higher in patients with CML. All patients with CML in this study were under treatment, but even so four patients had the Bcr-Abl (b3a2 transcript in peripheral blood. Two out of the four patients with b3a2 showed higher LDH (486 U L-1 and 589 U L-1. Thus, although the study was conducted with small numbers of samples, it is possible to suggest therapy alteration for two patients who presented transcript b3a2 in the peripheral blood samples and whose LDH concentration was high, in order to improve the disease.Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML is a malignant myeloproliferative disorder that originates from a pluripotent stem cell characterized by abnormal release of the expanded, malignant stem cell clone from the bone marrow into the bloodstream. The vast majority of patients with CML present Bcr-Abl transcripts. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH is considered a biochemical marker common for tumor growth, anaerobic glycolysis and has been considered a poor prognostic factor for acute myeloid leukemia. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the concentration of LDH in plasma and the detection of the Bcr-Abl transcripts in patients with CML and healthy donors. We analyzed 22 patients demonstrably diagnosed

  1. The Prevalence of JAK2, MPL, and CALR Mutations in Chinese Patients With BCR-ABL1-Negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Yani; Liu, Enbin; Sun, Qi; Ma, Jiao; Li, QingHua; Cao, Zeng; Wang, Jun; Jia, Yujiao; Zhang, Hongju; Song, Zhen; Ai, Xiaofei; Shi, Lihui; Feng, Xiaofang; Li, Chenwei; Wang, Jianxiang; Ru, Kun

    2015-07-01

    To evaluate the mutation frequency of JAK2 V617F, JAK2 exon 12, MPL exon 10, and CALR exon 9 and the value of the combined tests in the diagnosis of BCR-ABL1-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). In the current study, mutations of JAK2 V617F, JAK2 exon 12, MPL exon 10, and CALR exon 9 were analyzed in 929 Chinese patients with BCR-ABL1-negative MPN, including 234 cases of polycythemia vera (PV), 428 ETs, 187 PMFs, and 80 unclassifiable MPNs (MPN-Us). Our result showed that the positive rate of any of four mutations in patients with PV, ET, PMF, and MPN-U was 89.3%, 83.4%, 87.2%, and 77.5%, respectively, which significantly improved the diagnostic rate, especially in ET and PMF. Meanwhile, we also found that the patients without any of four mutations were younger than those with one or more mutations. Unexpectedly, the coexistence of JAK2 V617F and CALR exon 9 was identified in six (0.6%) patients, and JAK2 V617F and MPL exon 10 were present simultaneously in two (0.2%) patients. In addition, we also identified several novel mutation types in CALR exon 9. The combined genetic tests of JAK2 V617F, JAK2 exon 12, MPL exon 10, and CALR exon 9 help improve the diagnostic rate for BCR-ABL1-negative MPN. Copyright© by the American Society for Clinical Pathology.

  2. Dissection of the BCR-ABL signaling network using highly specific monobody inhibitors to the SHP2 SH2 domains.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sha, Fern; Gencer, Emel Basak; Georgeon, Sandrine; Koide, Akiko; Yasui, Norihisa; Koide, Shohei; Hantschel, Oliver

    2013-09-10

    The dysregulated tyrosine kinase BCR-ABL causes chronic myelogenous leukemia in humans and forms a large multiprotein complex that includes the Src-homology 2 (SH2) domain-containing phosphatase 2 (SHP2). The expression of SHP2 is necessary for BCR-ABL-dependent oncogenic transformation, but the precise signaling mechanisms of SHP2 are not well understood. We have developed binding proteins, termed monobodies, for the N- and C-terminal SH2 domains of SHP2. Intracellular expression followed by interactome analysis showed that the monobodies are essentially monospecific to SHP2. Two crystal structures revealed that the monobodies occupy the phosphopeptide-binding sites of the SH2 domains and thus can serve as competitors of SH2-phosphotyrosine interactions. Surprisingly, the segments of both monobodies that bind to the peptide-binding grooves run in the opposite direction to that of canonical phosphotyrosine peptides, which may contribute to their exquisite specificity. When expressed in cells, monobodies targeting the N-SH2 domain disrupted the interaction of SHP2 with its upstream activator, the Grb2-associated binder 2 adaptor protein, suggesting decoupling of SHP2 from the BCR-ABL protein complex. Inhibition of either N-SH2 or C-SH2 was sufficient to inhibit two tyrosine phosphorylation events that are critical for SHP2 catalytic activity and to block ERK activation. In contrast, targeting the N-SH2 or C-SH2 revealed distinct roles of the two SH2 domains in downstream signaling, such as the phosphorylation of paxillin and signal transducer and activator of transcription 5. Our results delineate a hierarchy of function for the SH2 domains of SHP2 and validate monobodies as potent and specific antagonists of protein-protein interactions in cancer cells.

  3. Mapping of four distinct BCR-related loci to chromosome region 22q11: order of BCR loci relative to chronic myelogenous leukemia and acute lymphoblastic leukemia breakpoints

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Croce, C.M.; Huebner, K.; Isobe, M.; Fainstain, E.; Lifshitz, B.; Shtivelman, E.; Canaani, E.

    1987-01-01

    A probe derived from the 3' region of the BCR gene (breakpoint cluster region gene) detects four distinct loci in the human genome. One of the loci corresponds to the complete BCR gene, whereas the other contain a 3' segment of the gene. After HindIII cleavage of human DNA, these four loci are detected as 23-, 19-, 13-, and 9-kikobase-pair fragments, designated BCR4, BCR3, BCR2, and BCR1, respectively, with BCR1 deriving from the original complete BCR gene. All four BCR loci segregate 100% concordantly with human chromosome 22 in a rodent-human somatic cell hybrid panel and are located at chromosome region 22q11.2 by chromosomal in situ hybridization. The BCR2 and BCR4 loci are amplified in leukemia cell line K562 cells, indicating that they fall within the amplification unit that includes immunoglobulin λ light chain locus (IGL) and ABL locus on the K562 Philadelphia chromosome (Ph 1 ). Similarly, in mouse-human hybrids retaining a Ph 1 chromosome derived from an acute lymphoblastic leukemia-in the absence of the 9q + and 22, only BCR2 and BCR4 loci are retained. Thus, the order of loci on chromosome 22 is centromere → BCR2, BCR4, and IGL → BCR1 → BCR3 → SIS, possibly eliminating BCR2 and BCR4 loci as candidate targets for juxtaposition to the ABL gene in the acute lymphoblastic leukemia Ph 1 chromosome

  4. Prolonged treatment with imatinib mesylate in patients with advanced chronic myeloid leukemia causes a reduction of bcr/abl mRNA levels independent of cytogenetic response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cariani, E; Capucci, M; Micheletti, M; Spalenza, F; Zanella, I; Albertini, A; Rossi, G

    2003-06-01

    Bcr/abl mRNA levels were monitored in 13 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia receiving imatinib mesylate over a period of 78 weeks. During treatment median bcr/abl mRNA levels progressively declined from 77.2 normalized dose (nD) at baseline to 11.28 nD after 13 weeks ( P<0.05) and to 1.28 nD after 78 weeks ( P<0.05). After 13 weeks, bcr/abl mRNA levels were significantly lower in cytogenetic responders compared to nonresponders ( P<0.05), but subsequent decrease in the transcript levels caused the loss of any correlation to the cytogenetic status. These results suggest that bcr/abl mRNA levels may reflect cytogenetic response only during the early phases of imatinib therapy.

  5. Photodynamic treatment (ALA-PDT) suppresses the expression of the oncogenic Bcr-Abl kinase and affects the cytoskeleton organization in K562 cells

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Pluskalová, M.; Pešlová, G.; Grebeňová, D.; Halada, Petr; Hrkal, Z.

    2006-01-01

    Roč. 83, - (2006), s. 205-212 ISSN 1011-1344 R&D Projects: GA MZd NL7681 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50200510 Keywords : k562 * bcr -abl * photodynamic treatment Subject RIV: EE - Microbiology, Virology Impact factor: 1.909, year: 2006

  6. Characterization of leukemias with ETV6-ABL1 fusion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zaliova, Marketa; Moorman, Anthony V.; Cazzaniga, Giovanni; Stanulla, Martin; Harvey, Richard C.; Roberts, Kathryn G.; Heatley, Sue L.; Loh, Mignon L.; Konopleva, Marina; Chen, I-Ming; Zimmermannova, Olga; Schwab, Claire; Smith, Owen; Mozziconacci, Marie-Joelle; Chabannon, Christian; Kim, Myungshin; Frederik Falkenburg, J. H.; Norton, Alice; Marshall, Karen; Haas, Oskar A.; Starkova, Julia; Stuchly, Jan; Hunger, Stephen P.; White, Deborah; Mullighan, Charles G.; Willman, Cheryl L.; Stary, Jan; Trka, Jan; Zuna, Jan

    2016-01-01

    To characterize the incidence, clinical features and genetics of ETV6-ABL1 leukemias, representing targetable kinase-activating lesions, we analyzed 44 new and published cases of ETV6-ABL1-positive hematologic malignancies [22 cases of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (13 children, 9 adults) and 22 myeloid malignancies (18 myeloproliferative neoplasms, 4 acute myeloid leukemias)]. The presence of the ETV6-ABL1 fusion was ascertained by cytogenetics, fluorescence in-situ hybridization, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction and RNA sequencing. Genomic and gene expression profiling was performed by single nucleotide polymorphism and expression arrays. Systematic screening of more than 4,500 cases revealed that in acute lymphoblastic leukemia ETV6-ABL1 is rare in childhood (0.17% cases) and slightly more common in adults (0.38%). There is no systematic screening of myeloproliferative neoplasms; however, the number of ETV6-ABL1-positive cases and the relative incidence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and myeloproliferative neoplasms suggest that in adulthood ETV6-ABL1 is more common in BCR-ABL1-negative chronic myeloid leukemia-like myeloproliferations than in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The genomic profile of ETV6-ABL1 acute lymphoblastic leukemia resembled that of BCR-ABL1 and BCR-ABL1-like cases with 80% of patients having concurrent CDKN2A/B and IKZF1 deletions. In the gene expression profiling all the ETV6-ABL1-positive samples clustered in close vicinity to BCR-ABL1 cases. All but one of the cases of ETV6-ABL1 acute lymphoblastic leukemia were classified as BCR-ABL1-like by a standardized assay. Over 60% of patients died, irrespectively of the disease or age subgroup examined. In conclusion, ETV6-ABL1 fusion occurs in both lymphoid and myeloid leukemias; the genomic profile and clinical behavior resemble BCR-ABL1-positive malignancies, including the unfavorable prognosis, particularly of acute leukemias. The poor outcome suggests that treatment with

  7. ON012380: A Non-ATP Competitive Inhibitor of BCR-ABL for the Therapy of Imatinib-Resistant CMLs

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Reddy, E. P

    2007-01-01

    Because it is now apparent that a significant proportion of patients chronically treated with imatinib develop resistance due to the acquisition of mutations in the kinase domain of BCR-ABL our aim...

  8. CALR, JAK2 and MPL mutation status in Argentinean patients with BCR-ABL1- negative myeloproliferative neoplasms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ojeda, Mara Jorgelina; Bragós, Irma Margarita; Calvo, Karina Lucrecia; Williams, Gladis Marcela; Carbonell, María Magdalena; Pratti, Arianna Flavia

    2018-05-01

    To establish the frequency of JAK2, MPL and CALR mutations in Argentinean patients with BCR-ABL1-negative  myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) and to compare their clinical and haematological features. Mutations of JAK2V617F, JAK2 exon 12, MPL W515L/K and CALR were analysed in 439 Argentinean patients with BCR-ABL1-negative MPN, including 176 polycythemia vera (PV), 214 essential thrombocythemia (ET) and 49 primary myelofibrosis (PMF). In 94.9% of PV, 85.5% ET and 85.2% PMF, we found mutations in JAK2, MPL or CALR. 74.9% carried JAK2V617F, 12.3% CALR mutations, 2.1% MPL mutations and 10.7% were triple negative. In ET, nine types of CALR mutations were identified, four of which were novel. PMF patients were limited to types 1 and 2, type 2 being more frequent. In ET, patients with CALR mutation were younger and had higher platelet counts than those with JAK2V617F and triple negative. In addition, JAK2V617F patients had high leucocyte and haemoglobin values compared with CALR-mutated and triple-negative patients. In PMF, patients with mutant CALR were associated with higher platelet counts. Our study underscores the importance of JAK2, MPL and CALR genotyping for accurate diagnosis of patients with BCR-ABL1-negative MPN.

  9. Evolution of BCR/ABL gene mutation in CML is time dependent and dependent on the pressure exerted by tyrosine kinase inhibitor.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shantashri Vaidya

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Mutations in the ABL kinase domain and SH3-SH2 domain of the BCR/ABL gene and amplification of the Philadelphia chromosome are the two important BCR/ABL dependent mechanisms of imatinib resistance. Here, we intended to study the role played by TKI, imatinib, in selection of gene mutations and development of chromosomal abnormalities in Indian CML patients. METHODS: Direct sequencing methodology was employed to detect mutations and conventional cytogenetics was done to identify Philadelphia duplication. RESULTS: Among the different mechanisms of imatinib resistance, kinase domain mutations (39% of the BCR/ABL gene were seen to be more prevalent, followed by mutations in the SH3-SH2 domain (4% and then BCR/ABL amplification with the least frequency (1%. The median duration of occurrence of mutation was significantly shorter for patients with front line imatinib than those pre-treated with hydroxyurea. Patients with high Sokal score (p = 0.003 showed significantly higher incidence of mutations, as compared to patients with low/intermediate score. Impact of mutations on the clinical outcome in AP and BC was observed to be insignificant. Of the 94 imatinib resistant patients, only 1 patient exhibited duplication of Philadelphia chromosome, suggesting a less frequent occurrence of this abnormality in Indian CML patients. CONCLUSION: Close monitoring at regular intervals and proper analysis of the disease resistance would facilitate early detection of resistance and thus aid in the selection of the most appropriate therapy.

  10. Localization of preferential sites of rearrangement within the BCR gene in Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Denny, C.T.; Shah, N.P.; Ogden, S.; Willman, C.; McConnell, T.; Crist, W.; Carroll, A.; Witte, O.N.

    1989-01-01

    The Philadelphia chromosome associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) has been linked to a hybrid BCR/ABL protein product that differs from that found in chronic myelogenous leukemia. This implies that the molecular structures of the two chromosomal translocations also differ. Localization of translocation breakpoints in Philadelphia chromosome-positive ALL has been impeded due to the only partial characterization of the BCR locus. The authors have isolated the entire 130-kilobase BCR genomic locus from a human cosmid library. They have demonstrated that these breakpoints are all located at the 3' end of the intron around an unusual restriction fragment length polymorphism caused by deletion of a 1-kilobase fragment containing Alu family reiterated sequences. This clustering is unexpected in light of previous theories of rearrangement in Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia that would have predicted a random dispersion of breakpoints in the first intron in Philadelphia chromosome-positive ALL. The proximity of the translocation breakpoints to this constitutive deletion may indicate shared mechanisms of rearrangement or that such polymorphisms mark areas of the genome prone to recombination

  11. Functionally deregulated AML1/RUNX1 cooperates with BCR-ABL to induce a blastic phase-like phenotype of chronic myelogenous leukemia in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kiyoko Yamamoto

    Full Text Available Patients in the chronic phase (CP of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML have been treated successfully following the advent of ABL kinase inhibitors, but once they progress to the blast crisis (BC phase the prognosis becomes dismal. Although mechanisms underlying the progression are largely unknown, recent studies revealed the presence of alterations of key molecules for hematopoiesis, such as AML1/RUNX1. Our analysis of 13 BC cases revealed that three cases had AML1 mutations and the transcript levels of wild-type (wt. AML1 were elevated in BC compared with CP. Functional analysis of representative AML1 mutants using mouse hematopoietic cells revealed the possible contribution of some, but not all, mutants for the BC-phenotype. Specifically, K83Q and R139G, but neither R80C nor D171N mutants, conferred upon BCR-ABL-expressing cells a growth advantage over BCR-ABL-alone control cells in cytokine-free culture, and the cells thus grown killed mice upon intravenous transfer. Unexpectedly, wt.AML1 behaved similarly to K83Q and R139G mutants. In a bone marrow transplantation assay, K83Q and wt.AML1s induced the emergence of blast-like cells. The overall findings suggest the roles of altered functions of AML1 imposed by some, but not all, mutants, and the elevated expression of wt.AML1 for the disease progression of CML.

  12. SÍNTESES E PROPRIEDADES DE FÁRMACOS INIBIDORES DA TIROSINA QUINASE BCR-ABL, UTILIZADOS NO TRATAMENTO DA LEUCEMIA MIELOIDE CRÔNICA

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liviane D. de Azevedo

    Full Text Available The chronic myeloid leukemia (CML is characterized by presence of the Philadelphia chromosome (Ph, originated from the translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22. This chromosome generates an abnormal protein tyrosine kinase which is responsible for tumor cell proliferation. The emergence of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs has transformed the treatment of CML and imatinib being the first representative of this class. Although treatment with imatinib has reached surprising results, approximately 30% of patients exhibited resistance, especially in later stages of the disease. This fact stimulated the development of novel BCR-ABL enzyme inhibitors drugs classified as tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs of second and third generations. The TKIs have different chemical functions in their structure, and the knowledge of synthetic methods for preparation of these compounds can be a powerful tool for the development of new derivatives. The five approved BCR-ABL Tyrosine Kinase inhibitors (TKI used in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML are reviewed aiming the main synthetic routes, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages associated with them.

  13. Transforming and tumorigenic activity of JAK2 by fusion to BCR: molecular mechanisms of action of a novel BCR-JAK2 tyrosine-kinase.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Álvaro Cuesta-Domínguez

    Full Text Available Chromosomal translocations in tumors frequently produce fusion genes coding for chimeric proteins with a key role in oncogenesis. Recent reports described a BCR-JAK2 fusion gene in fatal chronic and acute myeloid leukemia, but the functional behavior of the chimeric protein remains uncharacterized. We used fluorescence in situ hybridization and reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR assays to describe a BCR-JAK2 fusion gene from a patient with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The patient has been in complete remission for six years following treatment and autologous transplantation, and minimal residual disease was monitored by real-time RT-PCR. BCR-JAK2 codes for a protein containing the BCR oligomerization domain fused to the JAK2 tyrosine-kinase domain. In vitro analysis of transfected cells showed that BCR-JAK2 is located in the cytoplasm. Transduction of hematopoietic Ba/F3 cells with retroviral vectors carrying BCR-JAK2 induced IL-3-independent cell growth, constitutive activation of the chimeric protein as well as STAT5 phosphorylation and translocation to the nuclei, where Bcl-xL gene expression was elicited. Primary mouse progenitor cells transduced with BCR-JAK2 also showed increased proliferation and survival. Treatment with the JAK2 inhibitor TG101209 abrogated BCR-JAK2 and STAT5 phosphorylation, decreased Bcl-xL expression and triggered apoptosis of transformed Ba/F3 cells. Therefore, BCR-JAK2 is a novel tyrosine-kinase with transforming activity. It deregulates growth factor-dependent proliferation and cell survival, which can be abrogated by the TG101209 inhibitor. Moreover, transformed Ba/F3 cells developed tumors when injected subcutaneously into nude mice, thus proving the tumorigenic capacity of BCR-JAK2 in vivo. Together these findings suggest that adult and pediatric patients with BCR-ABL-negative leukemia and JAK2 overexpression may benefit from targeted therapies.

  14. Nuclear topography and expression of the BCR/ABL fusion gene and its protein level influenced by cell differentiation and RNA interference

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Bártová, Eva; Harničarová, Andrea; Pacherník, Jiří; Kozubek, Stanislav

    2005-01-01

    Roč. 29, č. 8 (2005), s. 901-913 ISSN 0145-2126 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR(CZ) 1QS500040508; GA ČR(CZ) GA202/04/0907; GA MZd NC6987; GA AV ČR(CZ) IAA5004306; GA MŠk(CZ) LC535 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50040507 Keywords : BCR /ABL fusion gene * chromatin arrangement * gene expression Subject RIV: BO - Biophysics Impact factor: 2.372, year: 2005

  15. Screening und Charakterisierung von Peptidliganden für den BCR-ABL mRNA Translokationsbereich

    OpenAIRE

    Bäumler, Jörg

    2006-01-01

    Die reziproke Translokation t(9;22) ist in 95% der chronischen myeloischen Leukämie vorhanden. Bei der Translokation entsteht ein Fusionsprotein BCR-ABL, welches ausreichend für die Entstehung von Leukämien ist. 30% aller akuten lymphatischen Leukämien sind ebenfalls positiv für diese Translokation. Durch die Translokation entsteht am Translokationsbruchpunkt eine einzigartige RNA-Sequenz, welche als Ziel für eine RNA-Liganden Suche dienen kann. Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, Peptidliganden zu fi...

  16. ON012380: A Non-ATP Competitive Inhibitor of BCR-ABL for the Therapy of Imatinib-Resistant CMLs

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-05-01

    imatinib resistance with a novel ABL kinase inhibitor. Science. 2004; 305(5682):399-401 3. Weisberg E, Manley PW, Breitenstein W, Bruggen J, Cowan-Jacob... Manley PW, Cowan-Jacob SW, Hochhaus A, Griffin JD. Second generation inhibitors of BCR-ABL for the treatment of imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid...araldehyde (5) (10 mmol), glacial acetic acid (5 mL), and a catalytic amount (100 lL ) of benzyl amine was re- fluxed for 5–8 h. After completion of

  17. BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuellar, Sandra; Vozniak, Michael; Rhodes, Jill; Forcello, Nicholas; Olszta, Daniel

    2017-01-01

    The management of chronic myeloid leukemia with BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors has evolved chronic myeloid leukemia into a chronic, manageable disease. A patient-centered approach is important for the appropriate management of chronic myeloid leukemia and optimization of long-term treatment outcomes. The pharmacist plays a key role in treatment selection, monitoring drug-drug interactions, identification and management of adverse events, and educating patients on adherence. The combination of tyrosine kinase inhibitors with unique safety profiles and individual patients with unique medical histories can make managing treatment difficult. This review will provide up-to-date information regarding tyrosine kinase inhibitor-based treatment of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. Management strategies for adverse events and considerations for drug-drug interactions will not only vary among patients but also across tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Drug-drug interactions can be mild to severe. In instances where co-administration of concomitant medications cannot be avoided, it is critical to understand how drug levels are impacted and how subsequent dose modifications ensure therapeutic drug levels are maintained. An important component of patient-centered management of chronic myeloid leukemia also includes educating patients on the significance of early and regular monitoring of therapeutic milestones, emphasizing the importance of adhering to treatment in achieving these targets, and appropriately modifying treatment if these clinical goals are not being met. Overall, staying apprised of current research, utilizing the close pharmacist-patient relationship, and having regular interactions with patients, will help achieve successful long-term treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia in the age of BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

  18. Dasatinib rapidly induces deep molecular response in chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia patients who achieved major molecular response with detectable levels of BCR-ABL1 transcripts by imatinib therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shiseki, Masayuki; Yoshida, Chikashi; Takezako, Naoki; Ohwada, Akira; Kumagai, Takashi; Nishiwaki, Kaichi; Horikoshi, Akira; Fukuda, Tetsuya; Takano, Hina; Kouzai, Yasuji; Tanaka, Junji; Morita, Satoshi; Sakamoto, Junichi; Sakamaki, Hisashi; Inokuchi, Koiti

    2017-10-01

    With the introduction of imatinib, a first-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) to inhibit BCR-ABL1 kinase, the outcome of chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CP-CML) has improved dramatically. However, only a small proportion of CP-CML patients subsequently achieve a deep molecular response (DMR) with imatinib. Dasatinib, a second-generation TKI, is more potent than imatinib in the inhibition of BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase in vitro and more effective in CP-CML patients who do not achieve an optimal response with imatinib treatment. In the present study, we attempted to investigate whether switching the treatment from imatinib to dasatinib can induce DMR in 16 CP-CML patients treated with imatinib for at least two years who achieved a major molecular response (MMR) with detectable levels of BCR-ABL1 transcripts. The rates of achievement of DMR at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after switching to dasatinib treatment in the 16 patients were 44% (7/16), 56% (9/16), 63% (10/16) and 75% (12/16), respectively. The cumulative rate of achieving DMR at 12 months from initiation of dasatinib therapy was 93.8% (15/16). The proportion of natural killer cells and cytotoxic T cells in peripheral lymphocytes increased after switching to dasatinib. In contrast, the proportion of regulatory T cells decreased during treatment. The safety profile of dasatinib was consistent with previous studies. Switching to dasatinib would be a therapeutic option for CP-CML patients who achieved MMR but not DMR by imatinib, especially for patients who wish to discontinue TKI therapy.

  19. Ibrutinib inhibits pre-BCR+ B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia progression by targeting BTK and BLK.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Ekaterina; Hurtz, Christian; Koehrer, Stefan; Wang, Zhiqiang; Balasubramanian, Sriram; Chang, Betty Y; Müschen, Markus; Davis, R Eric; Burger, Jan A

    2017-03-02

    Targeting B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling is a successful therapeutic strategy in mature B-cell malignancies. Precursor BCR (pre-BCR) signaling, which is critical during normal B lymphopoiesis, also plays an important role in pre-BCR + B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). Here, we investigated the activity and mechanism of action of the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib in preclinical models of B-ALL. Pre-BCR + ALL cells were exquisitely sensitive to ibrutinib at therapeutically relevant drug concentrations. In pre-BCR + ALL, ibrutinib thwarted autonomous and induced pre-BCR signaling, resulting in deactivation of PI3K/Akt signaling. Ibrutinib modulated the expression of pre-BCR regulators (PTPN6, CD22, CD72, and PKCβ) and substantially reduced BCL6 levels. Ibrutinib inhibited ALL cell migration toward CXCL12 and beneath marrow stromal cells and reduced CD44 expression. CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing revealed that both BTK and B lymphocyte kinase (BLK) are relevant targets of ibrutinib in pre-BCR + ALL. Consequently, in mouse xenograft models of pre-BCR + ALL, ibrutinib treatment significantly prolonged survival. Combination treatment of ibrutinib with dexamethasone or vincristine demonstrated synergistic activity against pre-BCR + ALL. These data corroborate ibrutinib as a promising targeted agent for pre-BCR + ALL and highlight the importance of ibrutinib effects on alternative kinase targets. © 2017 by The American Society of Hematology.

  20. Epidemiologic study on survival of chronic myeloid leukemia and Ph(+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients with BCR-ABL T315I mutation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nicolini, Franck E; Mauro, Michael J; Martinelli, Giovanni

    2009-01-01

    The BCR-ABL T315I mutation represents a major mechanism of resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). The objectives of this retrospective observational study were to estimate overall and progression-free survival for chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic-phase (CP), accelerated-phase (AP......), or blastic-phase (BP) and Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph)(+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients with T315I mutation. Medical records of 222 patients from 9 countries were reviewed; data were analyzed using log-rank tests and Cox proportional hazard models. Median age at T315I mutation...

  1. Monovalent engagement of the BCR activates ovalbumin-specific transnuclear B cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Avalos, Ana M.; Bilate, Angelina M.; Witte, Martin D.; Tai, Albert K.; He, Jiang; Frushicheva, Maria P.; Thill, Peter D.; Meyer-Wentrup, Friederike; Theile, Christopher S.; Chakraborty, Arup K.; Zhuang, Xiaowei; Ploegh, Hidde L.

    2014-01-01

    Valency requirements for B cell activation upon antigen encounter are poorly understood. OB1 transnuclear B cells express an IgG1 B cell receptor (BCR) specific for ovalbumin (OVA), the epitope of which can be mimicked using short synthetic peptides to allow antigen-specific engagement of the BCR.

  2. Coupling a universal DNA circuit with graphene sheets/polyaniline/AuNPs nanocomposites for the detection of BCR/ABL fusion gene

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, Xueping [Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016 (China); Wang, Li [Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016 (China); Department of Medical Laboratory, Chongqing Emergency Medical Center (Chongqing The Fourth Hospital), Chongqing, 400016 (China); Sheng, Shangchun [The No.2 Peoples' Hospital of Yibin, Sichuan, 644000 (China); Wang, Teng; Yang, Juan [Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016 (China); Xie, Guoming, E-mail: guomingxie@cqmu.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016 (China); Feng, Wenli, E-mail: fengwlcqmu@sina.com [Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, 400016 (China)

    2015-08-19

    This article described a novel method by coupling a universal DNA circuit with graphene sheets/polyaniline/AuNPs nanocomposites (GS/PANI/AuNPs) for highly sensitive and specific detection of BCR/ABL fusion gene (bcr/abl) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). DNA circuit known as catalyzed hairpin assembly (CHA) is enzyme-free and can be simply operated to achieve exponential amplification, which has been widely employed in biosensing. However, application of CHA has been hindered by the need of specially redesigned sequences for each single-stranded DNA input. Herein, a transducer hairpin (HP) was designed to obtain a universal DNA circuit with favorable signal-to-background ratio. To further improve signal amplification, GS/PANI/AuNPs with excellent conductivity and enlarged effective area were introduced into this DNA circuit. Consequently, by combining the advantages of CHA and GS/PANI/AuNPs, bcr/abl could be detected in a linear range from 10 pM to 20 nM with a detection limit of 1.05 pM. Moreover, this protocol showed excellent specificity, good stability and was successfully applied for the detection of real sample, which demonstrated its great potential in clinical application. - Highlights: • A transducer hairpin was designed to improve the versatility of DNA circuit. • GS/PANI/AuNPs were introduced to the DNA circuit for further signal amplification. • The established biosensor displayed high sensitivity and good specificity.

  3. Rictor positively regulates B cell receptor signaling by modulating actin reorganization via ezrin.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lu Huang

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available As the central hub of the metabolism machinery, the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2 has been well studied in lymphocytes. As an obligatory component of mTORC2, the role of Rictor in T cells is well established. However, the role of Rictor in B cells still remains elusive. Rictor is involved in B cell development, especially the peripheral development. However, the role of Rictor on B cell receptor (BCR signaling as well as the underlying cellular and molecular mechanism is still unknown. This study used B cell-specfic Rictor knockout (KO mice to investigate how Rictor regulates BCR signaling. We found that the key positive and negative BCR signaling molecules, phosphorylated Brutons tyrosine kinase (pBtk and phosphorylated SH2-containing inositol phosphatase (pSHIP, are reduced and enhanced, respectively, in Rictor KO B cells. This suggests that Rictor positively regulates the early events of BCR signaling. We found that the cellular filamentous actin (F-actin is drastically increased in Rictor KO B cells after BCR stimulation through dysregulating the dephosphorylation of ezrin. The high actin-ezrin intensity area restricts the lateral movement of BCRs upon stimulation, consequently reducing BCR clustering and BCR signaling. The reduction in the initiation of BCR signaling caused by actin alteration is associated with a decreased humoral immune response in Rictor KO mice. The inhibition of actin polymerization with latrunculin in Rictor KO B cells rescues the defects of BCR signaling and B cell differentiation. Overall, our study provides a new pathway linking cell metablism to BCR activation, in which Rictor regulates BCR signaling via actin reorganization.

  4. Do endothelial cells belong to the primitive stem leukemic clone in CML? Role of extracellular vesicles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramos, Teresa L; Sánchez-Abarca, Luis Ignacio; López-Ruano, Guillermo; Muntión, Sandra; Preciado, Silvia; Hernández-Ruano, Montserrat; Rosado, Belén; de las Heras, Natalia; Chillón, M Carmen; Hernández-Hernández, Ángel; González, Marcos; Sánchez-Guijo, Fermín; Del Cañizo, Consuelo

    2015-08-01

    The expression of BCR-ABL in hematopoietic stem cells is a well-defined primary event in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Some reports have described the presence of BCR-ABL on endothelial cells from CML patients, suggesting the origin of the disease in a primitive hemangioblastic cell. On the other hand, extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by CML leukemic cells are involved in the angiogenesis modulation process. In the current work we hypothesized that EVs released from BCR-ABL(+) cells may carry inside the oncogene that can be transferred to endothelial cells leading to the expression of both BCR-ABL transcript and the oncoprotein. EVs from K562 cells and plasma of newly diagnosed CML patients were isolated by ultracentrifugation. RT-PCR analysis detected the presence of BCR-ABL RNA in the EVs isolated from both K562 cells and plasma of CML patients. The incorporation of these EVs into endothelial cells was demonstrated by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy showed that after 24h of incubation most EVs were incorporated. BCR-ABL transcripts were detected in all experiments on endothelial cells incubated with EVs from both sources. The presence of BCR-ABL on endothelial cells incubated with Philadelphia(+) EVs was also confirmed by Western blot assays. In summary, endothelial cells acquire BCR-ABL RNA and the oncoprotein after incubation with EVs released from Ph(+) positive cells (either from K562 cells or from plasma of newly diagnosed CML patients). This results challenge the hypothesis that endothelial cells may be part of the Philadelphia(+) clone in CML. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. The First Pentacyclic Triterpenoid Gypsogenin Derivative Exhibiting Anti-ABL1 Kinase and Anti-chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Activities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ciftci, Halil Ibrahim; Ozturk, Safiye Emirdag; Ali, Taha F S; Radwan, Mohamed O; Tateishi, Hiroshi; Koga, Ryoko; Ocak, Zeynep; Can, Mustafa; Otsuka, Masami; Fujita, Mikako

    2018-04-01

    The discovery of the chimeric tyrosine kinase breakpoint cluster region kinase-Abelson kinase (BCR-ABL)-targeted drug imatinib conceptually changed the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). However, some CML patients show drug resistance to imatinib. To address this issue, some artificial heterocyclic compounds have been identified as BCR-ABL inhibitors. Here we examined whether plant-derived pentacyclic triterpenoid gypsogenin and/or their derivatives show inhibitory activity against BCR-ABL. Among the three derivatives, benzyl 3-hydroxy-23-oxoolean-12-en-28-oate (1c) was found to be the most effective anticancer agent on the CML cell line K562, with an IC 50 value of 9.3 µM. In contrast, the IC 50 against normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells was 276.0 µM, showing better selectivity than imatinib. Compound 1c had in vitro inhibitory activity against Abelson kinase 1 (ABL1) (IC 50 =8.7 µM), the kinase component of BCR-ABL. In addition, compound 1c showed a different inhibitory profile against eight kinases compared with imatinib. The interaction between ATP binding site of ABL and 1c was examined by molecular docking study, and the binding mode was different from imatinib and newer generation inhibitors. Furthermore, 1c suppressed signaling downstream of BCR-ABL. This study suggests the possibility that plant extracts may be a source for CML treatment and offer a strategy to overcome drug resistance to known BCR-ABL inhibitors.

  6. Adaptive Immunity to Leukemia Is Inhibited by Cross-Reactive Induced Regulatory T Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manlove, Luke S; Berquam-Vrieze, Katherine E; Pauken, Kristen E; Williams, Richard T; Jenkins, Marc K; Farrar, Michael A

    2015-10-15

    BCR-ABL(+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients have transient responses to current therapies. However, the fusion of BCR to ABL generates a potential leukemia-specific Ag that could be a target for immunotherapy. We demonstrate that the immune system can limit BCR-ABL(+) leukemia progression although ultimately this immune response fails. To address how BCR-ABL(+) leukemia escapes immune surveillance, we developed a peptide: MHC class II tetramer that labels endogenous BCR-ABL-specific CD4(+) T cells. Naive mice harbored a small population of BCR-ABL-specific T cells that proliferated modestly upon immunization. The small number of naive BCR-ABL-specific T cells was due to negative selection in the thymus, which depleted BCR-ABL-specific T cells. Consistent with this observation, we saw that BCR-ABL-specific T cells were cross-reactive with an endogenous peptide derived from ABL. Despite this cross-reactivity, the remaining population of BCR-ABL reactive T cells proliferated upon immunization with the BCR-ABL fusion peptide and adjuvant. In response to BCR-ABL(+) leukemia, BCR-ABL-specific T cells proliferated and converted into regulatory T (Treg) cells, a process that was dependent on cross-reactivity with self-antigen, TGF-β1, and MHC class II Ag presentation by leukemic cells. Treg cells were critical for leukemia progression in C57BL/6 mice, as transient Treg cell ablation led to extended survival of leukemic mice. Thus, BCR-ABL(+) leukemia actively suppresses antileukemia immune responses by converting cross-reactive leukemia-specific T cells into Treg cells. Copyright © 2015 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

  7. Molecular genetic tests for JAK2V617F, Exon12_JAK2 and MPLW515K/L are highly informative in the evaluation of patients suspected to have BCR-ABL1-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    dos Santos, Marcos Tadeu; Mitne-Neto, Miguel; Miyashiro, Kozue; Chauffaille, Maria de Lourdes L Ferrari; Rizzatti, Edgar Gil

    2014-02-01

    Polycythaemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET) and idiopathic myelofibrosis (MF), are the most common myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) in patients without the BCR-ABL1 gene rearrangement. They are caused by clonal expansion of haematopoietic stem cells and share, as a diagnostic criterion, the identification of JAK2V617F mutation. Classically, when other clinical criteria are present, a JAK2V617F negative case requires the analysis of Exon12_JAK2 for the diagnosis of PV, and of MPL515K/L mutations for the diagnosis of ET and MF. Here, we evaluated 78 samples from Brazilian patients suspected to have MPN, without stratification for PV, ET or MF. We found that 28 (35.9%) are JAK2V617F carriers; from the 50 remaining samples, one (2%) showed an Exon12_JAK2 mutation, and another (2%) was positive for MPLW515L mutation. In summary, the investigation of JAK2V617F, Exon12_JAK2 and MPLW515K/L was relevant for the diagnosis of 38.4% of patients suspected to have BCR-ABL1-negative MPN, suggesting that molecular genetic tests are useful for a quick and unequivocal diagnosis of MPN.

  8. In chronic myeloid leukemia patients on second-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy, deep sequencing of BCR-ABL1 at the time of warning may allow sensitive detection of emerging drug-resistant mutants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soverini, Simona; De Benedittis, Caterina; Castagnetti, Fausto; Gugliotta, Gabriele; Mancini, Manuela; Bavaro, Luana; Machova Polakova, Katerina; Linhartova, Jana; Iurlo, Alessandra; Russo, Domenico; Pane, Fabrizio; Saglio, Giuseppe; Rosti, Gianantonio; Cavo, Michele; Baccarani, Michele; Martinelli, Giovanni

    2016-08-02

    Imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients receiving second-line tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy with dasatinib or nilotinib have a higher risk of disease relapse and progression and not infrequently BCR-ABL1 kinase domain (KD) mutations are implicated in therapeutic failure. In this setting, earlier detection of emerging BCR-ABL1 KD mutations would offer greater chances of efficacy for subsequent salvage therapy and limit the biological consequences of full BCR-ABL1 kinase reactivation. Taking advantage of an already set up and validated next-generation deep amplicon sequencing (DS) assay, we aimed to assess whether DS may allow a larger window of detection of emerging BCR-ABL1 KD mutants predicting for an impending relapse. a total of 125 longitudinal samples from 51 CML patients who had acquired dasatinib- or nilotinib-resistant mutations during second-line therapy were analyzed by DS from the time of failure and mutation detection by conventional sequencing backwards. BCR-ABL1/ABL1%(IS) transcript levels were used to define whether the patient had 'optimal response', 'warning' or 'failure' at the time of first mutation detection by DS. DS was able to backtrack dasatinib- or nilotinib-resistant mutations to the previous sample(s) in 23/51 (45 %) pts. Median mutation burden at the time of first detection by DS was 5.5 % (range, 1.5-17.5 %); median interval between detection by DS and detection by conventional sequencing was 3 months (range, 1-9 months). In 5 cases, the mutations were detectable at baseline. In the remaining cases, response level at the time mutations were first detected by DS could be defined as 'Warning' (according to the 2013 ELN definitions of response to 2nd-line therapy) in 13 cases, as 'Optimal response' in one case, as 'Failure' in 4 cases. No dasatinib- or nilotinib-resistant mutations were detected by DS in 15 randomly selected patients with 'warning' at various timepoints, that later turned into optimal

  9. Modulation of BCR Signaling by the Induced Dimerization of Receptor-Associated SYK

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark L. Westbroek

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Clustering of the B cell antigen receptor (BCR by polyvalent antigens is transmitted through the SYK tyrosine kinase to the activation of multiple intracellular pathways that determine the physiological consequences of receptor engagement. To explore factors that modulate the quantity and quality of signals sent by the crosslinked BCR, we developed a novel chemical mediator of dimerization to induce clustering of receptor-associated SYK. To accomplish this, we fused SYK with E. coli dihydrofolate reductase (eDHFR, which binds the small molecule trimethoprim (TMP with high affinity and selectivity and synthesized a dimer of TMP with a flexible linker. The TMP dimer is able to induce the aggregation of eDHFR-linked SYK in live cells. The induced dimerization of SYK bound to the BCR differentially regulates the activation of downstream transcription factors, promoting the activation of Nuclear Factor of Activated T cells (NFAT without affecting the activation of NFκB. The dimerization of SYK enhances the duration but not the amplitude of calcium mobilization by enhancing the extent and duration of its interaction with the crosslinked BCR at the plasma membrane.

  10. Selective Depletion of CD45RA+ T Cells From Allogeneic Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Grafts From HLA-Matched Related and Unrelated Donors in Preventing GVHD

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-10-25

    Accelerated Phase Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, BCR-ABL1 Positive; Acute Biphenotypic Leukemia; Acute Leukemia of Ambiguous Lineage; Acute Undifferentiated Leukemia; Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Remission; Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Remission; Blast Phase Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, BCR-ABL1 Positive; Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell Neoplasm; Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Remission; Childhood Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Remission; Lymphoblastic Lymphoma; Myelodysplastic Syndrome With Excess Blasts; Myelodysplastic Syndrome With Excess Blasts-1; Myelodysplastic Syndrome With Excess Blasts-2; Recurrent Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia; Recurrent Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia; Recurrent Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia; Recurrent Childhood Acute Myeloid Leukemia; Recurrent Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, BCR-ABL1 Positive; Refractory Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia; Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia

  11. BCR-ABL1 mutation development during first-line treatment with dasatinib or imatinib for chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hughes, T P; Saglio, G; Quintás-Cardama, A; Mauro, M J; Kim, D-W; Lipton, J H; Bradley-Garelik, M B; Ukropec, J; Hochhaus, A

    2015-09-01

    BCR-ABL1 mutations are a common, well-characterized mechanism of resistance to imatinib as first-line treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase (CML-CP). Less is known about mutation development during first-line treatment with dasatinib and nilotinib, despite increased use because of higher response rates compared with imatinib. Retrospective analyses were conducted to characterize mutation development in patients with newly diagnosed CML-CP treated with dasatinib (n=259) or imatinib (n=260) in DASISION (Dasatinib versus Imatinib Study in Treatment-Naive CML-CP), with 3-year minimum follow-up. Mutation screening, including patients who discontinued treatment and patients who had a clinically relevant on-treatment event (no confirmed complete cytogenetic response (cCCyR) and no major molecular response (MMR) within 12 months; fivefold increase in BCR-ABL1 with loss of MMR; loss of CCyR), yielded a small number of patients with mutations (dasatinib, n=17; imatinib, n=18). Dasatinib patients had a narrower spectrum of mutations (4 vs 12 sites for dasatinib vs imatinib), fewer phosphate-binding loop mutations (1 vs 9 mutations), fewer multiple mutations (1 vs 6 patients) and greater occurrence of T315I (11 vs 0 patients). This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00481247.

  12. An activating mutation of GNB1 is associated with resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors in ETV6-ABL1-positive leukemia

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Zimmermannova, O.; Doktorova, E.; Stuchlý, J.; Kanderová, V.; Kuzilkova, D.; Strnad, Hynek; Starková, J.; Alberich-Jorda, Meritxell; Falkenburg, J.H.F.; Trka, J.; Petrák, J.; Zuna, J.; Žaliová, M.

    2017-01-01

    Roč. 36, č. 43 (2017), s. 5985-5994 ISSN 0950-9232 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP302/12/G101; GA MŠk(CZ) LQ1604; GA MŠk(CZ) ED1.1.00/02.0109 Institutional support: RVO:68378050 Keywords : acute lymphoblastic-leukemia * chronic myeloid-leukemia * bcr-abl * tel-abl * cytogenetic characterization * imatinib-mesylate * fusion proteins * blast crisis * rearrangement * patient Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology OBOR OECD: Cell biology Impact factor: 7.519, year: 2016

  13. The BTK Inhibitor Ibrutinib (PCI-32765) Blocks Hairy Cell Leukaemia Survival, Proliferation and BCR Signalling: A New Therapeutic Approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sivina, Mariela; Kreitman, Robert J.; Arons, Evgeny; Ravandi, Farhad; Burger, Jan A.

    2014-01-01

    B cell receptor (BCR) signalling plays a critical role in the progression of several B-cell malignancies, but its role in hairy cell leukaemia (HCL) is ambiguous. Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK), a key player in BCR signalling, migration and adhesion, can be targeted with ibrutinib, a selective, irreversible BTK inhibitor. We analysed BTK expression and function in HCL and analysed the effects of ibrutinib on HCL cells. We demonstrated uniform BTK protein expression in HCL cells. Ibrutinib significantly inhibited HCL proliferation and cell cycle progression. Accordingly, ibrutinib also reduced HCL cell survival after BCR triggering with anti-immunoglobulins (A, G, and M) and abrogated the activation of kinases downstream of the BCR (PI3K and MAPK). Ibrutinib also inhibited BCR-dependent secretion of the chemokines CCL3 and CCL4 by HCL cells. Interestingly, ibrutinib inhibited CXCL12-induced signalling, a key pathway for bone marrow homing. Collectively, our data support the clinical development of ibrutinib in patients with HCL. PMID:24697238

  14. Type i CD20 antibodies recruit the B cell receptor for complement-dependent lysis of malignant B cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Engelberts, P. J.; Voorhorst, M.; Schuurman, J.

    2016-01-01

    . We hypothesized that CD20 Ab-induced clustering of the IgM or IgG BCR was involved in accessory CDC. Indeed, accessory CDC was consistently observed in B cell lines expressing an IgM BCR and in some cell lines expressing an IgG BCR, but it was absent in BCR- B cell lines. A direct relationship...... between BCR expression and accessory CDC was established by transfecting the BCR into CD20+ cells: OFA-F(ab')2 fragments were able to induce CDC in the CD20+BCR+ cell population, but not in the CD20+BCR- population. Importantly, OFA-F(ab')2 fragments were able to induce CDC ex vivo in malignant B cells...... isolated from patients with mantle cell lymphoma and Waldenström macroglobulinemia. In summary, accessory CDC represents a novel effector mechanism that is dependent on type I CD20 Ab-induced BCR clustering. Accessory CDC may contribute to the excellent capacity of type I CD20 Abs to induce CDC...

  15. CD40 signaling synergizes with TLR-2 in the BCR independent activation of resting B cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shweta Jain

    Full Text Available Conventionally, signaling through BCR initiates sequence of events necessary for activation and differentiation of B cells. We report an alternative approach, independent of BCR, for stimulating resting B (RB cells, by involving TLR-2 and CD40--molecules crucial for innate and adaptive immunity. CD40 triggering of TLR-2 stimulated RB cells significantly augments their activation, proliferation and differentiation. It also substantially ameliorates the calcium flux, antigen uptake capacity and ability of B cells to activate T cells. The survival of RB cells was improved and it increases the number of cells expressing activation induced deaminase (AID, signifying class switch recombination (CSR. Further, we also observed increased activation rate and decreased threshold period required for optimum stimulation of RB cells. These results corroborate well with microarray gene expression data. This study provides novel insights into coordination between the molecules of innate and adaptive immunity in activating B cells, in a BCR independent manner. This strategy can be exploited to design vaccines to bolster B cell activation and antigen presenting efficiency, leading to faster and better immune response.

  16. CD40 signaling synergizes with TLR-2 in the BCR independent activation of resting B cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jain, Shweta; Chodisetti, Sathi Babu; Agrewala, Javed N

    2011-01-01

    Conventionally, signaling through BCR initiates sequence of events necessary for activation and differentiation of B cells. We report an alternative approach, independent of BCR, for stimulating resting B (RB) cells, by involving TLR-2 and CD40--molecules crucial for innate and adaptive immunity. CD40 triggering of TLR-2 stimulated RB cells significantly augments their activation, proliferation and differentiation. It also substantially ameliorates the calcium flux, antigen uptake capacity and ability of B cells to activate T cells. The survival of RB cells was improved and it increases the number of cells expressing activation induced deaminase (AID), signifying class switch recombination (CSR). Further, we also observed increased activation rate and decreased threshold period required for optimum stimulation of RB cells. These results corroborate well with microarray gene expression data. This study provides novel insights into coordination between the molecules of innate and adaptive immunity in activating B cells, in a BCR independent manner. This strategy can be exploited to design vaccines to bolster B cell activation and antigen presenting efficiency, leading to faster and better immune response.

  17. Expression of p89c-Mybex9b, an alternatively spliced form of c-Myb, is required for proliferation and survival of p210BCR/ABL-expressing cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manzotti, G; Mariani, S A; Corradini, F; Bussolari, R; Cesi, V; Vergalli, J; Ferrari-Amorotti, G; Fragliasso, V; Soliera, A R; Cattelani, S; Raschellà, G; Holyoake, T L; Calabretta, B

    2012-01-01

    The c-Myb gene encodes the p75 c-Myb isoform and less-abundant proteins generated by alternatively spliced transcripts. Among these, the best known is p c-Mybex9b , which contains 121 additional amino acids between exon 9 and 10, in a domain involved in protein–protein interactions and negative regulation. In hematopoietic cells, expression of p c-Mybex9b accounts for 10–15% of total c-Myb; these levels may be biologically relevant because modest changes in c-Myb expression affects proliferation and survival of leukemic cells and lineage choice and frequency of normal hematopoietic progenitors. In this study, we assessed biochemical activities of p c-Mybex9b and the consequences of perturbing its expression in K562 and primary chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) progenitor cells. Compared with p75 c-Myb , p c-Mybex9b is more stable and more effective in transactivating Myb-regulated promoters. Ectopic expression of p c-Mybex9b enhanced proliferation and colony formation and reduced imatinib (IM) sensitivity of K562 cells; conversely, specific downregulation of p c-Mybex9b reduced proliferation and colony formation, enhanced IM sensitivity of K562 cells and markedly suppressed colony formation of CML CD34 + cells, without affecting the levels of p75 c-Myb . Together, these studies indicate that expression of the low-abundance p c-Mybex9b isoform has an important role for the overall biological effects of c-Myb in BCR/ABL-transformed cells

  18. Genetic polymorphisms of hemostatic factors and thrombotic risk in non BCR-ABL myeloproliferative neoplasms: A pilot study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dambrauskienė R

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available The most important complications of Philadelphianegagive (non BCR-ABL myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs are vascular events. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs, platelet glycoproteins (GPs (Ia/IIa, Ibα, IIb/IIIa and VI, von Willebrand factor (vWF, coagulation factor VII (FVII, β-fibrinogen, and the risk of thrombosis in patients with non BCR-ABL MPNs at the Lithuanian University of Health Sciences. Kaunas, Lithuania. Genotyping was done for 108 patients. The TT genotype of the GP Ia/IIa c.807C>T polymorphism was more frequently found in the group of MPN patients with arterial thrombosis compared to MPN patients who were thrombosis-free [26.5 vs. 11.5%, p = 0.049; odds ratio (OR 2.68; 95% confidence interval (95% CI 1.01-7.38]. The CT genotype of the β-fibrinogen c.-148C>T polymorphism occurred more frequently in MPN patients with arterial, and total thrombosis compared to the wild or homozygous genotype (57.7 vs. 40.0 vs. 12.5%; p = 0.027, (64.7 vs. 44.4 vs. 25%; p = 0.032, respectively. The carrier state for the c.-323P10 variant of FVII SNP (summation of P10/10 and P0/10 was more frequent in MPN patients with thrombosis compared to the wild-type genotype carriers (71.4 vs. 43.4%; p = 0.049; OR 3.26; 95% CI 1.01-11.31. The coexistence of heterozygous β-fibrinogen c.-148C>T and FVII c.-323P0/10 SNP, increased the risk of arterial thrombosis (21.1 vs. 3.7%, p = 0.008; OR 6.93; 95% CI 1.38-34.80. The TT genotype of GP Ia/IIa c.807C>T, the CT genotype of β-fibrinogen c.-148C>T and FVII c.-323P0/10 SNP could be associated with risk of thrombosis in MPN patients.

  19. The mTOR inhibitor, everolimus (RAD001), overcomes resistance to imatinib in quiescent Ph-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuwatsuka, Y; Minami, M; Minami, Y; Sugimoto, K; Hayakawa, F; Miyata, Y; Abe, A; Goff, D J; Kiyoi, H; Naoe, T

    2011-01-01

    In Ph-positive (Ph + ) leukemia, the quiescent cell state is one of the reasons for resistance to the BCR-ABL-kinase inhibitor, imatinib. In order to examine the mechanisms of resistance due to quiescence and the effect of the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor, everolimus, for such a resistant population, we used Ph + acute lymphoblastic leukemia patient cells serially xenotransplanted into NOD/SCID/IL2rγ null (NOG) mice. Spleen cells from leukemic mice showed a higher percentage of slow-cycling G 0 cells in the CD34 + CD38 − population compared with the CD34 + CD38 + and CD34 − populations. After ex vivo imatinib treatment, more residual cells were observed in the CD34 + CD38 − population than in the other populations. Although slow-cycling G 0 cells were insensitive to imatinib in spite of BCR-ABL and CrkL dephosphorylation, combination treatment with everolimus induced substantial cell death, including that of the CD34 + CD38 − population, with p70-S6 K dephosphorylation and decrease of MCL-1 expression. The leukemic non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) mouse system with the in vivo combination treatment with imatinib and everolimus showed a decrease of tumor burden including CD34 + cells. These results imply that treatment with everolimus can overcome resistance to imatinib in Ph + leukemia due to quiescence

  20. Estandarización de la TR-PCR para la detección de las fusiones génicas BCR-ABL en pacientes con leucemia Mieloide Crónica (LMC y Linfoide Aguda (LLA provenientes de HUSVP y Clíncia León XIII

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gonzálo Vásquez Palacio

    2006-04-01

    Full Text Available La translocación recíproca t(9:22(q34;q11 involucra el proto-oncogen ABL y el gen BCR, originando un gen de fusión BCR-ABL, que codifica una proteína con elevada actividad tirosina quinasa, implicada en la leucemogénesis.

  1. Extensive gene-specific translational reprogramming in a model of B cell differentiation and Abl-dependent transformation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jamie G Bates

    Full Text Available To what extent might the regulation of translation contribute to differentiation programs, or to the molecular pathogenesis of cancer? Pre-B cells transformed with the viral oncogene v-Abl are suspended in an immortalized, cycling state that mimics leukemias with a BCR-ABL1 translocation, such as Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML and Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL. Inhibition of the oncogenic Abl kinase with imatinib reverses transformation, allowing progression to the next stage of B cell development. We employed a genome-wide polysome profiling assay called Gradient Encoding to investigate the extent and potential contribution of translational regulation to transformation and differentiation in v-Abl-transformed pre-B cells. Over half of the significantly translationally regulated genes did not change significantly at the level of mRNA abundance, revealing biology that might have been missed by measuring changes in transcript abundance alone. We found extensive, gene-specific changes in translation affecting genes with known roles in B cell signaling and differentiation, cancerous transformation, and cytoskeletal reorganization potentially affecting adhesion. These results highlight a major role for gene-specific translational regulation in remodeling the gene expression program in differentiation and malignant transformation.

  2. Systems-wide analysis of BCR signalosomes and downstream phosphorylation and ubiquitylation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Satpathy, Shankha; Wagner, Sebastian A; Beli, Petra

    2015-01-01

    B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling is essential for the development and function of B cells; however, the spectrum of proteins involved in BCR signaling is not fully known. Here we used quantitative mass spectrometry-based proteomics to monitor the dynamics of BCR signaling complexes (signalosomes......) and to investigate the dynamics of downstream phosphorylation and ubiquitylation signaling. We identify most of the previously known components of BCR signaling, as well as many proteins that have not yet been implicated in this system. BCR activation leads to rapid tyrosine phosphorylation and ubiquitylation...... of the receptor-proximal signaling components, many of which are co-regulated by both the modifications. We illustrate the power of multilayered proteomic analyses for discovering novel BCR signaling components by demonstrating that BCR-induced phosphorylation of RAB7A at S72 prevents its association...

  3. Adaptive immunity to leukemia is inhibited by cross-reactive induced regulatory T cells

    OpenAIRE

    Manlove, Luke S.; Berquam-Vrieze, Katherine E.; Pauken, Kristen E.; Williams, Richard T.; Jenkins, Marc K.; Farrar, Michael A.

    2015-01-01

    BCR-ABL+ acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients have transient responses to current therapies. However, the fusion of BCR to ABL generates a potential leukemia-specific antigen that could be a target for immunotherapy. We demonstrate that the immune system can limit BCR-ABL+ leukemia progression although ultimately this immune response fails. To address how BCR-ABL+ leukemia escapes immune surveillance, we developed a peptide: MHC-II tetramer that labels endogenous BCR-ABL-specific CD4+ T cell...

  4. The mTOR inhibitor, everolimus (RAD001), overcomes resistance to imatinib in quiescent Ph-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kuwatsuka, Y; Minami, M; Minami, Y; Sugimoto, K; Hayakawa, F; Miyata, Y; Abe, A [Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya (Japan); Goff, D J [Moores Cancer Center, University of California San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA (United States); Kiyoi, H [Department of Infectious Diseases, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya (Japan); Naoe, T [Department of Hematology and Oncology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya (Japan)

    2011-05-01

    In Ph-positive (Ph{sup +}) leukemia, the quiescent cell state is one of the reasons for resistance to the BCR-ABL-kinase inhibitor, imatinib. In order to examine the mechanisms of resistance due to quiescence and the effect of the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor, everolimus, for such a resistant population, we used Ph{sup +} acute lymphoblastic leukemia patient cells serially xenotransplanted into NOD/SCID/IL2rγ{sup null} (NOG) mice. Spleen cells from leukemic mice showed a higher percentage of slow-cycling G{sub 0} cells in the CD34{sup +}CD38{sup −} population compared with the CD34{sup +}CD38{sup +} and CD34{sup −} populations. After ex vivo imatinib treatment, more residual cells were observed in the CD34{sup +}CD38{sup −} population than in the other populations. Although slow-cycling G{sub 0} cells were insensitive to imatinib in spite of BCR-ABL and CrkL dephosphorylation, combination treatment with everolimus induced substantial cell death, including that of the CD34{sup +}CD38{sup −} population, with p70-S6 K dephosphorylation and decrease of MCL-1 expression. The leukemic non-obese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID) mouse system with the in vivo combination treatment with imatinib and everolimus showed a decrease of tumor burden including CD34{sup +} cells. These results imply that treatment with everolimus can overcome resistance to imatinib in Ph{sup +} leukemia due to quiescence.

  5. Germline mutations in ABL1 cause an autosomal dominant syndrome characterized by congenital heart defects and skeletal malformations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xia; Charng, Wu-Lin; Chen, Chun-An; Rosenfeld, Jill A; Al Shamsi, Aisha; Al-Gazali, Lihadh; McGuire, Marianne; Mew, Nicholas Ah; Arnold, Georgianne L; Qu, Chunjing; Ding, Yan; Muzny, Donna M; Gibbs, Richard A; Eng, Christine M; Walkiewicz, Magdalena; Xia, Fan; Plon, Sharon E; Lupski, James R; Schaaf, Christian P; Yang, Yaping

    2017-04-01

    ABL1 is a proto-oncogene well known as part of the fusion gene BCR-ABL1 in the Philadelphia chromosome of leukemia cancer cells. Inherited germline ABL1 changes have not been associated with genetic disorders. Here we report ABL1 germline variants cosegregating with an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by congenital heart disease, skeletal abnormalities, and failure to thrive. The variant c.734A>G (p.Tyr245Cys) was found to occur de novo or cosegregate with disease in five individuals (families 1-3). Additionally, a de novo c.1066G>A (p.Ala356Thr) variant was identified in a sixth individual (family 4). We overexpressed the mutant constructs in HEK 293T cells and observed increased tyrosine phosphorylation, suggesting increased ABL1 kinase activities associated with both the p.Tyr245Cys and p.Ala356Thr substitutions. Our clinical and experimental findings, together with previously reported teratogenic effects of selective BCR-ABL inhibitors in humans and developmental defects in Abl1 knockout mice, suggest that ABL1 has an important role during organismal development.

  6. Determination of cDNA encoding BCR/ABL fusion gene in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia using a novel FRET-based quantum dots-DNA nanosensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shamsipur, Mojtaba; Nasirian, Vahid; Barati, Ali; Mansouri, Kamran; Vaisi-Raygani, Asad; Kashanian, Soheila

    2017-05-08

    In the present study, we developed a sensitive method based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) for the determination of the BCR/ABL fusion gene, which is used as a biomarker to confirm the clinical diagnosis of both chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). For this purpose, CdTe quantum dots (QDs) were conjugated to amino-modified 18-mer oligonucleotide ((N)DNA) to form the QDs-(N)DNA nanosensor. In the presence of methylene blue (MB) as an intercalator, the hybridization of QDs-(N)DNA with the target BCR/ABL fusion gene (complementary DNA), brings the MB (acceptor) at close proximity of the QDs (donor), leading to FRET upon photoexcitation of the QDs. The enhancement in the emission intensity of MB was used to follow up the hybridization, which was linearly proportional to concentration of the target complementary DNA in a range from 1.0 × 10 -9 to 1.25 × 10 -7  M. The detection limit of the proposed method was obtained to be 1.5 × 10 -10  M. Finally, the feasibility and selectivity of the proposed nanosensor was evaluated by the analysis of derived nucleotides from both mismatched sequences and clinical samples of patients with leukemia as real samples. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Lack of bcr and abr promotes hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Min Yu

    Full Text Available Bcr and Abr are GTPase activating proteins that specifically downregulate activity of the small GTPase Rac in restricted cell types in vivo. Rac1 is expressed in smooth muscle cells, a critical cell type involved in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension. The molecular mechanisms that underlie hypoxia-associated pulmonary hypertension are not well-defined.Bcr and abr null mutant mice were compared to wild type controls for the development of pulmonary hypertension after exposure to hypoxia. Also, pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells from those mice were cultured in hypoxia and examined for proliferation, p38 activation and IL-6 production. Mice lacking Bcr or Abr exposed to hypoxia developed increased right ventricular pressure, hypertrophy and pulmonary vascular remodeling. Perivascular leukocyte infiltration in the lungs was increased, and under hypoxia bcr-/- and abr-/- macrophages generated more reactive oxygen species. Consistent with a contribution of inflammation and oxidative stress in pulmonary hypertension-associated vascular damage, Bcr and Abr-deficient animals showed elevated endothelial leakage after hypoxia exposure. Hypoxia-treated pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells from Bcr- or Abr-deficient mice also proliferated faster than those of wild type mice. Moreover, activated Rac1, phosphorylated p38 and interleukin 6 were increased in these cells in the absence of Bcr or Abr. Inhibition of Rac1 activation with Z62954982, a novel Rac inhibitor, decreased proliferation, p38 phosphorylation and IL-6 levels in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells exposed to hypoxia.Bcr and Abr play a critical role in down-regulating hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension by deactivating Rac1 and, through this, reducing both oxidative stress generated by leukocytes as well as p38 phosphorylation, IL-6 production and proliferation of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells.

  8. Andrographolide downregulates the v-Src and Bcr-Abl oncoproteins and induces Hsp90 cleavage in the ROS-dependent suppression of cancer malignancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Sheng-Hung; Lin, Chao-Hsiung; Liang, Fong-Ping; Chen, Pei-Fen; Kuo, Cheng-Deng; Alam, Mohd Mujahid; Maiti, Barnali; Hung, Shih-Kai; Chi, Chin-Wen; Sun, Chung-Ming; Fu, Shu-Ling

    2014-01-15

    Andrographolide is a diterpenoid compound isolated from Andrographis paniculata that exhibits anticancer activity. We previously reported that andrographolide suppressed v-Src-mediated cellular transformation by promoting the degradation of Src. In the present study, we demonstrated the involvement of Hsp90 in the andrographolide-mediated inhibition of Src oncogenic activity. Using a proteomics approach, a cleavage fragment of Hsp90α was identified in andrographolide-treated cells. The concentration- and time-dependent induction of Hsp90 cleavage that accompanied the reduction in Src was validated in RK3E cells transformed with either v-Src or a human truncated c-Src variant and treated with andrographolide. In cancer cells, the induction of Hsp90 cleavage by andrographolide and its structural derivatives correlated well with decreased Src levels, the suppression of transformation, and the induction of apoptosis. Moreover, the andrographolide-induced Hsp90 cleavage, Src degradation, inhibition of transformation, and induction of apoptosis were abolished by a ROS inhibitor, N-acetyl-cysteine. Notably, Hsp90 cleavage, decreased levels of Bcr-Abl (another known Hsp90 client protein), and the induction of apoptosis were also observed in human K562 leukemia cells treated with andrographolide or its active derivatives. Together, we demonstrated a novel mechanism by which andrographolide suppressed cancer malignancy that involved inhibiting Hsp90 function and reducing the levels of Hsp90 client proteins. Our results broaden the molecular basis of andrographolide-mediated anticancer activity. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Selective Depletion of CD45RA+ T Cells From Allogeneic Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Grafts in Preventing GVHD in Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-04-23

    Accelerated Phase Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, BCR-ABL1 Positive; Acute Biphenotypic Leukemia; Acute Leukemia of Ambiguous Lineage; Acute Undifferentiated Leukemia; Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Remission; Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Remission; Blast Phase Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, BCR-ABL1 Positive; Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Remission; Childhood Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Remission; Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia, BCR-ABL1 Positive; Myelodysplastic Syndrome With Excess Blasts-1; Myelodysplastic Syndrome With Excess Blasts-2; Recurrent Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia; Recurrent Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia; Recurrent Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia; Recurrent Childhood Acute Myeloid Leukemia; Refractory Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia; Refractory Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

  10. A novel dic (17;18 (p13.1;q11.2 with loss of TP53 and BCR/ABL rearrangement in an Imatinib resistant chronic myeloid leukemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Al-achkar Walid

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The so-called Philadelphia (Ph chromosome is present in more than 90% of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML cases. It results in juxtaposition of the 5′ part of the BCR gene on chromosome 22 to the 3′ part of the ABL gene on chromosome 9. Since the majority of CML cases are currently treated with Imatinib, variant rearrangements in general have no specific prognostic significance, although the mechanisms involved in resistance to therapy have yet to be investigated. The T315I mutation within the abl-gene is the most frequent one associated with resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Results This study evaluated a Ph chromosome positive CML case resistant to imatinib mesylate. A dic(17;18, loss of TP53 gene, co-expression of b2a2 and b3a2 fusions transcript and a T315I mutation were found. Conclusions We reported here a novel case of a Ph chromosome positive CML with a secondary abnormality [dic(17;18], resulting to Glivec resistance but good response to nilotinib. The dic(17;18 might be a marker for poor prognosis in CML. Our finding indicated for an aggressive progression of the disease. The patient died under the treatment due to unknown reasons.

  11. Frequency and clinical impact of ETV6/RUNX1, AF4‑MLL, and BCR ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    2015-05-12

    May 12, 2015 ... features of prognostic importance, which include total white blood cell count (P = 0.416) and FAB subtype (P = 0.576). Conclusion: Presence of fusion ... Frequency and clinical impact of ETV6/RUNX1, AF4‑MLL, and BCR/ABL fusion ... define distinct clinic‑pathological subgroups and have been used in risk ...

  12. Isolation and killing of candidate chronic myeloid leukemia stem cells by antibody targeting of IL-1 receptor accessory protein

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Järås, Marcus; Johnels, Petra; Hansen, Nils Gunder

    2010-01-01

    Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is genetically characterized by the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome, formed through a reciprocal translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22 and giving rise to the constitutively active tyrosine kinase P210 BCR/ABL1. Therapeutic strategies aiming for a cure of CML...... will require full eradication of Ph chromosome-positive (Ph(+)) CML stem cells. Here we used gene-expression profiling to identify IL-1 receptor accessory protein (IL1RAP) as up-regulated in CML CD34(+) cells and also in cord blood CD34(+) cells as a consequence of retroviral BCR/ABL1 expression. To test...

  13. BCR-crosslinking induces a transcription of protein phosphatase component G5PR that is required for mature B-cell survival

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huq Ronny, Faisal Mahmudul; Igarashi, Hideya; Sakaguchi, Nobuo

    2006-01-01

    BCR-crosslinking triggers activation-induced cell death (AICD) selectively in the restricted stage of B-cell differentiation. We examined the transcription of a protein phosphatase subunit G5PR in immature and mature B-cells, because absence of this factor augmented cell sensitivity to AICD, associated with increased activation of JNK and Bim. BCR-crosslinking-induced G5pr transcription in AICD-resistant mature splenic IgM lo IgD hi B-cells but not in AICD susceptible immature IgM hi IgD lo B-cells. Thus, G5pr induction correlated with the prevention of AICD; High in mature splenic CD23 hi B-cells but low in immature B-cells of neonatal mice, sub-lethally irradiated mice, or xid mice. Lack of G5pr upregulation was associated with the prolonged activation of JNK. The G5pr cDNA transfection protected an immature B-cell line WEHI-231 from BCR-mediated AICD. The differential expression of G5PR might be responsible for the antigen-dependent selection of B-cells

  14. Four-channel asymmetric Real-Time PCR hybridization probe assay: a rapid pre-screening method for critical BCR-ABL kinase domain mutations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinez-Serra, Jordi; Gutiérrez, Antonio; Marcús, Toni F; Soverini, Simona; Amat, Juan Carlos; Navarro-Palou, María; Ros, Teresa; Bex, Teresa; Ballester, Carmen; Bauça, Josep Miquel; SanFelix, Sara; Novo, Andrés; Vidal, Carmen; Santos, Carmen; Besalduch, Joan

    2012-03-01

    Within the laboratory protocols, used for the study of BCR-ABL resistance mutations in chronic myeloid leukemia patients treated with Imatinib, direct sequencing remains the reference method. Since the incidence of patients with a mutation-related loss of response is not very high, it is very useful in the routine laboratory to perform a fast pre-screening method. With this in mind, we have designed a new technique, based on a single Real-Time FRET-based PCR, followed by a study of melting peaks. This new tool, developed in a LightCycler 2.0, combines four different fluorescence channels for the simultaneous detection, in a single close tube, of critical mutations within the ABL kinase domain. Assay evaluation performed on 33 samples, previously genotyped by sequentiation, resulted in full concordance of results. This new methodology detects in a few steps the presence of critical mutations associated to Imatinib resistance. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Germline mutations in ABL1 cause an autosomal dominant syndrome characterized by congenital heart defects and skeletal malformations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xia; Charng, Wu-Lin; Chen, Chun-An; Rosenfeld, Jill A.; Shamsi, Aisha Al; Al-Gazali, Lihadh; McGuire, Marianne; Mew, Nicholas Ah; Arnold, Georgianne L.; Qu, Chunjing; Ding, Yan; Muzny, Donna M.; Gibbs, Richard A.; Eng, Christine M.; Walkiewicz, Magdalena; Xia, Fan; Plon, Sharon E.; Lupski, James R.; Schaaf, Christian P.; Yang, Yaping

    2017-01-01

    ABL1 is a proto-oncogene well known as part of the fusion gene BCR-ABL in the Philadelphia chromosome of leukemia cancer cells1. Inherited germline ABL1 changes have not been associated with genetic disorders. Here we report ABL1 germline variants co-segregating with an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by congenital heart disease, skeletal abnormalities, and failure to thrive. The variant c.734A>G (p.Tyr245Cys) was found as de novo or co-segregating with disease in five individuals (families 1-3). Additionally, a de novo c.1066G>A (p.Ala356Thr) variant was identified in the sixth individual (family 4). We overexpressed the mutant constructs in HEK 293T cells and observed increased tyrosine phosphorylation, suggesting increased ABL1 kinase activities associated with both p.Tyr245Cys and p.Ala356Thr substitutions. Our clinical and laboratory findings, together with previously reported teratogenic effects of selective BCR-ABL inhibitors in humans2-5 and developmental defects in Abl1 knock-out mice6,7, suggest ABL1 plays an important role during organismal development. PMID:28288113

  16. Unsupervised explorative data analysis of normal human leukocytes and BCR/ABL positive leukemic cells mid-infrared spectra

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bellisola, G.; Bolomini-Vittori, M.; Cinque, G.; Dumas, P.; Fiorini, Z.; Laudanna, C.; Mirenda, M.; Sandt, C.; Silvestri, G.; Tomasello, L.; Vezzalini, M.; Wehbe, K.; Sorio, C.

    2015-01-01

    We proved the ability of Fourier Transform Infrared microspectroscopy (microFTIR) complemented by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to detect protein phosphorylation/de-phosphorylation in mammalian cells. We analyzed by microFTIR human polymorphonuclear neutrophil (PMNs) leukocytes, mouse-derived

  17. B Cell Receptor-Mediated Internalization of Salmonella: A Novel Pathway for Autonomous B Cell Activation and Antibody Production

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Souwer, Yuri; Griekspoor, Alexander; Jorritsma, Tineke; de Wit, Jelle; Janssen, Hans; Neefjes, Jacques; van Ham, S. Marieke

    2009-01-01

    The present paradigm is that primary B cells are nonphagocytosing cells. In this study, we demonstrate that human primary B cells are able to internalize bacteria when the bacteria are recognized by the BCR. BCR-mediated internalization of Salmonella typhimurium results in B cell differentiation and

  18. Naturally occurring CD4+ CD25+ FOXP3+ T-regulatory cells are increased in chronic myeloid leukemia patients not in complete cytogenetic remission and can be immunosuppressive.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rojas, Jose M; Wang, Lihui; Owen, Sally; Knight, Katy; Watmough, Sarah J; Clark, Richard E

    2010-12-01

    Clinical presentation of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) requires not only the deregulated tyrosine kinase BCR-ABL, but also the failure of an immune response against BCR-ABL-expressing cells. T-cell responses against BCR-ABL and other antigens are well-described, but their relevance to the in vivo control of CML is unclear. The suppressive role of naturally occurring T regulatory (T-reg) cells in antitumor immunity is well-established, although little is known about their role in modulating the T-cell response to BCR-ABL. Naturally occurring T-reg cells were characterized and quantified by flow cytometry in 39 CML patients and 10 healthy donors. Their function was studied by observing their effect on responses to purified protein derivative, a recall antigen, and on the response of an autologous T-cell line recognizing BCR-ABL. T-reg cells were CD4(+), CD25(+), FOXP3(+), CD127(low), and CD62L(high). T-reg numbers in patients in complete cytogenetic remission were significantly lower than in patients not in complete cytogenetic remission (p T-reg cell depletion using anti-CD25 selection enhanced proliferative responses to purified protein derivative. Furthermore, the interferon-γ and/or granzyme-B production of effector cells specific for viral peptides or a BCR-ABL HLA-A3-restricted peptide was inhibited when autologous T-reg cells were present. Taken together, these data suggest a role for T-reg cells in limiting immune responses in CML patients and this may include immune responses to BCR-ABL. The increased frequency of T-reg cells in patients with high levels of BCR-ABL transcripts indicates that an immune mechanism may be important in the control of CML. Copyright © 2010 ISEH - Society for Hematology and Stem Cells. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  19. An Unsuspected Finding of t(9;22: A Rare Case of Philadelphia Chromosome-Positive B-Lymphoblastic Lymphoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Prajwal Boddu

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available While rare, cases of isolated extramedullary disease of B-cell Lymphoblastic Lymphoma (B-LBL without morphologic bone marrow involvement have been described. In this report, we illustrate the case of an elderly gentleman who presented with isolated testicular and vertebral LBL involvement but had no morphologic bone marrow involvement. The initial plan of treatment was to treat along the lines of Philadelphia negative B-ALL/LBL. During this time, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH and PCR testing for BCR-ABL1 rearrangements were being performed on the marrow specimens as a part of routine diagnostic workup. While the FISH returned negative, PCR testing unexpectedly detected BCR-ABL1 fusion transcripts at a low level of 0.48%. Given their presence, we performed FISH for BCR/ABL1 rearrangement in both testicular and L5 vertebral specimens which were 80–90% positive. He subsequently received rituximab, hyper-CVAD, and dasatinib, along with prophylactic intrathecal prophylactic chemotherapy. The patient achieved a prolonged remission but eventually relapsed, 4 years later. Had it not been for this fortuitous discovery, the patient would not have been treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. We emphasize that FISH and PCR testing for BCR-ABL1 rearrangement are integral to arriving at an accurate diagnosis and should be routinely tested on B-LBL biopsy specimens.

  20. Targeting of the BLT2 in chronic myeloid leukemia inhibits leukemia stem/progenitor cell function

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xiao, Meifang; Ai, Hongmei; Li, Tao [Department of Laboratory Medicine, JingZhou Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Jingzhou (China); Rajoria, Pasupati; Shahu, Prakash [Department of Clinical Medicine, Medical School of Yangtze University, Jingzhou (China); Li, Xiansong, E-mail: lixiansongjz@hotmail.com [Department of Neurosurgery, JingZhou Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST), Jingzhou (China)

    2016-04-15

    Imatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) has significantly improved clinical outcome for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients. However, patients develop resistance when the disease progresses to the blast phase (BP) and the mechanisms are not well understood. Here we show that BCR-ABL activates BLT2 in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells to promote leukemogenesis and this involves the p53 signaling pathway. Compared to normal bone marrow (NBM), the mRNA and protein levels of BLT2 are significantly increased in BP-CML CD34{sup +} stem/progenitor cells. This is correlated with increasing BCR-ABL expression. In contrast, knockdown of BCR-ABL or inhibition of its tyrosine kinase activity decreases Blt2 protein level. BLT2 inhibition induces apoptosis, inhibits proliferation, colony formation and self-renewal capacity of CD34{sup +} cells from TKI-resistant BP-CML patients. Importantly, the inhibitory effects of BCR-ABL TKI on CML stem/progenitor cells are further enhanced upon combination with BLT2 inhibition. We further show that BLT2 activation selectively suppresses p53 but not Wnt or BMP-mediated luciferase activity and transcription. Our results demonstrate that BLT2 is a novel pathway activated by BCR-ABL and critically involved in the resistance of BP-CML CD34{sup +} stem/progenitors to TKIs treatment. Our findings suggest that BLT2 and p53 can serve as therapeutic targets for CML treatment. - Highlights: • BCR-ABL regulates BLT2 expression to promote leukemogenesis. • BLT2 is essential to maintain CML cell function. • Activation of BLT2 suppresses p53 signaling pathway in CML cells. • Inhibition of BLT2 and BCR-ABL synergize in eliminating CML CD34{sup +} stem/progenitors.

  1. BCR-ABL1- positive chronic myeloid leukemia with erythrocytosis presenting as polycythemia vera: a case report.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cornea, Mihaela I Precup; Levrat, Emmanuel; Pugin, Paul; Betticher, Daniel C

    2015-04-08

    The World Health Organization classification of chronic myeloproliferative disease encompasses eight entities of bone marrow neoplasms, among them Breakpoint cluster region-Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog 1-positive chronic myeloid leukemia and polycythemia vera. Polycythemia vera requires, in the majority of cases (95%), the negativity of Breakpoint cluster region-Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog 1 rearrangement and the presence of the Janus kinase 2 mutation. We report a case of erythrocytosis as the primary manifestation of a chronic myeloid leukemia, with the presence of the Philadelphia chromosome and the Breakpoint cluster region-Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog 1 fusion gene, and in the absence of any Janus kinase 2 mutation. A 68-year-old Caucasian woman, with a history of cigarette consumption and obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (undergoing continuous positive airway pressure treatment) had presented to our institution with fatigue and a hemoglobin level of 18.6g/L, with slight leukocytosis at 16G/L, and no other anomalies on her complete blood cell count. Examination of her arterial blood gases found only a slight hypoxemia; erythropoietin and ferritin levels were very low and could not explain a secondary erythrocytosis. Further analyses revealed the absence of any Janus kinase 2 mutation, thus excluding polycythemia vera. Taken together with a high vitamin B12 level, we conducted a Breakpoint cluster region-Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog 1 gene analysis and bone marrow cytogenetic analysis, both of which returned positive, leading to the diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia. To date, this case is the first description of a Breakpoint cluster region-Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog 1-positive chronic myeloid leukemia, presenting with erythrocytosis as the initial manifestation, and mimicking a Janus kinase 2 V617F-negative polycythemia vera. Her impressive response to imatinib

  2. Characteristics and mutation analysis of Ph-positive leukemia patients with T315I mutation receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xu PP

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Peipei Xu,1 Dan Guo,2 Xiaoyan Shao,1 Miaoxin Peng,1 Bing Chen2 1Department of Hematology, Drum Tower Hospital, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, 2Department of Hematology, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, People’s Republic of China Background: TKIs are the first-line treatment for patients with Ph-positive (Ph+ leukemia. However, drug resistance is frequently observed, mainly due to mutations within the breakpoint cluster region-Abelson leukemia virus (BCR-ABL kinase domain. The T315I substitution confers complete resistance to TKIs. The aim of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics of 17 patients with T315I mutation after TKI treatment and provide a basis for prognosis.Patients and methods: The clinical data of 17 TKI-resistant Ph+ leukemia patients who were found to have a ABL kinase domain mutation from September 2008 to January 2017 were collected. Karyotypes and BCR-ABL fusion gene were analyzed by R-banding and fluorescence in situ hybridization, respectively. Total RNA was extracted by TRIzol reagent, and the ABL kinase domain mutation was detected by direct sequencing.Results: A total of 17 patients reached effective remission including major molecular response and complete cytogenetic response. However, all the patients subsequently developed a T315I mutation after treatment with TKIs. The rate of the BCR-ABL fusion gene in most of the patients who developed the T315I mutation was significantly higher than that before the mutation. At initial diagnosis, patients average platelet count was 149.7×109/L, whereas the average platelet count was only 53.88×109/L after the T315I mutation (P<0.01. The results also showed that the survival time of patients with a high proportion of blast cells or a high number of white blood cells was obviously shortened.Conclusion: Patients platelet count decreased when detected with the T315I mutation compared with the initial

  3. Modeling chronic myeloid leukemia in immunodeficient mice reveals expansion of aberrant mast cells and accumulation of pre-B cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Askmyr, M; Ågerstam, H; Lilljebjörn, H; Hansen, N; Karlsson, C; Palffy, S von; Landberg, N; Högberg, C; Lassen, C; Rissler, M; Richter, J; Ehinger, M; Järås, M; Fioretos, T

    2014-01-01

    Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm that, if not treated, will progress into blast crisis (BC) of either myeloid or B lymphoid phenotype. The BCR-ABL1 fusion gene, encoding a constitutively active tyrosine kinase, is thought to be sufficient to cause chronic phase (CP) CML, whereas additional genetic lesions are needed for progression into CML BC. To generate a humanized CML model, we retrovirally expressed BCR-ABL1 in the cord blood CD34 + cells and transplanted these into NOD-SCID (non-obese diabetic/severe-combined immunodeficient) interleukin-2-receptor γ-deficient mice. In primary mice, BCR-ABL1 expression induced an inflammatory-like state in the bone marrow and spleen, and mast cells were the only myeloid lineage specifically expanded by BCR-ABL1. Upon secondary transplantation, the pronounced inflammatory phenotype was lost and mainly human mast cells and macrophages were found in the bone marrow. Moreover, a striking block at the pre-B-cell stage was observed in primary mice, resulting in an accumulation of pre-B cells. A similar block in B-cell differentiation could be confirmed in primary cells from CML patients. Hence, this humanized mouse model of CML reveals previously unexplored features of CP CML and should be useful for further studies to understand the disease pathogenesis of CML

  4. Purification and molecular cloning of SH2- and SH3-containing inositol polyphosphate-5-phosphatase, which is involved in the signaling pathway of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, erythropoietin, and Bcr-Abl.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Odai, H; Sasaki, K; Iwamatsu, A; Nakamoto, T; Ueno, H; Yamagata, T; Mitani, K; Yazaki, Y; Hirai, H

    1997-04-15

    -phosphorylated and associated with Shc and Bcr-Abl. These facts suggest that pp135 is a signaling molecule that has a unique enzymatic activity and should play an important role in the signaling pathway triggered by GM-CSF and in the transformation of hematopoietic cells caused by Bcr-Abl.

  5. DMPD: Mechanisms of selection mediated by interleukin-7, the preBCR, and hemokinin-1during B-cell development. [Dynamic Macrophage Pathway CSML Database

    Lifescience Database Archive (English)

    Full Text Available 14962188 Mechanisms of selection mediated by interleukin-7, the preBCR, and hemokin...ng) (.svg) (.html) (.csml) Show Mechanisms of selection mediated by interleukin-7, the preBCR, and hemokinin...-1during B-cell development. PubmedID 14962188 Title Mechanisms of selection medi

  6. Clinical Efficacy and Safety of First-Line Dasatinib Therapy and the Relevance of Velocity of BCR-ABL1 Transcript Decline for Achievement of Molecular Responses in Newly Diagnosed Chronic-Phase Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Report from the Juntendo Yamanashi Cooperative Study Group.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takaku, Tomoiku; Iriyama, Noriyoshi; Mitsumori, Toru; Sato, Eriko; Gotoh, Akihiko; Kirito, Keita; Noguchi, Masaaki; Koike, Michiaki; Sakamoto, Junichi; Oba, Koji; Komatsu, Norio

    2018-01-01

    The use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors led to an improvement in the prognoses of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The aims of this study were to investigate the efficacy and safety of dasatinib in Japanese patients and to explore the factors that affect the achievement of molecular responses. The primary endpoint was a major molecular response (MMR) by 12 months. The halving time for BCR-ABL1 transcripts was calculated using transcript levels. Thirty-two patients with chronic-phase CML (CML-CP) were enrolled and 30 received 100 mg dasatinib once daily. At 24 months of follow-up, 21 (72%) and 24 (83%) patients achieved an MMR by 12 and 24 months, respectively; the rates of a deep molecular response (DMR) by 12 and 24 months were 48 and 59%, respectively. A shorter halving time of BCR-ABL1 transcripts (≤10.6 days) accurately predicted both an MMR and a DMR. The incidence of pleural effusion was 50%. Our study reconfirmed the efficacy and safety of dasatinib treatment in Japanese patients with newly diagnosed CML-CP. In addition, the usefulness of the halving time of BCR-ABL1 transcripts was validated. These data emphasize the significance of an early treatment response in achieving a DMR during dasatinib therapy. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  7. Frequency of janus associated kinase 2 (jak2) mutation in patients of bcr-abl negative myeloproliferative neoplasms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sadiq, M.A.; Ahmed, S.; Ali, N.

    2013-01-01

    To determine the frequency of Janus associated kinase 2 mutation in the patients of BCR-ABL negative classical myeloproliferative neoplasms. Study Design: Cross-sectional descriptive study Place and Duration of Study: Molecular Department of Haematology, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Rawalpindi from Jul 2011 to Jul 2012. Patients and Methods: Ninety three consecutive patients of Polycythaemia vera (PV), Essential thrombocythaemia (ET) and Idiopathic myelofibrosis (IMF) diagnosed by the conventional haematological criteria were included in the study. All patients were screened for G-T point mutation (V617F) in the JAK2 gene on chromosome 9 by an allele specific PCR. Results: Out of the 93 myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) patients, 33(35%) had polycythaemia vera, 36(39%) had essential thrombocythaemia and 24(26%) had idiopathic myelofibrosis. JAK2 mutation was seen in 64/93 (69%) patients including 33/33(100%) in PV, 19/36(52.6%) in ET and 12/24(50%) in IMF. Conclusion: Classical myeloproliferative neoplasms are an important group of heamatological disorder in our country. JAK2 gene mutation is seen in significant proportion of these disorders (69%). JAK2 mutation analysis can be used to differentiate between polycythemia vera and secondary polycythemia in most cases with near certainty, where it was found in 100% of the cases. (author)

  8. Activity of the novel BCR kinase inhibitor IQS019 in preclinical models of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Balsas

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Pharmacological inhibition of B cell receptor (BCR signaling has recently emerged as an effective approach in a wide range of B lymphoid neoplasms. However, despite promising clinical activity of the first Bruton’s kinase (Btk and spleen tyrosine kinase (Syk inhibitors, a small fraction of patients tend to develop progressive disease after initial response to these agents. Methods We evaluated the antitumor activity of IQS019, a new BCR kinase inhibitor with increased affinity for Btk, Syk, and Lck/Yes novel tyrosine kinase (Lyn, in a set of 34 B lymphoid cell lines and primary cultures, including samples with acquired resistance to the first-in-class Btk inhibitor ibrutinib. Safety and efficacy of the compound were then evaluated in two xenograft mouse models of B cell lymphoma. Results IQS019 simultaneously engaged a rapid and dose-dependent de-phosphorylation of both constitutive and IgM-activated Syk, Lyn, and Btk, leading to impaired cell proliferation, reduced CXCL12-dependent cell migration, and induction of caspase-dependent apoptosis. Accordingly, B cell lymphoma-bearing mice receiving IQS019 presented a reduced tumor outgrowth characterized by a decreased mitotic index and a lower infiltration of malignant cells in the spleen, in tight correlation with downregulation of phospho-Syk, phospho-Lyn, and phospho-Btk. More interestingly, IQS019 showed improved efficacy in vitro and in vivo when compared to the first-in-class Btk inhibitor ibrutinib, and was active in cells with acquired resistance to this latest. Conclusions These results define IQS019 as a potential drug candidate for a variety of B lymphoid neoplasms, including cases with acquired resistance to current BCR-targeting therapies.

  9. BCR ligation induced by IgM stimulation results in gene expression and functional changes only in IgV H unmutated chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guarini, Anna; Chiaretti, Sabina; Tavolaro, Simona; Maggio, Roberta; Peragine, Nadia; Citarella, Franca; Ricciardi, Maria Rosaria; Santangelo, Simona; Marinelli, Marilisa; De Propris, Maria Stefania; Messina, Monica; Mauro, Francesca Romana; Del Giudice, Ilaria; Foà, Robert

    2008-08-01

    Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients exhibit a variable clinical course. To investigate the association between clinicobiologic features and responsiveness of CLL cells to anti-IgM stimulation, we evaluated gene expression changes and modifications in cell-cycle distribution, proliferation, and apoptosis of IgV(H) mutated (M) and unmutated (UM) samples upon BCR cross-linking. Unsupervised analysis highlighted a different response profile to BCR stimulation between UM and M samples. Supervised analysis identified several genes modulated exclusively in the UM cases upon BCR cross-linking. Functional gene groups, including signal transduction, transcription, cell-cycle regulation, and cytoskeleton organization, were up-regulated upon stimulation in UM cases. Cell-cycle and proliferation analyses confirmed that IgM cross-linking induced a significant progression into the G(1) phase and a moderate increase of proliferative activity exclusively in UM patients. Moreover, we observed only a small reduction in the percentage of subG(0/1) cells, without changes in apoptosis, in UM cases; contrariwise, a significant increase of apoptotic levels was observed in stimulated cells from M cases. These results document that a differential genotypic and functional response to BCR ligation between IgV(H) M and UM cases is operational in CLL, indicating that response to antigenic stimulation plays a pivotal role in disease progression.

  10. Bleeding complications in BCR-ABL negative myeloproliferative neoplasms: prevalence, type, and risk factors in a single-center cohort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kander, Elizabeth M; Raza, Sania; Zhou, Zheng; Gao, Juehua; Zakarija, Anaadriana; McMahon, Brandon J; Stein, Brady L

    2015-11-01

    The BCR-ABL1-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) share an increased risk of thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications. Risk factors for hemorrhage are less well defined than those for thrombosis. Because patients with CALR mutations have higher platelet counts compared to JAK2 V617F-mutated patients, bleeding rates may be increased in this group. Our aim was to retrospectively evaluate whether acquired von Willebrand disease (AvWD), thrombocytosis, mutational status, or treatment history are associated with bleeding in a cohort of MPN patients. Using an electronic database, MPN patients seen between 2005 and 2013 were retrospectively identified using ICD-9 codes and billing records. A bleeding event was defined as one that was identified in the medical record and graded based on the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Event (CTCAE) version 4.0. Among 351 MPN patients, 15.6 % experienced 64 bleeding event types. There was no association of bleeding with mutational status, gender, MPN subtype, aspirin use, prior thrombosis, or platelet count at presentation. There was an association between bleeding and older age at diagnosis. aVWD was identified in six patients. In this single-center retrospective study, bleeding events were identified in 15 % of patients, and associated with older age at diagnosis. aVWD was rarely tested for in this cohort.

  11. Ph1 chromosomes and bcr gene rearrangements in chronic myelocytic leukemia patients developed from atomic bomb survivors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanaka, Kimio; Takechi, Miho; Shigeta, Chiharu; Sakatani, Keiko; Oguma, Nobuo; Kamada, Nanao; Takimoto, Yasuo; Kuramoto, Atsushi

    1989-01-01

    This study compared findings of chronic myelocytic leukemia (CML) in A-bomb survivors (n=8) developing CML within 10 years after the bombing and in non-exposed CML patients (n=14). Both Ph 1 chromosomes and bcr rearrangement were observed in all patients in both exposed and non-exposed groups. There was no significant difference in distribution sites of bcr rearrangement between the groups. These results suggest that bcr-abl chimera mRNA and chimera protein associated with Ph 1 chromosomes have an important role in the development of CML among A-bomb survivors, as well as among non-exposed patients. (N.K.)

  12. Imatinib-loaded polyelectrolyte microcapsules for sustained targeting of BCR-ABL+ leukemia stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palamà, Ilaria E; Leporatti, Stefano; de Luca, Emanuela; Di Renzo, Nicola; Maffia, Michele; Gambacorti-Passerini, Carlo; Rinaldi, Ross; Gigli, Giuseppe; Cingolani, Roberto; Coluccia, Addolorata M L

    2010-04-01

    The lack of sensitivity of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) stem cells to imatinib mesylate (IM) commonly leads to drug dose escalation or early disease relapses when therapy is stopped. Here, we report that packaging of IM into a biodegradable carrier based on polyelectrolyte microcapsules increases drug retention and antitumor activity in CML stem cells, also improving the ex vivo purging of malignant progenitors from patient autografts. Microparticles/capsules were obtained by layer-by-layer (LbL) self-assembly of oppositely charged polyelectrolyte multilayers on removable calcium carbonate (CaCO(3)) templates and loaded with or without IM. A leukemic cell line (KU812) and CD34(+) cells freshly isolated from healthy donors or CML patients were tested. Polyelectrolyte microcapsules (PMCs) with an average diameter of 3 microm, fluorescently labelled multilayers sensitive to the action of intracellular proteases and 95-99% encapsulation efficiency of IM, were prepared. Cell uptake efficiency of such biodegradable carriers was quantified in KU812, leukemic and normal CD34(+) stem cells (range: 70-85%), and empty PMCs did not impact cell viability. IM-loaded PMCs selectively targeted CML cells, by promoting apoptosis at doses that exert only cytostatic effects by IM alone. More importantly, residual CML cells from patient leukapheresis products were reduced or eliminated more efficiently by using IM-loaded PMCs compared with freely soluble IM, with a purging efficiency of several logs. No adverse effects on normal CD34(+) stem-cell survival and their clonogenic potential was noticed in long-term cultures of hematopoietic progenitors in vitro. This pilot study provides the proof-of-principle for the clinical application of biodegradable IM-loaded PMC as feasible, safe and effective ex vivo purging agents to target CML stem cells, in order to improve transplant outcome of resistant/relapsed patients or reduce IM dose escalation.

  13. Bcr-aBL1 kinase domain mutation analysis in chronic myeloid leukaemia patients with suboptimal response to tyrosine kinase inhibitors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tadej Pajič

    2012-12-01

    Conclusions: It seems that the BCR-ABl1 mutations are rare in patients who do not achieve a MMR by 18 months or more or who have lost MMR. The T315I mutation detected in one patient in our cohort of CML patients indicates that the BCR-ABL1 mutation analysis could be recommended in these cases. The silent mutation detected did not lead to amino acid change, however, it is listed in major single nucleotide polymorphisms databases (SNP, rs2227985. The role of the SNP in the resistance to TKIs is not clear.

  14. Comparison of imatinib, dasatinib, nilotinib and INNO-406 in imatinib-resistant cell lines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deguchi, Yasuyuki; Kimura, Shinya; Ashihara, Eishi; Niwa, Tomoko; Hodohara, Keiko; Fujiyama, Yoshihide; Maekawa, Taira

    2008-06-01

    We compared the growth-inhibitory effects and inhibition profile of the SRC family kinases (SFKs) of imatinib, dasatinib, nilotinib and INNO-406. Dasatinib exhibited the strongest potency against BCR-ABL with little selectivity over SFKs. Nilotinib exhibited a weaker affinity than the other inhibitors, but was highly specific for ABL and may be useful for the treatment of P-glycoprotein overexpressing leukemic cells. INNO-406 had an intermediate affinity for BCR-ABL between that of dasatinib and nilotinib, and inhibited only SFKs LCK and LYN among SFKs. Both nilotinib and INNO-406 were potent inhibitors of the dasatinib-resistant T315A, F317L and F317V BCR-ABL mutations.

  15. Frequency of JAK2 V617F mutation in patients with Philadelphia positive Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in Pakistan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabassum, Najia; Saboor, Mohammed; Ghani, Rubina; Moinuddin, Moinuddin

    2014-01-01

    Co-existence of myeloproliferative disorders (MPD) and Janus associated kinase 2 mutation (JAK2 V617F) is a well-established fact. Only few case reports are available showing presence of JAK2 V617F mutation in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of JAK2 V617F mutation in Philadelphia Chromosome positive (Ph (+)) CML patients in Pakistan. The study was conducted from August 2009 to July 2010 at Civil Hospital and Baqai Institute of Hematology (BIH) Karachi. Blood samples from 25 patients with CML were collected. Multiplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed for Breakpoint Cluster Region - Abelson (BCR-ABL) rearrangement. Conventional PCR was performed for JAK2 V617F mutation on BCR-ABL positive samples. All 25 samples showed BCR-ABL rearrangement. Out of these 11 samples (44%) had JAK2 V617F mutation; the remaining 14 (56%) cases showed JAK2 617V wild type. It is concluded that the co-existence of Ph (+)CML and JAK2 V617F mutation is possible.

  16. A longitudinal evaluation of performance of automated BCR-ABL1 quantitation using cartridge-based detection system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enjeti, Anoop; Granter, Neil; Ashraf, Asma; Fletcher, Linda; Branford, Susan; Rowlings, Philip; Dooley, Susan

    2015-10-01

    An automated cartridge-based detection system (GeneXpert; Cepheid) is being widely adopted in low throughput laboratories for monitoring BCR-ABL1 transcript in chronic myelogenous leukaemia. This Australian study evaluated the longitudinal performance specific characteristics of the automated system.The automated cartridge-based system was compared prospectively with the manual qRT-PCR-based reference method at SA Pathology, Adelaide, over a period of 2.5 years. A conversion factor determination was followed by four re-validations. Peripheral blood samples (n = 129) with international scale (IS) values within detectable range were selected for assessment. The mean bias, proportion of results within specified fold difference (2-, 3- and 5-fold), the concordance rate of major molecular remission (MMR) and concordance across a range of IS values on paired samples were evaluated.The initial conversion factor for the automated system was determined as 0.43. Except for the second re-validation, where a negative bias of 1.9-fold was detected, all other biases fell within desirable limits. A cartridge-specific conversion factor and efficiency value was introduced and the conversion factor was confirmed to be stable in subsequent re-validation cycles. Concordance with the reference method/laboratory at >0.1-≤10 IS was 78.2% and at ≤0.001 was 80%, compared to 86.8% in the >0.01-≤0.1 IS range. The overall and MMR concordance were 85.7% and 94% respectively, for samples that fell within ± 5-fold of the reference laboratory value over the entire period of study.Conversion factor and performance specific characteristics for the automated system were longitudinally stable in the clinically relevant range, following introduction by the manufacturer of lot specific efficiency values.

  17. PCR detection of a Maell polymorphism in the human major breakpoint cluster region (BCR)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McClure, J.S.; Litz, C.E. (Medical School, Minneapolis, MN (United States))

    1991-09-25

    Nested primer pairs flanking the second intron of the breakpoint cluster region were constructed from the published cDNA sequence. The outer primer pair 5{prime}BCR Exon 2 (5{prime}-GTT TCA GAA GCT TCT CCC TG-3{prime}) and 3{prime}BCR Exon 3 (5{prime}-ACT CTG CTT AAA TCC AGT GG-3{prime}), amplified a fragment of genomic DNA approximately 810 bp in length. The inner primer pair, 3{prime}BCR Exon 2(5{prime}-CGC TGA CCA TCA ATA AGG AA-3{prime}) and 5{prime}BCR Exon 3 (5{prime}-AGA AAC CCA TAG AGC CCC GG-3{prime}), amplified a fragment approximately 730 bp in length. Double stranded DNA amplified with the outer primer pair was subjected to asymmetric PCR using the inner primer pair. Sequencing reactions were performed using the Sequenase dideoxy sequencing kit with S{sup 35}-dATP. Sequences in homozygotes revealed either an A or a G 85 bp 5{prime} of the BCR BamHI site. Heterozygotes demonstrated both bands at the corresponding position.

  18. Interaction of the B cell-specific transcriptional coactivator OCA-B and galectin-1 and a possible role in regulating BCR-mediated B cell proliferation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Xin; Siegel, Rachael; Roeder, Robert G

    2006-06-02

    OCA-B is a B cell-specific transcriptional coactivator for OCT factors during the activation of immunoglobulin genes. In addition, OCA-B is crucial for B cell activation and germinal center formation. However, the molecular mechanisms for OCA-B function in these processes are not clear. Our previous studies documented two OCA-B isoforms and suggested a novel mechanism for the function of the myristoylated, membrane-bound form of OCA-B/p35 as a signaling molecule. Here, we report the identification of galectin-1, and related galectins, as a novel OCA-B-interacting protein. The interaction of OCA-B and galectin-1 can be detected both in vivo and in vitro. The galectin-1 binding domain in OCA-B has been localized to the N terminus of OCA-B. In B cells lacking OCA-B expression, increased galectin-1 expression, secretion, and cell surface association are observed. Consistent with these observations, and a reported inhibitory interaction of galectin-1 with CD45, the phosphatase activity of CD45 is reduced modestly, but significantly, in OCA-B-deficient B cells. Finally, galectin-1 is shown to negatively regulate B cell proliferation and tyrosine phosphorylation upon BCR stimulation. Together, these results raise the possibility that OCA-B may regulate BCR signaling through an association with galectin-1.

  19. Knockout Serum Replacement Promotes Cell Survival by Preventing BIM from Inducing Mitochondrial Cytochrome C Release.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuki Ishii

    Full Text Available Knockout serum replacement (KOSR is a nutrient supplement commonly used to replace serum for culturing stem cells. We show here that KOSR has pro-survival activity in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML cells transformed by the BCR-ABL oncogene. Inhibitors of BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase kill CML cells by stimulating pro-apoptotic BIM and inhibiting anti-apoptotic BCL2, BCLxL and MCL1. We found that KOSR protects CML cells from killing by BCR-ABL inhibitors--imatinib, dasatinib and nilotinib. The protective effect of KOSR is reversible and not due to the selective outgrowth of drug-resistant clones. In KOSR-protected CML cells, imatinib still inhibited the BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase, reduced the phosphorylation of STAT, ERK and AKT, down-regulated BCL2, BCLxL, MCL1 and up-regulated BIM. However, these pro-apoptotic alterations failed to cause cytochrome c release from the mitochondria. With mitochondria isolated from KOSR-cultured CML cells, we showed that addition of recombinant BIM protein also failed to cause cytochrome c release. Besides the kinase inhibitors, KOSR could protect cells from menadione, an inducer of oxidative stress, but it did not protect cells from DNA damaging agents. Switching from serum to KOSR caused a transient increase in reactive oxygen species and AKT phosphorylation in CML cells that were protected by KOSR but not in those that were not protected by this nutrient supplement. Treatment of KOSR-cultured cells with the PH-domain inhibitor MK2206 blocked AKT phosphorylation, abrogated the formation of BIM-resistant mitochondria and stimulated cell death. These results show that KOSR has cell-context dependent pro-survival activity that is linked to AKT activation and the inhibition of BIM-induced cytochrome c release from the mitochondria.

  20. Transformation of an Unclassified Myeloproliferative Neoplasm with a Rare BCR-JAK2 Fusion Transcript Resulting from the Translocation (9;22)(p24;q11)

    OpenAIRE

    A. N. Chamseddine; P. Etancelin; D. Penther; F. Parmentier; C. Kuadjovi; V. Camus; N. Contentin; P. Lenain; C. Bastard; H. Tilly; F. Jardin

    2015-01-01

    BCR-ABL1 negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) are known to contain alterations of the tyrosine kinase JAK2 (located on 9p24) that result in constitutive activation of the encoded protein. JAK2 fusions are reported in acute and chronic leukemias of myeloid and lymphoid phenotypes. Here, we report an unclassified case of MPN (MPN-U) showing a t(9;22)(p24;q11), which generates a BCR-JAK2 fusion gene by fusing the BCR at intron 13 to JAK2 at intron 17 on the derivative chromosome 22. Most...

  1. A non-radioactive assay for precise determination of intracellular levels of imatinib and its main metabolite in Bcr-Abl positive cells

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Mlejnek, P.; Novák, Ondřej; Doležel, P.

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 83, č. 5 (2011), s. 1466-1471 ISSN 0039-9140 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA301/08/1649 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50380511 Keywords : K562 cells * P-glycoprotein * Multidrug resistance * N-desmethyl imatinib * CGP 74588 Subject RIV: EF - Botanics Impact factor: 3.794, year: 2011

  2. Chronic myeloid leukemia and its induction by radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kozubek, S.; Lukasova, E.; Kozubek, M.; Bartova, E.; Skalnikova, M.; Kroha, V.

    1998-01-01

    Physical distance can play an important role in the process leading to the translocations that are responsible for oncogenic transformation of cells. Thus, e.g., one of the reasons of a high incidence of ABL/BCR fusion may be the physical closeness of ABL and BCR genes in cells. The average distance of ABL-BCR genes in interphase lymphocytes is only 24% of the nuclear radius; after stimulation, this distance increases to 35%. The mean value for randomly distributed genes in a sphere is 43%. This means that the mutual distance of the critical genes is largely smaller than the random distance. The distance between chromosomes 9 and 22 in prometaphase plates (rosettes) of human fibroblasts was also investigated. In many prometaphase rosettes, each copy of chromosome 9 was located near a copy of chromosome 22 and the pairs were located on opposite sides of the plate. Thus both in the interphase and in mitosis, the distance between ABL and BCR genes, located in chromosomes 9 and 22, is substantially shorter than the random value. This contributes to the observed incidence of leukemia. The positions of ABL and BCR genes in irradiated and stimulated lymphocytes are shifted to the centre of the nucleus. They are closer to each other, and also the distances between heterologous ABL and BCR genes are shorter. In 15% of the cell nuclei irradiated with gamma rays (5 Gy), the volume in which the genes appear is 6 times smaller than in control nuclei. Hence, the probability of interaction between ABL and CBR genes increases 6 2 x 0.15 = 5.4 times. Thus, radiation increases substantially the probability of induction of leukemia not only through DNA damage but also due to changes in the chromatin structure in irradiated cells, which concentrates the critical genes in a relatively small volume

  3. JAK2 aberrations in childhood B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Goffau-Nobel, Willemieke; Hoogkamer, Alex Q.; Boer, Judith M.; Boeree, Aurélie; van de Ven, Cesca; Koudijs, Marco J.; Besselink, Nicolle J.M.; de Groot-Kruseman, Hester A.; Zwaan, Christian Michel; Horstmann, Martin A.; Pieters, Rob; den Boer, Monique L.

    2017-01-01

    JAK2 abnormalities may serve as target for precision medicines in pediatric B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL). In the current study we performed a screening for JAK2 mutations and translocations, analyzed the clinical outcome and studied the efficacy of two JAK inhibitors in primary BCP-ALL cells. Importantly, we identify a number of limitations of JAK inhibitor therapy. JAK2 mutations mainly occurred in the poor prognostic subtypes BCR-ABL1-like and non- BCR-ABL1-like B-other (negative for sentinel cytogenetic lesions). JAK2 translocations were restricted to BCR-ABL1-like cases. Momelotinib and ruxolitinib were cytotoxic in both JAK2 translocated and JAK2 mutated cells, although efficacy in JAK2 mutated cells highly depended on cytokine receptor activation by TSLP. However, our data also suggest that the effect of JAK inhibition may be compromised by mutations in alternative survival pathways and microenvironment-induced resistance. Furthermore, inhibitors induced accumulation of phosphorylated JAK2Y1007, which resulted in a profound re-activation of JAK2 signaling upon release of the inhibitors. This preclinical evidence implies that further optimization and evaluation of JAK inhibitor treatment is necessary prior to its clinical integration in pediatric BCP-ALL. PMID:29163799

  4. The evolving role of chemotherapy and hematopoietic cell transplants in Ph-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia in adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Litzow, M R; Fielding, A K; Luger, S M; Paietta, E; Ofran, Y; Rowe, J M; Goldstone, A H; Tallman, M S; Lazarus, H M

    2017-12-01

    The introduction of the tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) into the treatment of patients with Ph or BCR-ABL1-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia has revolutionized the treatment of this poor prognosis acute leukemia. The combination of TKI with chemotherapy has improved response rates and allowed more patients to proceed to allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant (alloHCT). Older patients have excellent responses to TKI and corticosteroids or in combination with minimal chemotherapy. This raises the question as to whether patients require full-intensity chemotherapy with TKI to achieve molecular remissions. The pediatricians have proposed that cure is achievable without alloHCT in children. These results have suggested that many patients may not require traditional chemotherapy in addition to TKI to achieve remission, and that patients who achieve a negative minimal residual disease state may not require alloHCT. The data in support of these questions is presented here and a suggested future clinical trial design based on these data is proposed.

  5. The B-cell receptor controls fitness of MYC-driven lymphoma cells via GSK3β inhibition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varano, Gabriele; Raffel, Simon; Sormani, Martina; Zanardi, Federica; Lonardi, Silvia; Zasada, Christin; Perucho, Laura; Petrocelli, Valentina; Haake, Andrea; Lee, Albert K; Bugatti, Mattia; Paul, Ulrike; Van Anken, Eelco; Pasqualucci, Laura; Rabadan, Raul; Siebert, Reiner; Kempa, Stefan; Ponzoni, Maurilio; Facchetti, Fabio; Rajewsky, Klaus; Casola, Stefano

    2017-06-08

    Similar to resting mature B cells, where the B-cell antigen receptor (BCR) controls cellular survival, surface BCR expression is conserved in most mature B-cell lymphomas. The identification of activating BCR mutations and the growth disadvantage upon BCR knockdown of cells of certain lymphoma entities has led to the view that BCR signalling is required for tumour cell survival. Consequently, the BCR signalling machinery has become an established target in the therapy of B-cell malignancies. Here we study the effects of BCR ablation on MYC-driven mouse B-cell lymphomas and compare them with observations in human Burkitt lymphoma. Whereas BCR ablation does not, per se, significantly affect lymphoma growth, BCR-negative (BCR - ) tumour cells rapidly disappear in the presence of their BCR-expressing (BCR + ) counterparts in vitro and in vivo. This requires neither cellular contact nor factors released by BCR + tumour cells. Instead, BCR loss induces the rewiring of central carbon metabolism, increasing the sensitivity of receptor-less lymphoma cells to nutrient restriction. The BCR attenuates glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3β) activity to support MYC-controlled gene expression. BCR - tumour cells exhibit increased GSK3β activity and are rescued from their competitive growth disadvantage by GSK3β inhibition. BCR - lymphoma variants that restore competitive fitness normalize GSK3β activity after constitutive activation of the MAPK pathway, commonly through Ras mutations. Similarly, in Burkitt lymphoma, activating RAS mutations may propagate immunoglobulin-crippled tumour cells, which usually represent a minority of the tumour bulk. Thus, while BCR expression enhances lymphoma cell fitness, BCR-targeted therapies may profit from combinations with drugs targeting BCR - tumour cells.

  6. BCR translocation to derivative chromosome 2, a new case of chronic myeloid leukemia with complex variant translocation and Philadelphia chromosome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Al-Achkar, W.; Wafa, A.; Al-Medani, S.

    2011-01-01

    The well-known typical fusion gene BCR/ABL can be observed in connection with a complex translocation event in only 5-8% of cases with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Herein we report an exceptional CML case with complex chromosomal aberrations not observed before, translocated BCR to the derivative chromosome 2 [der(2)], additional to involving a four chromosomes translocation implying chromosomal regions such as 1p32 and 2q21 besides 9q34 and 22q11.2. Which were characterized by molecular cytogenetics. (author)

  7. BCR-ABL1: Test

    Science.gov (United States)

    ... Gregory J. Tsongalis, PhD, HCLD, CC. Professor of Pathology, Director, Molecular Pathology, Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center and Geisel School of ... Reviews Besa, E. and Woermann, U. (Updated 2010 March 16). Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia. eMedicine [On-line information]. ...

  8. Open Label, Phase II Study to Evaluate Efficacy and Safety of Oral Nilotinib in Philadelphia Positive (Ph+) Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) Pediatric Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2018-04-20

    Leukemia; Leukemia,Pediatric; Leukemia, Myleiod; Leukemia, Mylegenous, Chronic; Leukemia, Mylegenous, Accelerated; BCR-ABL Positive; Myeloproliferative Disorder; Bone Marrow Disease; Hematologic Diseases; Neoplastic Processes; Imatinib; Dasatinib; Enzyme Inhibitor; Protein Kinase Inhibitor

  9. Dasatinib crosses the blood-brain barrier and is an efficient therapy for central nervous system philadelphia chromosome positive leukemia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    K. Porkka (Kimmo); P. Koskenvesa (Perttu); T. Lundan (Tuija); J. Rimpiläinen (Johanna); S. Mustjoki (Satu); R. Smykla (Richard); R. Wild (Robert); R. Luo (Roger); M. Arnan (Montserrat); B. Brethon (Benoit); L. Eccersley (Lydia); H. Hjorth-Hansen (Henrik); M. Höglund (Martin); H. Klamova (Hana); H. Knutsen (Håvar); S. Parikh (Suhag); E. Raffoux (Emmanuel); F. Gruber (Franz); F. Brito-Babapulle (Finella); H. Dombret (Hervé); R.F. Duarte (Rafael); E. Elonen (Erkki); R. Paquette (Ron); C.M. Zwaan (Christian Michel); F.Y.F. Lee (Francis)

    2008-01-01

    textabstractAlthough imatinib, a BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor, is used to treat acute Philadelphia chromosome-positive (Ph+) leukemia, it does not prevent central nervous system (CNS) relapses resulting from poor drug penetration through the blood-brain barrier. Imatinib and dasatinib (a

  10. Tyrosine phosphorylation of 3BP2 is indispensable for the interaction with VAV3 in chicken DT40 cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chihara, Kazuyasu [Division of Genome Science and Microbiology, Department of Pathological Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Fukui 910-1193 (Japan); Organization for Life Science Advancement Programs, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193 (Japan); Kimura, Yukihiro [Division of Genome Science and Microbiology, Department of Pathological Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Fukui 910-1193 (Japan); Division of Otorhinolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Department of Sensory and Locomotor Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Fukui 910-1193 (Japan); Honjoh, Chisato [Division of Genome Science and Microbiology, Department of Pathological Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Fukui 910-1193 (Japan); Third Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Fukui 910-1193 (Japan); Yamauchi, Shota; Takeuchi, Kenji [Division of Genome Science and Microbiology, Department of Pathological Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Fukui 910-1193 (Japan); Organization for Life Science Advancement Programs, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193 (Japan); Sada, Kiyonao, E-mail: ksada@u-fukui.ac.jp [Division of Genome Science and Microbiology, Department of Pathological Sciences, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Fukui 910-1193 (Japan); Organization for Life Science Advancement Programs, University of Fukui, Fukui 910-1193 (Japan)

    2014-03-10

    Adaptor protein c-Abl SH3 domain-binding protein-2 (3BP2) is known to play regulatory roles in immunoreceptor-mediated signal transduction. We have previously demonstrated that Tyr{sup 174}, Tyr{sup 183} and Tyr{sup 446} in mouse 3BP2 are predominantly phosphorylated by Syk, and the phosphorylation of Tyr{sup 183} and the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain of mouse 3BP2 are critical for B cell receptor (BCR)-induced activation of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) in human B cells. In this report, we have shown that Syk, but not Abl family protein-tyrosine kinases, is critical for BCR-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of 3BP2 in chicken DT40 cells. Mutational analysis showed that Tyr{sup 174}, Tyr{sup 183} and Tyr{sup 426} of chicken 3BP2 are the major phosphorylation sites by Syk and the SH2 domain of 3BP2 is critical for tyrosine phosphorylation. In addition, phosphorylation of Tyr{sup 426} is required for the inducible interaction with the SH2 domain of Vav3. Moreover, the expression of the mutant form of 3BP2 in which Tyr{sup 426} was substituted to Phe resulted in the reduction in BCR-mediated Rac1 activation, when compared with the case of wild-type. Altogether, these data suggest that 3BP2 is involved in the activation of Rac1 through the regulation of Vav3 by Syk-dependent phosphorylation of Tyr{sup 426} following BCR stimulation. - Highlights: • 3BP2 is phosphorylated by Syk, but not Abl family kinases in BCR signaling. • Tyr183 and Tyr426 in chicken 3BP2 are the major phosphorylation sites by Syk. • The SH2 domain of 3BP2 is critical for tyrosine phosphorylation of 3BP2. • Phosphorylation of Tyr426 in 3BP2 is required for the inducible binding with Vav3. • 3BP2 is involved in the regulation of BCR-mediated Rac1 activation.

  11. Tyrosine phosphorylation of 3BP2 is indispensable for the interaction with VAV3 in chicken DT40 cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chihara, Kazuyasu; Kimura, Yukihiro; Honjoh, Chisato; Yamauchi, Shota; Takeuchi, Kenji; Sada, Kiyonao

    2014-01-01

    Adaptor protein c-Abl SH3 domain-binding protein-2 (3BP2) is known to play regulatory roles in immunoreceptor-mediated signal transduction. We have previously demonstrated that Tyr 174 , Tyr 183 and Tyr 446 in mouse 3BP2 are predominantly phosphorylated by Syk, and the phosphorylation of Tyr 183 and the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain of mouse 3BP2 are critical for B cell receptor (BCR)-induced activation of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) in human B cells. In this report, we have shown that Syk, but not Abl family protein-tyrosine kinases, is critical for BCR-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of 3BP2 in chicken DT40 cells. Mutational analysis showed that Tyr 174 , Tyr 183 and Tyr 426 of chicken 3BP2 are the major phosphorylation sites by Syk and the SH2 domain of 3BP2 is critical for tyrosine phosphorylation. In addition, phosphorylation of Tyr 426 is required for the inducible interaction with the SH2 domain of Vav3. Moreover, the expression of the mutant form of 3BP2 in which Tyr 426 was substituted to Phe resulted in the reduction in BCR-mediated Rac1 activation, when compared with the case of wild-type. Altogether, these data suggest that 3BP2 is involved in the activation of Rac1 through the regulation of Vav3 by Syk-dependent phosphorylation of Tyr 426 following BCR stimulation. - Highlights: • 3BP2 is phosphorylated by Syk, but not Abl family kinases in BCR signaling. • Tyr183 and Tyr426 in chicken 3BP2 are the major phosphorylation sites by Syk. • The SH2 domain of 3BP2 is critical for tyrosine phosphorylation of 3BP2. • Phosphorylation of Tyr426 in 3BP2 is required for the inducible binding with Vav3. • 3BP2 is involved in the regulation of BCR-mediated Rac1 activation

  12. Computational study of molecular electrostatic potential, docking and dynamics simulations of gallic acid derivatives as ABL inhibitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raghi, K R; Sherin, D R; Saumya, M J; Arun, P S; Sobha, V N; Manojkumar, T K

    2018-04-05

    Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a hematological malignancy arises due to the spontaneous fusion of the BCR and ABL gene, resulting in a constitutively active tyrosine kinase (BCR-ABL). Pharmacological activity of Gallic acid and 1,3,4-Oxadiazole as potential inhibitors of ABL kinase has already been reported. Objective of this study is to evaluate the ABL kinase inhibitory activity of derivatives of Gallic acid fused with 1,3,4-Oxadiazole moieties. Attempts have been made to identify the key structural features responsible for drug likeness of the Gallic acid and the 1,3,4-Oxadiazole ring using molecular electrostatic potential maps (MESP). To investigate the inhibitory activity of Gallic acid derivatives towards the ABL receptor, we have applied molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation approaches. A comparative study was performed using Bosutinib as the standard which is an approved CML drug acting on the same receptor. Furthermore, the novel compounds designed and reported here in were evaluated for ADME properties and the results indicate that they show acceptable pharmacokinetic properties. Accordingly these compounds are predicted to be drug like with low toxicity potential. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Intramolecular dynamics within the N-Cap-SH3-SH2 regulatory unit of the c-Abl tyrosine kinase reveal targeting to the cellular membrane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Oliveira, Guilherme A P; Pereira, Elen G; Ferretti, Giulia D S; Valente, Ana Paula; Cordeiro, Yraima; Silva, Jerson L

    2013-09-27

    c-Abl is a key regulator of cell signaling and is under strict control via intramolecular interactions. In this study, we address changes in the intramolecular dynamics coupling within the c-Abl regulatory unit by presenting its N-terminal segment (N-Cap) with an alternative function in the cell as c-Abl becomes activated. Using small angle x-ray scattering, nuclear magnetic resonance, and confocal microscopy, we demonstrate that the N-Cap and the Src homology (SH) 3 domain acquire μs-ms motions upon N-Cap association with the SH2-L domain, revealing a stabilizing synergy between these segments. The N-Cap-myristoyl tether likely triggers the protein to anchor to the membrane because of these flip-flop dynamics, which occur in the μs-ms time range. This segment not only presents the myristate during c-Abl inhibition but may also trigger protein localization inside the cell in a functional and stability-dependent mechanism that is lost in Bcr-Abl(+) cells, which underlie chronic myeloid leukemia. This loss of intramolecular dynamics and binding to the cellular membrane is a potential therapeutic target.

  14. Novel Acylguanidine Derivatives Targeting Smoothened Induce Antiproliferative and Pro-Apoptotic Effects in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alessandra Chiarenza

    Full Text Available The most relevant therapeutic approaches to treat CML rely on the administration of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs like Imatinib, which are able to counteract the activity of Bcr-Abl protein increasing patient's life expectancy and survival. Unfortunately, there are some issues TKIs are not able to address; first of all TKIs are not so effective in increasing survival of patients in blast crisis, second they are not able to eradicate leukemic stem cells (LSC which represent the major cause of disease relapse, and third patients often develop resistance to TKIs due to mutations in the drug binding site. For all these reasons it's of primary interest to find alternative strategies to treat CML. Literature shows that Hedgehog signaling pathway is involved in LSC maintenance, and pharmacological inhibition of Smoothened (SMO, one of the key molecules of the pathway, has been demonstrated to reduce Bcr-Abl positive bone marrow cells and LSC. Consequently, targeting SMO could be a promising way to develop a new treatment strategy for CML overcoming the limitations of current therapies. In our work we have tested some compounds able to inhibit SMO, and among them MRT92 appears to be a very potent SMO antagonist. We found that almost all our compounds were able to reduce Gli1 protein levels in K-562 and in KU-812 CML cell lines. Furthermore, they were also able to increase Gli1 and SMO RNA levels, and to reduce cell proliferation and induce apoptosis/autophagy in both the tested cell lines. Finally, we demonstrated that our compounds were able to modulate the expression of some miRNAs related to Hedgehog pathway such as miR-324-5p and miR-326. Being Hedgehog pathway deeply implicated in the mechanisms of CML we may conclude that it could be a good therapeutic target for CML and our compounds seem to be promising antagonists of such pathway.

  15. Enhancement of B-cell receptor signaling by a point mutation of adaptor protein 3BP2 identified in human inherited disease cherubism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ogi, Kazuhiro; Nakashima, Kenji; Chihara, Kazuyasu; Takeuchi, Kenji; Horiguchi, Tomoko; Fujieda, Shigeharu; Sada, Kiyonao

    2011-09-01

    Tyrosine phosphorylation of adaptor protein c-Abl-Src homology 3 (SH3) domain-binding protein-2 (3BP2, also referred to SH3BP2) positively regulates the B-cell antigen receptor (BCR)-mediated signal transduction, leading to the activation of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT). Here we showed the effect of the proline to arginine substitution of 3BP2 in which is the most common mutation in patients with cherubism (P418R) on B-cell receptor signaling. Comparing to the wild type, overexpression of the mutant form of 3BP2 (3BP2-P416R, corresponding to P418R in human protein) enhanced BCR-mediated activation of NFAT. 3BP2-P416R increased the signaling complex formation with Syk, phospholipase C-γ2 (PLC-γ2), and Vav1. In contrast, 3BP2-P416R could not change the association with the negative regulator 14-3-3. Loss of the association mutant that was incapable to associate with 14-3-3 could not mimic BCR-mediated NFAT activation in Syk-deficient cells. Moreover, BCR-mediated phosphorylation of extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) was not affected by P416R mutation. These results showed that P416R mutation of 3BP2 causes the gain of function in B cells by increasing the interaction with specific signaling molecules. © 2011 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2011 by the Molecular Biology Society of Japan/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  16. Phase I Study of INNO-406, a Dual Abl/Lyn Kinase Inhibitor, in Philadelphia Chromosome-Positive Leukemias Post-Imatinib Resistance or Intolerance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kantarjian, H.; le Coutre, P.; Cortes, J.; Pinilla-Ibarz, J.; Nagler, A.; Hochhaus, A.; Kimura, S.; Ottmann, O.

    2010-01-01

    BACKGROUND INNO-406, an oral dual Abl/Lyn tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), demonstrates specific Lyn kinase activity with no or limited activity against other Src-family member kinases. Several Bcr-Abl kinase domain mutations are sensitive to INNO-406 in vitro, including the F317L and F317V mutations. In this study, we evaluated INNO-406 in Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome–positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) or acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) post-imatinib resistance or intolerance. METHODS A dose escalation study was conducted with a starting dose of 30mg administered orally once daily. Cohorts of at least 3 patients were treated at each dose level until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was reached. Twice-daily (BID) dosing was also evaluated. Therapy was allowed for a maximum of 24 months. RESULTS INNO-406 was administered to 56 patients with imatinib resistance (n=40) or intolerance (n=16). Other previous treatments included nilotinib (n=20), dasatinib (n=26), and dasatinib/nilotinib (n=9). Common mutations upon study entry included Y253H (n=6), G250E (n=4), T315I (n=4) and F317L (n=3). Among 31 patients with CML in chronic phase treated with INNO-406, the major cytogenetic response rate was 19%. In this study, no responses were seen in patients with CML-AP, CML-BP, or Ph-positive ALL. Dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) at INNO-406 480mg BID were liver function abnormalities and thrombocytopenia. CONCLUSIONS INNO-406 showed anti-CML efficacy in this heavily pretreated study population. Based on the classical determinations of both DLT and MTD, the recommended phase 2 dose of INNO-406 is 240mg orally BID. Lower doses of INNO-406 may be equally effective and should be explored. PMID:20310049

  17. Quantification of BCR-ABL transcripts in peripheral blood cells and ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Makmor-Bakry1 and Norazrina Azmi1*. 1Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, 2Department of Hematology,. Ampang Hospital, Ampang, Selangor, 3Quality Use of Medicines Research Group, Faculty of Pharmacy, Universiti Kebangsaan. Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur ...

  18. Comparative study of different methodologies to detect the JAK2 V617F mutation in chronic BCR-ABL1 negative myeloproliferative neoplasms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alline Didone

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Objectives: A mutation in the JAK2 gene, V617F, has been identified in several BCR-ABL1 negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN: polycythemia vera (PV, essential thrombocythemia (ET, and primary myelofibrosis (PMF. Defining the presence or absence of this mutation is an essential part of clinical diagnostic algorithms and patient management. Here, we aimed to evaluate the performance of three PCR-based assays: Amplification Refractory Mutation System (ARMS, High-Resolution Melting analysis (HRM, and Sanger direct sequencing, and compare their results with those obtained by a PCR restriction fragment polymorphism assay (PCR-RFLP. Design and methods: We used blood samples from 136 patients (PV=20; PMF=20; ET=28, and other MPN suspected cases=68. Results: Comparable results were observed among the four assays in patients with PV, PMF, and MPN suspected cases. In patients with a diagnosis of ET, the JAK2 V617F mutation was detected in 67.8% of them by the PCR-ARMS and PCR-HRM assay and in 64% of them by the conventional Sanger sequence approach. The PCR-ARMS and PCR-HRM assays were 100% concordant. With these tests, only one of the 20 patients with ET and one of the three patients with clinically suspected MPN gave different results compared with those obtained by the PCR-RFLP. Conclusions: Our results have demonstrated that the PCR-ARMS and PCR-HRM assays could detect the JAK2 V617F mutation effectively in MPN patients, but PCR-HRM assays are rapid and the most cost-effective procedures. Keywords: Myeloproliferative, JAK2 V617F, Mutation, Wild type, Screening

  19. Acadesine kills chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML cells through PKC-dependent induction of autophagic cell death.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guillaume Robert

    Full Text Available CML is an hematopoietic stem cell disease characterized by the t(9;22 (q34;q11 translocation encoding the oncoprotein p210BCR-ABL. The effect of acadesine (AICAR, 5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide-1-beta-D-ribofuranoside a compound with known antileukemic effect on B cell chronic lymphoblastic leukemia (B-CLL was investigated in different CML cell lines. Acadesine triggered loss of cell metabolism in K562, LAMA-84 and JURL-MK1 and was also effective in killing imatinib-resistant K562 cells and Ba/F3 cells carrying the T315I-BCR-ABL mutation. The anti-leukemic effect of acadesine did not involve apoptosis but required rather induction of autophagic cell death. AMPK knock-down by Sh-RNA failed to prevent the effect of acadesine, indicating an AMPK-independent mechanism. The effect of acadesine was abrogated by GF109203X and Ro-32-0432, both inhibitor of classical and new PKCs and accordingly, acadesine triggered relocation and activation of several PKC isoforms in K562 cells. In addition, this compound exhibited a potent anti-leukemic effect in clonogenic assays of CML cells in methyl cellulose and in a xenograft model of K562 cells in nude mice. In conclusion, our work identifies an original and unexpected mechanism by which acadesine triggers autophagic cell death through PKC activation. Therefore, in addition to its promising effects in B-CLL, acadesine might also be beneficial for Imatinib-resistant CML patients.

  20. Identification of Genes Upregulated by the Transcription Factor Bcr1 That Are Involved in Impermeability, Impenetrability, and Drug Resistance of Candida albicans a/α Biofilms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srikantha, Thyagarajan; Daniels, Karla J.; Pujol, Claude; Kim, Elena

    2013-01-01

    Candida albicans forms two types of biofilm, depending upon the configuration of the mating type locus. Although architecturally similar, a/α biofilms are impermeable, impenetrable, and drug resistant, whereas a/a and α/α biofilms lack these traits. The difference appears to be the result of an alternative matrix. Overexpression in a/a cells of BCR1, a master regulator of the a/α matrix, conferred impermeability, impenetrability, and drug resistance to a/a biofilms. Deletion of BCR1 in a/α cells resulted in the loss of these a/α-specific biofilm traits. Using BCR1 overexpression in a/a cells, we screened 107 genes of interest and identified 8 that were upregulated by Bcr1. When each was overexpressed in a/a biofilms, the three a/α traits were partially conferred, and when each was deleted in a/α cells, the traits were partially lost. Five of the eight genes have been implicated in iron homeostasis, and six encode proteins that are either in the wall or plasma membrane or secreted. All six possess sites for O-linked and N-linked glycosylation that, like glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchors, can cross-link to the wall and matrix, suggesting that they may exert a structural role in conferring impermeability, impenetrability, and drug resistance, in addition to their physiological functions. The fact that in a screen of 107 genes, all 8 of the Bcr1-upregulated genes identified play a role in impermeability, impenetrability, and drug resistance suggests that the formation of the a/α matrix is highly complex and involves a larger number of genes than the initial ones identified here. PMID:23563485

  1. The Dictyostelium Bcr/Abr-related protein DRG regulates both Rac- and Rab-dependent pathways

    OpenAIRE

    Knetsch, Menno L.W.; Schäfers, Nicole; Horstmann, Heinz; Manstein, Dietmar J.

    2001-01-01

    Dictyostelium discoideum DdRacGap1 (DRG) contains both Rho-GEF and Rho-GAP domains, a feature it shares with mammalian Bcr and Abr. To elucidate the physiological role of this multifunctional protein, we characterized the enzymatic activity of recombinant DRG fragments in vitro, created DRG-null cells, and studied the function of the protein in vivo by analysing the phenotypic changes displayed by DRG-depleted cells and DRG-null cells complemented with DRG or DRG fragments. Our results show t...

  2. The SH2 Domain Regulates c-Abl Kinase Activation by a Cyclin-Like Mechanism and Remodulation of the Hinge Motion

    OpenAIRE

    Dölker, N.; Górna, M. W.; Sutto, L.; Torralba, A. S.; Superti-Furga, G.; Gervasio, F. L.

    2014-01-01

    Regulation of the c-Abl (ABL1) tyrosine kinase is important because of its role in cellular signaling, and its relevance in the leukemiogenic counterpart (BCR-ABL). Both auto-inhibition and full activation of c-Abl are regulated by the interaction of the catalytic domain with the Src Homology 2 (SH2) domain. The mechanism by which this interaction enhances catalysis is not known. We combined computational simulations with mutagenesis and functional analysis to find that the SH2 domain conveys...

  3. Differential regulation of the Rac1 GTPase-activating protein (GAP) BCR during oxygen/glucose deprivation in hippocampal and cortical neurons.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Katharine R; Rajgor, Dipen; Hanley, Jonathan G

    2017-12-08

    Brain ischemia causes oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) in neurons, triggering a cascade of events leading to synaptic accumulation of glutamate. Excessive activation of glutamate receptors causes excitotoxicity and delayed cell death in vulnerable neurons. Following global cerebral ischemia, hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons are more vulnerable to injury than their cortical counterparts, but the mechanisms that underlie this difference are unclear. Signaling via Rho-family small GTPases, their upstream guanine nucleotide exchange factors, and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) is differentially dysregulated in response to OGD/ischemia in hippocampal and cortical neurons. Increased Rac1 activity caused by OGD/ischemia contributes to neuronal death in hippocampal neurons via diverse effects on NADPH oxidase activity and dendritic spine morphology. The Rac1 guanine nucleotide exchange factor Tiam1 mediates an OGD-induced increase in Rac1 activity in hippocampal neurons; however, the identity of an antagonistic GAP remains elusive. Here we show that the Rac1 GAP breakpoint cluster region (BCR) associates with NMDA receptors (NMDARs) along with Tiam1 and that this protein complex is more abundant in hippocampal compared with cortical neurons. Although total BCR is similar in the two neuronal types, BCR is more active in hippocampal compared with cortical neurons. OGD causes an NMDAR- and Ca 2+ -permeable AMPAR-dependent deactivation of BCR in hippocampal but not cortical neurons. BCR knockdown occludes OGD-induced Rac1 activation in hippocampal neurons. Furthermore, disrupting the Tiam1-NMDAR interaction with a fragment of Tiam1 blocks OGD-induced Tiam1 activation but has no effect on the deactivation of BCR. This work identifies BCR as a critical player in Rac1 regulation during OGD in hippocampal neurons. © 2017 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

  4. Selective targeting of the mTORC1/2 protein kinase complexes leads to antileukemic effects in vitro and in vivo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schuster, K; Zheng, J; Arbini, A A; Zhang, C C; Scaglioni, P P

    2011-01-01

    The BCR/ABL tyrosine kinase promotes leukemogenesis through activation of several targets that include the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K). Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), which target BCR/ABL, induce striking clinical responses. However, therapy with TKIs is associated with limitations such as drug intolerance, inability to universally eradicate the disease and emergence of BCR/ABL drug-resistant mutants. To overcome these limitations, we tested whether inhibition of the PI3K/target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway has antileukemic effect in primary hematopoietic stem cells and BA/F3 cells expressing the BCR/ABL oncoprotein. We determined that dual inhibition of PI3K/mTOR causes growth arrest and apoptosis leading to profound antileukemic effects both in vitro and in vivo. We also established that pharmacologic inhibition of the mTORC1/mTORC2 complexes is sufficient to cause these antileukemic effects. Our results support the development of inhibitors of the mTORC1/2 complexes for the therapy of leukemias that either express BCR/ABL or display deregulation of the PI3K/mTOR signaling pathway

  5. Tyrosine phosphorylation of 3BP2 is indispensable for the interaction with VAV3 in chicken DT40 cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chihara, Kazuyasu; Kimura, Yukihiro; Honjoh, Chisato; Yamauchi, Shota; Takeuchi, Kenji; Sada, Kiyonao

    2014-03-10

    Adaptor protein c-Abl SH3 domain-binding protein-2 (3BP2) is known to play regulatory roles in immunoreceptor-mediated signal transduction. We have previously demonstrated that Tyr(174), Tyr(183) and Tyr(446) in mouse 3BP2 are predominantly phosphorylated by Syk, and the phosphorylation of Tyr(183) and the Src homology 2 (SH2) domain of mouse 3BP2 are critical for B cell receptor (BCR)-induced activation of nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) in human B cells. In this report, we have shown that Syk, but not Abl family protein-tyrosine kinases, is critical for BCR-mediated tyrosine phosphorylation of 3BP2 in chicken DT40 cells. Mutational analysis showed that Tyr(174), Tyr(183) and Tyr(426) of chicken 3BP2 are the major phosphorylation sites by Syk and the SH2 domain of 3BP2 is critical for tyrosine phosphorylation. In addition, phosphorylation of Tyr(426) is required for the inducible interaction with the SH2 domain of Vav3. Moreover, the expression of the mutant form of 3BP2 in which Tyr(426) was substituted to Phe resulted in the reduction in BCR-mediated Rac1 activation, when compared with the case of wild-type. Altogether, these data suggest that 3BP2 is involved in the activation of Rac1 through the regulation of Vav3 by Syk-dependent phosphorylation of Tyr(426) following BCR stimulation. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Small molecule ErbB inhibitors decrease proliferative signaling and promote apoptosis in philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mary E Irwin

    Full Text Available The presence of the Philadelphia chromosome in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph(+ALL is a negative prognostic indicator. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI that target BCR/ABL, such as imatinib, have improved treatment of Ph(+ALL and are generally incorporated into induction regimens. This approach has improved clinical responses, but molecular remissions are seen in less than 50% of patients leaving few treatment options in the event of relapse. Thus, identification of additional targets for therapeutic intervention has potential to improve outcomes for Ph+ALL. The human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (ErbB2 is expressed in ~30% of B-ALLs, and numerous small molecule inhibitors are available to prevent its activation. We analyzed a cohort of 129 ALL patient samples using reverse phase protein array (RPPA with ErbB2 and phospho-ErbB2 antibodies and found that activity of ErbB2 was elevated in 56% of Ph(+ALL as compared to just 4.8% of Ph(-ALL. In two human Ph+ALL cell lines, inhibition of ErbB kinase activity with canertinib resulted in a dose-dependent decrease in the phosphorylation of an ErbB kinase signaling target p70S6-kinase T389 (by 60% in Z119 and 39% in Z181 cells at 3 µM. Downstream, phosphorylation of S6-kinase was also diminished in both cell lines in a dose-dependent manner (by 91% in both cell lines at 3 µM. Canertinib treatment increased expression of the pro-apoptotic protein Bim by as much as 144% in Z119 cells and 49% in Z181 cells, and further produced caspase-3 activation and consequent apoptotic cell death. Both canertinib and the FDA-approved ErbB1/2-directed TKI lapatinib abrogated proliferation and increased sensitivity to BCR/ABL-directed TKIs at clinically relevant doses. Our results suggest that ErbB signaling is an additional molecular target in Ph(+ALL and encourage the development of clinical strategies combining ErbB and BCR/ABL kinase inhibitors for this subset of ALL patients.

  7. Hydroxychavicol, a Piper betle leaf component, induces apoptosis of CML cells through mitochondrial reactive oxygen species-dependent JNK and endothelial nitric oxide synthase activation and overrides imatinib resistance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakraborty, Jayashree B; Mahato, Sanjit K; Joshi, Kalpana; Shinde, Vaibhav; Rakshit, Srabanti; Biswas, Nabendu; Choudhury Mukherjee, Indrani; Mandal, Labanya; Ganguly, Dipyaman; Chowdhury, Avik A; Chaudhuri, Jaydeep; Paul, Kausik; Pal, Bikas C; Vinayagam, Jayaraman; Pal, Churala; Manna, Anirban; Jaisankar, Parasuraman; Chaudhuri, Utpal; Konar, Aditya; Roy, Siddhartha; Bandyopadhyay, Santu

    2012-01-01

    Alcoholic extract of Piper betle (Piper betle L.) leaves was recently found to induce apoptosis of CML cells expressing wild type and mutated Bcr-Abl with imatinib resistance phenotype. Hydroxy-chavicol (HCH), a constituent of the alcoholic extract of Piper betle leaves, was evaluated for anti-CML activity. Here, we report that HCH and its analogues induce killing of primary cells in CML patients and leukemic cell lines expressing wild type and mutated Bcr-Abl, including the T315I mutation, with minimal toxicity to normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells. HCH causes early but transient increase of mitochondria-derived reactive oxygen species. Reactive oxygen species-dependent persistent activation of JNK leads to an increase in endothelial nitric oxide synthase-mediated nitric oxide generation. This causes loss of mitochondrial membrane potential, release of cytochrome c from mitochondria, cleavage of caspase 9, 3 and poly-adenosine diphosphate-ribose polymerase leading to apoptosis. One HCH analogue was also effective in vivo in SCID mice against grafts expressing the T315I mutation, although to a lesser extent than grafts expressing wild type Bcr-Abl, without showing significant bodyweight loss. Our data describe the role of JNK-dependent endothelial nitric oxide synthase-mediated nitric oxide for anti-CML activity of HCH and this molecule merits further testing in pre-clinical and clinical settings. © 2011 Japanese Cancer Association.

  8. Glucose-ABL1-TOR Signaling Modulates Cell Cycle Tuning to Control Terminal Appressorial Cell Differentiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marroquin-Guzman, Margarita; Sun, Guangchao; Wilson, Richard A

    2017-01-01

    The conserved target of rapamycin (TOR) pathway integrates growth and development with available nutrients, but how cellular glucose controls TOR function and signaling is poorly understood. Here, we provide functional evidence from the devastating rice blast fungus Magnaporthe oryzae that glucose can mediate TOR activity via the product of a novel carbon-responsive gene, ABL1, in order to tune cell cycle progression during infection-related development. Under nutrient-free conditions, wild type (WT) M. oryzae strains form terminal plant-infecting cells (appressoria) at the tips of germ tubes emerging from three-celled spores (conidia). WT appressorial development is accompanied by one round of mitosis followed by autophagic cell death of the conidium. In contrast, Δabl1 mutant strains undergo multiple rounds of accelerated mitosis in elongated germ tubes, produce few appressoria, and are abolished for autophagy. Treating WT spores with glucose or 2-deoxyglucose phenocopied Δabl1. Inactivating TOR in Δabl1 mutants or glucose-treated WT strains restored appressorium formation by promoting mitotic arrest at G1/G0 via an appressorium- and autophagy-inducing cell cycle delay at G2/M. Collectively, this work uncovers a novel glucose-ABL1-TOR signaling axis and shows it engages two metabolic checkpoints in order to modulate cell cycle tuning and mediate terminal appressorial cell differentiation. We thus provide new molecular insights into TOR regulation and cell development in response to glucose.

  9. Phase 1 study of INNO-406, a dual Abl/Lyn kinase inhibitor, in Philadelphia chromosome-positive leukemias after imatinib resistance or intolerance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kantarjian, Hagop; le Coutre, Phillipp; Cortes, Jorge; Pinilla-Ibarz, Javier; Nagler, Arnon; Hochhaus, Andreas; Kimura, Shinya; Ottmann, Oliver

    2010-06-01

    : INNO-406, a dual v-abl Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog (Abl)/v-yes-1 Yamaguchi sarcoma viral-related oncogene homolog (Lyn) tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), has demonstrated specific Lyn kinase inhibitory activity with no or limited activity against other sarcoma (Src) family member kinases. Several breakpoint cluster region (Bcr)-Abl kinase domain mutations are sensitive to INNO-406 in vitro, including mutations that involve a phenylalanine-to-leucine or phenylalanine-to-valine substitution at codon 317 (F317L and F317V, respectively). In the current study, the authors evaluated the use of INNO-406 in patients with Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) or acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) after imatinib resistance or intolerance. : A dose-escalation study was conducted at a starting dose of oral INNO-406 30 mg once daily. Cohorts of at least 3 patients were treated at each dose level until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was reached. Twice-daily dosing also was evaluated. Therapy was allowed to continue for a maximum of 24 months. : INNO-406 was administered to 56 patients with imatinib resistance (n = 40) or intolerance (n = 16). Other previous treatments included nilotinib (n = 20 patients), dasatinib (n = 26 patients), and dasatinib/nilotinib (n = 9 patients). Common mutations at the time of study entry included a tyrosine-to-histidine substitution at codon 253 (Y253H) (n = 6 patients), a glycine-to-glutamic acid substitution at codon 250 (G250E) (n = 4 patients), a threonine-to-isoleucine substitution at codon 315 (T315I) (n = 4 patients), and F317L (n = 3 patients). Of 31 patients with CML in chronic phase who received INNO-406, the major cytogenetic response rate was 19%. No responses were observed in patients who had CML in accelerated phase, CML in blastic phase, or Ph-positive ALL. The dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) at an INNO-406 dose of 480 mg twice daily were liver function abnormalities and

  10. Various domains of the B-cell regulatory molecule CD72 has diverged at different rates in mammals

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Cathrine Bie; Hillig, Ann-Britt Nygaard; Fredholm, Merete

    2007-01-01

    72 has been shown to be a negatively regulating BCR co-receptor. We isolated and sequenced three porcine CD72 transcript variants. Using a pig radiation hybrid panel we found the porcien CD72 gene to be located on chromosome 1q21-28 in a region syntenic to human chromosome 9. The porcine CD72 gene......We report the cloning of the porcine B-cell co-receptor CD72, as well as genomic mapping and examination of transcription. The B-cell receptor (BCR) complex mediates signalling upon antigen recognition by the membrane bound BCR. Several co-receptors modulate this signal positively or negatively. CD...

  11. [Effects of PCI-32765 and Dasatinib on the Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemic Cells and Their Mechanisms].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Yuan; Tao, Shan-Dong; Zhang, Xin; Ma, Jing-Jing; He, Zheng-Mei; Chen, Yue; Deng, Zhi-Kui; Yu, Liang

    2017-02-01

    To investigate the effects of Btk inhibitor (PCI-32765) and BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor (Dasatinib) on proliferation and apoptosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cell lines (Sup-B15, RS4;11) and the possible mechanism. RS4;11 and Sup-B15 cells were treated with PCI-32765 and Dasatinib, the cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected by CCK-8, the Btk and other apoptotic proteins were detected by Western blot. PCI-32765 could inhibit the proliferation of RS4;11 and Sup-B15 cells in a dose-dependent manner, Sup-B15 cells were more sensitive to PCI-32765 than RS4;11 cells, their IC 50 were 3 µmol/L and 8 µmol/L respectively, the difference between them was statistically significant (PPCI-32765(PPCI-32765 or Dasatinib alone group and the combination group at the different time-point (8, 12, 24, 36, 48 and 72 h), the 2 drugs showed a synergistic effect on cells in a time-dependent manner. After being treated with PCI-32765 and Dasatinib, the RS4;11 and Sup-B15 cells showed that cell shrinkage, increase of cytoplasmic density, nuclear pyknosis, deviation and karyorrhexis, and increase of the apoptotic cells in the combination group, while the promotive effect of low dosage dasatinib on apoptosis of RS4;11 cells was not strong. PCI-32765 and Dasatinib could decrease the expression and activity of BCR-ABL, Btk, Lyn, Src in Sup-B15 and RS4;11 cells. PCI-32765 or Dasatinib can inhibit the proliferation and induce the apoptosis of Sup-B15 and RS4;11 cells, PCI-32765 and Dasatinib displayed the synergistic effects. The possible mechanism may be related with the blocking of B cell receptor(BCR) signal pathway, thereby inhibiting the cell proliferation and promoting the cell apoptosis.

  12. Automated detection of residual cells after sex-mismatched stem-cell transplantation – evidence for presence of disease-marker negative residual cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Johannes Tilman

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background A new chimerism analysis based on automated interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH evaluation was established to detect residual cells after allogene sex-mismatched bone marrow or blood stem-cell transplantation. Cells of 58 patients were characterized as disease-associated due to presence of a bcr/abl-gene-fusion or a trisomy 8 and/or a simultaneous hybridization of gonosome-specific centromeric probes. The automatic slide scanning platform Metafer with its module MetaCyte was used to analyse 3,000 cells per sample. Results Overall 454 assays of 58 patients were analyzed. 13 of 58 patients showed residual recipient cells at one stage of more than 4% and 12 of 58 showed residual recipient cells less than 4%, respectively. As to be expected, patients of the latter group were associated with a higher survival rate (48 vs. 34 month. In only two of seven patients with disease-marker positive residual cells between 0.1–1.3% a relapse was observed. Besides, disease-marker negative residual cells were found in two patients without relapse at a rate of 2.8% and 3.3%, respectively. Conclusion The definite origin and meaning of disease-marker negative residual cells is still unclear. Overall, with the presented automatic chimerism analysis of interphase FISH slides, a sensitive method for detection of disease-marker positive residual cells is on hand.

  13. Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in the Era of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors: An Evolving Paradigm of Molecularly Targeted Therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali, Mohamed A M

    2016-08-01

    Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm, characterized by the unrestrained expansion of pluripotent hematopoietic stem cells. CML was the first malignancy in which a unique chromosomal abnormality was identified and a pathophysiologic association was suggested. The hallmark of CML is a reciprocal chromosomal translocation between the long arms of chromosomes 9 and 22, t(9; 22)(q34; q11), creating a derivative 9q+ and a shortened 22q-. The latter, known as the Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome, harbors the breakpoint cluster region-abelson (BCR-ABL) fusion gene, encoding the constitutively active BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase that is necessary and sufficient for initiating CML. The successful implementation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for the treatment of CML remains a flagship for molecularly targeted therapy in cancer. TKIs have changed the clinical course of CML; however, some patients nonetheless demonstrate primary or secondary resistance to such therapy and require an alternative therapeutic strategy. Therefore, the assessment of early response to treatment with TKIs has become an important tool in the clinical monitoring of CML patients. Although mutations in the BCR-ABL have proven to be the most prominent mechanism of resistance to TKIs, other mechanisms-either rendering the leukemic cells still dependent on BCR-ABL activity or supporting oncogenic properties of the leukemic cells independent of BCR-ABL signaling-have been identified. This article provides an overview of the current understanding of CML pathogenesis; recommendations for diagnostic tools, treatment strategies, and management guidelines; and highlights the BCR-ABL-dependent and -independent mechanisms that contribute to the development of resistance to TKIs.

  14. Structural Analysis of DFG-in and DFG-out Dual Src-Abl Inhibitors Sharing a Common Vinyl Purine Template

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Tianjun; Commodore, Lois; Huang, Wei-Sheng; Wang, Yihan; Sawyer, Tomi K.; Shakespeare, William C.; Clackson, Tim; Zhu, Xiaotian; Dalgarno, David C. (ARIAD)

    2010-09-30

    Bcr-Abl is the oncogenic protein tyrosine kinase responsible for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Treatment of the disease with imatinib (Gleevec) often results in drug resistance via kinase mutations at the advanced phases of the disease, which has necessitated the development of new mutation-resistant inhibitors, notably against the T315I gatekeeper mutation. As part of our efforts to discover such mutation resistant Abl inhibitors, we have focused on optimizing purine template kinase inhibitors, leading to the discovery of potent DFG-in and DFG-out series of Abl inhibitors that are also potent Src inhibitors. Here we present crystal structures of Abl bound by two such inhibitors, based on a common N9-arenyl purine, and that represent both DFG-in and -out binding modes. In each structure the purine template is bound deeply in the adenine pocket and the novel vinyl linker forms a non-classical hydrogen bond to the gatekeeper residue, Thr315. Specific template substitutions promote either a DFG-in or -out binding mode, with the kinase binding site adjusting to optimize molecular recognition. Bcr-Abl T315I mutant kinase is resistant to all currently marketed Abl inhibitors, and is the focus of intense drug discovery efforts. Notably, our DFG-out inhibitor, AP24163, exhibits modest activity against this mutant, illustrating that this kinase mutant can be inhibited by DFG-out class inhibitors. Furthermore our DFG-out inhibitor exhibits dual Src-Abl activity, absent from the prototypical DFG-out inhibitor, imatinib as well as its analog, nilotinib. The data presented here provides structural guidance for the further design of novel potent DFG-out class inhibitors against Src, Abl and Abl T315I mutant kinases.

  15. Modulation of B-cell receptor and microenvironment signaling by a guanine exchange factor in B-cell malignancies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liao, Wei; Sharma, Sanjai

    2016-01-01

    Objective: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) cells over-express a guanine exchange factor (GEF), Rasgrf-1. This GEF increases active Ras as it catalyzes the removal of GDP from Ras so that GTP can bind and activate Ras. This study aims to study the mechanism of action of Rasgrf-1 in B-cell malignancies. Methods: N-terminus truncated Rasgrf-1 variants have a higher GEF activity as compared to the full-length transcript therefore a MCL cell line with stable over-expression of truncated Rasgrf-1 was established. The B-cell receptor (BCR) and chemokine signaling pathways were compared in the Rasgrf-1 over-expressing and a control transfected cell line. Results: Cells over-expressing truncated form of Rasgrf-1 have a higher proliferative rate as compared to control transfected cells. BCR was activated by lower concentrations of anti-IgM antibody in Rasgrf-1 over-expressing cells as compared to control cells indicating that these cells are more sensitive to BCR signaling. BCR signaling also phosphorylates Rasgrf-1 that further increases its GEF function and amplifies BCR signaling. This activation of Rasgrf-1 in over-expressing cells resulted in a higher expression of phospho-ERK, AKT, BTK and PKC-alpha as compared to control cells. Besides BCR, Rasgrf-1 over-expressing cells were also more sensitive to microenvironment stimuli as determined by resistance to apoptosis, chemotaxis and ERK pathway activation. Conclusions: This GEF protein sensitizes B-cells to BCR and chemokine mediated signaling and also upregulates a number of other signaling pathways which promotes growth and survival of these cells

  16. Caveolin-1 contributes to realgar nanoparticle therapy in human chronic myelogenous leukemia K562 cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shi D

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Dan Shi,1,* Yan Liu,1,* Ronggang Xi,1 Wei Zou,2 Lijun Wu,3 Zhiran Zhang,1 Zhongyang Liu,1 Chao Qu,1 Baoli Xu,1 Xiaobo Wang1 1Department of Pharmacy, The 210th Hospital of People’s Liberation Army, 2College of Life Science, Liaoning Normal University, Dalian, Liaoning, 3Department of Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmacy, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, Heilongjiang, People’s Republic of China *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML is characterized by the t(9;22 (q34;q11-associated Bcr-Abl fusion gene, which is an essential element of clinical diagnosis. As a traditional Chinese medicine, realgar has been widely used for the treatment of various diseases for >1,500 years. Inspired by nano-drug, realgar nanoparticles (NPs have been prepared with an average particle size of <100 nm in a previous work. Compared with coarse realgar, the realgar NPs have higher bioavailability. As a principal constituent protein of caveolae, caveolin-1 (Cav-1 participates in regulating various cellular physiological and pathological processes including tumorigenesis and tumor development. In previous studies, it was found that realgar NPs can inhibit several types of tumor cell proliferation. However, the therapeutic effect of realgar NPs on CML has not been fully elucidated. In the present paper, it was demonstrated that realgar NPs can inhibit the proliferation of K562 cells and degrade Bcr-Abl fusion protein effectively. Both apoptosis and autophagy were activated in a dose-dependent manner in realgar NPs treated cells, and the induction of autophagy was associated with class I phosphoinositide 3-kinase/protein kinase B/mammalian target of rapamycin pathway. Morphological analysis indicated that realgar NPs induced differentiation effectively in CML cells. Furthermore, it was identified that Cav-1 might play a crucial role in realgar NP therapy. In order to study the effects of Cav-1 on K562 cells during

  17. Aborted germinal center reactions and B cell memory by follicular T cells specific for a B cell receptor V region peptide.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heiser, Ryan A; Snyder, Christopher M; St Clair, James; Wysocki, Lawrence J

    2011-07-01

    A fundamental problem in immunoregulation is how CD4(+) T cells react to immunogenic peptides derived from the V region of the BCR that are created by somatic mechanisms, presented in MHC II, and amplified to abundance by B cell clonal expansion during immunity. BCR neo Ags open a potentially dangerous avenue of T cell help in violation of the principle of linked Ag recognition. To analyze this issue, we developed a murine adoptive transfer model using paired donor B cells and CD4 T cells specific for a BCR-derived peptide. BCR peptide-specific T cells aborted ongoing germinal center reactions and impeded the secondary immune response. Instead, they induced the B cells to differentiate into short-lived extrafollicular plasmablasts that secreted modest quantities of Ig. These results uncover an immunoregulatory process that restricts the memory pathway to B cells that communicate with CD4 T cells via exogenous foreign Ag.

  18. Inhibition of c-Abl kinase activity renders cancer cells highly sensitive to mitoxantrone.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kemal Alpay

    Full Text Available Although c-Abl has increasingly emerged as a key player in the DNA damage response, its role in this context is far from clear. We studied the effect of inhibition of c-Abl kinase activity by imatinib with chemotherapy drugs and found a striking difference in cell survival after combined mitoxantrone (MX and imatinib treatment compared to a panel of other chemotherapy drugs. The combinatory treatment induced apoptosis in HeLa cells and other cancer cell lines but not in primary fibroblasts. The difference in MX and doxorubicin was related to significant augmentation of DNA damage. Transcriptionally active p53 accumulated in cells in which human papillomavirus E6 normally degrades p53. The combination treatment resulted in caspase activation and apoptosis, but this effect did not depend on either p53 or p73 activity. Despite increased p53 activity, the cells arrested in G2 phase became defective in this checkpoint, allowing cell cycle progression. The effect after MX treatment depended partially on c-Abl: Short interfering RNA knockdown of c-Abl rendered HeLa cells less sensitive to MX. The effect of imatinib was decreased by c-Abl siRNA suggesting a role for catalytically inactive c-Abl in the death cascade. These findings indicate that MX has a unique cytotoxic effect when the kinase activity of c-Abl is inhibited. The treatment results in increased DNA damage and c-Abl-dependent apoptosis, which may offer new possibilities for potentiation of cancer chemotherapy.

  19. SH2 Domain-Based FRET Biosensor for Measuring BCR-ABL Activity in Living CML Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujioka, Mari; Asano, Yumi; Nakada, Shigeyuki; Ohba, Yusuke

    2017-01-01

    Fluorescent proteins (FPs) displaying distinct spectra have shed their light on a wide range of biological functions. Moreover, sophisticated biosensors engineered to contain single or multiple FPs, including Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based biosensors, spatiotemporally reveal the molecular mechanisms underlying a variety of pathophysiological processes. However, their usefulness for applied life sciences has yet to be fully explored. Recently, our research group has begun to expand the potential of FPs from basic biological research to the clinic. Here, we describe a method to evaluate the responsiveness of leukemia cells from patients to tyrosine kinase inhibitors using a biosensor based on FP technology and the principle of FRET. Upon phosphorylation of the tyrosine residue of the biosensor, binding of the SH2 domain to phosphotyrosine induces conformational change of the biosensor and brings the donor and acceptor FPs into close proximity. Therefore, kinase activity and response to kinase inhibitors can be monitored by an increase and a decrease in FRET efficiency, respectively. As in basic research, this biosensor resolves hitherto arduous tasks and may provide innovative technological advances in clinical laboratory examinations. State-of-the-art detection devices that enable such innovation are also introduced.

  20. Anaerobic Biochemical Reactor (BCR) Treatment Of Mining-Influenced Water (MIW) - Investigation Of Metal Removal Efficiency and Ecotoxicity

    Science.gov (United States)

    BCR have been successful at removing a high percentage of metals from MIW, while BCR effluent toxicity has not been examined previously in the field. This study examined 4 active pilot BCR systems for removal of metals and toxicity. Removal efficiency for Al, As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb...

  1. Apoptosis in chronic myeloid leukaemia: normal responses by progenitor cells to growth factor deprivation, X-irradiation and glucocorticoids

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amos, T.A.S.; Lewis, J.L.; Grand, F.H.; Gooding, R.P.; Goldman, J.M.; Gordon, M.Y. [Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London (United Kingdom)

    1995-10-01

    Inhibition of apoptosis (genetically programmed active cell death) by p210 BCR-ABL expression is a mechanism that might contribute to clonal expansion in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Since cell death following exposure to ionizing radiation and many chemotherapeutic agents can occur by the apoptotic pathway, inhibition of apoptosis would be expected to confer a relative resistance to these treatments. Similarly, cells deprived of growth factors in vitro die by apoptosis, and inhibition of apoptosis would therefore be expected to allow cells to survive better in growth factor-deprived conditions. We found that the survival of normal and CML myeloid progenitors was the same after in vitro incubation in deprived conditions and after treatment with X-irradiation or glucocorticoids. We also found that mature cells in colonies produced by CML progenitors (CFU-GM) did not survive better than those produced by normal progenitor cells. Flow cytometric analysis of propidium iodide-stained cells provided a direct indication that the degree of apoptosis may correspond to the degree of deprivation. These results suggest that inhibition of apoptosis may not be the primary mechanism whereby BCR-ABL influences the expansion of the malignant clone in CML. (Author).

  2. Apoptosis in chronic myeloid leukaemia: normal responses by progenitor cells to growth factor deprivation, X-irradiation and glucocorticoids

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amos, T.A.S.; Lewis, J.L.; Grand, F.H.; Gooding, R.P.; Goldman, J.M.; Gordon, M.Y.

    1995-01-01

    Inhibition of apoptosis (genetically programmed active cell death) by p210 BCR-ABL expression is a mechanism that might contribute to clonal expansion in chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Since cell death following exposure to ionizing radiation and many chemotherapeutic agents can occur by the apoptotic pathway, inhibition of apoptosis would be expected to confer a relative resistance to these treatments. Similarly, cells deprived of growth factors in vitro die by apoptosis, and inhibition of apoptosis would therefore be expected to allow cells to survive better in growth factor-deprived conditions. We found that the survival of normal and CML myeloid progenitors was the same after in vitro incubation in deprived conditions and after treatment with X-irradiation or glucocorticoids. We also found that mature cells in colonies produced by CML progenitors (CFU-GM) did not survive better than those produced by normal progenitor cells. Flow cytometric analysis of propidium iodide-stained cells provided a direct indication that the degree of apoptosis may correspond to the degree of deprivation. These results suggest that inhibition of apoptosis may not be the primary mechanism whereby BCR-ABL influences the expansion of the malignant clone in CML. (Author)

  3. Visualization of proteolytic activity associated with the apoptotic response in cancer cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tice, Brian George

    Caspases execute programmed cell death, where low levels of caspase activity are linked to cancer. Chemotherapies utilize induction of apoptosis as a key mechanism for cancer treatment, where caspase-3 is a major player involved in dismantling these aberrant cells. The ability to sensitively measure the initial caspase-3 cleavage events during apoptosis is important for understanding the initiation of this complex cellular process, however, current ensemble methods are not sensitive enough to measure single cleavage events in cells. By utilizing the optical properties of plasmon coupling, peptide-linked gold nanoparticles were developed to enable single molecule imaging of caspase-3 activity in two different cancer systems. Au crown nanoparticles were assembled in a multimeric fashion to overcome the high and heterogeneous background scattering of live cells. In a colon cancer (SW620) cell line challenged with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), single molecule trajectories show early stage caspase-3 activation within minutes, which was not detectable by ensemble assays until 23 hours. Variability in caspase-3 activation among the population of cells was identified and likely a result of each cell's specific resistance to death receptor-induced apoptosis. Following these studies, improvements by way of sensitivity and selectivity were tailored into an improved nanosensor construct. Au nanoshell dimers were prepared as a comparably bright construct with 1) reduced heterogeneity compared to the synthesis of the crown nanoparticles and 2) a peptide sequence highly selective for caspase-3. Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) K562 cells were assessed for their early apoptotic response upon treatment with dasatinib, a clinically approved tyrosine kinase inhibitor that specifically targets BCR-ABL. It has been demonstrated that inhibition of BCR-ABL by dasatinib commits K562 cells to apoptosis. Single molecule experiments with Au nanoshell dimers show caspase-3 activation

  4. B-cell receptor signaling as a driver of lymphoma development and evolution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niemann, Carsten U; Wiestner, Adrian

    2013-12-01

    The B-cell receptor (BCR) is essential for normal B-cell development and maturation. In an increasing number of B-cell malignancies, BCR signaling is implicated as a pivotal pathway in tumorigenesis. Mechanisms of BCR activation are quite diverse and range from chronic antigenic drive by microbial or viral antigens to autostimulation of B-cells by self-antigens to activating mutations in intracellular components of the BCR pathway. Hepatitis C virus infection can lead to the development of splenic marginal zone lymphoma, while Helicobacter pylori infection is associated with the development of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphomas. In some of these cases, successful treatment of the infection removes the inciting antigen and results in resolution of the lymphoma. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia has been recognized for decades as a malignancy of auto-reactive B-cells and its clinical course is in part determined by the differential response of the malignant cells to BCR activation. In a number of B-cell malignancies, activating mutations in signal transduction components of the BCR pathway have been identified; prominent examples are activated B-cell-like (ABC) diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) that carry mutations in CD79B and CARD11 and display chronic active BCR signaling resulting in constitutive activation of the NF-κB pathway. Despite considerable heterogeneity in biology and clinical course, many mature B-cell malignancies are highly sensitive to kinase inhibitors that disrupt BCR signaling. Thus, targeted therapy through inhibition of BCR signaling is emerging as a new treatment paradigm for many B-cell malignancies. Here, we review the role of the BCR in the pathogenesis of B-cell malignancies and summarize clinical results of the emerging class of kinase inhibitors that target this pathway. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  5. Prognostic impact of IKZF1 deletion in adults with common B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Qiu-Mei; Liu, Kai-Yan; Gale, Robert Peter; Jiang, Bin; Liu, Yan-Rong; Jiang, Qian; Jiang, Hao; Zhang, Xiao-Hui; Zhang, Mei-Jie; Chen, Shan-Shan; Huang, Xiao-Jun; Xu, Lan-Ping; Ruan, Guo-Rui

    2016-04-11

    Interrogate the impact of IKZF1 deletion on therapy-outcomes of adults with common B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. One hundred sixty-five consecutive adults with common B-cell ALL were tested for IKZF1 deletion and for BCR/ABL. Deletions in IKZF1 were detected using multiplex RQ-PCR, multiplex fluorescent PCR, sequence analysis and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification (MLPA). BCR/ABL was detected using RQ-PCR. All subjects received chemotherapy and some also received an allotransplant and tyrosine kinase-inhibitors. Multivariate analyses were done to identify associations between IKZF1 deletion and other variables on non-relapse mortality (NRM), cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR), leukemia-free survival (LFS) and survival. Amongst subjects achieving complete remission those with IKZF1 deletion had similar 5-year non-relapse mortality (NRM) (11% [2-20%] vs. 16% [4-28%]; P = 0.736), a higher 5-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) (55% [35-76%] vs. 25% [12-38%]; P = 0.004), and worse 5-year leukemia-free survival (LFS) (33% [16-52%] vs. 59% [42-73%]; P = 0.012) and survival (48% [33-62%] vs. 75% [57-86%]; P = 0.002). In multivariate analyses IKZF1 deletion was associated with an increased relapse (relative risk [RR] =2.7, [1.4-5.2]; P = 0.002), a higher risk of treatment-failure (inverse of LFS; RR = 2.1, [1.2-3.6]; P = 0.007) and a higher risk of death (RR = 2.8, [1.5-5.5]; P = 0.002). The adverse impact of IKZF1 deletion on outcomes was stronger in subjects without vs. with BCR-ABL1 and in subjects receiving chemotherapy-only vs. an allotransplant. IKZF1 deletion was independently-associated with a higher relapse risk and worse LFS and survival in adults with common B-cell ALL after adjusting for other prognostic variables and differences in therapies. These data suggest IKZF1 deletion may be a useful prognostic variable in adults with common B-cell ALL, especially in persons without BCR-ABL1 and those receiving chemotherapy

  6. Heterogeneity of chromosome 22 breakpoint in Philadelphia-positive (Ph+) acute lymphocytic leukemia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erikson, J.; Griffin, C.A.; Ar-Rushdi, A.

    1986-01-01

    In chronic myelogenous leukemias (CML) with the t(9;22)(q34;q11) chromosome translocation the breakpoints on chromosome 22 occur within a 5.8-kilobase segment of DNA referred to as breakpoint cluster region (bcr). The same cytogenetically indinstinguishable translocation occurs in approximately 10% of patients with acute lymphocytic leukemias (ALL). In this study the authors have investigated the chromosome breakpoints in several cases of ALL carrying the t(9;22) translocation. In three of five cases of ALL they found that the bcr region was not involved in the chromosome rearrangement and that the 22q11 chromosome breakpoints were proximal (5') to the bcr region at band 22q11. In addition, they observed normal size bcr and c-alb transcripts in an ALL cell line carrying the t(9;22) translocation. They conclude, therefore, that if c-alb is inappropriately expressed in ALL cells without bcr rearrangements, the genetic mechanism of activation must be different from that reported for CML

  7. Drug Modulators of B Cell Signaling Pathways and Epstein-Barr Virus Lytic Activation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kosowicz, John G; Lee, Jaeyeun; Peiffer, Brandon; Guo, Zufeng; Chen, Jianmeng; Liao, Gangling; Hayward, S Diane; Liu, Jun O; Ambinder, Richard F

    2017-08-15

    Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous human gammaherpesvirus that establishes a latency reservoir in B cells. In this work, we show that ibrutinib, idelalisib, and dasatinib, drugs that block B cell receptor (BCR) signaling and are used in the treatment of hematologic malignancies, block BCR-mediated lytic induction at clinically relevant doses. We confirm that the immunosuppressive drugs cyclosporine and tacrolimus also inhibit BCR-mediated lytic induction but find that rapamycin does not inhibit BCR-mediated lytic induction. Further investigation shows that mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) contributes to BCR-mediated lytic induction and that FK506-binding protein 12 (FKBP12) binding alone is not adequate to block activation. Finally, we show that BCR signaling can activate EBV lytic induction in freshly isolated B cells from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) and that activation can be inhibited by ibrutinib or idelalisib. IMPORTANCE EBV establishes viral latency in B cells. Activation of the B cell receptor pathway activates lytic viral expression in cell lines. Here we show that drugs that inhibit important kinases in the BCR signaling pathway inhibit activation of lytic viral expression but do not inhibit several other lytic activation pathways. Immunosuppressant drugs such as cyclosporine and tacrolimus but not rapamycin also inhibit BCR-mediated EBV activation. Finally, we show that BCR activation of lytic infection occurs not only in tumor cell lines but also in freshly isolated B cells from patients and that this activation can be blocked by BCR inhibitors. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

  8. In vitro testing of drug combinations employing nilotinib and alkylating agents with regard to pretransplant conditioning treatment of advanced-phase chronic myeloid leukemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Radujkovic, Aleksandar; Luft, Thomas; Dreger, Peter; Ho, Anthony D; Jens Zeller, W; Fruehauf, Stefan; Topaly, Julian

    2014-08-01

    The prognosis of patients with advanced-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) remains dismal despite the availability of targeted therapies and allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-SCT). Increasing the antileukemic efficacy of the pretransplant conditioning regimen may be a strategy to increase remission rates and duration. We therefore investigated the antiproliferative effects of nilotinib in combination with drugs that are usually used for conditioning: the alkylating agents mafosfamide, treosulfan, and busulfan. Drug combinations were tested in vitro in different imatinib-sensitive and imatinib-resistant BCR-ABL-positive cell lines. A tetrazolium-based MTT assay was used for the assessment and quantification of growth inhibition after exposure to alkylating agents alone or to combinations with nilotinib. Drug interaction was analyzed using the median-effect method of Chou and Talalay, and combination index (CI) values were calculated according to the classic isobologram equation. Treatment of imatinib-sensitive, BCR-ABL-positive K562 and LAMA84 cells with nilotinib in combination with mafosfamide, treosulfan, or busulfan resulted in synergistic (CI 1) effects, respectively. In imatinib-resistant K562-R and LAMA84-R cells, all applied drug combinations were synergistic (CI conditioning regimens for allo-SCT in advanced-phase CML.

  9. The Culture Repopulation Ability (CRA) Assay and Incubation in Low Oxygen to Test Antileukemic Drugs on Imatinib-Resistant CML Stem-Like Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheloni, Giulia; Tanturli, Michele

    2016-01-01

    Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a stem cell-driven disorder caused by the BCR/Abl oncoprotein, a constitutively active tyrosine kinase (TK). Chronic-phase CML patients are treated with impressive efficacy with TK inhibitors (TKi) such as imatinib mesylate (IM). However, rather than definitively curing CML, TKi induces a state of minimal residual disease, due to the persistence of leukemia stem cells (LSC) which are insensitive to this class of drugs. LSC persistence may be due to different reasons, including the suppression of BCR/Abl oncoprotein. It has been shown that this suppression follows incubation in low oxygen under appropriate culture conditions and incubation times.Here we describe the culture repopulation ability (CRA) assay, a non-clonogenic assay capable - together with incubation in low oxygen - to reveal in vitro stem cells endowed with marrow repopulation ability (MRA) in vivo. The CRA assay can be used, before moving to animal tests, as a simple and reliable method for the prescreening of drugs potentially active on CML and other leukemias with respect to their activity on the more immature leukemia cell subsets.

  10. The SH2 domain of Abl kinases regulates kinase autophosphorylation by controlling activation loop accessibility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamontanara, Allan Joaquim; Georgeon, Sandrine; Tria, Giancarlo; Svergun, Dmitri I.; Hantschel, Oliver

    2014-11-01

    The activity of protein kinases is regulated by multiple molecular mechanisms, and their disruption is a common driver of oncogenesis. A central and almost universal control element of protein kinase activity is the activation loop that utilizes both conformation and phosphorylation status to determine substrate access. In this study, we use recombinant Abl tyrosine kinases and conformation-specific kinase inhibitors to quantitatively analyse structural changes that occur after Abl activation. Allosteric SH2-kinase domain interactions were previously shown to be essential for the leukemogenesis caused by the Bcr-Abl oncoprotein. We find that these allosteric interactions switch the Abl activation loop from a closed to a fully open conformation. This enables the trans-autophosphorylation of the activation loop and requires prior phosphorylation of the SH2-kinase linker. Disruption of the SH2-kinase interaction abolishes activation loop phosphorylation. Our analysis provides a molecular mechanism for the SH2 domain-dependent activation of Abl that may also regulate other tyrosine kinases.

  11. Clinical relevance of the breakpoint sites within the M-BCR in 50 patients from Argentina with chronic myeloid leukemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giere, I A; Larripa, I B

    1996-08-01

    Fifty patients from Argentina with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) were studied in order to characterize the breakpoint site within the major breakpoint cluster region (M-BCR) and its relationship with the duration of the chronic phase (CP). The DNA digestion with the restriction enzymes: Bgl II, BAM HI and Hind III and hybridization with the 1.2Kb Hind III-Bgl II bcr probe showed that 56% of cases had the breakpoint in 5'M-bcr region and the remaining 44% in 3'M-bcr region. The duration of chronic phase from diagnosis to the onset of the blast crisis (BC) was correlated with the location of the breakpoint within the M-bcr and no statistical differences were observed between the 5' and the 3' groups. These data indicate that the breakpoint site within the bcr gene is not a prognostic indicator of the duration of CP of the disease.

  12. Treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milone, Jorge H; Enrico, Alicia

    2009-12-01

    The presence of the Philadelphia chromosome is a poor prognosis factor in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), in both children and adults. Using molecular techniques of the gen bcr/abl, it is possible to detect the abnormality, in up to the 40% of adult patients. The unsatisfactory results with conventional chemotherapy schemes have determined the intensification of the treatments and the consideration of allogenic bone marrow transplants as the best therapeutic instance. The development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors have become a therapeutic improvement in the treatment of Philadelphia chromosome-positive ALL, being combined with chemotherapy schemes, only in a selected group of patients, even in therapeutic programs that include transplant.

  13. Recent advances in the bcr-abl negative chronic myeloproliferative diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stroncek David F

    2006-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The chronic myeloproliferative disorders are clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorders of unknown etiology. In one of these (chronic myeloid leukemia, there is an associated pathognomonic chromosomal abnormality known as the Philadelphia chromosome. This leads to constitutive tyrosine kinase activity which is responsible for the disease and is used as a target for effective therapy. This review concentrates on the search in the other conditions (polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia and idiopathic mylofibrosis for a similar biological marker with therapeutic potential. There is no obvious chromosomal marker in these conditions and yet evidence of clonality can be obtained in females by the use of X-inactivation patterns. PRV-1mRNA over expression, raised vitamin B12 levels and raised neutrophil alkaline phosphatase scores are evidence that cells in these conditions have received excessive signals for proliferation, maturation and reduced apoptosis. The ability of erythroid colonies to grow spontaneously without added external erythropoietin in some cases, provided a useful marker and a clue to this abnormal signaling. In the past year several important discoveries have been made which go a long way in elucidating the involved pathways. The recently discovered JAK2 V617F mutation which occurs in the majority of cases of polycythemia vera and in about half of the cases with the two other conditions, enables constitutive tyrosine kinase activity without the need for ligand binding to hematopoietic receptors. This mutation has become the biological marker for these conditions and has spurred the development of a specific therapy to neutralize its effects. The realization that inherited mutations in the thrombopoietin receptor (c-Mpl can cause a phenotype of thrombocytosis such as in Mpl Baltimore (K39N and in a Japanese family with S505A, has prompted the search for acquired mutations in this receptor in chronic myeloproliferative

  14. Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Cells Contribute to the Stromal Myofibroblasts in Leukemic NOD/SCID Mouse In Vivo

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ryosuke Shirasaki

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available We recently reported that chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML cells converted into myofibroblasts to create a microenvironment for proliferation of CML cells in vitro. To analyze a biological contribution of CML-derived myofibroblasts in vivo, we observed the characters of leukemic nonobese diabetes/severe combined immunodeficiency (NOD/SCID mouse. Bone marrow nonadherent mononuclear cells as well as human CD45-positive cells obtained from CML patients were injected to the irradiated NOD/SCID mice. When the chimeric BCR-ABL transcript was demonstrated in blood, human CML cells were detected in NOD/SCID murine bone marrow. And CML-derived myofibroblasts composed with the bone marrow-stroma, which produced significant amounts of human vascular endothelial growth factor A. When the parental CML cells were cultured with myofibroblasts separated from CML cell-engrafted NOD/SCID murine bone marrow, CML cells proliferated significantly. These observations indicate that CML cells make an adequate microenvironment for their own proliferation in vivo.

  15. BCR Signaling Inhibitors: an Overview of Toxicities Associated with Ibrutinib and Idelalisib in Patients with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Falchi, Lorenzo; Baron, Jessica M.; Orlikowski, Carrie Anne; Ferrajoli, Alessandra

    2016-01-01

    The B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling inhibitors ibrutinib and idelalisib are revolutionizing the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and other B-cell malignancies. These oral agents, both alone and in combination with other drugs, have shown remarkable clinical activity in relapsed or refractory CLL across all risk groups, and have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for this indication. Preliminary data suggest that an even greater benefit can be expected in treatment-naïve CLL patients. Both ibrutinib and idelalisib are well tolerated by most patients, including older, frailer individuals. Toxicities are usually mild and self-resolving. Clinicians must, however, be aware of a number of peculiar adverse events, the effects of which can be severe enough to limit the clinical use of these agents. In this review, we survey the salient aspects of the pharmacology and clinical experience with the use of BCR signaling inhibitors for the treatment of patients with CLL. We next focus on both the most common and the most clinically significant toxicities associated with these drugs. PMID:26977270

  16. The bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib (PCI-32765) blocks hairy cell leukaemia survival, proliferation and B cell receptor signalling: a new therapeutic approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sivina, Mariela; Kreitman, Robert J; Arons, Evgeny; Ravandi, Farhad; Burger, Jan A

    2014-07-01

    B cell receptor (BCR) signalling plays a critical role in the progression of several B-cell malignancies, but its role in hairy cell leukaemia (HCL) is ambiguous. Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK), a key player in BCR signalling, as well as B cell migration and adhesion, can be targeted with ibrutinib, a selective, irreversible BTK inhibitor. We analysed BTK expression and function in HCL and analysed the effects of ibrutinib on HCL cells. We demonstrated uniform BTK protein expression in HCL cells. Ibrutinib significantly inhibited HCL proliferation and cell cycle progression. Accordingly, ibrutinib also reduced HCL cell survival after BCR triggering with anti-immunoglobulins and abrogated the activation of kinases downstream of the BCR (PI3K and MAPK). Ibrutinib also inhibited BCR-dependent secretion of the chemokines CCL3 and CCL4 by HCL cells. Interestingly, ibrutinib inhibited also CXCL12-induced signalling, a key pathway for bone marrow homing. Collectively, our data support the clinical development of ibrutinib in patients with HCL. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  17. Isolation and killing of candidate chronic myeloid leukemia stem cells by antibody targeting of IL-1 receptor accessory protein

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Järås, Marcus; Johnels, Petra; Hansen, Nils Gunder

    2010-01-01

    stem cells could be prospectively separated. In addition, by generating an anti-IL1RAP antibody, we provide proof of concept that IL1RAP can be used as a target on CML CD34(+)CD38(-) cells to induce antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity. This study thus identifies IL1RAP as a unique cell...... will require full eradication of Ph chromosome-positive (Ph(+)) CML stem cells. Here we used gene-expression profiling to identify IL-1 receptor accessory protein (IL1RAP) as up-regulated in CML CD34(+) cells and also in cord blood CD34(+) cells as a consequence of retroviral BCR/ABL1 expression. To test...... whether IL1RAP expression distinguishes normal (Ph(-)) and leukemic (Ph(+)) cells within the CML CD34(+)CD38(-) cell compartment, we established a unique protocol for conducting FISH on small numbers of sorted cells. By using this method, we sorted cells directly into drops on slides to investigate...

  18. Nilotinib: optimal therapy for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia and resistance or intolerance to imatinib.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Swords, Ronan; Mahalingam, Devalingam; Padmanabhan, Swaminathan; Carew, Jennifer; Giles, Francis

    2009-09-21

    Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is the consequence of a single balanced translocation that produces the BCR-ABL fusion oncogene which is detectable in over 90% of patients at presentation. The BCR-ABL inhibitor imatinib mesylate (IM) has improved survival in all phases of CML and is the standard of care for newly diagnosed patients in chronic phase. Despite the very significant therapeutic benefits of IM, a small minority of patients with early stage disease do not benefit optimally while IM therapy in patients with advanced disease is of modest benefit in many. Diverse mechanisms may be responsible for IM failures, with point mutations within the Bcr-Abl kinase domain being amongst the most common resistance mechanisms described in patients with advanced CML. The development of novel agents designed to overcome IM resistance, while still primarily targeted on BCR-ABL, led to the creation of the high affinity aminopyrimidine inhibitor, nilotinib. Nilotinib is much more potent as a BCR-ABL inhibitor than IM and inhibits both wild type and IM-resistant BCR-ABL with significant clinical activity across the entire spectrum of BCR-ABL mutants with the exception of T315I. The selection of a second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor to rescue patients with imatinib failure will be based on several factors including age, co-morbid medical problems and ABL kinase mutational profile. It should be noted that while the use of targeted BCR-ABL kinase inhibitors in CML represents a paradigm shift in CML management these agents are not likely to have activity against the quiescent CML stem cell pool. The purpose of this review is to summarize the pre-clinical and clinical data on nilotinib in patients with CML who have failed prior therapy with IM or dasatinib.

  19. Calmodulin protects cells from death under normal growth conditions and mitogenic starvation but plays a mediating role in cell death upon B-cell receptor stimulation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schmalzigaug, R; Ye, Q; Berchtold, M W

    2001-01-01

    stimulation of the B-cell receptor (BCR), the resting Ca2+ levels remain elevated after the initial transient in CaMII-/- cells. Despite higher Ca2+ resting levels, the CaMII-/- cells are partially protected from BCR induced apoptosis indicating that CaM plays a dual role in apoptotic processes....

  20. BCR CDR3 length distributions differ between blood and spleen and between old and young patients, and TCR distributions can be used to detect myelodysplastic syndrome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pickman, Yishai; Mehr, Ramit; Dunn-Walters, Deborah

    2013-01-01

    Complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) is the most hyper-variable region in B cell receptor (BCR) and T cell receptor (TCR) genes, and the most critical structure in antigen recognition and thereby in determining the fates of developing and responding lymphocytes. There are millions of different TCR Vβ chain or BCR heavy chain CDR3 sequences in human blood. Even now, when high-throughput sequencing becomes widely used, CDR3 length distributions (also called spectratypes) are still a much quicker and cheaper method of assessing repertoire diversity. However, distribution complexity and the large amount of information per sample (e.g. 32 distributions of the TCRα chain, and 24 of TCRβ) calls for the use of machine learning tools for full exploration. We have examined the ability of supervised machine learning, which uses computational models to find hidden patterns in predefined biological groups, to analyze CDR3 length distributions from various sources, and distinguish between experimental groups. We found that (a) splenic BCR CDR3 length distributions are characterized by low standard deviations and few local maxima, compared to peripheral blood distributions; (b) healthy elderly people's BCR CDR3 length distributions can be distinguished from those of the young; and (c) a machine learning model based on TCR CDR3 distribution features can detect myelodysplastic syndrome with approximately 93% accuracy. Overall, we demonstrate that using supervised machine learning methods can contribute to our understanding of lymphocyte repertoire diversity. (paper)

  1. BCR CDR3 length distributions differ between blood and spleen and between old and young patients, and TCR distributions can be used to detect myelodysplastic syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pickman, Yishai; Dunn-Walters, Deborah; Mehr, Ramit

    2013-10-01

    Complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) is the most hyper-variable region in B cell receptor (BCR) and T cell receptor (TCR) genes, and the most critical structure in antigen recognition and thereby in determining the fates of developing and responding lymphocytes. There are millions of different TCR Vβ chain or BCR heavy chain CDR3 sequences in human blood. Even now, when high-throughput sequencing becomes widely used, CDR3 length distributions (also called spectratypes) are still a much quicker and cheaper method of assessing repertoire diversity. However, distribution complexity and the large amount of information per sample (e.g. 32 distributions of the TCRα chain, and 24 of TCRβ) calls for the use of machine learning tools for full exploration. We have examined the ability of supervised machine learning, which uses computational models to find hidden patterns in predefined biological groups, to analyze CDR3 length distributions from various sources, and distinguish between experimental groups. We found that (a) splenic BCR CDR3 length distributions are characterized by low standard deviations and few local maxima, compared to peripheral blood distributions; (b) healthy elderly people's BCR CDR3 length distributions can be distinguished from those of the young; and (c) a machine learning model based on TCR CDR3 distribution features can detect myelodysplastic syndrome with approximately 93% accuracy. Overall, we demonstrate that using supervised machine learning methods can contribute to our understanding of lymphocyte repertoire diversity.

  2. BCR-701: A review of 10-years of sequential extraction analyses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sutherland, Ross A.

    2010-01-01

    A detailed quantitative analysis was performed on data presented in the literature that focused on the sequential extraction of cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni), lead (Pb) and zinc (Zn) from the certified reference material BCR-701 (lake sediment) using the three-step harmonized BCR procedure. The accuracy of data reported in the literature, including precision and different measures of trueness, was assessed relative to the certified values for BCR-701. Forty data sets were accepted following extreme outlier removal, and statistically summarized with measures of central tendency, dispersion, and distribution form. In general, literature data were similar in their measurement precision to the expert laboratories used to certify the trace element contents in BCR-701. The overall median precision for literature reported data was 10% (range 6-19%), compared to certifying laboratories of 9% (range 4-33%). One measure of literature data trueness was assessed via a confirmatory approach using a robust bootstrap method. Only 22% of the comparisons indicated significantly different (all were lower) concentrations reported in the literature compared to certified values. The question of whether the differences are practically significant for environmental studies is raised. Bias was computed as a measure of trueness, and literature data were more frequently negatively biased, indicating lower concentrations reported in the literature for the six trace elements for the three-step sequential procedure compared to the certified values. However, 95% confidence intervals about the average bias for the 18 comparisons indicated only four instances when a mean bias of 0 (i.e., measured = certified) was not incorporated-suggesting statistical difference. Finally, Z-scores incorporating a Horwitz-type function were used to assess the general trueness of laboratory data. Of the 468 laboratory Z-score values computed, 92% were considered to be satisfactory, 5% were

  3. Mechanisms behind functional avidity maturation in T cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    von Essen, Marina Rode; Kongsbak, Martin; Geisler, Carsten

    2012-01-01

    During an immune response antigen-primed B-cells increase their antigen responsiveness by affinity maturation mediated by somatic hypermutation of the genes encoding the antigen-specific B-cell receptor (BCR) and by selection of higher-affinity B cell clones. Unlike the BCR, the T-cell receptor...

  4. TGFβ activated kinase 1 (TAK1 at the crossroad of B cell receptor and Toll-like receptor 9 signaling pathways in human B cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dániel Szili

    Full Text Available B cell development and activation are regulated by combined signals mediated by the B cell receptor (BCR, receptors for the B-cell activating factor of the tumor necrosis factor family (BAFF-R and the innate receptor, Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9. However, the underlying mechanisms by which these signals cooperate in human B cells remain unclear. Our aim was to elucidate the key signaling molecules at the crossroads of BCR, BAFF-R and TLR9 mediated pathways and to follow the functional consequences of costimulation.Therefore we stimulated purified human B cells by combinations of anti-Ig, B-cell activating factor of the tumor necrosis factor family (BAFF and the TLR9 agonist, CpG oligodeoxynucleotide. Phosphorylation status of various signaling molecules, B cell proliferation, cytokine secretion, plasma blast generation and the frequency of IgG producing cells were investigated. We have found that BCR induced signals cooperate with BAFF-R- and TLR9-mediated signals at different levels of cell activation. BCR and BAFF- as well as TLR9 and BAFF-mediated signals cooperate at NFκB activation, while BCR and TLR9 synergistically costimulate mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs, ERK, JNK and p38. We show here for the first time that the MAP3K7 (TGF beta activated kinase, TAK1 is responsible for the synergistic costimulation of B cells by BCR and TLR9, resulting in an enhanced cell proliferation, plasma blast generation, cytokine and antibody production. Specific inhibitor of TAK1 as well as knocking down TAK1 by siRNA abrogates the synergistic signals. We conclude that TAK1 is a key regulator of receptor crosstalk between BCR and TLR9, thus plays a critical role in B cell development and activation.

  5. The nanoscale spatial organization of B-cell receptors on immunoglobulin M- and G-expressing human B-cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jinmin; Sengupta, Prabuddha; Brzostowski, Joseph; Lippincott-Schwartz, Jennifer; Pierce, Susan K

    2017-02-15

    B-cell activation is initiated by the binding of antigen to the B-cell receptor (BCR). Here we used dSTORM superresolution imaging to characterize the nanoscale spatial organization of immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG BCRs on the surfaces of resting and antigen--activated human peripheral blood B-cells. We provide insights into both the fundamental process of antigen-driven BCR clustering and differences in the spatial organization of IgM and IgG BCRs that may contribute to the characteristic differences in the responses of naive and memory B-cells to antigen. We provide evidence that although both IgM and IgG BCRs reside in highly heterogeneous protein islands that vary in size and number of BCR single-molecule localizations, both resting and activated B-cells intrinsically maintain a high -frequency of single isolated BCR localizations, which likely represent BCR monomers. IgG BCRs are more clustered than IgM BCRs on resting cells and form larger protein islands after antigen activation. Small, dense BCR clusters likely formed via protein-protein interactions are present on the surface of resting cells, and antigen activation induces these to come together to form less dense, larger islands, a process likely governed, at least in part, by protein-lipid interactions. © 2017 Lee, Sengupta, et al. This article is distributed by The American Society for Cell Biology under license from the author(s). Two months after publication it is available to the public under an Attribution–Noncommercial–Share Alike 3.0 Unported Creative Commons License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0).

  6. B cell receptor inhibition as a target for CLL therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeyakumar, Deepa; O'Brien, Susan

    2016-03-01

    Inhibitors of the B cell receptor (BCR) represent an attractive therapeutic option for patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Recently approved inhibitors of Bruton's tyrosine kinase (ibrutinib) and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (idelalisib), are promising agents because they are generally well tolerated and highly effective. These agents may be particularly important in the treatment of older patients who are less able to tolerate the myelosuppression (and infections) associated with chemoimmunotherapy. As a class of medications, BCR inhibitors have some unique side effects including redistribution lymphocytosis. Ibrutinib has specific toxicities including increased risk for bleeding and atrial fibrillation. Idelalisib also has some unique toxicities consisting of transaminitis, diarrhea and pneumonitis. Ongoing clinical trials are evaluating these agents in combination with antibodies, chemotherapy and other small molecules. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. 1-o-acetylbritannilactone (ABL) inhibits angiogenesis and lung cancer cell growth through regulating VEGF-Src-FAK signaling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhengfu, He; Hu, Zhang; Huiwen, Miao; Zhijun, Li [Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou (China); Jiaojie, Zhou [Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou (China); Xiaoyi, Yan, E-mail: xiaoyiyan163@163.com [Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou (China); Xiujun, Cai, E-mail: xiujuncaomaj@163.com [Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou (China)

    2015-08-21

    The search for safe, effective and affordable therapeutics against non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and other lung cancers is important. Here we explored the potential effect of 1-o-acetylbritannilactone (ABL), a novel extract from Inula britannica-F, on angiogenesis and lung cancer cell growth. We demonstrated that ABL dose-dependently inhibited vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced proliferation, migration, and capillary structure formation of cultured human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs). In vivo, ABL administration suppressed VEGF-induced new vasculature formation in Matrigel plugs. For the mechanism investigations, we found that ABL largely inhibited VEGF-mediated activation of Src kinase and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) in HUVECs. Furthermore, treatment of A549 NSCLC cells with ABL resulted in cell growth inhibition and Src-FAK in-activation. Significantly, administration of a single dose of ABL (12 mg/kg/day) remarkably suppressed growth of A549 xenografts in nude mice. In vivo microvessels formation and Src activation were also significantly inhibited in ABL-treated xenograft tumors. Taken together, our findings suggest that ABL suppresses angiogenesis and lung cancer cell growth possibly via regulating the VEGFR-Src-FAK signaling. - Highlights: • 1-o-acetylbritannilactone (ABL) inhibits VEGF-induced angiogenesis in vivo. • ABL inhibits VEGF-induced HUVEC migration, proliferation, capillary tube formation. • ABL inhibits VEGF-mediated activation of Src and FAK in HUVECs. • ABL inhibits growth and Src-FAK activation in A549 cells. • ABL administration inhibits A549 tumor angiogenesis and growth in nude mice.

  8. SU-G-TeP3-07: On the Development of Mechano-Biological Assessment of Leukemia Cells Using Optical Tweezers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Brost, E; Brooks, J; Piepenburg, J; Watanabe, Y; Hui, S [Therapeutic Radiology and Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States); Chakraborty, S; Das, T [Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems Department of New Materials and Biosystems Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (India); Green, A [Department of Physics, University of Saint Thomas, Saint Paul, MN (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: Patients with BCR-ABL (Ph +ve) acute lymphoblastic leukemia are at very high risk of relapse and mortality. In line with the NIH mission to understand the physical and biological processes, we seek to report mechano-biological method to assessment and distinguish treated/untreated leukemia cells. Methods: BCR-ABL leukemia cell populations and silica microspheres were trapped in a 100x magnification optical trapping system (λ=660 nm, 70 mW). Light refracted through the trapped sample was collected in the back focal plane by a quadrant detector to measure the positions of individual cells. The sample was driven at a known frequency and amplitude with a flexure translation stage, and the target’s response was recorded. The measured response was calibrated using the known driving parameters, and information about cell movements due to mechano-biological effects was extracted. Two leukemia cell populations were tested: a control group and a group treated with 2 Gy. Results: The mechano-biological movements of 10 microspheres, control cells, and treated cells were tracked over a ∼30 minute window at 1 minute intervals. The microsphere population did not see significant change in mechano-biological movements over the testing interval and remained constant. The control cell population saw a two-fold rise in activity that peaked around 1200 seconds, then dropped off sharply. The treated cell population saw a two-fold rise in activity that peaked at 400 seconds, and dropped off slowly. Conclusion: The investigated technique allows for direct measurement the movements of a trapped object due to mechano-biological effects such as thermal and extracellular motion. When testing microspheres, the mechano-biological activity remained constant over time due to the lack of biological factors. In both the control and treated cell populations, the mechano-biological activity was increased, possibly due to mitochondrial activation. This extra activity decreased over time

  9. IgM and IgD B cell receptors differentially respond to endogenous antigens and control B cell fate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noviski, Mark; Mueller, James L; Satterthwaite, Anne; Garrett-Sinha, Lee Ann; Brombacher, Frank

    2018-01-01

    Naive B cells co-express two BCR isotypes, IgM and IgD, with identical antigen-binding domains but distinct constant regions. IgM but not IgD is downregulated on autoreactive B cells. Because these isotypes are presumed to be redundant, it is unknown how this could impose tolerance. We introduced the Nur77-eGFP reporter of BCR signaling into mice that express each BCR isotype alone. Despite signaling strongly in vitro, IgD is less sensitive than IgM to endogenous antigen in vivo and developmental fate decisions are skewed accordingly. IgD-only Lyn−/− B cells cannot generate autoantibodies and short-lived plasma cells (SLPCs) in vivo, a fate thought to be driven by intense BCR signaling induced by endogenous antigens. Similarly, IgD-only B cells generate normal germinal center, but impaired IgG1+ SLPC responses to T-dependent immunization. We propose a role for IgD in maintaining the quiescence of autoreactive B cells and restricting their differentiation into autoantibody secreting cells. PMID:29521626

  10. Crystal structure of an SH2-kinase construct of c-Abl and effect of the SH2 domain on kinase activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lorenz, Sonja; Deng, Patricia; Hantschel, Oliver; Superti-Furga, Giulio; Kuriyan, John

    2015-06-01

    Constitutive activation of the non-receptor tyrosine kinase c-Abl (cellular Abelson tyrosine protein kinase 1, Abl1) in the Bcr (breakpoint cluster region)-Abl1 fusion oncoprotein is the molecular cause of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML). Recent studies have indicated that an interaction between the SH2 (Src-homology 2) domain and the N-lobe (N-terminal lobe) of the c-Abl kinase domain (KD) has a critical role in leukaemogenesis [Grebien et al. (2011) Cell 147, 306-319; Sherbenou et al. (2010) Blood 116, 3278-3285]. To dissect the structural basis of this phenomenon, we studied c-Abl constructs comprising the SH2 and KDs in vitro. We present a crystal structure of an SH2-KD construct bound to dasatinib, which contains the relevant interface between the SH2 domain and the N-lobe of the KD. We show that the presence of the SH2 domain enhances kinase activity moderately and that this effect depends on contacts in the SH2/N-lobe interface and is abrogated by specific mutations. Consistently, formation of the interface decreases slightly the association rate of imatinib with the KD. That the effects are small compared with the dramatic in vivo consequences suggests an important function of the SH2-N-lobe interaction might be to help disassemble the auto-inhibited conformation of c-Abl and promote processive phosphorylation, rather than substantially stimulate kinase activity.

  11. Establishment of immortalized human erythroid progenitor cell lines able to produce enucleated red blood cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ryo Kurita

    Full Text Available Transfusion of red blood cells (RBCs is a standard and indispensable therapy in current clinical practice. In vitro production of RBCs offers a potential means to overcome a shortage of transfusable RBCs in some clinical situations and also to provide a source of cells free from possible infection or contamination by microorganisms. Thus, in vitro production of RBCs may become a standard procedure in the future. We previously reported the successful establishment of immortalized mouse erythroid progenitor cell lines that were able to produce mature RBCs very efficiently. Here, we have developed a reliable protocol for establishing immortalized human erythroid progenitor cell lines that are able to produce enucleated RBCs. These immortalized cell lines produce functional hemoglobin and express erythroid-specific markers, and these markers are upregulated following induction of differentiation in vitro. Most importantly, these immortalized cell lines all produce enucleated RBCs after induction of differentiation in vitro, although the efficiency of producing enucleated RBCs remains to be improved further. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of the feasibility of using immortalized human erythroid progenitor cell lines as an ex vivo source for production of enucleated RBCs.

  12. RCSD1-ABL1 Translocation Associated with IKZF1 Gene Deletion in B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shawana Kamran

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The RCSD1 gene has recently been identified as a novel gene fusion partner of the ABL1 gene in cases of B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL. The RCSD1 gene is located at 1q23 and ABL1 is located at 9q34, so that the RCSD1-ABL1 fusion typically arises through a rare reciprocal translocation t(1;9(q23;q34. Only a small number of RCSD1-ABL1 positive cases of B-ALL have been described in the literature, and the full spectrum of clinical, morphological, immunophenotypic, and molecular features associated with this genetic abnormality has not been defined. We describe extensive genetic characterization of a case of B-ALL with RCSD1-ABL1 fusion, by using conventional cytogenetic analysis, Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH studies, and Chromosomal Microarray Analysis (CMA. The use of CMA resulted in detection of an approximately 70 kb deletion at 7p12.2, which caused a disruption of the IKZF1 gene. Deletions and mutations of IKZF1 are recurring abnormalities in B-ALL and are associated with a poor prognosis. Our findings highlight the association of the deletion of IKZF1 gene with the t(1;9(q24;q34 and illustrate the importance of comprehensive cytogenetic and molecular evaluation for accurate prediction of prognosis in patients with B-cell ALL.

  13. Nilotinib versus imatinib for newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Saglio, Giuseppe; Kim, Dong-Wook; Issaragrisil, Surapol

    2010-01-01

    Nilotinib has been shown to be a more potent inhibitor of BCR-ABL than imatinib. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of nilotinib, as compared with imatinib, in patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the chronic phase.......Nilotinib has been shown to be a more potent inhibitor of BCR-ABL than imatinib. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of nilotinib, as compared with imatinib, in patients with newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in the chronic phase....

  14. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) LMP2A alters normal transcriptional regulation following B-cell receptor activation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Portis, Toni; Longnecker, Richard

    2004-01-01

    The latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A) of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is an important mediator of viral latency in infected B-lymphocytes. LMP2A inhibits B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling in vitro and allows for the survival of BCR-negative B cells in vivo. In this study, we compared gene transcription in BCR-activated B cells from non-transgenic and LMP2A Tg6 transgenic mice. We found that the transcriptional induction and down-regulation of many genes that normally occurs in B cells following BCR activation did not occur in B cells from LMP2A Tg6 transgenic mice. Furthermore, LMP2A induced the expression of various transcription factors and genes associated with DNA/RNA metabolism, which may allow for the altered transcriptional regulation observed in BCR-activated B cells from LMP2A Tg6 mice. These results suggest that LMP2A may inhibit the downstream effects of BCR signaling by directly or indirectly altering gene transcription to ensure EBV persistence in infected B cells

  15. Nilotinib: optimal therapy for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia and resistance or intolerance to imatinib

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ronan Swords

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available Ronan Swords, Devalingam Mahalingam, Swaminathan Padmanabhan, Jennifer Carew, Francis GilesInstitute for Drug Development, Cancer Therapy and Research Centre, University of Texas Health Science Centre at San Antonio, USAAbstract: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML is the consequence of a single balanced translocation that produces the BCR-ABL fusion oncogene which is detectable in over 90% of patients at presentation. The BCR-ABL inhibitor imatinib mesylate (IM has improved survival in all phases of CML and is the standard of care for newly diagnosed patients in chronic phase. Despite the very significant therapeutic benefits of IM, a small minority of patients with early stage disease do not benefit optimally while IM therapy in patients with advanced disease is of modest benefit in many. Diverse mechanisms may be responsible for IM failures, with point mutations within the Bcr-Abl kinase domain being amongst the most common resistance mechanisms described in patients with advanced CML. The development of novel agents designed to overcome IM resistance, while still primarily targeted on BCR-ABL, led to the creation of the high affinity aminopyrimidine inhibitor, nilotinib. Nilotinib is much more potent as a BCR-ABL inhibitor than IM and inhibits both wild type and IM-resistant BCR-ABL with significant clinical activity across the entire spectrum of BCR-ABL mutants with the exception of T315I. The selection of a second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor to rescue patients with imatinib failure will be based on several factors including age, co-morbid medical problems and ABL kinase mutational profile. It should be noted that while the use of targeted BCR-ABL kinase inhibitors in CML represents a paradigm shift in CML management these agents are not likely to have activity against the quiescent CML stem cell pool. The purpose of this review is to summarize the pre-clinical and clinical data on nilotinib in patients with CML who have failed prior

  16. Radical prostatectomy: positive surgical margins matter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meeks, Joshua J; Eastham, James A

    2013-10-01

    A positive surgical margin (PSM) in the radical prostatectomy (RP) specimen is associated with biochemical recurrence (BCR) and the need for adjuvant radiation therapy, and is a surrogate for surgical quality. We review the available data describing the identification, anatomy, and management of PSM after RP. A PubMed search (using English language as a filter) was performed to identify factors affecting PSMs and their management. PSMs are associated with an increased likelihood of BCR after RP. The most common location for a PSM is the apex, followed by the posterolateral edge of the prostate. The risk of recurrence in a patient with a PSM is associated with the location, length, and Gleason score of the PSM. The management of a patient with a PSM remains controversial, with some recommending adjuvant radiation therapy for all PSMs and others suggesting only salvage radiation therapy for men who experience BCR. PSMs are associated with an increased likelihood of BCR and often result in initiation of adjuvant treatment. Therefore, the goal of surgery should be to minimize the likelihood of a PSM. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. GABP transcription factor is required for development of chronic myelogenous leukemia via its control of PRKD2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Zhong-Fa; Zhang, Haojian; Ma, Leyuan; Peng, Cong; Chen, Yaoyu; Wang, Junling; Green, Michael R; Li, Shaoguang; Rosmarin, Alan G

    2013-02-05

    Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are the source of all blood lineages, and HSCs must balance quiescence, self-renewal, and differentiation to meet lifelong needs for blood cell development. Transformation of HSCs by the breakpoint cluster region-ABL tyrosine kinase (BCR-ABL) oncogene causes chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). The E-twenty six (ets) transcription factor GA binding protein (GABP) is a tetrameric transcription factor complex that contains GABPα and GABPβ proteins. Deletion in bone marrow of Gabpa, the gene that encodes the DNA-binding component, caused cell cycle arrest in HSCs and profound loss of hematopoietic progenitor cells. Loss of Gabpα prevented development of CML, although mice continued to generate BCR-ABL-expressing Gabpα-null cells for months that were serially transplantable and contributed to all lineages in secondary recipients. A bioinformatic screen identified the serine-threonine kinase protein kinase D2 (PRKD2) as a potential effector of GABP in HSCs. Prkd2 expression was markedly reduced in Gabpα-null HSCs and progenitor cells. Reduced expression of PRKD2 or pharmacologic inhibition decreased cell cycling, and PRKD2 rescued growth of Gabpα-null BCR-ABL-expressing cells. Thus, GABP is required for HSC cell cycle entry and CML development through its control of PRKD2. This offers a potential therapeutic target in leukemia.

  18. N-wasp is essential for the negative regulation of B cell receptor signaling.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chaohong Liu

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Negative regulation of receptor signaling is essential for controlling cell activation and differentiation. In B-lymphocytes, the down-regulation of B-cell antigen receptor (BCR signaling is critical for suppressing the activation of self-reactive B cells; however, the mechanism underlying the negative regulation of signaling remains elusive. Using genetically manipulated mouse models and total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, we demonstrate that neuronal Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (N-WASP, which is coexpressed with WASP in all immune cells, is a critical negative regulator of B-cell signaling. B-cell-specific N-WASP gene deletion causes enhanced and prolonged BCR signaling and elevated levels of autoantibodies in the mouse serum. The increased signaling in N-WASP knockout B cells is concurrent with increased accumulation of F-actin at the B-cell surface, enhanced B-cell spreading on the antigen-presenting membrane, delayed B-cell contraction, inhibition in the merger of signaling active BCR microclusters into signaling inactive central clusters, and a blockage of BCR internalization. Upon BCR activation, WASP is activated first, followed by N-WASP in mouse and human primary B cells. The activation of N-WASP is suppressed by Bruton's tyrosine kinase-induced WASP activation, and is restored by the activation of SH2 domain-containing inositol 5-phosphatase that inhibits WASP activation. Our results reveal a new mechanism for the negative regulation of BCR signaling and broadly suggest an actin-mediated mechanism for signaling down-regulation.

  19. A BCR-ABL Kinase Activity-Independent Signaling Pathway in Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-02-01

    Breitenstein W, Bruggen J, Cowan-Jacob SW, Ray A, Huntly B, Fabbro D, Fendrich G, Hall-Meyers E, et al. (2005) Cancer Cell 7:129–141. 10. Druker BJ...2532–9. 15. Weisberg E, Manley PW, Breitenstein W, Bruggen J, Cowan-Jacob SW, Ray A, Huntly B, Fabbro D, Fendrich G, Hall-Meyers E, Kung AL, Mestan J...HG, Mountford JC, Holyoake TL. Punish the parent not the progeny. Blood. 2005; 105: 1862–6. 63. Pfeifer H, Wassmann B, Pavlova A, Wunderle L, Oldenburg

  20. Diverse phosphorylation patterns of B cell receptor-associated signaling in naïve and memory human B cells revealed by phosphoflow, a powerful technique to study signaling at the single cell level

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Franklin R Toapanta

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Following interaction with cognate antigens, B cells undergo cell activation, proliferation and differentiation. Ligation of the B cell receptor (BCR leads to the phosphorylation of BCR-associated signaling proteins within minutes of antigen binding, a process with profound consequences for the fate of the cells and development of effector immunity. Phosphoflow allows a rapid evaluation of various signaling pathways in complex heterogenous cell subsets. This novel technique was used in combination with multi-chromatic flow cytometry and fluorescent-cell barcoding to study phosphorylation of BCR-associated signaling pathways in naïve and memory human B cell subsets. Proteins of the initiation (Syk, propagation (Btk, Akt and integration (p38MAPK and Erk1/2 signaling units were studied. Switched memory (Sm CD27+ and Sm CD27- phosphorylation patterns were similar when stimulated with anti-IgA or -IgG. In contrast, naïve and unswitched memory (Um cells showed significant differences following IgM stimulation. Enhanced phosphorylation of Syk was observed in Um cells, suggesting a lower activation threshold. This is likely the result of higher amounts of IgM on the cell surface, higher pan-Syk levels and enhanced susceptibility to phosphatase inhibition. All other signaling proteins evaluated also showed some degree of enhanced phosphorylation in Um cells. Furthermore, both the PLC-γ2 and PI3K pathways were activated in Um cells, while only the PI3K pathway was activated on naïve cells. Um cells were the only ones that activated signaling pathways when stimulated with fluorescently-labeled S. Typhi and S. pneumoniae. Finally, simultaneous evaluation of signaling proteins at the single cell level (multi-phosphorylated cells revealed that interaction with gram positive and negative bacteria resulted in complex and diverse signaling patterns. Phosphoflow holds great potential to accelerate vaccine development by identifying signaling profiles in good

  1. Pan-SRC kinase inhibition blocks B-cell receptor oncogenic signaling in non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Battistello, Elena; Katanayeva, Natalya; Dheilly, Elie; Tavernari, Daniele; Donaldson, Maria C; Bonsignore, Luca; Thome, Margot; Christie, Amanda L; Murakami, Mark A; Michielin, Olivier; Ciriello, Giovanni; Zoete, Vincent; Oricchio, Elisa

    2018-05-24

    In diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), activation of the B-cell receptor (BCR) promotes multiple oncogenic signals, which are essential for tumor proliferation. Inhibition of the Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK), a BCR downstream target, is therapeutically effective only in a subgroup of patients with DLBCL. Here, we used lymphoma cells isolated from patients with DLBCL to measure the effects of targeted therapies on BCR signaling and to anticipate response. In lymphomas resistant to BTK inhibition, we show that blocking BTK activity enhanced tumor dependencies from alternative oncogenic signals downstream of the BCR, converging on MYC upregulation. To completely ablate the activity of the BCR, we genetically and pharmacologically repressed the activity of the SRC kinases LYN, FYN, and BLK, which are responsible for the propagation of the BCR signal. Inhibition of these kinases strongly reduced tumor growth in xenografts and cell lines derived from patients with DLBCL independent of their molecular subtype, advancing the possibility to be relevant therapeutic targets in broad and diverse groups of DLBCL patients. © 2018 by The American Society of Hematology.

  2. Translocation of the B cell receptor to lipid rafts is inhibited in B cells from BLV-infected, persistent lymphocytosis cattle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hamilton, Valerie T.; Stone, Diana M.; Cantor, Glenn H.

    2003-01-01

    Bovine leukemia virus (BLV) infection causes a significant polyclonal expansion of CD5 + , IgM+ B lymphocytes known as persistent lymphocytosis (PL) in approximately 30% of infected cattle. There is evidence that this expanded B cell population has altered signaling, and resistance to apoptosis has been proposed as one mechanism of B cell expansion. In human and murine B cells, antigen binding initiates movement of the B cell receptor (BCR) into membrane microdomains enriched in sphingolipids and cholesterol, termed lipid rafts. Lipid rafts include members of the Src-family kinases and exclude certain phosphatases. Inclusion of the BCR into lipid rafts plays an important role in regulation of early signaling events and subsequent antigen internalization. Viral proteins may also influence signaling events in lipid rafts. Here we demonstrate that the largely CD5 + B cell population in PL cattle has different mobilization and internalization of the BCR when compared to the largely CD5-negative B cells in BLV-negative cattle. Unlike B cells from BLV-negative cattle, the BCR in B cells of BLV-infected, PL cattle resists movement into lipid rafts upon stimulation and is only weakly internalized. Expression of viral proteins as determined by detection of the BLV transmembrane (TM) envelope glycoprotein gp30 did not alter these events in cells from PL cattle. This exclusion of the BCR from lipid rafts may, in part, explain signaling differences seen between B cells of BLV-infected, PL, and BLV-negative cattle and the resistance to apoptosis speculated to contribute to persistent lymphocytosis

  3. Feedback regulation of mitochondria by caspase-9 in the B cell receptor-mediated apoptosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eeva, J; Nuutinen, U; Ropponen, A; Mättö, M; Eray, M; Pellinen, R; Wahlfors, J; Pelkonen, J

    2009-12-01

    During the germinal centre reaction (GC), B cells with non-functional or self-reactive antigen receptors are negatively selected by apoptosis to generate B cell repertoire with appropriate antigen specificities. We studied the molecular mechanism of Fas/CD95- and B cell receptor (BCR)-induced apoptosis to shed light on the signalling events involved in the negative selection of GC B cells. As an experimental model, we used human follicular lymphoma (FL) cell line HF1A3, which originates from a GC B cell, and transfected HF1A3 cell lines overexpressing Bcl-x(L), c-FLIP(long) or dominant negative (DN) caspase-9. Fas-induced apoptosis was dependent on the caspase-8 activation, since the overexpression of c-FLIP(long), a natural inhibitor of caspase-8 activation, blocked apoptosis induced by Fas. In contrast, caspase-9 activation was not involved in Fas-induced apoptosis. BCR-induced apoptosis showed the typical characteristics of mitochondria-dependent (intrinsic) apoptosis. Firstly, the activation of caspase-9 was involved in BCR-induced DNA fragmentation, while caspase-8 showed only marginal role. Secondly, overexpression of Bcl-x(L) could block all apoptotic changes induced by BCR. As a novel finding, we demonstrate that caspase-9 can enhance the cytochrome-c release and collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsi(m)) during BCR-induced apoptosis. The requirement of different signalling pathways in apoptosis induced by BCR and Fas may be relevant, since Fas- and BCR-induced apoptosis can thus be regulated independently, and targeted to different subsets of GC B cells.

  4. The Rac Activator DOCK2 Mediates Plasma Cell Differentiation and IgG Antibody Production.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ushijima, Miho; Uruno, Takehito; Nishikimi, Akihiko; Sanematsu, Fumiyuki; Kamikaseda, Yasuhisa; Kunimura, Kazufumi; Sakata, Daiji; Okada, Takaharu; Fukui, Yoshinori

    2018-01-01

    A hallmark of humoral immune responses is the production of antibodies. This process involves a complex cascade of molecular and cellular interactions, including recognition of specific antigen by the B cell receptor (BCR), which triggers activation of B cells and differentiation into plasma cells (PCs). Although activation of the small GTPase Rac has been implicated in BCR-mediated antigen recognition, its precise role in humoral immunity and the upstream regulator remain elusive. DOCK2 is a Rac-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor predominantly expressed in hematopoietic cells. We found that BCR-mediated Rac activation was almost completely lost in DOCK2-deficient B cells, resulting in defects in B cell spreading over the target cell-membrane and sustained growth of BCR microclusters at the interface. When wild-type B cells were stimulated in vitro with anti-IgM F(ab') 2 antibody in the presence of IL-4 and IL-5, they differentiated efficiently into PCs. However, BCR-mediated PC differentiation was severely impaired in the case of DOCK2-deficient B cells. Similar results were obtained in vivo when DOCK2-deficient B cells expressing a defined BCR specificity were adoptively transferred into mice and challenged with the cognate antigen. In addition, by generating the conditional knockout mice, we found that DOCK2 expression in B-cell lineage is required to mount antigen-specific IgG antibody. These results highlight important role of the DOCK2-Rac axis in PC differentiation and IgG antibody responses.

  5. Jak2 46/1 Haplotype Is Associated With Jak2 V617f--positive Myeloproliferative Neoplasms In Brazilian Patients.

    OpenAIRE

    Macedo, L C; Santos, B C; Pagliarini-e-Silva, S; Pagnano, K B B; Rodrigues, C; Quintero, F C; Ferreira, M E; Baraldi, E C; Ambrosio-Albuquerque, E P; Sell, A M; Visentainer, J E L

    2016-01-01

    This study aimed to verify the association between the JAK2 46/1 haplotype (V617F positive) and some hematological parameters in BCR-ABL-negative chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (cMPNs) in our population. The blood samples obtained from the patients with cMPN were genotyped for the JAK2 V617F mutation and JAK2 rs10974944 SNP screening using a PCR-RFLP assay. The JAK2 V617F mutation was detected in 80.15% of patients. The G variant of rs10974944 was more frequent in all MPNs, especially t...

  6. Profile of bosutinib and its clinical potential in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keller-von Amsberg G

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Gunhild Keller-von Amsberg,1 Steffen Koschmieder21Department of Hematology and Oncology, University Cancer Center Hamburg, University Hospital Hamburg Eppendorf, 2Department of Medicine (Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation, University Medical Center of Aachen and RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, GermanyAbstract: Bosutinib (SKI-606 is an orally available, once-daily, dual Src and Abl kinase inhibitor with promising clinical potential in first-, second-, and third-line treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML. Bosutinib effectively inhibits wild-type BCR-ABL and most imatinib-resistant BCR-ABL mutations except for V299L and T315I. Low hematologic toxicity is a remarkable characteristic of this novel second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and this has been ascribed to its minimal activity against the platelet-derived growth factor receptor and KIT. Low-grade, typically self-limiting diarrhea, which usually appears within the first few weeks after treatment initiation, represents the predominant toxicity of bosutinib. Other treatment-associated adverse events are mostly mild to moderate. Bosutinib has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of chronic, accelerated, or blast phase Philadelphia chromosome-positive CML in adult patients with resistance or intolerance to prior therapy. This review summarizes the main properties of bosutinib and the currently available data on its clinical potential in the treatment of CML.Keywords: bosutinib, chronic myeloid leukemia, BCR-ABL, Src/Abl kinase inhibitor, point mutation, imatinib resistance

  7. Identification of a new gene regulatory circuit involving B cell receptor activated signaling using a combined analysis of experimental, clinical and global gene expression data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schrader, Alexandra; Meyer, Katharina; Walther, Neele; Stolz, Ailine; Feist, Maren; Hand, Elisabeth; von Bonin, Frederike; Evers, Maurits; Kohler, Christian; Shirneshan, Katayoon; Vockerodt, Martina; Klapper, Wolfram; Szczepanowski, Monika; Murray, Paul G.; Bastians, Holger; Trümper, Lorenz; Spang, Rainer; Kube, Dieter

    2016-01-01

    To discover new regulatory pathways in B lymphoma cells, we performed a combined analysis of experimental, clinical and global gene expression data. We identified a specific cluster of genes that was coherently expressed in primary lymphoma samples and suppressed by activation of the B cell receptor (BCR) through αIgM treatment of lymphoma cells in vitro. This gene cluster, which we called BCR.1, includes numerous cell cycle regulators. A reduced expression of BCR.1 genes after BCR activation was observed in different cell lines and also in CD10+ germinal center B cells. We found that BCR activation led to a delayed entry to and progression of mitosis and defects in metaphase. Cytogenetic changes were detected upon long-term αIgM treatment. Furthermore, an inverse correlation of BCR.1 genes with c-Myc co-regulated genes in distinct groups of lymphoma patients was observed. Finally, we showed that the BCR.1 index discriminates activated B cell-like and germinal centre B cell-like diffuse large B cell lymphoma supporting the functional relevance of this new regulatory circuit and the power of guided clustering for biomarker discovery. PMID:27166259

  8. ABL tyrosine kinase inhibition variable effects on the invasive properties of different triple negative breast cancer cell lines.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Clément Chevalier

    Full Text Available The non-receptor tyrosine kinase ABL drives myeloid progenitor expansion in human chronic myeloid leukemia. ABL inhibition by the tyrosine kinase inhibitor nilotinib is a first-line treatment for this disease. Recently, ABL has also been implicated in the transforming properties of solid tumors, including triple negative (TN breast cancer. TN breast cancers are highly metastatic and several cell lines derived from these tumors display high invasive activity in vitro. This feature is associated with the activation of actin-rich membrane structures called invadopodia that promote extracellular matrix degradation. Here, we investigated nilotinib effect on the invasive and migratory properties of different TN breast cancer cell lines. Nilotinib decreased both matrix degradation and invasion in the TN breast cancer cell lines MDA-MB 231 and MDA-MB 468. However, and unexpectedly, nilotinib increased by two-fold the invasive properties of the TN breast cancer cell line BT-549 and of Src-transformed fibroblasts. Both display much higher levels of ABL kinase activity compared to MDA-MB 231. Similar effects were obtained by siRNA-mediated down-regulation of ABL expression, confirming ABL central role in this process. ABL anti-tumor effect in BT-549 cells and Src-transformed fibroblasts was not dependent on EGF secretion, as recently reported in neck and squamous carcinoma cells. Rather, we identified the TRIO-RAC1 axis as an important downstream element of ABL activity in these cancer cells. In conclusion, the observation that TN breast cancer cell lines respond differently to ABL inhibitors could have implications for future therapies.

  9. A Public Database of Memory and Naive B-Cell Receptor Sequences.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William S DeWitt

    Full Text Available The vast diversity of B-cell receptors (BCR and secreted antibodies enables the recognition of, and response to, a wide range of epitopes, but this diversity has also limited our understanding of humoral immunity. We present a public database of more than 37 million unique BCR sequences from three healthy adult donors that is many fold deeper than any existing resource, together with a set of online tools designed to facilitate the visualization and analysis of the annotated data. We estimate the clonal diversity of the naive and memory B-cell repertoires of healthy individuals, and provide a set of examples that illustrate the utility of the database, including several views of the basic properties of immunoglobulin heavy chain sequences, such as rearrangement length, subunit usage, and somatic hypermutation positions and dynamics.

  10. A Public Database of Memory and Naive B-Cell Receptor Sequences.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeWitt, William S; Lindau, Paul; Snyder, Thomas M; Sherwood, Anna M; Vignali, Marissa; Carlson, Christopher S; Greenberg, Philip D; Duerkopp, Natalie; Emerson, Ryan O; Robins, Harlan S

    2016-01-01

    The vast diversity of B-cell receptors (BCR) and secreted antibodies enables the recognition of, and response to, a wide range of epitopes, but this diversity has also limited our understanding of humoral immunity. We present a public database of more than 37 million unique BCR sequences from three healthy adult donors that is many fold deeper than any existing resource, together with a set of online tools designed to facilitate the visualization and analysis of the annotated data. We estimate the clonal diversity of the naive and memory B-cell repertoires of healthy individuals, and provide a set of examples that illustrate the utility of the database, including several views of the basic properties of immunoglobulin heavy chain sequences, such as rearrangement length, subunit usage, and somatic hypermutation positions and dynamics.

  11. Molecular Signature in HCV-Positive Lymphomas

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valli De Re

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Hepatitis C virus (HCV is a positive, single-stranded RNA virus, which has been associated to different subtypes of B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL. Cumulative evidence suggests an HCV-related antigen driven process in the B-NHL development. The underlying molecular signature associated to HCV-related B-NHL has to date remained obscure. In this review, we discuss the recent developments in this field with a special mention to different sets of genes whose expression is associated with BCR coupled to Blys signaling which in turn was found to be linked to B-cell maturation stages and NF-κb transcription factor. Even if recent progress on HCV-B-NHL signature has been made, the precise relationship between HCV and lymphoma development and phenotype signature remain to be clarified.

  12. The Rac Activator DOCK2 Mediates Plasma Cell Differentiation and IgG Antibody Production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miho Ushijima

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available A hallmark of humoral immune responses is the production of antibodies. This process involves a complex cascade of molecular and cellular interactions, including recognition of specific antigen by the B cell receptor (BCR, which triggers activation of B cells and differentiation into plasma cells (PCs. Although activation of the small GTPase Rac has been implicated in BCR-mediated antigen recognition, its precise role in humoral immunity and the upstream regulator remain elusive. DOCK2 is a Rac-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factor predominantly expressed in hematopoietic cells. We found that BCR-mediated Rac activation was almost completely lost in DOCK2-deficient B cells, resulting in defects in B cell spreading over the target cell-membrane and sustained growth of BCR microclusters at the interface. When wild-type B cells were stimulated in vitro with anti-IgM F(ab′2 antibody in the presence of IL-4 and IL-5, they differentiated efficiently into PCs. However, BCR-mediated PC differentiation was severely impaired in the case of DOCK2-deficient B cells. Similar results were obtained in vivo when DOCK2-deficient B cells expressing a defined BCR specificity were adoptively transferred into mice and challenged with the cognate antigen. In addition, by generating the conditional knockout mice, we found that DOCK2 expression in B-cell lineage is required to mount antigen-specific IgG antibody. These results highlight important role of the DOCK2–Rac axis in PC differentiation and IgG antibody responses.

  13. Lck is a relevant target in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia cells whose expression variance is unrelated to disease outcome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Till, Kathleen J; Allen, John C; Talab, Fatima; Lin, Ke; Allsup, David; Cawkwell, Lynn; Bentley, Alison; Ringshausen, Ingo; Duckworth, Andrew D; Pettitt, Andrew R; Kalakonda, Nagesh; Slupsky, Joseph R

    2017-12-01

    Pathogenesis of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is contingent upon antigen receptor (BCR) expressed by malignant cells of this disease. Studies on somatic hypermutation of the antigen binding region, receptor expression levels and signal capacity have all linked BCR on CLL cells to disease prognosis. Our previous work showed that the src-family kinase Lck is a targetable mediator of BCR signalling in CLL cells, and that variance in Lck expression associated with ability of BCR to induce signal upon engagement. This latter finding makes Lck similar to ZAP70, another T-cell kinase whose aberrant expression in CLL cells also associates with BCR signalling capacity, but also different because ZAP70 is not easily pharmacologically targetable. Here we describe a robust method of measuring Lck expression in CLL cells using flow cytometry. However, unlike ZAP70 whose expression in CLL cells predicts prognosis, we find Lck expression and disease outcome in CLL are unrelated despite observations that its inhibition produces effects that biologically resemble the egress phenotype taken on by CLL cells treated with idelalisib. Taken together, our findings provide insight into the pathobiology of CLL to suggest a more complex relationship between expression of molecules within the BCR signalling pathway and disease outcome.

  14. Bacillus subtilis as a platform for molecular characterisation of regulatory mechanisms of Enterococcus faecalis resistance against cell wall antibiotics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, Chong; Stiegeler, Emanuel; Cook, Gregory M; Mascher, Thorsten; Gebhard, Susanne

    2014-01-01

    To combat antibiotic resistance of Enterococcus faecalis, a better understanding of the molecular mechanisms, particularly of antibiotic detection, signal transduction and gene regulation is needed. Because molecular studies in this bacterium can be challenging, we aimed at exploiting the genetically highly tractable Gram-positive model organism Bacillus subtilis as a heterologous host. Two fundamentally different regulators of E. faecalis resistance against cell wall antibiotics, the bacitracin sensor BcrR and the vancomycin-sensing two-component system VanSB-VanRB, were produced in B. subtilis and their functions were monitored using target promoters fused to reporter genes (lacZ and luxABCDE). The bacitracin resistance system BcrR-BcrAB of E. faecalis was fully functional in B. subtilis, both regarding regulation of bcrAB expression and resistance mediated by the transporter BcrAB. Removal of intrinsic bacitracin resistance of B. subtilis increased the sensitivity of the system. The lacZ and luxABCDE reporters were found to both offer sensitive detection of promoter induction on solid media, which is useful for screening of large mutant libraries. The VanSB-VanRB system displayed a gradual dose-response behaviour to vancomycin, but only when produced at low levels in the cell. Taken together, our data show that B. subtilis is a well-suited host for the molecular characterization of regulatory systems controlling resistance against cell wall active compounds in E. faecalis. Importantly, B. subtilis facilitates the careful adjustment of expression levels and genetic background required for full functionality of the introduced regulators.

  15. “Preleukemic or smoldering” chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML:BCR-ABL1 positive: A brief case report

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    John M. Bennett

    2015-01-01

    The most common feature of CML is an elevated WBC count, usually above 25×103/µL, and frequently above 100×103/µL. We report a case of confirmed Ph+CML with a normal CBC detected because of the presence of rare myelocytes and 2% basophils [Fig. 1]. Previous leukocyte counts for the preceding eight years were normal with the exception of one done four months prior to his presentation that showed an abnormal differential with 1% basophils, 2% metamyelocytes and 2% myelocytes.

  16. Variants forms of Philadelphia translocation in two patients with chronic myeloid leukemia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valent, A.; Zamecnikova, A.; Krizan, P.; Karlic, H.; Nowotny, H.

    1996-01-01

    During a 4-year period (December 1990-December 1994), among other diagnoses hundred cases of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) were analyzed in our departments. We focused our attention on two cases with a variant form of Philadelphia translocation. Cytogenetic and molecular genetic studies were performed to resolve the status of BCR and ABL in the bone marrow or peripheral blood cells of the two CML patients with complex translocations involving chromosomes, 3, 9, 22 and 9, 12, 22 respectively. In the first case the presence of Ph chromosome was detected cytogenetically, BCR-ABL translocation was detected by Southern hybridization. In the second phase, only the PCR method showed BCR-ABL rearrangement. The second case, with a random variant form of Ph translocation, could be detected using different methods of clinical molecular genetics. (author)

  17. T-lineage blast crisis of chronic myelogenous leukemia: simple record of 4 cases

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    Kartika W. Taroeno-Hariadi

    2005-09-01

    Full Text Available Blast crisis (BC transformation in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML can involve each differentiation lineage of the hematopoietic system, i.e. granulocyte, monocyte, erythrocyte, megakaryocyte, and lymphocyte lineage. The lymphoid blast crisis (BC leukemia cells usually belong to B-lineage, commonly having the phenotype of Pre-B stage of the B-lineage, in which cell-surface immunoglobulin (sIg is not yet expressed. In contrast, T-lineage BC of CML is extremely rare. The objective of this study is to describe the fenotype, fusion transcript of bcr-abl, TdT, and cytoplasmic CD3 in T-lineage BC CML cases. Case report study. This report shows a simple summary of 4 cases of T-lineage BC of CML which have been collected in the phenotypic and genotypic analysis study for 17 years (1987-2004. In all cases, the chromosomal analysis revealed the presence of t(9;22(q34;q11 at presentation. Cell surface analysis were done at diagnosis. Cases’ mononuclear cells stored as 10% DMSO were retrieved to be performed reverse transcription (RT PCR BCR-ABL multiplex to demonstrate the presence of the fusion transcript of bcr-abl. RT-PCR was also performed for detecting the expression of cytoplasmic CD3ε and terminal deoxynucleotydil transferase (TdT. The results of cell surface antigen (CSA at presentation showed that 1 case was CD7+, CD5-, and CD2-; 1 case CD7+, CD5+, and CD2-; and 2 cases CD7+, CD5+ and CD2+ indicating that all these T-lineage BC of CML cells show the phenotype of pre-(pro- thymic stage phenotype. In the present study, two cases showed b2a2, one e1a2, and one negative bcr-abl transcript. The RT-PCR revealed the presence of CD3ε mRNA in all cases, and TdT mRNA in only one case. These results can constitute a basis for the future analysis of T-lineage BC of CML from now on. (Med J Indones 2005; 14: 184-9Keywords: chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML, blastic crisis (BC, T-lineage, bcr-abl fusion gene, CDε, TdT

  18. Rainbow trout CK9, a CCL25-like ancient chemokine that attracts and regulates B cells and macrophages, the main antigen presenting cells in fish.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aquilino, Carolina; Granja, Aitor G; Castro, Rosario; Wang, Tiehui; Abos, Beatriz; Parra, David; Secombes, Christopher J; Tafalla, Carolina

    2016-04-05

    CK9 is a rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) CC chemokine phylogenetically related to mammalian CCL25. Although CK9 is known to be transcriptionally regulated in response to inflammation particularly in mucosal tissues, its functionality has never been revealed. In the current work, we have demonstrated that CK9 is chemoattractant for antigen presenting cells (APCs) expressing major histocompatibility complex class II (MHC II) on the cell surface. Among these APCs, CK9 has a strong chemotactic capacity for both B cells (IgM+ and IgT+) and macrophages. Along with its chemotactic capacities, CK9 modulated the MHC II turnover of B lymphocytes and up-regulated the phagocytic capacity of both IgM+ cells and macrophages. Although CK9 had no lymphoproliferative effects, it increased the survival of IgT+ lymphocytes. Furthermore, we have established that the chemoattractant capacity of CK9 is strongly increased after pre-incubation of leukocytes with a T-independent antigen, whereas B cell receptor (BCR) cross-linking strongly abrogated their capacity to migrate to CK9, indicating that CK9 preferentially attracts B cells at the steady state or under BCR-independent stimulation. These results point to CK9 being a key regulator of B lymphocyte trafficking in rainbow trout, able to modulate innate functions of teleost B lymphocytes and macrophages.

  19. Increased expression of fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 in CD34+ BCR-ABL+ cells from patients with chronic myeloid leukemia

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Dvořák, Petr; Dvořáková, D.; Doubek, M.; Faitová, Jitka; Pacholíková, J.; Hampl, Aleš; Mayer, J.

    2003-01-01

    Roč. 17, - (2003), s. 1-8 ISSN 0887-6924 R&D Projects: GA ČR GA301/03/1122; GA MŠk LN00A065 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z5039906; CEZ:MSM 00065269705; CEZ:VZ432100001 Keywords : CD34+cells, imatinib Subject RIV: EB - Genetics ; Molecular Biology Impact factor: 5.116, year: 2003

  20. Relationship of JAK2V617F gene mutation with cell proliferation and coagulation function in myeloproliferative neoplasms

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xiao-Nan Zhang

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To study the relationship of JAK2V617F gene mutation with cell proliferation and coagulation function in myeloproliferative neoplasms. Methods: Patients who were diagnosed with BCR-ABL-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms in Anyang District Hospital between June 2014 and August 2016 were selected, JAK2V617F gene mutation was detected, and according to the test results, the patients were divided into mutation-positive group and mutation-negative group. The expression of JAK2/STATs signaling pathway molecules and cell proliferation genes in bone marrow fluid as well as the coagulation function indexes in peripheral blood were detected. Results: p-JAK2, p-STAT3, p-STAT5, Survivin, C-myc, CyclinD1 and ASXL1 protein expression in myeloproliferative neoplasms of mutation-positive group were significantly higher than those of mutation-negative group, and peripheral blood PT and APTT levels were significantly lower than those of mutation-negative group while TT and FIB levels were not significantly different from those of mutation-negative group. Conclusion: JAK2V617F gene mutation in myeloproliferative neoplasms can promote the cell proliferation and cause the hypercoagulable state.

  1. Radical prostatectomy and positive surgical margins: relationship with prostate cancer outcome

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    Ricardo L. R. Felts de La Roca

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Introduction Positive surgical margins (PSMs are an adverse factor that may predict a worse outcome in patients submitted to radical prostatectomy (RP. However, not all of these cases will evolve to biochemical (BCR or clinical (CR recurrence, therefore relationship between PSMs and these recurrent events has to be correlated with other clinical and pathologic findings to indicate complementary treatment for selected patients. Materials and Methods Of 1250 patients submitted to open retropubic radical prostatectomy (RRP, between March 1991 and June 2008, the outcome of 161 patients with PSMs and of 67 without PSMs as a control group, comprising a total of 228 cases were retrospectively reviewed. A minimum follow-up time of 2 years after surgery was considered. BCR was determined when PSA ≥ 0.2ng/mL. CR was determined whenever there was clinical evidence of tumor. Chi-square test was used to correlate clinical and pathologic variables with PSMs. Time interval to biochemical recurrence was analyzed by the Kaplan-Meier product limit analysis using the log-rank test for comparison between groups. Univariate and multivariate Cox stepwise logistic regression models were used to identify significant predictors of risk of shorter intervals to BCR. Results Prostate circumference margin was the most common site with 78 cases (48.44%. Regarding the outcome of 228 cases from both groups, BCR occurred in 68 patients (29.82%, and CR in 10 (4.38%. Univariate analysis showed statistically significant associations (p < 0.001 between presence of PSMs with BCR, but not with CR (p = 0.05. At follow-up of the 161 patients with PSMs, only 61(37.8% presented BCR, while 100 (62.8% did not. BCR correlated with pathologic stage; Gleason score; preoperative PSA; tumor volume in the specimen; capsular and perineural invasion; presence and number of PSMs. CR correlated only with angiolymphatic invasion and Gleason score. Considering univariate analysis of clinical and

  2. Rac-mediated Stimulation of Phospholipase Cγ2 Amplifies B Cell Receptor-induced Calcium Signaling*♦

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walliser, Claudia; Tron, Kyrylo; Clauss, Karen; Gutman, Orit; Kobitski, Andrei Yu.; Retlich, Michael; Schade, Anja; Röcker, Carlheinz; Henis, Yoav I.; Nienhaus, G. Ulrich; Gierschik, Peter

    2015-01-01

    The Rho GTPase Rac is crucially involved in controlling multiple B cell functions, including those regulated by the B cell receptor (BCR) through increased cytosolic Ca2+. The underlying molecular mechanisms and their relevance to the functions of intact B cells have thus far remained unknown. We have previously shown that the activity of phospholipase Cγ2 (PLCγ2), a key constituent of the BCR signalosome, is stimulated by activated Rac through direct protein-protein interaction. Here, we use a Rac-resistant mutant of PLCγ2 to functionally reconstitute cultured PLCγ2-deficient DT40 B cells and to examine the effects of the Rac-PLCγ2 interaction on BCR-mediated changes of intracellular Ca2+ and regulation of Ca2+-regulated and nuclear-factor-of-activated-T-cell-regulated gene transcription at the level of single, intact B cells. The results show that the functional Rac-PLCγ2 interaction causes marked increases in the following: (i) sensitivity of B cells to BCR ligation; (ii) BCR-mediated Ca2+ release from intracellular stores; (iii) Ca2+ entry from the extracellular compartment; and (iv) nuclear translocation of the Ca2+-regulated nuclear factor of activated T cells. Hence, Rac-mediated stimulation of PLCγ2 activity serves to amplify B cell receptor-induced Ca2+ signaling. PMID:25903139

  3. Phospho-specific flow cytometry identifies aberrant signaling in indolent B-cell lymphoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Blix Egil S

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Knowledge about signaling pathways in malignant cells may provide prognostic and diagnostic information in addition to identify potential molecular targets for therapy. B-cell receptor (BCR and co-receptor CD40 signaling is essential for normal B cells, and there is increasing evidence that signaling via BCR and CD40 plays an important role in the pathogenesis of B-cell lymphoma. The aim of this study was to investigate basal and induced signaling in lymphoma B cells and infiltrating T cells in single-cell suspensions of biopsies from small cell lymphocytic lymphoma/chronic lymphocytic leukemia (SLL/CLL and marginal zone lymphoma (MZL patients. Methods Samples from untreated SLL/CLL and MZL patients were examined for basal and activation induced signaling by phospho-specific flow cytometry. A panel of 9 stimulation conditions targeting B and T cells, including crosslinking of the B cell receptor (BCR, CD40 ligand and interleukins in combination with 12 matching phospho-protein readouts was used to study signaling. Results Malignant B cells from SLL/CLL patients had higher basal levels of phosphorylated (p-SFKs, p-PLCγ, p-ERK, p-p38, p-p65 (NF-κB, p-STAT5 and p-STAT6, compared to healthy donor B cells. In contrast, anti-BCR induced signaling was highly impaired in SLL/CLL and MZL B cells as determined by low p-SFK, p-SYK and p-PLCγ levels. Impaired anti-BCR-induced p-PLCγ was associated with reduced surface expression of IgM and CD79b. Similarly, CD40L-induced p-ERK and p-p38 were also significantly reduced in lymphoma B cells, whereas p-p65 (NF-κB was equal to that of normal B cells. In contrast, IL-2, IL-7 and IL-15 induced p-STAT5 in tumor-infiltrating T cells were not different from normal T cells. Conclusions BCR signaling and CD40L-induced p-p38 was suppressed in malignant B cells from SLL/CLL and MZL patients. Single-cell phospho-specific flow cytometry for detection of basal as well as activation

  4. Nestin-positive mesenchymal stem cells favour the astroglial lineage in neural progenitors and stem cells by releasing active BMP4

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    Leprince Pierre

    2004-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Spontaneous repair is limited after CNS injury or degeneration because neurogenesis and axonal regrowth rarely occur in the adult brain. As a result, cell transplantation has raised much interest as potential treatment for patients with CNS lesions. Several types of cells have been considered as candidates for such cell transplantation and replacement therapies. Foetal brain tissue has already been shown to have significant effects in patients with Parkinson's disease. Clinical use of the foetal brain tissue is, however, limited by ethical and technical problems as it requires high numbers of grafted foetal cells and immunosuppression. Alternatively, several reports suggested that mesenchymal stem cells, isolated from adult bone marrow, are multipotent cells and could be used in autograft approach for replacement therapies. Results In this study, we addressed the question of the possible influence of mesenchymal stem cells on neural stem cell fate. We have previously reported that adult rat mesenchymal stem cells are able to express nestin in defined culture conditions (in the absence of serum and after 25 cell population doublings and we report here that nestin-positive (but not nestin-negative mesenchymal stem cells are able to favour the astroglial lineage in neural progenitors and stem cells cultivated from embryonic striatum. The increase of the number of GFAP-positive cells is associated with a significant decrease of the number of Tuj1- and O4-positive cells. Using quantitative RT-PCR, we demonstrate that mesenchymal stem cells express LIF, CNTF, BMP2 and BMP4 mRNAs, four cytokines known to play a role in astroglial fate decision. In this model, BMP4 is responsible for the astroglial stimulation and oligodendroglial inhibition, as 1 this cytokine is present in a biologically-active form only in nestin-positive mesenchymal stem cells conditioned medium and 2 anti-BMP4 antibodies inhibit the nestin-positive mesenchymal

  5. Trisomy 19 and T(9;22 In a Patient with Acute Basophilic Leukemia

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    Alicia Rojas-Atencio

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available We report a case of acute basophilic leukemia with two coexisting clonal abnormalities, t(9;22 and trisomy 19. The blast showed positive reaction with myeloperoxidase but negative reaction with chloroacetate esterase and acid phosphatase. Metachromatic features of the blast were observed with toluidine blue stain. Ultrastructure study showed the presence of azurophilic granules in basophils and blast mast cells. Conventional and molecular cytogenetic studies revealed, t(9;22 with BCR/ABL positive and trisomy 19 in all metaphase cells. To our knowledge, this paper here is the first to present acute basophilic leukemia with trisomy 19 and t(9;22.

  6. Towards the generation of B-cell receptor retrogenic mice.

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    Jenny Freitag

    Full Text Available Transgenic expression of B- and T-cell receptors (BCRs and TCRs, respectively has been a standard tool to study lymphocyte development and function in vivo. The generation of transgenic mice is time-consuming and, therefore, a faster method to study the biology of defined lymphocyte receptors in vivo would be highly welcome. Using 2A peptide-linked multicistronic retroviral vectors to transduce stem cells, TCRs can be expressed rapidly in mice of any background. We aimed at adopting this retrogenic technology to the in vivo expression of BCRs. Using a well characterised BCR specific for hen egg lysozyme (HEL, we achieved surface expression of the retrogenically encoded BCR in a Rag-deficient pro B-cell line in vitro. In vivo, retrogenic BCRs were detectable only intracellularly but not on the surface of B cells from wild type or Rag2-deficient mice. This data, together with the fact that no BCR retrogenic mouse model has been published in the 7 years since the method was originally published for TCRs, strongly suggests that achieving BCR-expression in vivo with retrogenic technology is highly challenging if not impossible.

  7. CM363, a novel naphthoquinone derivative which acts as multikinase modulator and overcomes imatinib resistance in chronic myelogenous leukemia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Díaz-Chico, Juan Carlos; McNaughton-Smith, Grant; Jiménez-Alonso, Sandra; Hueso-Falcón, Idaira; Montero, Juan Carlos; Blanco, Raquel; León, Javier; Rodríguez-González, Germán; Estévez-Braun, Ana; Pandiella, Atanasio; Díaz-Chico, Bonifacio Nicolás; Fernández-Pérez, Leandro

    2017-01-01

    Human Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML) is a hematological stem cell disorder which is associated with activation of Bcr-Abl-Stat5 oncogenic pathway. Direct Bcr-Abl inhibitors are initially successful for the treatment of CML but over time many patients develop drug resistance. In the present study, the effects of CM363, a novel naphthoquinone (NPQ) derivative, were evaluated on human CML-derived K562 cells. CM363 revealed an effective cell growth inhibition (IC50 = 0.7 ± 0.5 μM) by inducing cancer cells to undergo cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. CM363 caused a dose- and time-dependent reduction of cells in G0/G1 and G2/M phases. This cell cycle arrest was associated with increased levels of cyclin E, pChk1 and pChk2 whereas CM363 downregulated cyclin B, cyclin D3, p27, pRB, Wee1, and BUBR1. CM363 increased the double-strand DNA break marker γH2AX. CM363 caused a time-dependent increase of annexin V-positive cells, DNA fragmentation and increased number of apoptotic nuclei. CM363 triggered the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway as reflected by a release of cytochrome C from mitochondria and induction of the cleavage of caspase-3 and -9, and PARP. CM363 showed multikinase modulatory effects through an early increased JNK phosphorylation followed by inhibition of pY-Bcrl-Abl and pY-Stat5. CM363 worked synergistically with imatinib to inhibit cell viability and maintained its activity in imatinib-resistant cells. Finally, CM363 (10 mg/Kg) suppressed the growth of K562 xenograft tumors in athymic mice. In summary, CM363 is a novel multikinase modulator that offers advantages to circumvent imanitib resistance and might be therapeutically effective in Bcrl-Abl-Stat5 related malignancies. PMID:27557509

  8. Continuous signaling of CD79b and CD19 is required for the fitness of Burkitt lymphoma B cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Xiaocui; Kläsener, Kathrin; Iype, Joseena M; Becker, Martin; Maity, Palash C; Cavallari, Marco; Nielsen, Peter J; Yang, Jianying; Reth, Michael

    2018-04-18

    Expression of the B-cell antigen receptor (BCR) is essential not only for the development but also for the maintenance of mature B cells. Similarly, many B-cell lymphomas, including Burkitt lymphoma (BL), require continuous BCR signaling for their tumor growth. This growth is driven by immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (ITAM) and PI3 kinase (PI3K) signaling. Here, we employ CRISPR/Cas9 to delete BCR and B-cell co-receptor genes in the human BL cell line Ramos. We find that Ramos B cells require the expression of the BCR signaling component Igβ (CD79b), and the co-receptor CD19, for their fitness and competitive growth in culture. Furthermore, we show that in the absence of any other BCR component, Igβ can be expressed on the B-cell surface, where it is found in close proximity to CD19 and signals in an ITAM-dependent manner. These data suggest that Igβ and CD19 are part of an alternative B-cell signaling module that use continuous ITAM/PI3K signaling to promote the survival of B lymphoma and normal B cells. © 2018 The Authors. Published under the terms of the CC BY 4.0 license.

  9. Optimisation of beryllium-7 gamma analysis following BCR sequential extraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Taylor, A.; Blake, W.H.; Keith-Roach, M.J.

    2012-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Showing decrease in analytical uncertainty using the optimal (combined preconcentrated sample extract) method. nv (no value) where extract activities were 7 Be geochemical behaviour is required to support tracer studies. ► Sequential extraction with natural 7 Be returns high analytical uncertainties. ► Preconcentrating extracts from a large sample mass improved analytical uncertainty. ► This optimised method can be readily employed in studies using low activity samples. - Abstract: The application of cosmogenic 7 Be as a sediment tracer at the catchment-scale requires an understanding of its geochemical associations in soil to underpin the assumption of irreversible adsorption. Sequential extractions offer a readily accessible means of determining the associations of 7 Be with operationally defined soil phases. However, the subdivision of the low activity concentrations of fallout 7 Be in soils into geochemical fractions can introduce high gamma counting uncertainties. Extending analysis time significantly is not always an option for batches of samples, owing to the on-going decay of 7 Be (t 1/2 = 53.3 days). Here, three different methods of preparing and quantifying 7 Be extracted using the optimised BCR three-step scheme have been evaluated and compared with a focus on reducing analytical uncertainties. The optimal method involved carrying out the BCR extraction in triplicate, sub-sampling each set of triplicates for stable Be analysis before combining each set and coprecipitating the 7 Be with metal oxyhydroxides to produce a thin source for gamma analysis. This method was applied to BCR extractions of natural 7 Be in four agricultural soils. The approach gave good counting statistics from a 24 h analysis period (∼10% (2σ) where extract activity >40% of total activity) and generated statistically useful sequential extraction profiles. Total recoveries of 7 Be fell between 84 and 112%. The stable Be data demonstrated that the

  10. Molecular characterization of c-Abl/c-Src kinase inhibitors targeted against murine tumour progenitor cells that express stem cell markers.

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    Thomas Kruewel

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The non-receptor tyrosine kinases c-Abl and c-Src are overexpressed in various solid human tumours. Inhibition of their hyperactivity represents a molecular rationale in the combat of cancerous diseases. Here we examined the effects of a new family of pyrazolo [3,4-d] pyrimidines on a panel of 11 different murine lung tumour progenitor cell lines, that express stem cell markers, as well as on the human lung adenocarcinoma cell line A549, the human hepatoma cell line HepG2 and the human colon cancer cell line CaCo2 to obtain insight into the mode of action of these experimental drugs. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Treatment with the dual kinase inhibitors blocked c-Abl and c-Src kinase activity efficiently in the nanomolar range, induced apoptosis, reduced cell viability and caused cell cycle arrest predominantly at G0/G1 phase while western blot analysis confirmed repressed protein expression of c-Abl and c-Src as well as the interacting partners p38 mitogen activated protein kinase, heterogenous ribonucleoprotein K, cyclin dependent kinase 1 and further proteins that are crucial for tumour progression. Importantly, a significant repression of the epidermal growth factor receptor was observed while whole genome gene expression analysis evidenced regulation of many cell cycle regulated genes as well integrin and focal adhesion kinase (FAK signalling to impact cytoskeleton dynamics, migration, invasion and metastasis. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our experiments and recently published in vivo engraftment studies with various tumour cell lines revealed the dual kinase inhibitors to be efficient in their antitumour activity.

  11. Tyrosine kinase chromosomal translocations mediate distinct and overlapping gene regulation events

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Hani; Gillis, Lisa C; Jarvis, Jordan D; Yang, Stuart; Huang, Kai; Der, Sandy; Barber, Dwayne L

    2011-01-01

    Leukemia is a heterogeneous disease commonly associated with recurrent chromosomal translocations that involve tyrosine kinases including BCR-ABL, TEL-PDGFRB and TEL-JAK2. Most studies on the activated tyrosine kinases have focused on proximal signaling events, but little is known about gene transcription regulated by these fusions. Oligonucleotide microarray was performed to compare mRNA changes attributable to BCR-ABL, TEL-PDGFRB and TEL-JAK2 after 1 week of activation of each fusion in Ba/F3 cell lines. Imatinib was used to control the activation of BCR-ABL and TEL-PDGFRB, and TEL-JAK2-mediated gene expression was examined 1 week after Ba/F3-TEL-JAK2 cells were switched to factor-independent conditions. Microarray analysis revealed between 800 to 2000 genes induced or suppressed by two-fold or greater by each tyrosine kinase, with a subset of these genes commonly induced or suppressed among the three fusions. Validation by Quantitative PCR confirmed that eight genes (Dok2, Mrvi1, Isg20, Id1, gp49b, Cxcl10, Scinderin, and collagen Vα1(Col5a1)) displayed an overlapping regulation among the three tested fusion proteins. Stat1 and Gbp1 were induced uniquely by TEL-PDGFRB. Our results suggest that BCR-ABL, TEL-PDGFRB and TEL-JAK2 regulate distinct and overlapping gene transcription profiles. Many of the genes identified are known to be involved in processes associated with leukemogenesis, including cell migration, proliferation and differentiation. This study offers the basis for further work that could lead to an understanding of the specificity of diseases caused by these three chromosomal translocations

  12. Combinations of Novel Histone Deacetylase and Bcr-Abl Inhibitors in the Therapy of Imatinib Mesylate-Sensitive and -Refractory Bcr-Abl Expressing Leukemia

    Science.gov (United States)

    2008-12-01

    Balasis,1Purva Bali,1Veronica Estrella ,1Sandhya Kumaraswamy,1 Rekha Rao,1Kathy Rocha,1Bryan Herger,1Francis Lee,2 Victoria Richon,3 and Kapil Bhalla1...Balasis M, Bali P, Estrella V, Kumaraswamy S, et al. Histone deacetylase inhibitors deplete EZH2 and associated Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 proteins

  13. In vitro validation of bioluminescent monitoring of disease progression and therapeutic response in leukaemia model animals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Inoue, Yusuke; Okubo, Toshiyuki; Tojo, Arinobu; Sekine, Rieko; Soda, Yasushi; Kobayashi, Seiichiro; Nomura, Akiko; Izawa, Kiyoko; Kitamura, Toshio; Ohtomo, Kuni

    2006-01-01

    The application of in vivo bioluminescence imaging to non-invasive, quantitative monitoring of tumour models relies on a positive correlation between the intensity of bioluminescence and the tumour burden. We conducted cell culture studies to investigate the relationship between bioluminescent signal intensity and viable cell numbers in murine leukaemia model cells. Interleukin-3 (IL-3)-dependent murine pro-B cell line Ba/F3 was transduced with firefly luciferase to generate cells expressing luciferase stably under the control of a retroviral long terminal repeat. The luciferase-expressing cells were transduced with p190 BCR-ABL to give factor-independent proliferation. The cells were cultured under various conditions, and bioluminescent signal intensity was compared with viable cell numbers and the cell cycle stage. The Ba/F3 cells showed autonomous growth as well as stable luciferase expression following transduction with both luciferase and p190 BCR-ABL, and in vivo bioluminescence imaging permitted external detection of these cells implanted into mice. The bioluminescence intensities tended to reflect cell proliferation and responses to imatinib in cell culture studies. However, the luminescence per viable cell was influenced by the IL-3 concentration in factor-dependent cells and by the stage of proliferation and imatinib concentration in factor-independent cells, thereby impairing the proportionality between viable cell number and bioluminescent signal intensity. Luminescence per cell tended to vary in association with the fraction of proliferating cells. Although in vivo bioluminescence imaging would allow non-invasive monitoring of leukaemia model animals, environmental factors and therapeutic interventions may cause some discrepancies between tumour burden and bioluminescence intensity. (orig.)

  14. Hypoxia-Like Signatures Induced by BCR-ABL Potentially Alter the Glutamine Uptake for Maintaining Oxidative Phosphorylation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sontakke, Pallavi; Koczula, Katarzyna M; Jaques, Jennifer; Wierenga, Albertus T J; Brouwers-Vos, Annet Z; Pruis, Genoveva; Günther, Ulrich L; Vellenga, Edo; Schuringa, Jan Jacob

    2016-01-01

    The Warburg effect is probably the most prominent metabolic feature of cancer cells, although little is known about the underlying mechanisms and consequences. Here, we set out to study these features in detail in a number of leukemia backgrounds. The transcriptomes of human CB CD34(+) cells

  15. Intrinsic and extrinsic factors influencing the clinical course of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia: prognostic markers with pathogenetic relevance

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gaidano Gianluca

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL, the most frequent leukemia in the Western world, is characterized by extremely variable clinical courses with survivals ranging from 1 to more than 15 years. The pathogenetic factors playing a key role in defining the biological features of CLL cells, hence eventually influencing the clinical aggressiveness of the disease, are here divided into "intrinsic factors", mainly genomic alterations of CLL cells, and "extrinsic factors", responsible for direct microenvironmental interactions of CLL cells; the latter group includes interactions of CLL cells occurring via the surface B cell receptor (BCR and dependent to specific molecular features of the BCR itself and/or to the presence of the BCR-associated molecule ZAP-70, or via other non-BCR-dependent interactions, e.g. specific receptor/ligand interactions, such as CD38/CD31 or CD49d/VCAM-1. A putative final model, discussing the pathogenesis and the clinicobiological features of CLL in relationship of these factors, is also provided.

  16. A high density of tertiary lymphoid structure B cells in lung tumors is associated with increased CD4+ T cell receptor repertoire clonality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Wei; Germain, Claire; Liu, Zheng; Sebastian, Yinong; Devi, Priyanka; Knockaert, Samantha; Brohawn, Philip; Lehmann, Kim; Damotte, Diane; Validire, Pierre; Yao, Yihong; Valge-Archer, Viia; Hammond, Scott A; Dieu-Nosjean, Marie-Caroline; Higgs, Brandon W

    2015-12-01

    T and B cell receptor (TCR and BCR, respectively) Vβ or immunoglobulin heavy chain complementarity-determining region 3 sequencing allows monitoring of repertoire changes through recognition, clonal expansion, affinity maturation, and T or B cell activation in response to antigen. TCR and BCR repertoire analysis can advance understanding of antitumor immune responses in the tumor microenvironment. TCR and BCR repertoires of sorted CD4 + , CD8 + or CD19 + cells in tumor, non-tumoral distant tissue (NT), and peripheral compartments (blood/draining lymph node [P]) from 47 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients (age median = 68 y) were sequenced. The clonotype spectra were assessed among different tissues and correlated with clinical and immunological parameters. In all tissues, CD4 + and CD8 + TCR repertoires had greater clonality relative to CD19 + BCR. CD4 + T cells exhibited greater clonality in NT compared to tumor ( p = 0.002) and P ( p 68). Younger patients exhibited greater CD4 + T cell diversity in P compared to older patients ( p = 0.05), and greater CD4 + T cell clonality in tumor relative to P ( p cell clonality in tumor and P, respectively (both p = 0.05), correlated with high density of tumor-associated tertiary lymphoid structure (TLS) B cells, a biomarker of higher overall survival in NSCLC. Results indicate distinct adaptive immune responses in NSCLC, where peripheral T cell diversity is modulated by age, and tumor T cell clonal expansion is favored by the presence of TLSs in the tumor microenvironment.

  17. Eμ/miR-125b transgenic mice develop lethal B-cell malignancies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Enomoto, Y; Kitaura, J; Hatakeyama, K; Watanuki, J; Akasaka, T; Kato, N; Shimanuki, M; Nishimura, K; Takahashi, M; Taniwaki, M; Haferlach, C; Siebert, R; Dyer, M J S; Asou, N; Aburatani, H; Nakakuma, H; Kitamura, T; Sonoki, T

    2011-12-01

    MicroRNA-125b-1 (miR-125b-1) is a target of a chromosomal translocation t(11;14)(q24;q32) recurrently found in human B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL). This translocation results in overexpression of miR-125b controlled by immunoglobulin heavy chain gene (IGH) regulatory elements. In addition, we found that six out of twenty-one BCP-ALL patients without t(11;14)(q24;q32) showed overexpression of miR-125b. Interestingly, four out of nine patients with BCR/ABL-positive BCP-ALL and one patient with B-cell lymphoid crisis that had progressed from chronic myelogenous leukemia overexpressed miR-125b. To examine the role of the deregulated expression of miR-125b in the development of B-cell tumor in vivo, we generated transgenic mice mimicking the t(11;14)(q24;q32) (Eμ/miR-125b-TG mice). Eμ/miR-125b-TG mice overexpressed miR-125b driven by IGH enhancer and promoter and developed IgM-negative or IgM-positive lethal B-cell malignancies with clonal proliferation. B cells obtained from the Eμ/miR-125b-TG mice were resistant to apoptosis induced by serum starvation. We identified Trp53inp1, a pro-apoptotic gene induced by cell stress, as a novel target gene of miR-125b in hematopoietic cells in vitro and in vivo. Our results provide direct evidence that miR-125b has important roles in the tumorigenesis of precursor B cells.

  18. Radical prostatectomy and positive surgical margins: tumor volume and Gleason score predicts cancer outcome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    La Roca, Ricardo L.R. Felts de; Fonseca, Francisco Paula da; Cunha, Isabela Werneck da; Bezerra, Stephania Martins

    2013-01-01

    Introduction: positive surgical margins (PSMs) are common adverse factors to predict the outcome of a patient submitted to radical prostatectomy (PR). However, not all of these men will follow with biochemical (BCR) or clinical (CR) recurrence. Relationship between PSMs with these recurrent events has to be correlated with other clinicopathological findings in order to recognize more aggressive tumors in order to recommend complementary treatment to these selected patients. Materials and methods: we retrospectively reviewed the outcome of 228 patients submitted to open retropubic RP between March 1991 and June 2008, where 161 had and 67 did not have PSMs. Minimum follow-up time was considered 2 years after surgery. BCR was considered when PSA ≥ 0.2 ng/ml. CR was determined when clinical evidence of tumor appeared. Chi-square test was used to correlate clinical and pathologic variables with PSMs. The estimated 5-year risk of BCR and CR in presence of PSMs was determined using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared to log-rank tests. Results: from the total of 228 patients, 161 (71%) had PSMs, while 67 (29%) had negative surgical margins (NSMs). Prostatic circumferential margin was the most common (43.4%) site. Univariate analysis showed statistically significant (p < 0.001) associations between the presence of PSMs and BCR, but not with CR (p = 0.06). Among 161 patients with PSMs, 61 (37.8%) presented BCR, while 100 (62.8%) did not. Predicting progression-free survival for 5 years, BCR was correlated with pathological stage; Gleason score; pre-treatment PSA; tumor volume in specimen; capsular and perineural invasion; presence and number of PSMs. RC correlated only with angiolymphatic invasion and Gleason score. Considering univariate analyses the clinicopathological factors predicting BCR for 5 years, results statistically significant links with prostate weight; pre-treatment PSA; Gleason score; pathological stage; tumor volume; PSMs; capsular and perineural

  19. Radical prostatectomy and positive surgical margins: tumor volume and Gleason score predicts cancer outcome

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    La Roca, Ricardo L.R. Felts de, E-mail: Ricardo@delarocaurologia.com.br [Hospital do Cancer A.C. Camargo, Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil); Fonseca, Francisco Paula da, E-mail: fpf@uol.com.br [Hospital do Cancer A.C. Camargo, Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Divisao de Urologia. Dept. de Cirurgia Pelvica; Cunha, Isabela Werneck da; Bezerra, Stephania Martins, E-mail: iwerneck@gmail.com, E-mail: stephaniab@gmail.com [Hospital do Cancer A.C. Camargo, Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Dept. de Patologia

    2013-07-01

    Introduction: positive surgical margins (PSMs) are common adverse factors to predict the outcome of a patient submitted to radical prostatectomy (PR). However, not all of these men will follow with biochemical (BCR) or clinical (CR) recurrence. Relationship between PSMs with these recurrent events has to be correlated with other clinicopathological findings in order to recognize more aggressive tumors in order to recommend complementary treatment to these selected patients. Materials and methods: we retrospectively reviewed the outcome of 228 patients submitted to open retropubic RP between March 1991 and June 2008, where 161 had and 67 did not have PSMs. Minimum follow-up time was considered 2 years after surgery. BCR was considered when PSA {>=} 0.2 ng/ml. CR was determined when clinical evidence of tumor appeared. Chi-square test was used to correlate clinical and pathologic variables with PSMs. The estimated 5-year risk of BCR and CR in presence of PSMs was determined using the Kaplan-Meier method and compared to log-rank tests. Results: from the total of 228 patients, 161 (71%) had PSMs, while 67 (29%) had negative surgical margins (NSMs). Prostatic circumferential margin was the most common (43.4%) site. Univariate analysis showed statistically significant (p < 0.001) associations between the presence of PSMs and BCR, but not with CR (p = 0.06). Among 161 patients with PSMs, 61 (37.8%) presented BCR, while 100 (62.8%) did not. Predicting progression-free survival for 5 years, BCR was correlated with pathological stage; Gleason score; pre-treatment PSA; tumor volume in specimen; capsular and perineural invasion; presence and number of PSMs. RC correlated only with angiolymphatic invasion and Gleason score. Considering univariate analyses the clinicopathological factors predicting BCR for 5 years, results statistically significant links with prostate weight; pre-treatment PSA; Gleason score; pathological stage; tumor volume; PSMs; capsular and perineural

  20. MicroRNAs regulate B-cell receptor signaling-induced apoptosis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kluiver, J. L.; Chen, C-Z

    Apoptosis induced by B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling is critical for antigen-driven selection, a process critical to tolerance and immunity. Here, we examined the roles of microRNAs (miRNAs) in BCR signaling-induced apoptosis using the widely applied WEHI-231 model. Comparison of miRNA levels in

  1. The certification of the surface density (kg/m sub 2 ) of BCR CRM 038 ('fly ash from pulverised coal') comprised in methyl cellulose films simulating dust charged filters. BCR 128

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Griepink, B; Marchandise, H; Colinet, E; Dams, R

    1988-01-01

    BCR CRM 38 ('Fly Ash') has been embedded in a stable methylcellulose foil of about 10{mu}m thickness. This has been done by making a slurry of fly ash and methylcellulose in water and spiking it with {sup 42}K as a radioactive tracer. The slurry was spread over glass plates and allowed to dry. 'Filters' of uniform size were punched out of the foil. The surface density (e.g. {mu}g/cm{sup 2}) of the fly ash was calculated for each individual 'filter' by comparing the {sup 42}K-activity of the filter with that of the initial suspension. The uncertainties in the so obtained surface density of random and of systematic origin have been estimated. The total relative uncertainty in the surface density of every element certified in BCR 38 is 4-6%. Studies of stability and homogeneity have revealed that this material is well suited for the verification of the results of non-destructive analytical techniques for dust components.

  2. Mouse models in leukemia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Voncken, J.W.

    1995-01-01

    Human Philadelphia-positive leukemia results from a balanced chromosomal translocation, which fuses the BCR gene on chromosome 22 to the ABL proto-oncogene on chromosome 9. The understanding of Ph-positive leukemogenesis has advanced enormously over

  3. Bcr-Abl-independent mechanism of resistance to imatinib in K562 cells: Induction of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) by histone deacetylases (HDACs).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalle, Arunasree M; Sachchidanand, Sachchidanand; Pallu, Reddanna

    2010-09-01

    Our previous studies have shown that overexpression of MDR1 and cyclooygenase-2 (COX-2) resulted in resistance development to imatinib in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) K562 (IR-K562) cells. In the present study, the regulatory mechanism of MDR1 induction by COX-2 was investigated. A gradual overexpression of MDR1 and COX-2 during the process of development was observed. Furthermore, down regulation of MDR1 upon COX-2 knockdown by siRNA showed a decrease in the PKC levels and activation of PKC by addition of PGE(2) to K562 cells, suggesting a role for PKC in the COX-2 mediated induction of MDR1. The present study demonstrates COX-2 induction by HDACs and MDR1 induction by COX-2 via PGE(2)-cAMP-PKC-mediated pathway. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. RNAi screen reveals an Abl kinase-dependent host cell pathway involved in Pseudomonas aeruginosa internalization.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julia F Pielage

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available Internalization of the pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa by non-phagocytic cells is promoted by rearrangements of the actin cytoskeleton, but the host pathways usurped by this bacterium are not clearly understood. We used RNAi-mediated gene inactivation of approximately 80 genes known to regulate the actin cytoskeleton in Drosophila S2 cells to identify host molecules essential for entry of P. aeruginosa. This work revealed Abl tyrosine kinase, the adaptor protein Crk, the small GTPases Rac1 and Cdc42, and p21-activated kinase as components of a host signaling pathway that leads to internalization of P. aeruginosa. Using a variety of complementary approaches, we validated the role of this pathway in mammalian cells. Remarkably, ExoS and ExoT, type III secreted toxins of P. aeruginosa, target this pathway by interfering with GTPase function and, in the case of ExoT, by abrogating P. aeruginosa-induced Abl-dependent Crk phosphorylation. Altogether, this work reveals that P. aeruginosa utilizes the Abl pathway for entering host cells and reveals unexpected complexity by which the P. aeruginosa type III secretion system modulates this internalization pathway. Our results furthermore demonstrate the applicability of using RNAi screens to identify host signaling cascades usurped by microbial pathogens that may be potential targets for novel therapies directed against treatment of antibiotic-resistant infections.

  5. Development of imatinib and dasatinib resistance: dynamics of expression of drug transporters ABCB1, ABCC1, ABCG2, MVP, and SLC22A1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gromicho, Marta; Dinis, Joana; Magalhães, Marta; Fernandes, Alexandra R; Tavares, Purificação; Laires, António; Rueff, José; Rodrigues, António Sebastião

    2011-10-01

    About 20% of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) do not respond to treatment with imatinib either initially or because of acquired resistance. To study the development of CML drug resistance, an in vitro experimental system comprising cell lines with different resistance levels was established by exposing K562 cells to increasing concentrations of imatinib and dasatinib anticancer agents. The mRNA levels of BCR- ABL1 and of genes involved in drug transport or redistribution (ABCB1, ABCC1, ABCC3, ABCG2, MVP, and SLC22A1) were measured and the ABL1 kinase domain sequenced. Results excluded BCR- ABL1 overexpression and mutations as relevant resistance mechanisms. Most studied transporters were overexpressed in the majority of resistant cell lines. Their expression pattern was dynamic: varying with resistance level and chronic drug exposure. Studied efflux transporters may have an important role at the initial stages of resistance, but after prolonged exposure and for higher doses of drugs other mechanisms might take place.

  6. Bruton's tyrosine kinase mediates the synergistic signalling between TLR9 and the B cell receptor by regulating calcium and calmodulin.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elaine F Kenny

    Full Text Available B cells signal through both the B cell receptor (BCR which binds antigens and Toll-like receptors (TLRs including TLR9 which recognises CpG DNA. Activation of TLR9 synergises with BCR signalling when the BCR and TLR9 co-localise within an auto-phagosome-like compartment. Here we report that Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK is required for synergistic IL6 production and up-regulation of surface expression of MHC-class-II, CD69 and CD86 in primary murine and human B cells. We show that BTK is essential for co-localisation of the BCR and TLR9 within a potential auto-phagosome-like compartment in the Namalwa human B cell line. Downstream of BTK we find that calcium acting via calmodulin is required for this process. These data provide new insights into the role of BTK, an important target for autoimmune diseases, in B cell activation.

  7. Nontranscriptional regulation of SYK by the coactivator OCA-B is required at multiple stages of B cell development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siegel, Rachael; Kim, Unkyu; Patke, Alina; Yu, Xin; Ren, Xiaodi; Tarakhovsky, Alexander; Roeder, Robert G

    2006-05-19

    OCA-B was originally identified as a nuclear transcriptional coactivator that is essential for antigen-driven immune responses. The later identification of a membrane bound, myristoylated form of OCA-B suggested additional, unique functions in B cell signaling pathways. This study has shown that OCA-B also functions in the pre-B1-to-pre-B2 cell transition and, most surprisingly, that it directly interacts with SYK, a tyrosine kinase critical for pre-BCR and BCR signaling. This unprecedented type of interaction-a transcriptional coactivator with a signaling kinase-occurs in the cytoplasm and directly regulates SYK stability. This study indicates that OCA-B is required for pre-BCR and BCR signaling at multiple stages of B cell development through its nontranscriptional regulation of SYK. Combined with the deregulation of OCA-B target genes, this may help explain the multitude of defects observed in B cell development and immune responses of Oca-b-/- mice.

  8. The conformational control inhibitor of tyrosine kinases DCC-2036 is effective for imatinib-resistant cells expressing T674I FIP1L1-PDGFRα.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yingying Shen

    Full Text Available The cells expressing the T674I point mutant of FIP1-like-1-platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (FIP1L1-PDGFRα in hypereosinophilics syndrome (HES are resistant to imatinib and some second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs. There is a desperate need to develop therapy to combat this acquired drug resistance. DCC-2036 has been synthesized as a third-generation TKI to combat especially the Bcr-Abl T315I mutant in chronic myeloid leukemia. This study evaluated the effect of DCC-2036 on FIP1L1-PDGFRα-positive cells, including the wild type (WT and the T674I mutant. The in vitro effects of DCC-2036 on the PDGFRα signal pathways, proliferation, cell cycling and apoptosis of FIP1L1-PDGFRα-positive cells were investigated, and a nude mouse xenograft model was employed to assess the in vivo antitumor activity. We found that DCC-2036 decreased the phosphorylated levels of PDGFRα and its downstream targets without apparent effects on total protein levels. DCC-2036 inhibited proliferation, and induced apoptosis with MEK-dependent up-regulation of the pro-apoptotic protein Bim in FIP1L1-PDGFRα-positive cells. DCC-2036 also exhibited in vivo antineoplastic activity against cells with T674I FIP1L1-PDGFRα. In summary, FIP1L1-PDGFRα-positive cells are sensitive to DCC-2036 regardless of their sensitivity to imatinib. DCC-2036 may be a potential compound to treat imatinib-resistant HES.

  9. The SH2 Domain Regulates c-Abl Kinase Activation by a Cyclin-Like Mechanism and Remodulation of the Hinge Motion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dölker, Nicole; Górna, Maria W.; Sutto, Ludovico; Torralba, Antonio S.; Superti-Furga, Giulio; Gervasio, Francesco L.

    2014-01-01

    Regulation of the c-Abl (ABL1) tyrosine kinase is important because of its role in cellular signaling, and its relevance in the leukemiogenic counterpart (BCR-ABL). Both auto-inhibition and full activation of c-Abl are regulated by the interaction of the catalytic domain with the Src Homology 2 (SH2) domain. The mechanism by which this interaction enhances catalysis is not known. We combined computational simulations with mutagenesis and functional analysis to find that the SH2 domain conveys both local and global effects on the dynamics of the catalytic domain. Locally, it regulates the flexibility of the αC helix in a fashion reminiscent of cyclins in cyclin-dependent kinases, reorienting catalytically important motifs. At a more global level, SH2 binding redirects the hinge motion of the N and C lobes and changes the conformational equilibrium of the activation loop. The complex network of subtle structural shifts that link the SH2 domain with the activation loop and the active site may be partially conserved with other SH2-domain containing kinases and therefore offer additional parameters for the design of conformation-specific inhibitors. PMID:25299346

  10. The SH2 domain regulates c-Abl kinase activation by a cyclin-like mechanism and remodulation of the hinge motion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dölker, Nicole; Górna, Maria W; Sutto, Ludovico; Torralba, Antonio S; Superti-Furga, Giulio; Gervasio, Francesco L

    2014-10-01

    Regulation of the c-Abl (ABL1) tyrosine kinase is important because of its role in cellular signaling, and its relevance in the leukemiogenic counterpart (BCR-ABL). Both auto-inhibition and full activation of c-Abl are regulated by the interaction of the catalytic domain with the Src Homology 2 (SH2) domain. The mechanism by which this interaction enhances catalysis is not known. We combined computational simulations with mutagenesis and functional analysis to find that the SH2 domain conveys both local and global effects on the dynamics of the catalytic domain. Locally, it regulates the flexibility of the αC helix in a fashion reminiscent of cyclins in cyclin-dependent kinases, reorienting catalytically important motifs. At a more global level, SH2 binding redirects the hinge motion of the N and C lobes and changes the conformational equilibrium of the activation loop. The complex network of subtle structural shifts that link the SH2 domain with the activation loop and the active site may be partially conserved with other SH2-domain containing kinases and therefore offer additional parameters for the design of conformation-specific inhibitors.

  11. The SH2 domain regulates c-Abl kinase activation by a cyclin-like mechanism and remodulation of the hinge motion.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicole Dölker

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available Regulation of the c-Abl (ABL1 tyrosine kinase is important because of its role in cellular signaling, and its relevance in the leukemiogenic counterpart (BCR-ABL. Both auto-inhibition and full activation of c-Abl are regulated by the interaction of the catalytic domain with the Src Homology 2 (SH2 domain. The mechanism by which this interaction enhances catalysis is not known. We combined computational simulations with mutagenesis and functional analysis to find that the SH2 domain conveys both local and global effects on the dynamics of the catalytic domain. Locally, it regulates the flexibility of the αC helix in a fashion reminiscent of cyclins in cyclin-dependent kinases, reorienting catalytically important motifs. At a more global level, SH2 binding redirects the hinge motion of the N and C lobes and changes the conformational equilibrium of the activation loop. The complex network of subtle structural shifts that link the SH2 domain with the activation loop and the active site may be partially conserved with other SH2-domain containing kinases and therefore offer additional parameters for the design of conformation-specific inhibitors.

  12. Acute WT1-positive promyelocytic leukemia with hypogranular variant morphology, bcr-3 isoform of PML-RARα and Flt3-ITD mutation: a rare case report

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xi Zhang

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT CONTEXT: Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL accounts for 8% to 10% of cases of acute myeloid leukemia (AML. Remission in cases of high-risk APL is still difficult to achieve, and relapses occur readily. CASE REPORT: Here, we describe a case of APL with high white blood cell counts in blood tests and hypogranular variant morphology in bone marrow, together with fms-like tyrosine kinase-3 with internal tandem duplication mutations (FLT3-ITD, and bcr-3 isoform of PML-RARα. Most importantly, we detected high level of Wilms’ tumor gene (WT1 in marrow blasts, through the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR. To date, no clear conclusions about an association between WT1 expression levels and APL have been reached. This patient successively received a combined treatment regimen consisting of hydroxycarbamide, arsenic trioxide and idarubicin plus cytarabine, which ultimately enabled complete remission. Unfortunately, he subsequently died of sudden massive hemoptysis because of pulmonary infection. CONCLUSION: Based on our findings and a review of the literature, abnormal functioning of WT1 may be a high-risk factor in cases of APL. Further studies aimed towards evaluating the impact of WT1 expression on the prognosis for APL patients are of interest.

  13. Phenotyping and Target Expression Profiling of CD34+/CD38− and CD34+/CD38+ Stem- and Progenitor cells in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katharina Blatt

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Leukemic stem cells (LSCs are an emerging target of curative anti-leukemia therapy. In acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL, LSCs frequently express CD34 and often lack CD38. However, little is known about markers and targets expressed in ALL LSCs. We have examined marker- and target expression profiles in CD34+/CD38− LSCs in patients with Ph+ ALL (n = 22 and Ph− ALL (n = 27 by multi-color flow cytometry and qPCR. ALL LSCs expressed CD19 (B4, CD44 (Pgp-1, CD123 (IL-3RA, and CD184 (CXCR4 in all patients tested. Moreover, in various subgroups of patients, LSCs also displayed CD20 (MS4A1 (10/41 = 24%, CD22 (12/20 = 60%, CD33 (Siglec-3 (20/48 = 42%, CD52 (CAMPATH-1 (17/40 = 43%, IL-1RAP (13/29 = 45%, and/or CD135 (FLT3 (4/20 = 20%. CD25 (IL-2RA and CD26 (DPPIV were expressed on LSCs in Ph+ ALL exhibiting BCR/ABL1p210, whereas in Ph+ ALL with BCR/ABL1p190, LSCs variably expressed CD25 but did not express CD26. In Ph− ALL, CD34+/CD38− LSCs expressed IL-1RAP in 6/18 patients (33%, but did not express CD25 or CD26. Normal stem cells stained negative for CD25, CD26 and IL-1RAP, and expressed only low amounts of CD52. In xenotransplantation experiments, CD34+/CD38− and CD34+/CD38+ cells engrafted NSG mice after 12–20 weeks, and targeting with antibodies against CD33 and CD52 resulted in reduced engraftment. Together, LSCs in Ph+ and Ph− ALL display unique marker- and target expression profiles. In Ph+ ALL with BCR/ABL1p210, the LSC-phenotype closely resembles the marker-profile of CD34+/CD38− LSCs in chronic myeloid leukemia, confirming the close biologic relationship of these neoplasms. Targeting of LSCs with specific antibodies or related immunotherapies may facilitate LSC eradication in ALL.

  14. Generation of TCR-Expressing Innate Lymphoid-like Helper Cells that Induce Cytotoxic T Cell-Mediated Anti-leukemic Cell Response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ueda, Norihiro; Uemura, Yasushi; Zhang, Rong; Kitayama, Shuichi; Iriguchi, Shoichi; Kawai, Yohei; Yasui, Yutaka; Tatsumi, Minako; Ueda, Tatsuki; Liu, Tian-Yi; Mizoro, Yasutaka; Okada, Chihiro; Watanabe, Akira; Nakanishi, Mahito; Senju, Satoru; Nishimura, Yasuharu; Kuzushima, Kiyotaka; Kiyoi, Hitoshi; Naoe, Tomoki; Kaneko, Shin

    2018-06-05

    CD4 + T helper (Th) cell activation is essential for inducing cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses against malignancy. We reprogrammed a Th clone specific for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML)-derived b3a2 peptide to pluripotency and re-differentiated the cells into original TCR-expressing T-lineage cells (iPS-T cells) with gene expression patterns resembling those of group 1 innate lymphoid cells. CD4 gene transduction into iPS-T cells enhanced b3a2 peptide-specific responses via b3a2 peptide-specific TCR. iPS-T cells upregulated CD40 ligand (CD40L) expression in response to interleukin-2 and interleukin-15. In the presence of Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) peptide, antigen-specific dendritic cells (DCs) conditioned by CD4-modified CD40L high iPS-T cells stimulated WT1-specific CTL priming, which eliminated WT1 peptide-expressing CML cells in vitro and in vivo. Thus, CD4 modification of CD40L high iPS-T cells generates innate lymphoid helper-like cells inducing bcr-abl-specific TCR signaling that mediates effectiveanti-leukemic CTL responses via DC maturation, showing potential for adjuvant immunotherapy against leukemia. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Significance and management of positive surgical margins at the time of radical prostatectomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silberstein, Jonathan L; Eastham, James A

    2014-10-01

    Positive surgical margins (PSM) at the time of radical prostatectomy (RP) result in an increased risk of biochemical recurrence (BCR) and secondary treatment. We review current literature with a focus on stratifying the characteristics of the PSM that may define its significance, the impact of modern imaging and surgical approaches in avoidance of PSM, and management strategies when PSM do occur. We performed a review of the available literature to identify factors associated with PSM and their management. PSM have been repeatedly demonstrated to be associated with an increased risk of BCR following RP. The specific characteristics (size, number, location, Gleason score at the margin) of the PSM may influence the risk of recurrence. Novel imaging and surgical approaches are being investigated and may allow for reductions of PSM in the future. The use of adjuvant treatment for a PSM remains controversial and should be decided on an individual basis after a discussion about the risks and benefits. The goal of RP is complete resection of the tumor. PSM are associated with increased risk of BCR and secondary treatments. Of the risk factors associated with BCR after RP, a PSM is directly influenced by surgical technique.

  16. Significance and management of positive surgical margins at the time of radical prostatectomy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jonathan L. Silberstein

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Positive surgical margins (PSM at the time of radical prostatectomy (RP result in an increased risk of biochemical recurrence (BCR and secondary treatment. We review current literature with a focus on stratifying the characteristics of the PSM that may define its significance, the impact of modern imaging and surgical approaches in avoidance of PSM, and management strategies when PSM do occur. We performed a review of the available literature to identify factors associated with PSM and their management. PSM have been repeatedly demonstrated to be associated with an increased risk of BCR following RP. The specific characteristics (size, number, location, Gleason score at the margin of the PSM may influence the risk of recurrence. Novel imaging and surgical approaches are being investigated and may allow for reductions of PSM in the future. The use of adjuvant treatment for a PSM remains controversial and should be decided on an individual basis after a discussion about the risks and benefits. The goal of RP is complete resection of the tumor. PSM are associated with increased risk of BCR and secondary treatments. Of the risk factors associated with BCR after RP, a PSM is directly influenced by surgical technique.

  17. RNA-binding proteins ZFP36L1 and ZFP36L2 promote cell quiescence.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galloway, Alison; Saveliev, Alexander; Łukasiak, Sebastian; Hodson, Daniel J; Bolland, Daniel; Balmanno, Kathryn; Ahlfors, Helena; Monzón-Casanova, Elisa; Mannurita, Sara Ciullini; Bell, Lewis S; Andrews, Simon; Díaz-Muñoz, Manuel D; Cook, Simon J; Corcoran, Anne; Turner, Martin

    2016-04-22

    Progression through the stages of lymphocyte development requires coordination of the cell cycle. Such coordination ensures genomic integrity while cells somatically rearrange their antigen receptor genes [in a process called variable-diversity-joining (VDJ) recombination] and, upon successful rearrangement, expands the pools of progenitor lymphocytes. Here we show that in developing B lymphocytes, the RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) ZFP36L1 and ZFP36L2 are critical for maintaining quiescence before precursor B cell receptor (pre-BCR) expression and for reestablishing quiescence after pre-BCR-induced expansion. These RBPs suppress an evolutionarily conserved posttranscriptional regulon consisting of messenger RNAs whose protein products cooperatively promote transition into the S phase of the cell cycle. This mechanism promotes VDJ recombination and effective selection of cells expressing immunoglobulin-μ at the pre-BCR checkpoint. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  18. Targetable kinase-activating lesions in Ph-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia | Office of Cancer Genomics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Publication Abstract:  Philadelphia chromosome-like acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph-like ALL) is characterized by a gene-expression profile similar to that of BCR-ABL1-positive ALL, alterations of lymphoid transcription factor genes, and a poor outcome. The frequency and spectrum of genetic alterations in Ph-like ALL and its responsiveness to tyrosine kinase inhibition are undefined, especially in adolescents and adults. We performed genomic profiling of 1725 patients with precursor B-cell ALL and detailed genomic analysis of 154 patients with Ph-like ALL.

  19. Mixed Phenotype Acute Leukemia with Two Immunophenotypically Distinct B and T Blasts Populations, Double Chromosome and Complex Karyotype: Report of an Unusual Case

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samah A. Kohla

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Mixed phenotype acute leukemia (MPAL is considered as a rare type of leukemia with an incidence of less than 4% of all acute leukemia based on the most recent 2008 WHO classification. Common subtypes are the B/myeloid and T/myeloid; B/T and trilineage MPAL being extremely rare. We present a case of a male in his 20s, whose peripheral blood smears showed 34% blast cells and bone marrow with 70% blasts. Immunophenotyping by multiparametric flow cytometry showed two populations of blasts, the major one with B-lineage and the minor one with T-lineage. Conventional karyotyping revealed complex karyotype with the presence of double Philadelphia chromosome ( Ph + . BCR/ABL1 rearrangement was confirmed by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH analysis. The BCR/ABL1 ES probe on interphase cells indicated pl90 minor m-BCR/ABL fusion in 46% and a second abnormal clone with double Ph + in 16% of the cells analyzed confirmed by reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR. The case was diagnosed as MPAL with double Philadelphia chromosome Ph + . The patient was treated with dasatinib, four cycle hyper CVAD/methotrexate cytarabin protocol, and allogeneic transplant. He is still alive in complete hematological, cytogenetic, and molecular remission. Mixed phenotype B/T acute leukemia is an extremely rare disease, particularly those with double Philadelphia chromosomes and clinically presents challenges in diagnosis and treatment.

  20. Monoclonal Antibody Therapy in Treating Patients With Ovarian Epithelial Cancer, Melanoma, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, Myelodysplastic Syndrome, or Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-09

    Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia With 11q23 (MLL) Abnormalities; Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia With Inv(16)(p13;q22); Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia With t(15;17)(q22;q12); Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia With t(16;16)(p13;q22); Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia With t(8;21)(q22;q22); Atypical Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, BCR-ABL1 Negative; Myelodysplastic/Myeloproliferative Neoplasm, Unclassifiable; Previously Treated Myelodysplastic Syndromes; Recurrent Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia; Recurrent Melanoma; Recurrent Non-small Cell Lung Cancer; Recurrent Ovarian Epithelial Cancer; Stage IV Melanoma; Stage IV Non-small Cell Lung Cancer

  1. Variable behavior of iPSCs derived from CML patients for response to TKI and hematopoietic differentiation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aurélie Bedel

    Full Text Available Chronic myeloid leukemia disease (CML found effective therapy by treating patients with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI, which suppress the BCR-ABL1 oncogene activity. However, the majority of patients achieving remission with TKI still have molecular evidences of disease persistence. Various mechanisms have been proposed to explain the disease persistence and recurrence. One of the hypotheses is that the primitive leukemic stem cells (LSCs can survive in the presence of TKI. Understanding the mechanisms leading to TKI resistance of the LSCs in CML is a critical issue but is limited by availability of cells from patients. We generated induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs derived from CD34⁺ blood cells isolated from CML patients (CML-iPSCs as a model for studying LSCs survival in the presence of TKI and the mechanisms supporting TKI resistance. Interestingly, CML-iPSCs resisted to TKI treatment and their survival did not depend on BCR-ABL1, as for primitive LSCs. Induction of hematopoietic differentiation of CML-iPSC clones was reduced compared to normal clones. Hematopoietic progenitors obtained from iPSCs partially recovered TKI sensitivity. Notably, different CML-iPSCs obtained from the same CML patients were heterogeneous, in terms of BCR-ABL1 level and proliferation. Thus, several clones of CML-iPSCs are a powerful model to decipher all the mechanisms leading to LSC survival following TKI therapy and are a promising tool for testing new therapeutic agents.

  2. Influence of different chromosomal abnormalities in Ph-positive bone marrow cells on the chronic myeloid leukemia course during tyrosine kinase inhibitors therapy

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    O. Yu. Vinogradova

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The additional molecular and chromosomal abnormalities (ACA in Phositive cells usually considered as a genetic marker of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML progression. 457 patients in different CML phases received tyrosine kinase inhibitors (1st and 2nd generation were studied. During therapy 50 cases with additional chromosomal abnormalities in Ph+ clone (22 of them in chronic CML phase were revealed (median follow-up from CML diagnosis – 117 months, median imatinib therapy – 62 months. 86 % of patients in chronic phase with Ph+- cell abnormalities were cytogenetic resistance, and their 5-years overall survival was 80 % which was significantly lower than in patients without ACA (p < 0.005. The treatment results depend on chromosomal abnormalities detected. In patients with additional chromosome 8 imatinib therapy is effective, although complete cytogenetic response (CCR is achieved only in the later therapy stages. In patients with additional translocations CCR also achieved with imatinib or 2nd generation TKI. Only a third of patients with additional Ph-chromosome or BCR/ABL amplification achieved complete suppression of Ph+ clone using 2nd generation TKI. The presence of additional chromosome 7 abnormalities and complex karyotype disorders involving isochromosome i(17(q10 are poor prognostic factors of TKI treatment failures.

  3. The MEK1/2-ERK Pathway Inhibits Type I IFN Production in Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cells

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    Vaclav Janovec

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Recent studies have reported that the crosslinking of regulatory receptors (RRs, such as blood dendritic cell antigen 2 (BDCA-2 (CD303 or ILT7 (CD85g, of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs efficiently suppresses the production of type I interferons (IFN-I, α/β/ω and other cytokines in response to toll-like receptor 7 and 9 (TLR7/9 ligands. The exact mechanism of how this B cell receptor (BCR-like signaling blocks TLR7/9-mediated IFN-I production is unknown. Here, we stimulated BCR-like signaling by ligation of RRs with BDCA-2 and ILT7 mAbs, hepatitis C virus particles, or BST2 expressing cells. We compared BCR-like signaling in proliferating pDC cell line GEN2.2 and in primary pDCs from healthy donors, and addressed the question of whether pharmacological targeting of BCR-like signaling can antagonize RR-induced pDC inhibition. To this end, we tested the TLR9-mediated production of IFN-I and proinflammatory cytokines in pDCs exposed to a panel of inhibitors of signaling molecules involved in BCR-like, MAPK, NF-ĸB, and calcium signaling pathways. We found that MEK1/2 inhibitors, PD0325901 and U0126 potentiated TLR9-mediated production of IFN-I in GEN2.2 cells. More importantly, MEK1/2 inhibitors significantly increased the TLR9-mediated IFN-I production blocked in both GEN2.2 cells and primary pDCs upon stimulation of BCR-like or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate-induced protein kinase C (PKC signaling. Triggering of BCR-like and PKC signaling in pDCs resulted in an upregulation of the expression and phoshorylation of c-FOS, a downstream gene product of the MEK1/2-ERK pathway. We found that the total level of c-FOS was higher in proliferating GEN2.2 cells than in the resting primary pDCs. The PD0325901-facilitated restoration of the TLR9-mediated IFN-I production correlated with the abrogation of MEK1/2-ERK-c-FOS signaling. These results indicate that the MEK1/2-ERK pathway inhibits TLR9-mediated type I IFN production in pDCs and that

  4. Determination of cortisol in two BCR reference sera by isotope dilution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Derks; H.J.G.M.; Freudenthal; J.; Heiningen; A.van; Gramberg; L.G.; Klaasen; R.

    1984-01-01

    In dit rapport wordt een analytische methode voor de juiste en preciese bepaling van cortisol in humaan serum en zijn toepassing bij de certificatie van twee gevriesdroogde referentiesera van de BCR beschreven. De methode is gebaseerd op isotoopverdunnings gaschromatografie-massaspectrometrie

  5. Diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Demitrovicova, L.; Mikuskova, E.; Copakova, L.; Leitnerova, M.

    2012-01-01

    Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) was the first cancer associated with the specific chromosomal aberration. Philadelphia chromosome due to translocation (9, 22) is present in 95% cases, fusion gene BCR/ABL is present in 100% cases at the time of diagnosis. Disease has its own characteristics detectable by physical examination, by the examination of blood count and differential and by cytomorhologic examination of bone marrow, however the diagnosis of CML is determined by cytogenetics and molecular genetics. If the diagnosis of Ph+ BCR/ABL positive CML is confirmed, the disease is treated by tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI). TKI don´t affect formation of leukemic gene BCR/ABL, but they can stop the action of this gene. The target therapy of tyrosine kinase inhibitors markedly improved the survival of patients with CML by inhibition the proliferation of leukemic clone on the clinically safety level of minimal disease, although probably this treatment cannot cure the CML. Cytogenetics and molecular genetics are very important at the monitoring of residual disease with sensitivity 10"-"6. (author)

  6. Lipid rafts and B cell signaling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Neetu; DeFranco, Anthony L

    2007-10-01

    B cells comprise an essential component of the humoral immune system. They are equipped with the unique ability to synthesize and secrete pathogen-neutralizing antibodies, and share with professional antigen presenting cells the ability to internalize foreign antigens, and process them for presentation to helper T cells. Recent evidence indicates that specialized cholesterol- and glycosphingolipid-rich microdomains in the plasma membrane commonly referred to as lipid rafts, serve to compartmentalize key signaling molecules during the different stages of B cell activation including B cell antigen receptor (BCR)-initiated signal transduction, endocytosis of BCR-antigen complexes, loading of antigenic peptides onto MHC class II molecules, MHC-II associated antigen presentation to helper T cells, and receipt of helper signals via the CD40 receptor. Here we review the recent literature arguing for a role of lipid rafts in the spatial organization of B cell function.

  7. Detailed conformation dynamics and activation process of wild type c-Abl and T315I mutant

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Li-Jun; Zhao, Wen-Hua; Liu, Qian

    2014-10-01

    Bcr-Abl is an important target for therapy against chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). The synergistic effect between myristyl pocket and the ATP pocket has been found. But its detailed information based on molecular level still has not been achieved. In this study, conventional molecular dynamics (CMD) and target molecular dynamics (TMD) simulations were performed to explore the effect of T315I mutation on dynamics and activation process of Abl containing the N-terminal cap (Ncap). The CMD simulation results reveal the increasing flexibility of ATP pocket in kinase domain (KD) after T315I mutation which confirms the disability of ATP-pocket inhibitors to the Abl-T315I mutant. On the contrary, the T315I mutation decreased the flexibility of remote helix αI which suggests the synergistic effect between them. The mobility of farther regions containing Ncap, SH3, SH2 and SH2-KD linker were not affected by T315I mutation. The TMD simulation results show that the activation process of wild type Abl and Abl-T315I mutant experienced global conformation change. Their differences were elucidated by the activation motion of subsegments including A-loop, P-loop and Ncap. Besides, the T315I mutation caused decreasing energy barrier and increasing intermediate number in activation process, which results easier activation process. The TMD and CMD results indicate that a drug targeting only the ATP pocket is not enough to inhibit the Abl-T315I mutant. An effective way to inhibit the abnormal activity of Abl-T315I mutant is to combine the ATP-pocket inhibitors with inhibitors binding at non-ATP pockets mainly related to Ncap, SH2-KD linker and myristyl pocket.

  8. Molecular relapse in chronic myelogenous leukemia patients after bone marrow transplantation detected by polymerase chain reaction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sawyers, C.L.; Timson, L.; Clark, S.S.; Witte, O.N.; Champlin, R.; Kawasaki, E.S.

    1990-01-01

    Relapse of chronic myelogenous leukemia after bone marrow transplantation can be detected by using clinical, cytogenetic, or molecular tools. A modification of the polymerase chain reaction can be used in patients to detect low levels of the BCR-ABL-encoded mRNA transcript, a specific marker for chronic myelogenous leukemia. Early detection of relapse after bone marrow transplantation could potentially alter treatment decisions. The authors prospectively evaluated 19 patients for evidence of molecular relapse, cytogenetic relapse, and clinical relapse after bone marrow transplantation. They used the polymerase chain reaction to detect residual BCR-ABL mRNA in patients followed up to 45 months after treatment and found 4 patients with BCR-ABL mRNA expression following bone marrow transplantation. Fifteen patients did not express detectable BCR-ABL mRNA. All 19 patients remain in clinical remission. In this prospective study of chronic myelogenous leukemia patients treated with bone marrow transplantation, molecular relapse preceded cytogenetic relapse in those patients who persistently express BCR-ABL mRNA. They recommend using standard clinical and cytogenetic testing to make patient care decisions until further follow-up determines the clinical outcome of those patients with residual BCR-ABL mRNA transcripts detected by polymerase chain reaction

  9. Pattern of Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Failure Dictates the Probability of a Positive Bone Scan in Patients With an Increasing PSA After Radical Prostatectomy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dotan, Zohar A.; Bianco, Fernando J.; Rabbani, Farhang; Eastham, James A.; Fearn, Paul; Scher, Howard I.; Kelly, Kevin W.; Chen, Hui-Ni; Schöder, Heiko; Hricak, Hedvig; Scardino, Peter T.; Kattan, Michael W.

    2007-01-01

    Purpose Physicians often order periodic bone scans (BS) to check for metastases in patients with an increasing prostate-specific antigen (PSA; biochemical recurrence [BCR]) after radical prostatectomy (RP), but most scans are negative. We studied patient characteristics to build a predictive model for a positive scan. Patients and Methods From our prostate cancer database we identified all patients with detectable PSA after RP. We analyzed the following features at the time of each bone scan for association with a positive BS: preoperative PSA, time to BCR, pathologic findings of the RP, PSA before the BS (trigger PSA), PSA kinetics (PSA doubling time, PSA slope, and PSA velocity), and time from BCR to BS. The results were incorporated into a predictive model. Results There were 414 BS performed in 239 patients with BCR and no history of androgen deprivation therapy. Only 60 (14.5%) were positive for metastases. In univariate analysis, preoperative PSA (P = .04), seminal vesicle invasion (P = .02), PSA velocity (P < .001), and trigger PSA (P < .001) predicted a positive BS. In multivariate analysis, only PSA slope (odds ratio [OR], 2.71; P = .03), PSA velocity (OR, 0.93; P = .003), and trigger PSA (OR, 1.022; P < .001) predicted a positive BS. A nomogram for predicting the bone scan result was constructed with an overfit-corrected concordance index of 0.93. Conclusion Trigger PSA, PSA velocity, and slope were associated with a positive BS. A highly discriminating nomogram can be used to select patients according to their risk for a positive scan. Omitting scans in low-risk patients could reduce substantially the number of scans ordered. PMID:15774789

  10. Targeting Bruton Tyrosine Kinase: A novel strategy in the treatment of B-cell lymphomas

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    Sklavenitis-Pistofidis R.

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available In normal B-cells, Bruton tyrosine kinase (Btk, a non-receptor tyrosine kinase involved in B-cell receptor (BCR signalling, is essential for cell survival and maturation. Not surprisingly, Btk is also implicated in the pathogenesis of B-cell lymphomas, like Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia/Small Lymphocytic Lymphoma (CLL/SLL, Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL and Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia (WM, which are driven by aberrant BCR signalling. Thus, targeting Btk represents a promising therapeutic strategy in the treatment of B-cell lymphoma patients. Ibrutinib, a selective Btk inhibitor, has already been approved as second-line treatment of CLL/SLL, MCL and WM patients, while more clinical studies of ibrutinib and novel Btk inhibitors are currently under way. In light of results of the RESONATE-2 trial, the approval of ibrutinib as a first-line treatment of CLL/SLL may well be approaching. Herein, we review Btk’s role in normal and malignant BCR signalling, as well as ibrutinib’s performance in B-cell lymphoma treatment and prognosis.

  11. Use of the modified BCR three-step sequential extraction procedure for the study of trace element dynamics in contaminated soils

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pueyo, M.; Mateu, J.; Rigol, A.; Vidal, M.; Lopez-Sanchez, J.F.; Rauret, G.

    2008-01-01

    The modified BCR three-step sequential extraction procedure was used to examine the temporal dynamics of trace elements in soils contaminated by an accidental spill from an opencast mine in south-west Spain. Soils were mainly contaminated with pyritic sludge and acidic wastewater, whereas some soils were affected only by acidic wastewater. The distributions obtained for both some major (Ca, Fe and Mn) and trace elements (As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn) in the sludge and soil samples taken at different times after the accident, 1-3 months and 21 months, were compared. Sequential extractions were useful in identifying different sources of contamination, and in obtaining additional information on the solubility of secondary minerals formed by pyrite oxidation. Thus, the effectiveness of the BCR procedure has proved to be a useful tool for predicting short- and long-term mobility of trace elements, even in complex environmental scenarios. - The modified BCR three-step sequential extraction procedure has proved a useful prediction tool for short- and long-term mobility of trace elements in contaminated soils

  12. Rational Targeting of Cellular Cholesterol in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma (DLBCL) Enabled by Functional Lipoprotein Nanoparticles: A Therapeutic Strategy Dependent on Cell of Origin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rink, Jonathan S; Yang, Shuo; Cen, Osman; Taxter, Tim; McMahon, Kaylin M; Misener, Sol; Behdad, Amir; Longnecker, Richard; Gordon, Leo I; Thaxton, C Shad

    2017-11-06

    Cancer cells have altered metabolism and, in some cases, an increased demand for cholesterol. It is important to identify novel, rational treatments based on biology, and cellular cholesterol metabolism as a potential target for cancer is an innovative approach. Toward this end, we focused on diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) as a model because there is differential cholesterol biosynthesis driven by B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling in germinal center (GC) versus activated B-cell (ABC) DLBCL. To specifically target cellular cholesterol homeostasis, we employed high-density lipoprotein-like nanoparticles (HDL NP) that can generally reduce cellular cholesterol by targeting and blocking cholesterol uptake through the high-affinity HDL receptor, scavenger receptor type B-1 (SCARB1). As we previously reported, GC DLBCL are exquisitely sensitive to HDL NP as monotherapy, while ABC DLBCL are less sensitive. Herein, we report that enhanced BCR signaling and resultant de novo cholesterol synthesis in ABC DLBCL drastically reduces the ability of HDL NPs to reduce cellular cholesterol and induce cell death. Therefore, we combined HDL NP with the BCR signaling inhibitor ibrutinib and the SYK inhibitor R406. By targeting both cellular cholesterol uptake and BCR-associated de novo cholesterol synthesis, we achieved cellular cholesterol reduction and induced apoptosis in otherwise resistant ABC DLBCL cell lines. These results in lymphoma demonstrate that reduction of cellular cholesterol is a powerful mechanism to induce apoptosis. Cells rich in cholesterol require HDL NP therapy to reduce uptake and molecularly targeted agents that inhibit upstream pathways that stimulate de novo cholesterol synthesis, thus, providing a new paradigm for rationally targeting cholesterol metabolism as therapy for cancer.

  13. Aberrant DNA Methylation in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia: Cell Fate Control, Prognosis, and Therapeutic Response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Behzad, Masumeh Maleki; Shahrabi, Saeid; Jaseb, Kaveh; Bertacchini, Jessika; Ketabchi, Neda; Saki, Najmaldin

    2018-01-31

    Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a hematopoietic stem cell malignancy characterized by the expression of the BCR-ABL1 fusion gene with different chimeric transcripts. Despite the crucial impact of constitutively active tyrosine kinase in CML pathogenesis, aberrant DNA methylation of certain genes plays an important role in disease progression and the development of drug resistance. This article reviews recent findings relevant to the effect of DNA methylation pattern of regulatory genes on various cellular activities such as cell proliferation and survival, as well as cell-signaling molecules in CML. These data might contribute to defining the role of aberrant DNA methylation in disease initiation and progression. However, further studies are needed on the validation of specific aberrant methylation markers regarding the prognosis and prediction of response among the CML patients.

  14. Constitutive Activity in an Ancestral Form of Abl Tyrosine Kinase.

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    Saadat U Aleem

    Full Text Available The c-abl proto-oncogene encodes a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase that is found in all metazoans, and is ubiquitously expressed in mammalian tissues. The Abl tyrosine kinase plays important roles in the regulation of mammalian cell physiology. Abl-like kinases have been identified in the genomes of unicellular choanoflagellates, the closest relatives to the Metazoa, and in related unicellular organisms. Here, we have carried out the first characterization of a premetazoan Abl kinase, MbAbl2, from the choanoflagellate Monosiga brevicollis. The enzyme possesses SH3, SH2, and kinase domains in a similar arrangement to its mammalian counterparts, and is an active tyrosine kinase. MbAbl2 lacks the N-terminal myristoylation and cap sequences that are critical regulators of mammalian Abl kinase activity, and we show that MbAbl2 is constitutively active. When expressed in mammalian cells, MbAbl2 strongly phosphorylates cellular proteins on tyrosine, and transforms cells much more potently than mammalian Abl kinase. Thus, MbAbl2 appears to lack the autoinhibitory mechanism that tightly constrains the activity of mammalian Abl kinases, suggesting that this regulatory apparatus arose more recently in metazoan evolution.

  15. Prognostic Utility of Cell Cycle Progression Score in Men With Prostate Cancer After Primary External Beam Radiation Therapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Freedland, Stephen J., E-mail: steve.freedland@duke.edu [Department of Surgery, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina (United States); Department of Surgery (Urology), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina (United States); Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina (United States); Gerber, Leah [Department of Surgery, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina (United States); Department of Surgery (Urology), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina (United States); Department of Pathology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina (United States); Reid, Julia; Welbourn, William; Tikishvili, Eliso; Park, Jimmy; Younus, Adib; Gutin, Alexander; Sangale, Zaina; Lanchbury, Jerry S. [Myriad Genetics, Inc, Salt Lake City, Utah (United States); Salama, Joseph K. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina (United States); Department of Radiation Oncology, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina (United States); Stone, Steven [Myriad Genetics, Inc, Salt Lake City, Utah (United States)

    2013-08-01

    Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic utility of the cell cycle progression (CCP) score, a RNA signature based on the average expression level of 31 CCP genes, for predicting biochemical recurrence (BCR) in men with prostate cancer treated with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) as their primary curative therapy. Methods and Materials: The CCP score was derived retrospectively from diagnostic biopsy specimens of men diagnosed with prostate cancer from 1991 to 2006 (n=141). All patients were treated with definitive EBRT; approximately half of the cohort was African American. Outcome was time from EBRT to BCR using the Phoenix definition. Median follow-up for patients without BCR was 4.8 years. Association with outcome was evaluated by Cox proportional hazards survival analysis and likelihood ratio tests. Results: Of 141 patients, 19 (13%) had BCR. The median CCP score for patient samples was 0.12. In univariable analysis, CCP score significantly predicted BCR (P=.0017). The hazard ratio for BCR was 2.55 for 1-unit increase in CCP score (equivalent to a doubling of gene expression). In a multivariable analysis that included Gleason score, prostate-specific antigen, percent positive cores, and androgen deprivation therapy, the hazard ratio for CCP changed only marginally and remained significant (P=.034), indicating that CCP provides prognostic information that is not provided by standard clinical parameters. With 10-year censoring, the CCP score was associated with prostate cancer-specific mortality (P=.013). There was no evidence for interaction between CCP and any clinical variable, including ethnicity. Conclusions: Among men treated with EBRT, the CCP score significantly predicted outcome and provided greater prognostic information than was available with clinical parameters. If validated in a larger cohort, CCP score could identify high-risk men undergoing EBRT who may need more aggressive therapy.

  16. Prognostic Utility of Cell Cycle Progression Score in Men With Prostate Cancer After Primary External Beam Radiation Therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Freedland, Stephen J.; Gerber, Leah; Reid, Julia; Welbourn, William; Tikishvili, Eliso; Park, Jimmy; Younus, Adib; Gutin, Alexander; Sangale, Zaina; Lanchbury, Jerry S.; Salama, Joseph K.; Stone, Steven

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: To evaluate the prognostic utility of the cell cycle progression (CCP) score, a RNA signature based on the average expression level of 31 CCP genes, for predicting biochemical recurrence (BCR) in men with prostate cancer treated with external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) as their primary curative therapy. Methods and Materials: The CCP score was derived retrospectively from diagnostic biopsy specimens of men diagnosed with prostate cancer from 1991 to 2006 (n=141). All patients were treated with definitive EBRT; approximately half of the cohort was African American. Outcome was time from EBRT to BCR using the Phoenix definition. Median follow-up for patients without BCR was 4.8 years. Association with outcome was evaluated by Cox proportional hazards survival analysis and likelihood ratio tests. Results: Of 141 patients, 19 (13%) had BCR. The median CCP score for patient samples was 0.12. In univariable analysis, CCP score significantly predicted BCR (P=.0017). The hazard ratio for BCR was 2.55 for 1-unit increase in CCP score (equivalent to a doubling of gene expression). In a multivariable analysis that included Gleason score, prostate-specific antigen, percent positive cores, and androgen deprivation therapy, the hazard ratio for CCP changed only marginally and remained significant (P=.034), indicating that CCP provides prognostic information that is not provided by standard clinical parameters. With 10-year censoring, the CCP score was associated with prostate cancer-specific mortality (P=.013). There was no evidence for interaction between CCP and any clinical variable, including ethnicity. Conclusions: Among men treated with EBRT, the CCP score significantly predicted outcome and provided greater prognostic information than was available with clinical parameters. If validated in a larger cohort, CCP score could identify high-risk men undergoing EBRT who may need more aggressive therapy

  17. Targeting the BCR signalosome in B cell malignancies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    de Rooij, M.F.M.

    2017-01-01

    Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), and Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM) are B-cell malignancies which are still incurable. In these lymphomas, the cells proliferate in specialized niches in lymph nodes and bone marrow, in which they are provided by stromal-derived

  18. Optimisation of beryllium-7 gamma analysis following BCR sequential extraction

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Taylor, A. [Plymouth University, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, 8 Kirkby Place, Plymouth PL4 8AA (United Kingdom); Blake, W.H., E-mail: wblake@plymouth.ac.uk [Plymouth University, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, 8 Kirkby Place, Plymouth PL4 8AA (United Kingdom); Keith-Roach, M.J. [Plymouth University, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, 8 Kirkby Place, Plymouth PL4 8AA (United Kingdom); Kemakta Konsult, Stockholm (Sweden)

    2012-03-30

    Graphical abstract: Showing decrease in analytical uncertainty using the optimal (combined preconcentrated sample extract) method. nv (no value) where extract activities were BCR three-step scheme have been evaluated and compared with a focus on reducing analytical uncertainties. The optimal method involved carrying out the BCR extraction in triplicate, sub-sampling each set of triplicates for stable Be analysis before combining each set and coprecipitating the {sup 7}Be with metal oxyhydroxides to produce a thin source for gamma analysis. This method was applied to BCR extractions of natural {sup 7}Be in four agricultural soils. The approach gave good counting statistics from a 24 h analysis period ({approx}10% (2

  19. Eye on the B-ALL: B-cell receptor repertoires reveal persistence of numerous B-lymphoblastic leukemia subclones from diagnosis to relapse

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bashford-Rogers, R J M; Nicolaou, K A; Bartram, J; Goulden, N J; Loizou, L; Koumas, L; Chi, J; Hubank, M; Kellam, P; Costeas, P A; Vassiliou, G S

    2016-01-01

    The strongest predictor of relapse in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is the level of persistence of tumor cells after initial therapy. The high mutation rate of the B-cell receptor (BCR) locus allows high-resolution tracking of the architecture, evolution and clonal dynamics of B-ALL. Using longitudinal BCR repertoire sequencing, we find that the BCR undergoes an unexpectedly high level of clonal diversification in B-ALL cells through both somatic hypermutation and secondary rearrangements, which can be used for tracking the subclonal composition of the disease and detect minimal residual disease with unprecedented sensitivity. We go on to investigate clonal dynamics of B-ALL using BCR phylogenetic analyses of paired diagnosis-relapse samples and find that large numbers of small leukemic subclones present at diagnosis re-emerge at relapse alongside a dominant clone. Our findings suggest that in all informative relapsed patients, the survival of large numbers of clonogenic cells beyond initial chemotherapy is a surrogate for inherent partial chemoresistance or inadequate therapy, providing an increased opportunity for subsequent emergence of fully resistant clones. These results frame early cytoreduction as an important determinant of long-term outcome. PMID:27211266

  20. Egress of CD19+CD5+ cells into peripheral blood following treatment with the Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib in mantle cell lymphoma patients

    Science.gov (United States)

    Francesco, Michelle; De Rooij, Martin F. M.; Magadala, Padmaja; Steggerda, Susanne M.; Huang, Min Mei; Kuil, Annemieke; Herman, Sarah E. M.; Chang, Stella; Pals, Steven T.; Wilson, Wyndham; Wiestner, Adrian; Spaargaren, Marcel; Buggy, Joseph J.; Elias, Laurence

    2013-01-01

    Ibrutinib (PCI-32765) is a highly potent oral Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor in clinical development for treating B-cell lymphoproliferative diseases. Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) often show marked, transient increases of circulating CLL cells following ibrutinib treatments, as seen with other inhibitors of the B-cell receptor (BCR) pathway. In a phase 1 study of ibrutinib, we noted similar effects in patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Here, we characterize the patterns and phenotypes of cells mobilized among patients with MCL and further investigate the mechanism of this effect. Peripheral blood CD19+CD5+ cells from MCL patients were found to have significant reduction in the expression of CXCR4, CD38, and Ki67 after 7 days of treatment. In addition, plasma chemokines such as CCL22, CCL4, and CXCL13 were reduced 40% to 60% after treatment. Mechanistically, ibrutinib inhibited BCR- and chemokine-mediated adhesion and chemotaxis of MCL cell lines and dose-dependently inhibited BCR, stromal cell, and CXCL12/CXCL13 stimulations of pBTK, pPLCγ2, pERK, or pAKT. Importantly, ibrutinib inhibited migration of MCL cells beneath stromal cells in coculture. We propose that BTK is essential for the homing of MCL cells into lymphoid tissues, and its inhibition results in an egress of malignant cells into peripheral blood. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00114738. PMID:23940282

  1. Egress of CD19(+)CD5(+) cells into peripheral blood following treatment with the Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor ibrutinib in mantle cell lymphoma patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Betty Y; Francesco, Michelle; De Rooij, Martin F M; Magadala, Padmaja; Steggerda, Susanne M; Huang, Min Mei; Kuil, Annemieke; Herman, Sarah E M; Chang, Stella; Pals, Steven T; Wilson, Wyndham; Wiestner, Adrian; Spaargaren, Marcel; Buggy, Joseph J; Elias, Laurence

    2013-10-03

    Ibrutinib (PCI-32765) is a highly potent oral Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor in clinical development for treating B-cell lymphoproliferative diseases. Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) often show marked, transient increases of circulating CLL cells following ibrutinib treatments, as seen with other inhibitors of the B-cell receptor (BCR) pathway. In a phase 1 study of ibrutinib, we noted similar effects in patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Here, we characterize the patterns and phenotypes of cells mobilized among patients with MCL and further investigate the mechanism of this effect. Peripheral blood CD19(+)CD5(+) cells from MCL patients were found to have significant reduction in the expression of CXCR4, CD38, and Ki67 after 7 days of treatment. In addition, plasma chemokines such as CCL22, CCL4, and CXCL13 were reduced 40% to 60% after treatment. Mechanistically, ibrutinib inhibited BCR- and chemokine-mediated adhesion and chemotaxis of MCL cell lines and dose-dependently inhibited BCR, stromal cell, and CXCL12/CXCL13 stimulations of pBTK, pPLCγ2, pERK, or pAKT. Importantly, ibrutinib inhibited migration of MCL cells beneath stromal cells in coculture. We propose that BTK is essential for the homing of MCL cells into lymphoid tissues, and its inhibition results in an egress of malignant cells into peripheral blood. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00114738.

  2. SL-401 and SL-501, Targeted Therapeutics Directed at the Interleukin-3 Receptor, Inhibit the Growth of Leukaemic Cells and Stem Cells in Advanced Phase Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frolova, Olga; Benito, Juliana; Brooks, Chris; Wang, Rui-Yu; Korchin, Borys; Rowinsky, Eric K.; Cortes, Jorge; Kantarjian, Hagop; Andreeff, Michael; Frankel, Arthur E.; Konopleva, Marina

    2014-01-01

    SUMMARY While imatinib and other tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are highly efficacious in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), some patients become refractory to these therapies. After confirming that interleukin-3 receptor (IL3R, CD123) is highly expressed on CD34+/CD38− BCR-ABL1+ CML stem cells, we investigated whether targeting IL3R with diphtheria toxin (DT)-IL3 fusion proteins SL-401 (DT388-IL3) and SL-501 (DT388-IL3[K116W]) could eradicate these stem cells. SL-401 and SL-501 inhibited cell growth and induced apoptosis in the KBM5 cell line and its TKI-resistant KBM5-STI subline. Combinations of imatinib with these agents increased apoptosis in KBM5 and in primary CML cells. In six primary CML samples, including CML cells harbouring the ABL1 T315I mutation, SL-401 and SL-501 decreased the absolute numbers of viable CD34+/CD38−/CD123+ CML progenitor cells by inducing apoptosis. IL3-targeting agents reduced clonogenic growth and diminished the fraction of primitive long-term culture-initiating cells in samples from patients with advanced phase CML that were resistant to TKIs or harboured an ABL1 mutation. Survival was also extended in a mouse model of primary TKI-resistant CML blast crisis. These data suggest that the DT-IL3 fusion proteins, SL-401 and SL-501, deplete CML stem cells and may increase the effectiveness of current CML treatment, which principally targets tumour bulk. PMID:24942980

  3. Correlation of chromosome patterns in human leukemic cells with exposure to chemicals and/or radiation: Comprehensive progress report, January 1986--June 1988

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rowley, J.D.

    1988-06-01

    I purchased one of the few available prototypes of the pulse field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) apparatus. We used PFGE and its various modifications to map the human Abelson protooncogene (ABL) and to show that the two alternative first exons (Ia and Ib) are separated by at least 200 kilobases (kb). This has provided the first evidence that alternative splicing from exon Ib to the common splice acceptor site (exon II) could occur over such very large distances. We are actively using vertical field gel electrophoresis, a modification of PFGE, for mapping various DNA probes on chromosome 5. Another major advance has been the development of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We are currently using this to define the breakpoints in the BCR gene in the 9; 22 translocation in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and in Ph 1 -positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). I had expected to be able to describe major progress in cloning the chromosome translocation breakpoints in ANLL, and this has not occurred. Our laboratory knows how to solve the problem. We successfully cloned a new translocation breakpoint in B cell chronic lymphatic leukemia involving Nos. 14 and 19. 22 refs., 2 figs., 5 tabs

  4. Multivalent Soluble Antigen Arrays Exhibit High Avidity Binding and Modulation of B Cell Receptor-Mediated Signaling to Drive Efficacy against Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hartwell, Brittany L; Pickens, Chad J; Leon, Martin; Berkland, Cory

    2017-06-12

    A pressing need exists for antigen-specific immunotherapies (ASIT) that induce selective tolerance in autoimmune disease while avoiding deleterious global immunosuppression. Multivalent soluble antigen arrays (SAgA PLP:LABL ), consisting of a hyaluronic acid (HA) linear polymer backbone cografted with multiple copies of autoantigen (PLP) and cell adhesion inhibitor (LABL) peptides, are designed to induce tolerance to a specific multiple sclerosis (MS) autoantigen. Previous studies established that hydrolyzable SAgA PLP:LABL , employing a degradable linker to codeliver PLP and LABL, was therapeutic in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in vivo and exhibited antigen-specific binding with B cells, targeted the B cell receptor (BCR), and dampened BCR-mediated signaling in vitro. Our results pointed to sustained BCR engagement as the SAgA PLP:LABL therapeutic mechanism, so we developed a new version of the SAgA molecule using nonhydrolyzable conjugation chemistry, hypothesizing it would enhance and maintain the molecule's action at the cell surface to improve efficacy. "Click SAgA" (cSAgA PLP:LABL ) uses hydrolytically stable covalent conjugation chemistry (Copper-catalyzed Azide-Alkyne Cycloaddition (CuAAC)) rather than a hydrolyzable oxime bond to attach PLP and LABL to HA. We explored cSAgA PLP:LABL B cell engagement and modulation of BCR-mediated signaling in vitro through flow cytometry binding and calcium flux signaling assays. Indeed, cSAgA PLP:LABL exhibited higher avidity B cell binding and greater dampening of BCR-mediated signaling than hydrolyzable SAgA PLP:LABL . Furthermore, cSAgA PLP:LABL exhibited significantly enhanced in vivo efficacy compared to hydrolyzable SAgA PLP:LABL , achieving equivalent efficacy at one-quarter of the dose. These results indicate that nonhydrolyzable conjugation increased the avidity of cSAgA PLP:LABL to drive in vivo efficacy through modulated BCR-mediated signaling.

  5. Individual blastomeres of 16- and 32-cell mouse embryos are able to develop into foetuses and mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tarkowski, Andrzej K; Suwińska, Aneta; Czołowska, Renata; Ożdżeński, Wacław

    2010-12-15

    Cell and developmental studies have clarified how, by the time of implantation, the mouse embryo forms three primary cell lineages: epiblast (EPI), primitive endoderm (PE), and trophectoderm (TE). However, it still remains unknown when cells allocated to these three lineages become determined in their developmental fate. To address this question, we studied the developmental potential of single blastomeres derived from 16- and 32-cell stage embryos and supported by carrier, tetraploid blastomeres. We were able to generate singletons, identical twins, triplets, and quadruplets from individual inner and outer cells of 16-cell embryos and, sporadically, foetuses from single cells of 32-cell embryos. The use of embryos constitutively expressing GFP as the donors of single diploid blastomeres enabled us to identify their cell progeny in the constructed 2n↔4n blastocysts. We showed that the descendants of donor blastomeres were able to locate themselves in all three first cell lineages, i.e., epiblast, primitive endoderm, and trophectoderm. In addition, the application of Cdx2 and Gata4 markers for trophectoderm and primitive endoderm, respectively, showed that the expression of these two genes in the descendants of donor blastomeres was either down- or up-regulated, depending on the cell lineage they happened to occupy. Thus, our results demonstrate that up to the early blastocysts stage, the destiny of at least some blastomeres, although they have begun to express markers of different lineage, is still labile. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Otimização das condições de pré-redução do As(V em extratos do método BCR para quantificação de arsênio por HG-AAS Optimization of pre-reduction conditions of as(V in BCR extracts to quantify arsenic by HG-AAS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eduardo Vinícius Vieira Varejão

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available A determinação de As por espectrometria de absorção atômica com geração de hidretos (HG-AAS constitui um método simples, sensível, preciso e de baixo custo. Entretanto, essa técnica requer a pré-redução das espécies de As(V, o que se obtém através do uso de agentes redutores como o KI. Em extratos contendo agentes oxidantes, a pré-redução do As é comprometida, como acontece em extratos obtidos pela aplicação do método BCR (acrônimo francês para Community Bureau of Reference para a extração sequencial de As em sedimentos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar as condições de redução do As(V a As(III, de modo a permitir o uso da HG-AAS para a quantificação do arsênio em extratos obtidos a partir do método BCR. Foram avaliadas condições reacionais utilizando KI, L-cisteína e ácido ascórbico. Para cada uma das etapas de extração do método BCR, diferentes condições de pré-redução possibilitaram a detecção quantitativa do As presente. O uso do método BCR para a extração de arsênio em amostras de sedimentos contaminadas e a aplicação das condições de pré-redução do As(V selecionadas, seguida pela detecção por HG-AAS, forneceram percentagens de recuperação entre 91 e 99 %.The determination of As by hydride generation atomic absorption spectroscopy (HG-AAS is a simple, sensitive, precise and low-cost method. However, this technique requires the pre-reduction of the existing As(V species, which is obtained by the use of reducing agents such as KI. In extracts containing oxidizing agents, the pre-reduction of As is impaired, as it occurs in extracts obtained by the BCR (French acronym for Community Bureau of Reference method for the sequential extraction of As in sediments. The objective of this study was to evaluate the conditions for the reduction of As(V to As(III in a way that allows the use of HG-AAS for the quantification of arsenic in extracts obtained using the BCR method. Reaction

  7. Oncogenic Kinase Bcr-Abl and Its Resistance to Pharmacological Inhibitors

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Kryštof, Vladimír

    2008-01-01

    Roč. 102, č. 9 (2008), s. 795-800 E-ISSN 1213-7103 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50380511 Keywords : imatinib * inhibitor * chronic myeloid leukaemia * kinase * cancer Subject RIV: CE - Biochemistry www.chemicke-listy.cz/docs/full/2008_09_795-800.pdf

  8. Evaluation of cooperative antileukemic effects of nilotinib and vildagliptin in Ph+ chronic myeloid leukemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willmann, Michael; Sadovnik, Irina; Eisenwort, Gregor; Entner, Martin; Bernthaler, Tina; Stefanzl, Gabriele; Hadzijusufovic, Emir; Berger, Daniela; Herrmann, Harald; Hoermann, Gregor; Valent, Peter; Rülicke, Thomas

    2018-01-01

    Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a stem cell (SC) neoplasm characterized by the BCR/ABL1 oncogene. Although the disease can be kept under control using BCR/ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) in most cases, some patients relapse or have resistant disease, so there is a need to identify new therapeutic targets in this malignancy. Recent data suggest that leukemic SCs (LSCs) in CML display the stem-cell (SC)-mobilizing cell surface enzyme dipeptidyl-peptidase IV (DPPIV = CD26) in an aberrant manner. In the present study, we analyzed the effects of the DPPIV blocker vildagliptin as single agent or in combination with the BCR/ABL1 TKI imatinib or nilotinib on growth and survival of CML LSCs in vitro and on LSC engraftment in an in vivo xenotransplantation nonobese diabetic SCID-IL-2Rγ -/- (NSG) mouse model. We found that nilotinib induces apoptosis in CML LSCs and inhibits their engraftment in NSG mice. In contrast, no substantial effects were seen with imatinib or vildagliptin. Nevertheless, vildagliptin was found to reduce the "mobilization" of CML LSCs from a stroma cell layer consisting of mouse fibroblasts in an in vitro co-culture model, suggesting reduced disease expansion. However, although vildagliptin and nilotinib produced cooperative effects in individual experiments, overall, no significant effects of coadministered vildagliptin over nilotinib or imatinib treatment alone were seen on the engraftment of CML cells in NSG mice. Gliptins may be interesting drugs in the context of CML and nilotinib therapy, but our preclinical studies did not reveal a major cooperative effect of the drug-combination vildagliptin + nilotinib on engraftment of CML cells in NSG mice. Copyright © 2018 ISEH – Society for Hematology and Stem Cells. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Imaging- and Flow Cytometry-based Analysis of Cell Position and the Cell Cycle in 3D Melanoma Spheroids

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beaumont, Kimberley A.; Anfosso, Andrea; Ahmed, Farzana

    2015-01-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) tumor spheroids are utilized in cancer research as a more accurate model of the in vivo tumor microenvironment, compared to traditional two-dimensional (2D) cell culture. The spheroid model is able to mimic the effects of cell-cell interaction, hypoxia and nutrient deprivation, and drug penetration. One characteristic of this model is the development of a necrotic core, surrounded by a ring of G1 arrested cells, with proliferating cells on the outer layers of the spheroid. Of interest in the cancer field is how different regions of the spheroid respond to drug therapies as well as genetic or environmental manipulation. We describe here the use of the fluorescence ubiquitination cell cycle indicator (FUCCI) system along with cytometry and image analysis using commercial software to characterize the cell cycle status of cells with respect to their position inside melanoma spheroids. These methods may be used to track changes in cell cycle status, gene/protein expression or cell viability in different sub-regions of tumor spheroids over time and under different conditions. PMID:26779761

  10. JAK2V617F mutation in chronic myeloid leukemia predicts early disease progression

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pahore, Z.A.A.; Shamsi, T.S.; Taj, M.; Farzana, T.; Ansari, S.H.; Nadeem, M.; Ahmad, M.; Naz, A.

    2011-01-01

    Objective: To determine the association of JAK2V617F mutation along with BCR-ABL translocation or Philadelphia chromosome in chronic myeloid leukemia with early disease progression to advanced stages (accelerated phase or blast crisis) and poor outcome. Study Design: Case series. Place and Duration of Study: National Institute of Blood Diseases and Bone Marrow Transplantation, Karachi, from February 2008 to August 2009. Methodology: All the newly diagnosed cases of BCR-ABL or Philadelphia positive CML were tested for JAK2V617F mutation by Nested PCR. Demographic data, spleen size, hemoglobin levels, white blood cell and platelet counts were recorded. Independent sample t-test was used for age, haemoglobin level and spleen size. Fisher's exact test was applied to compare disease progression in JAK2V617F mutation positive and negative cases. Results: Out of 45 newly diagnosed cases of CML, 40 were in chronic phase, 01 in accelerated phase and 04 in blast crisis. JAK2V617F mutation was detected in 12 (26.7%) patients; 09 (22.5%) in chronic phase, none in accelerated phase and 03 (75%) in blast crisis. During a mean follow-up of 8 months, 03 patients in chronic phase transformed in blast crisis and 02 into accelerated phase. Overall 08 out of 11 (73%) JAK2V617F positive patients either had advanced disease or showed disease progression. Only 2 of 20 (10%) available patients, negative for the mutation, showed disease progression by transforming into blast crisis (p < 0.001). No statistically significant difference was seen in the age, spleen size, haemoglobin levels, white blood cells and platelets counts in JAK2V617F positive patients. Conclusion: JAK2V617F mutation was detected in 26.7% cases of chronic myeloid leukemia. A significant proportion of them showed early disease progression. (author)

  11. Intraclonal Cell Expansion and Selection Driven by B Cell Receptor in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colombo, Monica; Cutrona, Giovanna; Reverberi, Daniele; Fabris, Sonia; Neri, Antonino; Fabbi, Marina; Quintana, Giovanni; Quarta, Giovanni; Ghiotto, Fabio; Fais, Franco; Ferrarini, Manlio

    2011-01-01

    The mutational status of the immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable region (IGHV) genes utilized by chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) clones defines two disease subgroups. Patients with unmutated IGHV have a more aggressive disease and a worse outcome than patients with cells having somatic IGHV gene mutations. Moreover, up to 30% of the unmutated CLL clones exhibit very similar or identical B cell receptors (BcR), often encoded by the same IG genes. These “stereotyped” BcRs have been classified into defined subsets. The presence of an IGHV gene somatic mutation and the utilization of a skewed gene repertoire compared with normal B cells together with the expression of stereotyped receptors by unmutated CLL clones may indicate stimulation/selection by antigenic epitopes. This antigenic stimulation may occur prior to or during neoplastic transformation, but it is unknown whether this stimulation/selection continues after leukemogenesis has ceased. In this study, we focused on seven CLL cases with stereotyped BcR Subset #8 found among a cohort of 700 patients; in six, the cells expressed IgG and utilized IGHV4-39 and IGKV1-39/IGKV1D-39 genes, as reported for Subset #8 BcR. One case exhibited special features, including expression of IgM or IgG by different subclones consequent to an isotype switch, allelic inclusion at the IGH locus in the IgM-expressing cells and a particular pattern of cytogenetic lesions. Collectively, the data indicate a process of antigenic stimulation/selection of the fully transformed CLL cells leading to the expansion of the Subset #8 IgG-bearing subclone. PMID:21541442

  12. CD34-positive cells as stem cell support after high dose therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kvalheim, G.; Pharo, A.; Holte, H.

    1996-01-01

    Six patients, five with breast cancer and one with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, were mobilized by chemotherapy and G-CSF. CD34-positive cells were isolated by means of immunomagnetic beads and Isolex 300 Cell Separator. Mean purity of isolated CD34-positive cells was 97% and mean yield was 54%. Three patients were treated with high dose therapy followed by reinfusion of CD34-positive cells as stem cell support. Recovery of neutrophils occurred at day 8, 11 and 13 and of platelets at day 9, 14 and 32. It is concluded that immunomagnetic isolated CD34-positive cells give high purity and yield. Although use of CD34-positive cells reduces the content of contaminating tumours cells in the graft, breast cancer cells were still detectable in two out of five CD34-positive cell products. 20 refs., 2 figs., 1 tab

  13. Jumping Hurdles: Peptides Able To Overcome Biological Barriers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sánchez-Navarro, Macarena; Teixidó, Meritxell; Giralt, Ernest

    2017-08-15

    The cell membrane, the gastrointestinal tract, and the blood-brain barrier (BBB) are good examples of biological barriers that define and protect cells and organs. They impose different levels of restriction, but they also share common features. For instance, they all display a high lipophilic character. For this reason, hydrophilic compounds, like peptides, proteins, or nucleic acids have long been considered as unable to bypass them. However, the discovery of cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) opened a vast field of research. Nowadays, CPPs, homing peptides, and blood-brain barrier peptide shuttles (BBB-shuttles) are good examples of peptides able to target and to cross various biological barriers. CPPs are a group of peptides able to interact with the plasma membrane and enter the cell. They display some common characteristics like positively charged residues, mainly arginines, and amphipathicity. In this field, our group has been focused on the development of proline rich CPPs and in the analysis of the importance of secondary amphipathicity in the internalization process. Proline has a privileged structure being the only amino acid with a secondary amine and a cyclic side chain. These features constrain its structure and hamper the formation of H-bonds. Taking advantage of this privileged structure, three different families of proline-rich peptides have been developed, namely, a proline-rich dendrimer, the sweet arrow peptide (SAP), and a group of foldamers based on γ-peptides. The structure and the mechanism of internalization of all of them has been evaluated and analyzed. BBB-shuttles are peptides able to cross the BBB and to carry with them compounds that cannot reach the brain parenchyma unaided. These peptides take advantage of the natural transport mechanisms present at the BBB, which are divided in active and passive transport mechanisms. On the one hand, we have developed BBB-shuttles that cross the BBB by a passive transport mechanism, like

  14. APS, an adaptor molecule containing PH and SH2 domains, has a negative regulatory role in B cell proliferation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iseki, Masanori; Kubo-Akashi, Chiyomi; Kwon, Sang-Mo; Yamaguchi, Akiko; Takatsu, Kiyoshi; Takaki, Satoshi

    2005-01-01

    Adaptor molecule containing PH and SH2 domains (APS) is an intracellular adaptor protein that forms part of an adaptor family along with Lnk and SH2-B. APS transcripts are expressed in various tissues including brain, kidney, and muscle, as well as in splenic B cells but not in T cells. We investigated the functions of APS in B cell development and activation by generating APS-transgenic (APS-Tg) mice that overexpressed APS in lymphocytes. The number of B-1 cells in the peritoneal cavity was reduced in APS-Tg mice, as were B-2 cells in the spleen. B cell development in the bone marrow was partially impaired at the transition stage from proliferating large pre-B to small pre-B cells. B cell proliferation induced by B cell receptor (BCR) crosslinking but not by other B cell mitogens was also impaired in APS-Tg mice. APS co-localized with BCR complexes and filamentous actin in activated APS-Tg B cells. Thus, APS appears to play novel negative regulatory roles in BCR signaling, actin reorganization pathways, and control of compartment sizes of B-lineage cells

  15. Cytokeratin-positive folliculo-stellate cells in chicken adenohypophysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishimura, Shotaro; Yamashita, Miyu; Kaneko, Takane; Kawabata, Fuminori; Tabata, Shoji

    2017-11-01

    Folliculo-stellate (FS) cells are non-endocrine cells found in the adenohypophysis and are identified in many animals by the S100 protein marker. Although keratin is another FS marker in several animals, there is no information on localization of keratin in the avian adenohypophysis. In this study, localization of cytokeratin in chicken adenohypophyseal cells was investigated immunohistochemically. Basic cytokeratin (bCK)-positive cells were arranged radially in the cell cords with their cytoplasmic processes reaching the basal lamina. The cell bodies encircled a follicle in the center of the cell cord. Furthermore, the bCK-positive cells were also S100B-positive. Growth hormone, prolactin, adrenocorticotrophic hormone, and luteinizing hormone β-subunit did not co-localize with the bCK-positive cells. In addition, the bCK-positive cells had a laminin-positive area in their cytoplasm. Transmission electron microscopy observed agranular cells equipped with several microvilli that encircled a follicle. These results indicate that bCK-positive cells in the chicken adenohypophysis may be a predominant FS cell population and produce laminin. It is suggested that they function as sustentacular cells to sustain the adjacent endocrine cells and the structure of the cell cords in the chicken adenohypophysis. © 2017 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

  16. Functional Independence and Interdependence of the Src Homology Domains of Phospholipase C-γ1 in B-Cell Receptor Signal Transduction

    Science.gov (United States)

    DeBell, Karen E.; Stoica, Bogdan A.; Verí, Maria-Concetta; Di Baldassarre, Angela; Miscia, Sebastiano; Graham, Laurie J.; Rellahan, Barbara L.; Ishiai, Masamichi; Kurosaki, Tomohiro; Bonvini, Ezio

    1999-01-01

    B-cell receptor (BCR)-induced activation of phospholipase C-γ1 (PLCγ1) and PLCγ2 is crucial for B-cell function. While several signaling molecules have been implicated in PLCγ activation, the mechanism coupling PLCγ to the BCR remains undefined. The role of PLCγ1 SH2 and SH3 domains at different steps of BCR-induced PLCγ1 activation was examined by reconstitution in a PLCγ-negative B-cell line. PLCγ1 membrane translocation required a functional SH2 N-terminal [SH2(N)] domain, was decreased by mutation of the SH3 domain, but was unaffected by mutation of the SH2(C) domain. Tyrosine phosphorylation did not require the SH2(C) or SH3 domains but depended exclusively on a functional SH2(N) domain, which mediated the association of PLCγ1 with the adapter protein, BLNK. Forcing PLCγ1 to the membrane via a myristoylation signal did not bypass the SH2(N) domain requirement for phosphorylation, indicating that the phosphorylation mediated by this domain is not due to membrane anchoring alone. Mutation of the SH2(N) or the SH2(C) domain abrogated BCR-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis and signaling events, while mutation of the SH3 domain partially decreased signaling. PLCγ1 SH domains, therefore, have interrelated but distinct roles in BCR-induced PLCγ1 activation. PMID:10523627

  17. Bosutinib in the management of chronic myelogenous leukemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keller-von Amsberg G

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Gunhild Keller-von Amsberg, Philippe SchafhausenDepartment of Hematology and Oncology and, Stem Cell Transplantation and Pulmonology Division, Oncological Center, University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, GermanyAbstract: Bosutinib (SKI-606 is an orally available, once-daily dual Src and Abl kinase inhibitor, approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of adults with chronic, accelerated, or blast-phase Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia who are intolerant of or resistant to first- or second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Bosutinib effectively overcomes the majority of imatinib-resistance-conferring BCR-ABL mutations except V299L and T315I. In the Bosutinib Efficacy and Safety in chronic myeloid LeukemiA (BELA trial, bosutinib attained a faster and deeper molecular response than imatinib in newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myelogenous leukemia patients. Treatment-emergent adverse events are usually very manageable. Low grade, mostly self-limiting diarrhea represents the most frequently observed toxicity of bosutinib. Anti-diarrheal drugs, antiemetic agents, and/or fluid replacement should be used to treat these patients. The improved hematological toxicity of bosutinib compared with other tyrosine kinase inhibitors has been ascribed to its minimal activity against platelet-derived growth factor receptor and KIT. In this review, we give an overview on the profile of bosutinib, the clinical potential and treatment-emergent adverse events.Keywords: CML, BCR-ABL, SRC/ABL kinase inhibitor, resistance-conferring mutation

  18. Effects of type I/type II interferons and transforming growth factor-beta on B-cell differentiation and proliferation. Definition of costimulation and cytokine requirements for immunoglobulin synthesis and expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Estes, D M; Tuo, W; Brown, W C; Goin, J

    1998-12-01

    In this report, we sought to determine the role of selected type I interferons [interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) and interferon-tau (IFN-tau)], IFN-gamma and transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) in the regulation of bovine antibody responses. B cells were stimulated via CD40 in the presence or absence of B-cell receptor (BCR) cross-linking. IFN-alpha enhanced IgM, IgG2 and IgA responses but did not enhance IgG1 responses. BCR signalling alone was more effective at inducing IgG2 responses with IFN-alpha than dual cross-linking with CD40. Recombinant ovine IFN-tau was less effective at inducing IgG2 responses when compared with IFN-alpha, though IgA responses were similar in magnitude following BCR cross-linking. At higher concentrations, IFN-tau enhanced IgA responses greater than twofold over the levels observed with IFN-alpha. Previous studies have shown that addition of IFN-gamma to BCR or pokeweed mitogen-activated bovine B cells stimulates IgG2 production. However, following CD40 stimulation alone, IFN-gamma was relatively ineffective at stimulating high-rate synthesis of any non-IgM isotype. Dual cross-linking via CD40 and the BCR resulted in decreased synthesis of IgM with a concomitant increase in IgA and similar levels of IgG2 production to those obtained via the BCR alone. We also assessed the effects of endogenous and exogenous TGF-beta on immunoglobulin synthesis by bovine B cells. Exogenous TGF-beta stimulates both IgG2 and IgA production following CD40 and BCR cross-linking in the presence of IL-2. Blocking endogenous TGF-beta did not inhibit the up-regulation of IgG2 or IgA by interferons.

  19. Neural network control of focal position during time-lapse microscopy of cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Ling; Roberts, Elijah

    2018-05-09

    Live-cell microscopy is quickly becoming an indispensable technique for studying the dynamics of cellular processes. Maintaining the specimen in focus during image acquisition is crucial for high-throughput applications, especially for long experiments or when a large sample is being continuously scanned. Automated focus control methods are often expensive, imperfect, or ill-adapted to a specific application and are a bottleneck for widespread adoption of high-throughput, live-cell imaging. Here, we demonstrate a neural network approach for automatically maintaining focus during bright-field microscopy. Z-stacks of yeast cells growing in a microfluidic device were collected and used to train a convolutional neural network to classify images according to their z-position. We studied the effect on prediction accuracy of the various hyperparameters of the neural network, including downsampling, batch size, and z-bin resolution. The network was able to predict the z-position of an image with ±1 μm accuracy, outperforming human annotators. Finally, we used our neural network to control microscope focus in real-time during a 24 hour growth experiment. The method robustly maintained the correct focal position compensating for 40 μm of focal drift and was insensitive to changes in the field of view. About ~100 annotated z-stacks were required to train the network making our method quite practical for custom autofocus applications.

  20. Role of the B-cell receptor in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: where do we stand?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fais, Franco; Bruno, Silvia; Ghiotto, Fabio

    2010-01-01

    The past 15 years have witnessed an enormous effort in studying B-cell Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. A great number of researches brought significant novel information and a better understanding of the natural history of this disease. This mini review will focus on the studies related to the Immunoglobulin variable (IgV) genes rearrangements that compose the B-cell receptor (BcR) of the leukemic clones. These studies have defined a role for the antigen(s) in the paths that lead to leukemic clone generation/expansion and underscore the informative value represented by BcR analyses.

  1. Fractionation of metals in street sediment samples by using the BCR sequential extraction procedure and multivariate statistical elucidation of the data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kartal, Senol; Aydin, Zeki; Tokalioglu, Serife

    2006-01-01

    The concentrations of metals (Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, and Zn) in street sediment samples were determined by flame atomic absorption spectrometry (FAAS) using the modified BCR (the European Community Bureau of Reference) sequential extraction procedure. According to the BCR protocol for extracting the metals from the relevant target phases, 1.0 g of specimen of the sample was treated with 0.11 M acetic acid (exchangeable and bound to carbonates), 0.5 M hydroxylamine hydrochloride (bound to iron- and manganese-oxides), and 8.8 M hydrogen peroxide plus 1 M ammonium acetate (bound to sulphides and organics), sequentially. The residue was treated with aqua regia solution for recovery studies, although this step is not part of the BCR procedure. The mobility sequence based on the sum of the BCR sequential extraction stages was: Cd ∼ Zn (∼90%) > Pb (∼84%) > Cu (∼75%) > Mn (∼70%) > Co (∼57%) > Ni (∼43%) > Cr (∼40%) > Fe (∼17%). Enrichment factors as the criteria for examining the impact of the anthropogenic emission sources of heavy metals were calculated, and it was observed that the highest enriched elements were Cd, Pb, and Zn in the dust samples, average 190, 111, and 20, respectively. Correlation analysis (CA) and principal component analysis (PCA) were applied to the data matrix to evaluate the analytical results and to identify the possible pollution sources of metals. PCA revealed that the sampling area was mainly influenced from three pollution sources, namely; traffic, industrial, and natural sources. The results show that chemical sequential extraction is a precious operational tool. Validation of the analytical results was checked by both recovery studies and analysis of the standard reference material (NIST SRM 2711 Montana Soil)

  2. Functional and clinical relevance of VLA-4 (CD49d/CD29) in ibrutinib-treated chronic lymphocytic leukemia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tissino, Erika; Benedetti, Dania; Herman, Sarah E.M.; ten Hacken, Elisa; Rossi, Francesca Maria; Dal Bo, Michele; Bulian, Pietro; Bomben, Riccardo; Bayer, Elisabeth; Härzschel, Andrea; Gutjahr, Julia Christine; Postorino, Massimiliano; Santinelli, Enrico; Zaja, Francesco; Pozzato, Gabriele; Chigaev, Alexandre; Sklar, Larry A.; Burger, Jan A.; Ferrajoli, Alessandra; Shanafelt, Tait D.; Wiestner, Adrian; Del Poeta, Giovanni; Hartmann, Tanja Nicole

    2018-01-01

    The Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor ibrutinib, which antagonizes B cell receptor (BCR) signals, demonstrates remarkable clinical activity in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). The lymphocytosis experienced by most patients under ibrutinib has previously been attributed to inhibition of BTK-dependent integrin and chemokine cues operating to retain the tumor cells in nodal compartments. Here, we show that the VLA-4 integrin, as expressed by CD49d-positive CLL, can be inside-out activated upon BCR triggering, thus reinforcing the adhesive capacities of CLL cells. In vitro and in vivo ibrutinib treatment, although reducing the constitutive VLA-4 activation and cell adhesion, can be overcome by exogenous BCR triggering in a BTK-independent manner involving PI3K. Clinically, in three independent ibrutinib-treated CLL cohorts, CD49d expression identifies cases with reduced lymphocytosis and inferior nodal response and behaves as independent predictor of shorter progression-free survival, suggesting the retention of CD49d-expressing CLL cells in tissue sites via activated VLA-4. Evaluation of CD49d expression should be incorporated in the characterization of CLL undergoing therapy with BCR inhibitors. PMID:29301866

  3. Clinical roundtable monograph: Emerging treatment options for TKI-resistant chronic myelogenous leukemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cortes, Jorge; Radich, Jerald; Mauro, Michael J

    2012-10-01

    The development of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that inhibit signaling of the constitutive BCR-ABL protein revolutionized the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). These agents have dramatically changed the treatment landscape for CML, shifting the use of allogeneic stem cell transplantation to selected patients in the salvage setting. Four BCR-ABL TKIs are now commercially available for the treatment of CML: the first-generation TKI imatinib, and the second-generation TKIs dasatinib, nilotinib, and bosutinib. Continuous treatment with these agents induces durable responses in a high proportion of patients with chronic-phase CML. Research is focused on identifying which patients can discontinue therapy without a recurrence of disease. For the group of patients with resistance to TKIs, multiple alternative therapies are being evaluated. The third-generation TKI ponatinib is a BCR-ABL inhibitor that has demonstrated significant activity, including in patients with the TKI resistance mutation T315I. The homoharringtonine derivative omacetaxine mepesuccinate, which inhibits protein synthesis, has also demonstrated clinical activity in CML, including in patients with TKI resistance due to T315I and in patients who have TKI resistance despite no evidence of ABL mutations. It is essential that clinicians implement these new agents with care and change therapies only when appropriate in order to preserve as many options as possible for future use if needed.

  4. A role for adult TLX-positive neural stem cells in learning and behaviour.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Chun-Li; Zou, Yuhua; He, Weimin; Gage, Fred H; Evans, Ronald M

    2008-02-21

    Neurogenesis persists in the adult brain and can be regulated by a plethora of external stimuli, such as learning, memory, exercise, environment and stress. Although newly generated neurons are able to migrate and preferentially incorporate into the neural network, how these cells are molecularly regulated and whether they are required for any normal brain function are unresolved questions. The adult neural stem cell pool is composed of orphan nuclear receptor TLX-positive cells. Here, using genetic approaches in mice, we demonstrate that TLX (also called NR2E1) regulates adult neural stem cell proliferation in a cell-autonomous manner by controlling a defined genetic network implicated in cell proliferation and growth. Consequently, specific removal of TLX from the adult mouse brain through inducible recombination results in a significant reduction of stem cell proliferation and a marked decrement in spatial learning. In contrast, the resulting suppression of adult neurogenesis does not affect contextual fear conditioning, locomotion or diurnal rhythmic activities, indicating a more selective contribution of newly generated neurons to specific cognitive functions.

  5. Hurdles overcome in technology transfer for AIET and Positive outcome in Indian patients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dedeepiya V

    2012-01-01

    perigastric peritoneal deposits with a marked decrease in the size of the inguinal lymph nodes from and no recurrence in the pelvic region. There was also improvement in appetite and quality of life of the patient. There were no adverse reactions following the AIET infusions. [8] The latest follow-up in May 2012 revealed static non progressive disease with all the parameters including tumor markers within normal range. Case 2: A 15 year old girl presented with complaints of diffuse bone pain for 3 months, intermittent fever for 1 month and increasing pallor in October 2004. On examination, she was found to have pallor with hepatosplenomegaly. A low haemoglobin level (9.3 mg/dl, low platelets (21000 and a WBC count of 13600 with 83% lymphoblasts was revealed in her blood picture. Bone marrow examination and flow cytometry were suggestive of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia – CD 10+ CD 19+. Cytogenetics revealed Philadelphia chromosome and BCR-ABL positivity. Qualitative BCR-ABL was done serially to assess disease status. She was started on chemotherapy as per UK MRC protocol – Regimen B along with Imatinib Mesylate (in view of her BCR-ABL positivity and prophylactic cranial radiotherapy of 12 Gy at the end of delayed intensification. She had persistent disease with low positive BCR-ABL at 0.04% at the end of delayed intensification. As there were no matched HLA donors as she had high risk disease she was suggested for AIET using autologous natural killer (NK cells (CD3-CD56+ in January 2007. 562 x 106 in vitro expanded NK cells were infused to the patient intravenously and four weeks later, the BCR-ABL in the PB turned negative. She completed her treatment in October 2007. She has been on regular follow up for the last five years and she continues to be in remission. Case 3: A female patient aged 64 years with advanced serous papillary Adenocarcinoma of both ovaries with liver metastasis underwent omentectomy and resection of the liver nodule in the month of January 2011 and

  6. BCR: a service to quality assurance in analytical chemistry - some experiences and achievements with regard to reference material preparation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Griepink, B. (Commission of the European Communities, Measurements and Testing Programme (BCR), Brussels (Belgium)); Quevauviller, P. (Commission of the European Communities, Measurements and Testing Programme (BCR), Brussels (Belgium)); Maier, E.A. (Commission of the European Communities, Measurements and Testing Programme (BCR), Brussels (Belgium)); Vandendriessche, S. (Commission of the European Communities, Measurements and Testing Programme (BCR), Brussels (Belgium))

    Despite all efforts to improve the quality of results of measurements, intercomparisons demonstrate a considerable discrepancy. This fact was also shown by many of the round robins organised by the BCR (Commission of the European Communities) on inorganic, speciation, and organic determinations in various environmental matrices. It is clear that further efforts have to be made to improve the state of the art of a wide variety of analyses. This means that the demand for certified reference materials (CRMs) is and will be in constant increase. RMs are required for the validation of methods, for proficiency testing or for training purposes. The production of RMs and CRMs resembling the composition of real matrices poses difficult problems for some compounds and is a challenge for the producers. This paper presents some recent experiences and achievements of the BCR in special cases. (orig.)

  7. Radotinib Induces Apoptosis of CD11b+ Cells Differentiated from Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sook-Kyoung Heo

    Full Text Available Radotinib, developed as a BCR/ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI, is approved for the second-line treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML in South Korea. However, therapeutic effects of radotinib in acute myeloid leukemia (AML are unknown. In the present study, we demonstrate that radotinib significantly decreases the viability of AML cells in a dose-dependent manner. Kasumi-1 cells were more sensitive to radotinib than NB4, HL60, or THP-1 cell lines. Furthermore, radotinib induced CD11b expression in NB4, THP-1, and Kasumi-1 cells either in presence or absence of all trans-retinoic acid (ATRA. We found that radotinib promoted differentiation and induced CD11b expression in AML cells by downregulating LYN. However, CD11b expression induced by ATRA in HL60 cells was decreased by radotinib through upregulation of LYN. Furthermore, radotinib mainly induced apoptosis of CD11b+ cells in the total population of AML cells. Radotinib also increased apoptosis of CD11b+ HL60 cells when they were differentiated by ATRA/dasatinib treatment. We show that radotinib induced apoptosis via caspase-3 activation and the loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm in CD11b+ cells differentiated from AML cells. Our results suggest that radotinib may be used as a candidate drug in AML or a chemosensitizer for treatment of AML by other therapeutics.

  8. Synthesis and structure-activity relationship exploration of some potent anti-cancer phenyl amidrazone derivatives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Habashneh, Almeqdad Y; El-Abadelah, Mustafa M; Bardaweel, Sanaa K; Taha, Mutasem O

    2017-12-04

    Amidrazones have been reported to have significant anti-tumor properties against several cancer cell lines. The current project aims to profile the structure-anticancer activity relationship of phenyl-amidrazons. Fifteen phenyl-amidrazone-piperazine derivatives were prepared and tested against four cancer cell lines (leukemia, prostate, breast and colon cancers). Six compounds illustrated low micromolar anticancer IC50 values, while the remaining compounds were either inactive or of moderate potencies. All compounds were virtually nontoxic against normal fibroblast cells. Docking into the oncogenic kinase bcr/abl illustrated the critical importance of (i) p-halogen substituent on the ligand's phenyl ring and (ii) the presence of positive ionizable moiety at the ligand's piperazine fragment for anticancer activity. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  9. Serratia marcescens Is Able to Survive and Proliferate in Autophagic-Like Vacuoles inside Non-Phagocytic Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colombo, María Isabel; García Véscovi, Eleonora

    2011-01-01

    Serratia marcescens is an opportunistic human pathogen that represents a growing problem for public health, particularly in hospitalized or immunocompromised patients. However, little is known about factors and mechanisms that contribute to S. marcescens pathogenesis within its host. In this work, we explore the invasion process of this opportunistic pathogen to epithelial cells. We demonstrate that once internalized, Serratia is able not only to persist but also to multiply inside a large membrane-bound compartment. This structure displays autophagic-like features, acquiring LC3 and Rab7, markers described to be recruited throughout the progression of antibacterial autophagy. The majority of the autophagic-like vacuoles in which Serratia resides and proliferates are non-acidic and have no degradative properties, indicating that the bacteria are capable to either delay or prevent fusion with lysosomal compartments, altering the expected progression of autophagosome maturation. In addition, our results demonstrate that Serratia triggers a non-canonical autophagic process before internalization. These findings reveal that S. marcescens is able to manipulate the autophagic traffic, generating a suitable niche for survival and proliferation inside the host cell. PMID:21901159

  10. Characterization of a Merkel Cell Polyomavirus-Positive Merkel Cell Carcinoma Cell Line CVG-1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Velásquez, Celestino; Amako, Yutaka; Harold, Alexis; Toptan, Tuna; Chang, Yuan; Shuda, Masahiro

    2018-01-01

    Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV) plays a causal role in ∼80% of Merkel cell carcinomas (MCC). MCV is clonally integrated into the MCC tumor genome, which results in persistent expression of large T (LT) and small T (sT) antigen oncoproteins encoded by the early locus. In MCV-positive MCC tumors, LT is truncated by premature stop codons or deletions that lead to loss of the C-terminal origin binding (OBD) and helicase domains important for replication. The N-terminal Rb binding domain remains intact. MCV-positive cell lines derived from MCC explants have been valuable tools to study the molecular mechanism of MCV-induced Merkel cell carcinogenesis. Although all cell lines have integrated MCV and express truncated LT antigens, the molecular sizes of the LT proteins differ between cell lines. The copy number of integrated viral genome also varies across cell lines, leading to significantly different levels of viral protein expression. Nevertheless, these cell lines share phenotypic similarities in cell morphology, growth characteristics, and neuroendocrine marker expression. Several low-passage MCV-positive MCC cell lines have been established since the identification of MCV. We describe a new MCV-positive MCV cell line, CVG-1, with features distinct from previously reported cell lines. CVG-1 tumor cells grow in more discohesive clusters in loose round cell suspension, and individual cells show dramatic size heterogeneity. It is the first cell line to encode an MCV sT polymorphism resulting in a unique leucine (L) to proline (P) substitution mutation at amino acid 144. CVG-1 possesses a LT truncation pattern near identical to that of MKL-1 cells differing by the last two C-terminal amino acids and also shows an LT protein expression level similar to MKL-1. Viral T antigen knockdown reveals that, like other MCV-positive MCC cell lines, CVG-1 requires T antigen expression for cell proliferation.

  11. Imatinib use immediately before stem cell transplantation in children with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia: Results from Japanese Pediatric Leukemia/Lymphoma Study Group (JPLSG) Study Ph(+) ALL04.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manabe, Atsushi; Kawasaki, Hirohide; Shimada, Hiroyuki; Kato, Itaru; Kodama, Yuichi; Sato, Atsushi; Matsumoto, Kimikazu; Kato, Keisuke; Yabe, Hiromasa; Kudo, Kazuko; Kato, Motohiro; Saito, Tomohiro; Saito, Akiko M; Tsurusawa, Masahito; Horibe, Keizo

    2015-05-01

    Incorporation of imatinib into chemotherapeutic regimens has improved the prognosis of children with Philadelphia chromosome-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph(+) ALL). We investigated a role of imatinib immediately before hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Children with Ph(+) ALL were enrolled on JPLSG Ph(+) ALL 04 Study within 1 week of initiation of treatment for ALL. Treatment regimen consisted of Induction phase, Consolidation phase, Reinduction phase, 2 weeks of imatinib monotherapy phase, and HSCT phase (Etoposide+CY+TBI conditioning). Minimal residual disease (MRD), the amount of BCR-ABL transcripts, was measured with the real-time PCR method. The study was registered in UMIN-CTR: UMIN ID C000000290. Forty-two patients were registered and 36 patients (86%) achieved complete remission (CR). Eight of 17 patients (47%) who had detectable MRD at the beginning of imatinib monotherapy phase showed disappearance or decrease in MRD after imatinib treatment. Consequently, 26 patients received HSCT in the first CR and all the patients had engraftment and no patients died because of complications of HSCT. The 4-year event-free survival rates and overall survival rates among all the 42 patients were 54.1 ± 7.8% and 78.1 ± 6.5%, respectively. Four of six patients who did achieve CR and three of six who relapsed before HSCT were salvaged with imatinib-containing chemotherapy and subsequently treated with HSCT. The survival rate was excellent in this study although all patients received HSCT. A longer use of imatinib concurrently with chemotherapy should eliminate HSCT in a subset of patients with a rapid clearance of the disease. © 2015 The Authors. Cancer Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. Protein tyrosine kinases p53/56lyn and p72syk in MHC class I-mediated signal transduction in B lymphoma cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Anders Elm; Bregenholt, S; Skov, S

    1998-01-01

    syk are among the tyrosine-phosphorylated proteins. The kinetics of phosphorylation of these kinases after MHC-I crosslinking differ from the kinetics observed after crosslinking of the B cell antigen receptor (BCR). Additional experiments were performed with chicken lyn- and syk-negative DT40 B cells...... mobilization of intracellular free calcium compared with MHC-I crosslinking of wild-type DT40 cells. Thus, expression of BCR at the cell surface is likely to be important for the signal cascade initiated by MHC-I crosslinking. Our data suggest that signal transduction initiated through ligation of the MHC...

  13. Embryonic and foetal Islet-1 positive cells in human hearts are also positive to c-Kit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Serradifalco

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available During embryogenesis, the mammalian heart develops from a primitive heart tube originating from two bilateral primary heart fields located in the lateral plate mesoderm. Cells belongings to the pre-cardiac mesoderm will differentiate into early cardiac progenitors, which express early transcription factors which are also common to the Isl-1 positive cardiac progenitor cells isolated from the developing pharyngeal mesoderm and the foetal and post-natal mice hearts. A second population of cardiac progenitor cells positive to c-Kit has been abundantly isolated from adult hearts. Until now, these two populations have been considered two different sets of progenitor cells present in the heart in different stages of an individual life. In the present study we collected embryonic, foetal and infant hearts, and we tested the hypotheses that c-Kit positive cells, usually isolated from the adult heart, are also present in the intra-uterine life and persist in the adult heart after birth, and that foetal Isl-1 positive cells are also positive to c-Kit. Using immunohistochemistry we studied the temporal distribution of Isl-1 positive and c-Kit/CD105 double positive cells, and by immunofluorescence and confocal analysis we studied the co-localization of c-Kit and Isl-1 positive cells. The results indicated that cardiomyocytes and interstitial cells were positive for c-Kit from the 9th to the 19th gestational week, that cells positive for both c-Kit and CD105 appeared in the interstitium at the 17th gestational week and persisted in the postnatal age, and that the Isl-1 positive cells were a subset of the c-Kit positive population.

  14. B cell activation by outer membrane vesicles--a novel virulence mechanism.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Laura A Perez Vidakovics

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Secretion of outer membrane vesicles (OMV is an intriguing phenomenon of Gram-negative bacteria and has been suggested to play a role as virulence factors. The respiratory pathogens Moraxella catarrhalis reside in tonsils adjacent to B cells, and we have previously shown that M. catarrhalis induce a T cell independent B cell response by the immunoglobulin (Ig D-binding superantigen MID. Here we demonstrate that Moraxella are endocytosed and killed by human tonsillar B cells, whereas OMV have the potential to interact and activate B cells leading to bacterial rescue. The B cell response induced by OMV begins with IgD B cell receptor (BCR clustering and Ca(2+ mobilization followed by BCR internalization. In addition to IgD BCR, TLR9 and TLR2 were found to colocalize in lipid raft motifs after exposure to OMV. Two components of the OMV, i.e., MID and unmethylated CpG-DNA motifs, were found to be critical for B cell activation. OMV containing MID bound to and activated tonsillar CD19(+ IgD(+ lymphocytes resulting in IL-6 and IgM production in addition to increased surface marker density (HLA-DR, CD45, CD64, and CD86, whereas MID-deficient OMV failed to induce B cell activation. DNA associated with OMV induced full B cell activation by signaling through TLR9. Importantly, this concept was verified in vivo, as OMV equipped with MID and DNA were found in a 9-year old patient suffering from Moraxella sinusitis. In conclusion, Moraxella avoid direct interaction with host B cells by redirecting the adaptive humoral immune response using its superantigen-bearing OMV as decoys.

  15. Emerging Therapeutic Strategies for Targeting Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ahmad Hamad

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML is a clonal myeloproliferative disorder. Current targeted therapies designed to inhibit the tyrosine kinase activity of the BCR-ABL oncoprotein have made a significant breakthrough in the treatment of CML patients. However, CML remains a chronic disease that a patient must manage for life. Although tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI therapy has completely transformed the prognosis of CML, it has made the therapeutic management more complex. The interruption of TKI treatment results in early disease progression because it does not eliminate quiescent CML stem cells which remain a potential reservoir for disease relapse. This highlights the need to develop new therapeutic strategies for CML to achieve a permanent cure, and to allow TKI interruption. This review summarizes recent research done on alternative targeted therapies with a particular focus on some important signaling pathways (such as Alox5, Hedgehog, Wnt/b-catenin, autophagy, and PML that have the potential to target CML stem cells and potentially provide cure for CML.

  16. The BCR-ABLT315I mutation compromises survival in chronic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia patients resistant to tyrosine kinase inhibitors, in a matched pair analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nicolini, Franck E; Ibrahim, Amr R; Soverini, Simona

    2013-01-01

    The BCR-ABL T315I mutation confers resistance to currently licensed tyrosine kinase inhibitors in chronic myelogenous leukemia. However, the impact of this mutation on survival in early stages of disease, in chronic phase, has never been detailed. Using matched pair analysis, a cohort of 64...... patients with chronic phase chronic myelogenous leukemia harboring a T315I mutation and resistant to imatinib mesylate was compared to a similar cohort of 53 chronic phase patients resistant to imatinib, but with no detectable T315I mutation, in the pre-ponatinib era. These patients were matched according...... to age at diagnosis, interval between disease diagnosis and start of imatinib treatment, and duration of imatinib therapy. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses demonstrated the significant negative impact of the presence of the T315I mutation on overall survival (since imatinib-resistance: 48.4 months for T315...

  17. FOXP3 positive regulatory T-cells in cutaneous and systemic CD30 positive T-cell lymphoproliferations

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gjerdrum, Lise Mette; Woetmann, Anders; Ødum, Niels

    2008-01-01

    for FOXP3 expression in tumour cells and tumour infiltrating Tregs. Labelling of a majority of the neoplastic cells was seen in one case of C-ALCL. Another three cases (one LyP and two C-ALCL) displayed weak labelling of very occasional atypical T-cells. In the remaining 38 cases the atypical lymphoid...... infiltrate was FOXP3 negative. By contrast, all biopsies contained tumour infiltrating FOXP3-positive Tregs. Significant higher numbers were recorded in ALK negative S-ALCL and LyP than in C-ALCL and S-ALCL positive for ALK. In conclusion, it is shown that FOXP3 expression in cutaneous and systemic CD30...

  18. [Effect of Recombinant Adenovirus AdE-SH2-Caspase 8 on the Apoptosis of Imatinib-resistant K562/G01 Cell Line].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Lin; Fei, Chang; Huang, Zheng-Lan; Li, Hui; Liu, Zhang-Lin; Feng, Wen-Li

    2015-08-01

    To investigate the effect of SH2-Caspase 8 fusion protein expressed by recombinant adenovirus AdE-SH2-Caspase8-HA-GFP (SC) on the apoptosis of K562/G01 cell line, which is a BCR/ABL positive chronic myeloid leukemia cell line and resistant to imatinib. The K562/G01 cell line was infected with AdE-SH2-Caspase 8-HA-GFP adenovirus (SC), then the cells were divided into 3 groups: AdE-SH2m-Caspase 8-HA-GFP (SmC) group, AdE-GFP (CMV) group and PBS group as control. The infection efficiency was observed under fluorescent microscopy and by flow cytometry. The expression of fusion protein SH2-Caspase 8-HA was measured by Western blot. The morphology of the cells detected by Wright's staining. The apoptosis of the cells were detected by flow cytometry and DNA ladder. The expression of Caspase 3 and PARP were detected by Western blot. The infection efficiency of SC on K562/G01 cells was high which was confirmed by fluorescent microscopy and FCM. SH2-Caspase 8-HA fusion protein were expressed correctly in K562/G01 cells. After treatment with SC the apoptosis of K562/G01 cells could be observed by microscopy. The result of FCM showed that early apoptosis of K562/G01 cells increased significantly as compared with control groups (P SH2-Caspase 8 fusion protein can induces the apoptosis of K562/G01 cells.

  19. Identifying Neurofibromin Specific Regulatory Nodes for Therapeutic Targeting in NF1

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-10-01

    suggestions for reducing this burden to Department of Defense, Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports (0704...imatinib, an approved BCR-ABL inhibitor. Given the robustness of these results, we believe K562 is an ideal cancer cell line system to interrogate ...fusion gene partner NOL4L greatly increased viability in the NF1 knockout cells, suggesting that these genes normally suppress growth through

  20. Comparative analysis of fluorescence in situ hybridizationand real time polymerase chain reaction in diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ali, J.; Khan, S.A.; Rauf, S.E.; Ayyub, M.; Ali, N.

    2017-01-01

    To compare the sensitivity and specificity of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with real time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in the diagnosis of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). Study Design: A cross-sectional, analytical study. Place and Duration of Study: Haematology Department, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi, from January 2012 to February 2014. Methodology:A total number of 87 patients of CML were studied. The diagnosis was made on the basis of clinical history, peripheral blood and bone marrow aspiration. These patients were tested for the presence of BCR-ABL1 fusion gene by RT-PCR and FISH. About 5 ml of venous blood was collected, half was taken in heparin for FISH and half in ethylenediamine tetra-acetic acid (EDTA) for CBC and PCR. For FISH, cells were cultured for 24 hours in RPMI 1640 medium and evaluated using BX51 fluorescence microscope for dual fusion signal of yellow colour. Samples having 20 or more interphases positive for dual fusion signals were taken as positive. For PCR, RNA extraction was done by Tri-Reagent LS (MRC, USA) and cDNA was synthesized using reverse transcriptase and gene specific primer. RT-PCR was done on ABI-7500. The positive samples were identified when fluorescence exceeded threshold limit. Results of RT-PCR and FISH were compared. Results: Out of the 87 patients, 85 (97.7%) were PCR positive and 2 (2.3%) were PCR negative, whereas in FISH 83 (95.4%) were positive and 4 (4.5%) were negative. Sensitivity and specificity of FISH was 97.6% and 100%, respectively. Conclusion: FISH is a reliable supplementary method to PCR for detection of BCR-ABL1 fusion gene in the diagnosis of CML. (author)

  1. Long-term safety and efficacy of dasatinib in the treatment of chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia patients resistant or intolerant to imatinib

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shoumariyeh K

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Khalid Shoumariyeh, Nikolas von BubnoffDepartment of Hematology, Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation, University Hospital Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany Abstract: Treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML has undergone dramatic changes in the last decade. Dissecting the molecular pathways that lead to the development of this disease resulted in the development of targeted therapy against the molecular driver of CML, namely the aberrantly activated tyrosine kinase BCR-ABL1. By introducing the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib to the treatment repertoire, the natural course of the disease has been dramatically altered and overall survival of patients with CML prolonged substantially. Nevertheless, a significant number of patients are primarily resistant, acquire resistance during the course of their disease, or do not tolerate the intake of imatinib due to adverse effects. Second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors were developed in an attempt to overcome these problems. Dasatinib is a potent oral kinase inhibitor that was originally developed as an Src-kinase inhibitor but exhibited promising potency against BCR-ABL1 as well. Phase I and II trials demonstrated efficacy in patients failing imatinib, and thus dasatanib was approved in 2006 for the treatment of imatinib-resistant or -intolerant patients with chronic-phase CML harboring the BCR-ABL1 fusion protein. It has since shown promising efficacy and good overall tolerability in subsequent clinical trials, including the Phase III first-line DASISION trial that led to the extension of its approval for first-line treatment of chronic-phase CML. The following review summarizes the available data on the long-term efficacy and safety of dasatinib as a second-line therapy in chronic-phase CML. Keywords: BCR-ABL1, TKI, CML-CP, second-line treatment

  2. Defying c-Abl signaling circuits through small allosteric compounds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefania eGonfloni

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Many extracellular and intracellular signals promote the c-Abl tyrosine kinase activity. c-Abl in turn triggers a multitude of changes either in protein phosphorylation or in gene expression in the cell. Yet, c-Abl takes part in diverse signaling routes because of several domains linked to its catalytic core. Complex conformational changes turn on and off its kinase activity. These changes affect surface features of the c-Abl kinase and likely its capability to bind actin and/or DNA. Two specific inhibitors (ATP-competitive or allosteric compounds regulate the c-Abl kinase through different mechanisms. NMR studies show that a c-Abl fragment (SH3-SH2-linker-SH1 adopts different conformational states upon binding to each inhibitor. This supports an unconventional use for allosteric compounds to unraveling physiological c-Abl signaling circuits.

  3. Anti-ATLA (antibody to adult T-cell leukemia virus-associated antigen), highly positive in OKT4-positive mature T-cell malignancies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tobinai, K; Nagai, M; Setoya, T; Shibata, T; Minato, K; Shimoyama, M

    1983-01-01

    Serum or plasma specimens from 252 patients with lymphoid malignancies were screened for reactivity with adult T-cell leukemia virus-associated antigen (ATLA), and the relationship between the immunologic phenotype of the tumor cells and ATLA reactivity was determined. Anti-ATLA antibodies were found in 24 (29.3%) of 82 patients with T-cell malignancy. In contrast, the antibodies were found in none of the 106 patients with B-cell malignancy and only rarely in patients with other lymphoid malignancies without blood transfusions. Among the patients with T-cell malignancy, anti-ATLA antibodies were found in 23 (45.1%) of the 51 patients with OKT4-positive mature T-cell (inducer/helper T-cell) malignancy, but in none of the patients with T-cell malignancy of pre-T, thymic T-cell or OKT8-positive mature T-cell (suppressor/cytotoxic T-cell) phenotype. Furthermore, among the OKT4-positive mature T-cell malignancies, the antibodies were found in 16 (84.2%) of 19 patients with ATL and in 5 (27.8%) of 18 patients with mature (peripheral) T-cell lymphoma, in none of four with typical T-chronic lymphocytic leukemia, in one of nine with mycosis fungoides and in the one patient with small-cell variant of Sézary's syndrome. These results suggest that anti-ATLA positive T-cell malignancies with OKT4-positive mature T-cell phenotype must be the same disease, because it is highly possible that they have the same etiology and the same cellular origin. In the atypical cases, it seems necessary to demonstrate monoclonal integration of proviral DNA of ATLV or HTLV into the tumor cells in order to establish the final diagnosis of ATL.

  4. Treatment-free remission following frontline nilotinib in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase: results from the ENESTfreedom study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hochhaus, A; Masszi, T; Giles, F J; Radich, J P; Ross, D M; Gómez Casares, M T; Hellmann, A; Stentoft, J; Conneally, E; García-Gutiérrez, V; Gattermann, N; Wiktor-Jedrzejczak, W; le Coutre, P D; Martino, B; Saussele, S; Menssen, H D; Deng, W; Krunic, N; Bedoucha, V; Saglio, G

    2017-07-01

    The single-arm, phase 2 ENESTfreedom trial assessed the potential for treatment-free remission (TFR; i.e., the ability to maintain a molecular response after stopping therapy) following frontline nilotinib treatment. Patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase with MR 4.5 (BCR-ABL1⩽0.0032% on the International Scale (BCR-ABL1 IS )) and ⩾2 years of frontline nilotinib therapy were enrolled. Patients with sustained deep molecular response during the 1-year nilotinib consolidation phase were eligible to stop treatment and enter the TFR phase. Patients with loss of major molecular response (MMR; BCR-ABL1 IS ⩽0.1%) during the TFR phase reinitiated nilotinib. In total, 215 patients entered the consolidation phase, of whom 190 entered the TFR phase. The median duration of nilotinib before stopping treatment was 43.5 months. At 48 weeks after stopping nilotinib, 98 patients (51.6%; 95% confidence interval, 44.2-58.9%) remained in MMR or better (primary end point). Of the 86 patients who restarted nilotinib in the treatment reinitiation phase after loss of MMR, 98.8% and 88.4%, respectively, regained MMR and MR 4.5 by the data cutoff date. Consistent with prior reports of imatinib-treated patients, musculoskeletal pain-related events were reported in 24.7% of patients in the TFR phase (consolidation phase, 16.3%).

  5. Specific Depletion of Myelin-Reactive B Cells via BCR-Targeting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stepanov, A V; Belogurov, A A; Kothapalli, P; Shamborant, O G; Knorre, V D; Telegin, G B; Ovsepyan, A A; Ponomarenko, N A; Deyev, S M; Kaveri, S V; Gabibov, A G

    2015-01-01

    B cells play a crucial role in the development and pathogenesis of systemic and organ-specific autoimmune diseases. Autoreactive B cells not only produce antibodies, but also secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines and present specific autoantigens to T cells. The treatment of autoimmune diseases via the elimination of the majority of B cells using the monoclonal anti-CD19/20 antibody (Rituximab) causes systemic side effects and, thus, requires a major revision. Therapeutic intervention directed towards selective elimination of pathogenic autoreactive B cells has the potential to become a universal approach to the treatment of various autoimmune abnormalities. Here, we developed a recombinant immunotoxin based on the immunodominant peptide of the myelin basic protein (MBP), fused to the antibody Fc domain. We showed that the obtained immunotoxin provides selective in vivo elimination of autoreactive B cells in mice with experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. The proposed conception may be further used for the development of new therapeutics for a targeted treatment of multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune disorders.

  6. Recruitment of Cbl-b to B cell antigen receptor couples antigen recognition to Toll-like receptor 9 activation in late endosomes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Margaret Veselits

    Full Text Available Casitas B-lineage lymphoma-b (Cbl-b is a ubiquitin ligase (E3 that modulates signaling by tagging molecules for degradation. It is a complex protein with multiple domains and binding partners that are not involved in ubiquitinating substrates. Herein, we demonstrate that Cbl-b, but not c-Cbl, is recruited to the clustered B cell antigen receptor (BCR and that Cbl-b is required for entry of endocytosed BCRs into late endosomes. The E3 activity of Cbl-b is not necessary for BCR endocytic trafficking. Rather, the ubiquitin associated (UBA domain is required. Furthermore, the Cbl-b UBA domain is sufficient to confer the receptor trafficking functions of Cbl-b on c-Cbl. Cbl-b is also required for entry of the Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9 into late endosomes and for the in vitro activation of TLR9 by BCR-captured ligands. These data indicate that Cbl-b acts as a scaffolding molecule to coordinate the delivery of the BCR and TLR9 into subcellular compartments required for productively delivering BCR-captured ligands to TLR9.

  7. Real time polymerase chain reaction in diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tashfeen, S.; Ahmed, S.; Bhatti, F.A.; Ali, N.

    2014-01-01

    Objective: To compare the sensitivity and specificity of Real Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) with conventional cytogenetics in diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia. Study Design: A cross-sectional, analytical study. Place and Duration of Study: The Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP), Rawalpindi, from December 2010 to January 2012. Methodology: A total number of 40 patients were studied, in which all were diagnosed as CML on peripheral blood and bone marrow aspiration. The subjects were tested for the presence of Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome by cytogenetics and BCR-ABL fusion gene by RT-PCR. 2-3 ml of venous blood was collected, half in sodium heparin (anti-coagulant) for cytogenetics and half in EDTA for PCR. For cytogenetics, cells were cultured for 72 hours in RPMI 1640 medium and examined by arresting in metaphase using Colchicine to identify Philadelphia chromosome. For PCR, RNA extraction was done by Tri Reagent LS (MRC, USA) and cDNA was synthesized using reverse transcriptase and gene specific primer. RT- PCR was done on ABI-7500. The positive samples were identified when fluorescence exceeded threshold limit. Results of cytogenetics and RT PCR were compared. Results: Out of the 40 patients, PCR showed 37 (92.5%) were positive and 3 (7.5%) were negative for BCR-ABL fusion gene, whereas in cytogenetics 28 (70%) were positive for Ph chromosome and 12 (30%) were negative for Ph chromosome. Sensitivity and specificity of cytogenetics was 75.6% and 100% respectively. Conclusion: Real time PCR as compared to cytogenetics is less tedious, gives quick results, does not require multiple sampling due to culture failure and can be done on peripheral blood. (author)

  8. Distribution of CD163-positive cell and MHC class II-positive cell in the normal equine uveal tract.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sano, Yuto; Matsuda, Kazuya; Okamoto, Minoru; Takehana, Kazushige; Hirayama, Kazuko; Taniyama, Hiroyuki

    2016-02-01

    Antigen-presenting cells (APCs) in the uveal tract participate in ocular immunity including immune homeostasis and the pathogenesis of uveitis. In horses, although uveitis is the most common ocular disorder, little is known about ocular immunity, such as the distribution of APCs. In this study, we investigated the distribution of CD163-positive and MHC II-positive cells in the normal equine uveal tract using an immunofluorescence technique. Eleven eyes from 10 Thoroughbred horses aged 1 to 24 years old were used. Indirect immunofluorescence was performed using the primary antibodies CD163, MHC class II (MHC II) and CD20. To demonstrate the site of their greatest distribution, positive cells were manually counted in 3 different parts of the uveal tract (ciliary body, iris and choroid), and their average number was assessed by statistical analysis. The distribution of pleomorphic CD163- and MHC II-expressed cells was detected throughout the equine uveal tract, but no CD20-expressed cells were detected. The statistical analysis demonstrated the distribution of CD163- and MHC II-positive cells focusing on the ciliary body. These results demonstrated that the ciliary body is the largest site of their distribution in the normal equine uveal tract, and the ciliary body is considered to play important roles in uveal and/or ocular immune homeostasis. The data provided in this study will help further understanding of equine ocular immunity in the normal state and might be beneficial for understanding of mechanisms of ocular disorders, such as equine uveitis.

  9. Mature IgM-expressing plasma cells sense antigen and develop competence for cytokine production upon antigenic challenge

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blanc, Pascal; Moro-Sibilot, Ludovic; Barthly, Lucas; Jagot, Ferdinand; This, Sébastien; de Bernard, Simon; Buffat, Laurent; Dussurgey, Sébastien; Colisson, Renaud; Hobeika, Elias; Fest, Thierry; Taillardet, Morgan; Thaunat, Olivier; Sicard, Antoine; Mondière, Paul; Genestier, Laurent; Nutt, Stephen L.; Defrance, Thierry

    2016-01-01

    Dogma holds that plasma cells, as opposed to B cells, cannot bind antigen because they have switched from expression of membrane-bound immunoglobulins (Ig) that constitute the B-cell receptor (BCR) to production of the secreted form of immunoglobulins. Here we compare the phenotypical and functional attributes of plasma cells generated by the T-cell-dependent and T-cell-independent forms of the hapten NP. We show that the nature of the secreted Ig isotype, rather than the chemical structure of the immunizing antigen, defines two functionally distinct populations of plasma cells. Fully mature IgM-expressing plasma cells resident in the bone marrow retain expression of a functional BCR, whereas their IgG+ counterparts do not. Antigen boost modifies the gene expression profile of IgM+ plasma cells and initiates a cytokine production program, characterized by upregulation of CCL5 and IL-10. Our results demonstrate that IgM-expressing plasma cells can sense antigen and acquire competence for cytokine production upon antigenic challenge. PMID:27924814

  10. CD44-positive cells are candidates for astrocyte precursor cells in developing mouse cerebellum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Na; Kurachi, Masashi; Shibasaki, Koji; Okano-Uchida, Takayuki; Ishizaki, Yasuki

    2012-03-01

    Neural stem cells are generally considered to be committed to becoming precursor cells before terminally differentiating into either neurons or glial cells during neural development. Neuronal and oligodendrocyte precursor cells have been identified in several areas in the murine central nervous system. The presence of astrocyte precursor cells (APCs) is not so well understood. The present study provides several lines of evidence that CD44-positive cells are APCs in the early postnatal mouse cerebellum. In developing mouse cerebellum, CD44-positive cells, mostly located in the white matter, were positive for the markers of the astrocyte lineage, but negative for the markers of mature astrocytes. CD44-positive cells were purified from postnatal cerebellum by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and characterized in vitro. In the absence of any signaling molecule, many cells died by apoptosis. The surviving cells gradually expressed glial fibrillary acidic protein, a marker for mature astrocytes, indicating that differentiation into mature astrocytes is the default program for these cells. The cells produced no neurospheres nor neurons nor oligodendrocytes under any condition examined, indicating these cells are not neural stem cells. Leukemia inhibitory factor greatly promoted astrocytic differentiation of CD44-positive cells, whereas bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4) did not. Fibroblast growth factor-2 was a potent mitogen for these cells, but was insufficient for survival. BMP4 inhibited activation of caspase-3 and greatly promoted survival, suggesting a novel role for BMP4 in the control of development of astrocytes in cerebellum. We isolated and characterized only CD44 strongly positive large cells and discarded small and/or CD44 weakly positive cells in this study. Further studies are necessary to characterize these cells to help determine whether CD44 is a selective and specific marker for APCs in the developing mouse cerebellum. In conclusion, we succeeded in

  11. Dataset of transcriptional landscape of B cell early activation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander S. Garruss

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available Signaling via B cell receptors (BCR and Toll-like receptors (TLRs result in activation of B cells with distinct physiological outcomes, but transcriptional regulatory mechanisms that drive activation and distinguish these pathways remain unknown. At early time points after BCR and TLR ligand exposure, 0.5 and 2 h, RNA-seq was performed allowing observations on rapid transcriptional changes. At 2 h, ChIP-seq was performed to allow observations on important regulatory mechanisms potentially driving transcriptional change. The dataset includes RNA-seq, ChIP-seq of control (Input, RNA Pol II, H3K4me3, H3K27me3, and a separate RNA-seq for miRNA expression, which can be found at Gene Expression Omnibus Dataset GSE61608. Here, we provide details on the experimental and analysis methods used to obtain and analyze this dataset and to examine the transcriptional landscape of B cell early activation.

  12. The Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor PCI-32765 thwarts chronic lymphocytic leukemia cell survival and tissue homing in vitro and in vivo

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ponader, Sabine; Chen, Shih-Shih; Buggy, Joseph J.; Balakrishnan, Kumudha; Gandhi, Varsha; Wierda, William G.; Keating, Michael J.; O'Brien, Susan; Chiorazzi, Nicholas

    2012-01-01

    B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling is a critical pathway in the pathogenesis of several B-cell malignancies, including chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and can be targeted by inhibitors of BCR-associated kinases, such as Bruton tyrosine kinase (Btk). PCI-32765, a selective, irreversible Btk inhibitor, is a novel, molecularly targeted agent for patients with B-cell malignancies, and is particularly active in patients with CLL. In this study, we analyzed the mechanism of action of PCI-32765 in CLL, using in vitro and in vivo models, and performed correlative studies on specimens from patients receiving therapy with PCI-32765. PCI-32765 significantly inhibited CLL cell survival, DNA synthesis, and migration in response to tissue homing chemokines (CXCL12, CXCL13). PCI-32765 also down-regulated secretion of BCR-dependent chemokines (CCL3, CCL4) by the CLL cells, both in vitro and in vivo. In an adoptive transfer TCL1 mouse model of CLL, PCI-32765 affected disease progression. In this model, PCI-32765 caused a transient early lymphocytosis, and profoundly inhibited CLL progression, as assessed by weight, development, and extent of hepatospenomegaly, and survival. Our data demonstrate that PCI-32765 effectively inhibits CLL cell migration and survival, possibly explaining some of the characteristic clinical activity of this new targeted agent. PMID:22180443

  13. PD-1 immunoreceptor inhibits B cell receptor-mediated signaling by recruiting src homology 2-domain-containing tyrosine phosphatase 2 to phosphotyrosine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okazaki, Taku; Maeda, Akito; Nishimura, Hiroyuki; Kurosaki, Tomohiro; Honjo, Tasuku

    2001-01-01

    PD-1 is an immunoreceptor that belongs to the immunoglobulin (Ig) superfamily and contains two tyrosine residues in the cytoplasmic region. Studies on PD-1-deficient mice have shown that PD-1 plays critical roles in establishment and/or maintenance of peripheral tolerance, but the mode of action is totally unknown. To study the molecular mechanism for negative regulation of lymphocytes through the PD-1 receptor, we generated chimeric molecules composed of the IgG Fc receptor type IIB (FcγRIIB) extracellular region and the PD-1 cytoplasmic region and expressed them in a B lymphoma cell line, IIA1.6. Coligation of the cytoplasmic region of PD-1 with the B cell receptor (BCR) in IIA1.6 transformants inhibited BCR-mediated growth retardation, Ca2+ mobilization, and tyrosine phosphorylation of effector molecules, including Igβ, Syk, phospholipase C-γ2 (PLCγ2), and ERK1/2, whereas phosphorylation of Lyn and Dok was not affected. Mutagenesis studies indicated that these inhibitory effects do not require the N-terminal tyrosine in the immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif-like sequence, but do require the other tyrosine residue in the C-terminal tail. This tyrosine was phosphorylated and recruited src homology 2-domain-containing tyrosine phosphatase 2 (SHP-2) on coligation of PD-1 with BCR. These results show that PD-1 can inhibit BCR signaling by recruiting SHP-2 to its phosphotyrosine and dephosphorylating key signal transducers of BCR signaling. PMID:11698646

  14. Leucemia mieloide crónica: Actualización en Citogenética y Biología Molecular Chronic myeloid leukemia: Updating in cytogenetics and molecular biology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valia Pavón Morán

    2005-08-01

    Full Text Available La leucemia mieloide crónica (LMC es un síndrome mieloproliferativo crónico de naturaleza clonal, originada en la célula madre, que resulta en un excesivo número de células mieloides en todos los estadios de maduración. Fue la primera enfermedad maligna en que se demostró una anomalía genética adquirida y es en la actualidad el modelo molecular de leucemia mejor estudiado. En la LMC se expresa la translocación cromosómica t (9; 22 (q34; q11 que da lugar a la formación del cromosoma Filadelfia (Ph. A causa de esta translocación se producen 2 nuevos genes híbridos: el BCR-ABL en el cromosoma 22q- o cromosoma Ph y el gen recíproco ABL-BCR en el cromosoma derivado 9q+, el cual, aunque transcripcionalmente activo, no parece desempeñar ninguna actividad funcional en la enfermedad. En la actualidad, la identificación de enfermedad mínima residual mediante métodos moleculares es de vital importancia para la evaluación precisa del estado evolutivo de la enfermedadChronic myeloid leukemia (CML is a a chronic myeloproliferative syndrome of clonal nature, originated in the stem cell, that results in an excessive number of myeloid cells in all the maturation stages. It was the first malignat disease in which an acquired genetic abnormality was proved, and it is at present the best studied molecular model of leukemia. In the chronic myeloid leukemia, it is expressed the chromosal translocation t (9;22 (q34;q11, giving rise to the formation of the Philadelphia (Ph chromosome. Due to this translocation, 2 new hybrid genes are produced: BCR-ABL in chromosome 22q- or Ph chromosome, and the reciprocal gene ABL-BCR in the derivative chromosome 9q+, which , although transcriptionally active, does not seem to play any functional activity in the disease. Nowadays, the identification of the minimal residual disease by molecular methods is very important for the exact evaluation of the evolutive state of the disease

  15. Potent Activity of Ponatinib (AP24534) in Models of FLT3-Driven Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Other Hematologic Malignancies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gozgit, Joseph M.; Wong, Matthew J.; Wardwell, Scott; Tyner, Jeffrey W.; Loriaux, Marc M.; Mohemmad, Qurish K.; Narasimhan, Narayana I.; Shakespeare, William C.; Wang, Frank; Druker, Brian J.; Clackson, Tim; Rivera, Victor M.

    2011-01-01

    Ponatinib (AP24534) is a novel multitargeted kinase inhibitor that potently inhibits native and mutant BCR-ABL at clinically achievable drug levels. Ponatinib also has in vitro inhibitory activity against a discrete set of kinases implicated in the pathogenesis of other hematologic malignancies, including FLT3, KIT, fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1), and platelet derived growth factor receptor α (PDGFRα). Here, using leukemic cell lines containing activated forms of each of these receptors, we show that ponatinib potently inhibits receptor phosphorylation and cellular proliferation with IC50 values comparable to those required for inhibition of BCR-ABL (0.3 to 20 nmol/L). The activity of ponatinib against the FLT3-ITD mutant, found in up to 30% of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients, was particularly notable. In MV4-11 (FLT3-ITD+/+) but not RS4;11 (FLT3-ITD−/−) AML cells, ponatinib inhibited FLT3 signaling and induced apoptosis at concentrations of less than 10 nmol/L. In an MV4-11 mouse xenograft model, once daily oral dosing of ponatinib led to a dose-dependent inhibition of signaling and tumor regression. Ponatinib inhibited viability of primary leukemic blasts from a FLT3-ITD positive AML patient (IC50 4 nmol/L) but not those isolated from 3 patients with AML expressing native FLT3. Overall, these results support the investigation of ponatinib in patients with FLT3-ITD–driven AML and other hematologic malignancies driven by KIT, FGFR1, or PDGFRα. PMID:21482694

  16. Deciphering the internal complexity of living cells with quantitative phase microscopy: a multiscale approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martinez-Torres, Cristina; Laperrousaz, Bastien; Berguiga, Lotfi; Boyer-Provera, Elise; Elezgaray, Juan; Nicolini, Franck E.; Maguer-Satta, Veronique; Arneodo, Alain; Argoul, Françoise

    2015-09-01

    The distribution of refractive indices (RIs) of a living cell contributes in a nonintuitive manner to its optical phase image and quite rarely can be inverted to recover its internal structure. The interpretation of the quantitative phase images of living cells remains a difficult task because (1) we still have very little knowledge on the impact of its internal macromolecular complexes on the local RI and (2) phase changes produced by light propagation through the sample are mixed with diffraction effects by the internal cell bodies. We propose to implement a two-dimensional wavelet-based contour chain detection method to distinguish internal boundaries based on their greatest optical path difference gradients. These contour chains correspond to the highest image phase contrast and follow the local RI inhomogeneities linked to the intracellular structural intricacy. Their statistics and spatial distribution are the morphological indicators suited for comparing cells of different origins and/or to follow their transformation in pathologic situations. We use this method to compare nonadherent blood cells from primary and laboratory culture origins and to assess the internal transformation of hematopoietic stem cells by the transduction of the BCR-ABL oncogene responsible for the chronic myelogenous leukemia.

  17. Molecular techniques for the personalised management of patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alikian, Mary; Gale, Robert Peter; Apperley, Jane F; Foroni, Letizia

    2017-03-01

    Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is the paradigm for targeted cancer therapy. RT-qPCR is the gold standard for monitoring response to tyrosine kinase-inhibitor (TKI) therapy based on the reduction of blood or bone marrow BCR-ABL1 . Some patients with CML and very low or undetectable levels of BCR-ABL1 transcripts can stop TKI-therapy without CML recurrence. However, about 60 percent of patients discontinuing TKI-therapy have rapid leukaemia recurrence. This has increased the need for more sensitive and specific techniques to measure residual CML cells. The clinical challenge is to determine when it is safe to stop TKI-therapy. In this review we describe and critically evaluate the current state of CML clinical management, different technologies used to monitor measurable residual disease (MRD) focus on comparingRT-qPCR and new methods entering clinical practice. We discuss advantages and disadvantages of new methods.

  18. Function of Bruton's tyrosine kinase during B cell development is partially independent of its catalytic activity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    S. Middendorp; G.M. Dingjan (Gemma); A. Maas (Alex); K. Dahlenborg; R.W. Hendriks (Rudi)

    2003-01-01

    textabstractThe Tec family member Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) is a cytoplasmic protein tyrosine kinase that transduces signals from the pre-B and B cell receptor (BCR). Btk is involved in pre-B cell maturation by regulating IL-7 responsiveness, cell surface phenotype changes,

  19. SPARC expression in CML is associated to imatinib treatment and to inhibition of leukemia cell proliferation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giallongo Cesarina

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background SPARC is a matricellular glycoprotein with growth-inhibitory and antiangiogenic activity in some cell types. The study of this protein in hematopoietic malignancies led to conflicting reports about its role as a tumor suppressor or promoter, depending on its different functions in the tumor microenvironment. In this study we investigated the variations in SPARC production by peripheral blood cells from chronic myeloid leukemia (CML patients at diagnosis and after treatment and we identified the subpopulation of cells that are the prevalent source of SPARC. Methods We evaluated SPARC expression using real-time PCR and western blotting. SPARC serum levels were detected by ELISA assay. Finally we analyzed the interaction between exogenous SPARC and imatinib (IM, in vitro, using ATP-lite and cell cycle analysis. Results Our study shows that the CML cells of patients at diagnosis have a low mRNA and protein expression of SPARC. Low serum levels of this protein are also recorded in CML patients at diagnosis. However, after IM treatment we observed an increase of SPARC mRNA, protein, and serum level in the peripheral blood of these patients that had already started at 3 months and was maintained for at least the 18 months of observation. This SPARC increase was predominantly due to monocyte production. In addition, exogenous SPARC protein reduced the growth of K562 cell line and synergized in vitro with IM by inhibiting cell cycle progression from G1 to S phase. Conclusion Our results suggest that low endogenous SPARC expression is a constant feature of BCR/ABL positive cells and that IM treatment induces SPARC overproduction by normal cells. This exogenous SPARC may inhibit CML cell proliferation and may synergize with IM activity against CML.

  20. SPARC expression in CML is associated to imatinib treatment and to inhibition of leukemia cell proliferation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giallongo, Cesarina; Palumbo, Giuseppe A; Di Raimondo, Francesco; La Cava, Piera; Tibullo, Daniele; Barbagallo, Ignazio; Parrinello, Nunziatina; Cupri, Alessandra; Stagno, Fabio; Consoli, Carla; Chiarenza, Annalisa

    2013-01-01

    SPARC is a matricellular glycoprotein with growth-inhibitory and antiangiogenic activity in some cell types. The study of this protein in hematopoietic malignancies led to conflicting reports about its role as a tumor suppressor or promoter, depending on its different functions in the tumor microenvironment. In this study we investigated the variations in SPARC production by peripheral blood cells from chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients at diagnosis and after treatment and we identified the subpopulation of cells that are the prevalent source of SPARC. We evaluated SPARC expression using real-time PCR and western blotting. SPARC serum levels were detected by ELISA assay. Finally we analyzed the interaction between exogenous SPARC and imatinib (IM), in vitro, using ATP-lite and cell cycle analysis. Our study shows that the CML cells of patients at diagnosis have a low mRNA and protein expression of SPARC. Low serum levels of this protein are also recorded in CML patients at diagnosis. However, after IM treatment we observed an increase of SPARC mRNA, protein, and serum level in the peripheral blood of these patients that had already started at 3 months and was maintained for at least the 18 months of observation. This SPARC increase was predominantly due to monocyte production. In addition, exogenous SPARC protein reduced the growth of K562 cell line and synergized in vitro with IM by inhibiting cell cycle progression from G1 to S phase. Our results suggest that low endogenous SPARC expression is a constant feature of BCR/ABL positive cells and that IM treatment induces SPARC overproduction by normal cells. This exogenous SPARC may inhibit CML cell proliferation and may synergize with IM activity against CML

  1. Donor Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant in Treating Patients With Hematologic Malignancies

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-12-11

    Acute Biphenotypic Leukemia; Acute Erythroid Leukemia in Remission; Acute Leukemia in Remission; Acute Megakaryoblastic Leukemia; Acute Myeloid Leukemia Arising From Previous Myelodysplastic Syndrome; Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Remission; Acute Myeloid Leukemia With FLT3/ITD Mutation; Acute Myeloid Leukemia With Inv(3) (q21.3;q26.2) or t(3;3) (q21.3;q26.2); GATA2, MECOM; Acute Myeloid Leukemia With Inv(3) (q21.3;q26.2); GATA2, MECOM; Acute Myeloid Leukemia With Multilineage Dysplasia; Acute Myeloid Leukemia With t(6;9) (p23;q34.1); DEK-NUP214; Acute Undifferentiated Leukemia; Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Complete Remission; B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia With t(1;19)(q23;p13.3); E2A-PBX1 (TCF3-PBX1); B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia With t(9;22)(q34.1;q11.2); BCR-ABL1; Burkitt Lymphoma; Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Complete Remission; DS Stage II Plasma Cell Myeloma; DS Stage III Plasma Cell Myeloma; Myelodysplastic Syndrome; Recurrent Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma; Recurrent Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma; Recurrent Follicular Lymphoma; Recurrent Hodgkin Lymphoma; Recurrent Mantle Cell Lymphoma; Recurrent Marginal Zone Lymphoma; Recurrent Plasma Cell Myeloma; Refractory Plasma Cell Myeloma; Secondary Acute Myeloid Leukemia; T Lymphoblastic Lymphoma

  2. The Scaffolding Protein Synapse-Associated Protein 97 is Required for Enhanced Signaling Through Isotype-Switched IgG Memory B Cell Receptors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Wanli; Chen, Elizabeth; Zhao, Xing Wang; Wan, Zheng Peng; Gao, Yi Ren; Davey, Angel; Huang, Eric; Zhang, Lijia; Crocetti, Jillian; Sandoval, Gabriel; Joyce, M. Gordon; Miceli, Carrie; Lukszo, Jan; Aravind, L.; Swat, Wojciech; Brzostowski, Joseph; Pierce, Susan K.

    2012-01-01

    Memory B cells are generated during an individual's first encounter with a foreign antigen and respond to re-encounter with the same antigen through cell surface immunoglobulin G (IgG) B cell receptors (BCRs) resulting in rapid, high-titered IgG antibody responses. Despite a central role for IgG BCRs in B cell memory, our understanding of the molecular mechanism by which IgG BCRs enhance antibody responses is incomplete. Here, we showed that the conserved cytoplasmic tail of the IgG BCR, which contains a putative PDZ-binding motif, associated with synapse-associated protein 97 (SAP97), a member of the PDZ domain–containing, membrane-associated guanylate-kinase family of scaffolding molecules that play key roles in controlling receptor density and signal strength at neuronal synapses. We showed that SAP97 accumulated and bound to IgG BCRs in the immune synapses that formed in response to engagement of the B cell with antigen. Knocking down SAP97 in IgG-expressing B cells or mutating the putative PDZ-binding motif in the tail impaired immune synapse formation, the initiation of IgG BCR signaling, and downstream activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase. Thus, heightened B cell memory responses are encoded, in part, by a mechanism that involves SAP97 serving as a scaffolding protein in the IgG BCR immune synapse. PMID:22855505

  3. Aging-associated inflammation promotes selection for adaptive oncogenic events in B cell progenitors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henry, Curtis J; Casás-Selves, Matias; Kim, Jihye; Zaberezhnyy, Vadym; Aghili, Leila; Daniel, Ashley E; Jimenez, Linda; Azam, Tania; McNamee, Eoin N; Clambey, Eric T; Klawitter, Jelena; Serkova, Natalie J; Tan, Aik Choon; Dinarello, Charles A; DeGregori, James

    2015-12-01

    The incidence of cancer is higher in the elderly; however, many of the underlying mechanisms for this association remain unexplored. Here, we have shown that B cell progenitors in old mice exhibit marked signaling, gene expression, and metabolic defects. Moreover, B cell progenitors that developed from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) transferred from young mice into aged animals exhibited similar fitness defects. We further demonstrated that ectopic expression of the oncogenes BCR-ABL, NRAS(V12), or Myc restored B cell progenitor fitness, leading to selection for oncogenically initiated cells and leukemogenesis specifically in the context of an aged hematopoietic system. Aging was associated with increased inflammation in the BM microenvironment, and induction of inflammation in young mice phenocopied aging-associated B lymphopoiesis. Conversely, a reduction of inflammation in aged mice via transgenic expression of α-1-antitrypsin or IL-37 preserved the function of B cell progenitors and prevented NRAS(V12)-mediated oncogenesis. We conclude that chronic inflammatory microenvironments in old age lead to reductions in the fitness of B cell progenitor populations. This reduced progenitor pool fitness engenders selection for cells harboring oncogenic mutations, in part due to their ability to correct aging-associated functional defects. Thus, modulation of inflammation--a common feature of aging--has the potential to limit aging-associated oncogenesis.

  4. JAK2 V617F-dependent upregulation of PU.1 expression in the peripheral blood of myeloproliferative neoplasm patients.

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    Tamotsu Irino

    Full Text Available Myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN are multiple disease entities characterized by clonal expansion of one or more of the myeloid lineages (i.e. granulocytic, erythroid, megakaryocytic and mast cell. JAK2 mutations, such as the common V617F substitution and the less common exon 12 mutations, are frequently detected in such tumor cells and have been incorporated into the diagnostic criteria published by the World Health Organization since 2008. However, the mechanism by which these mutations contribute to MPN development is poorly understood. We examined gene expression profiles of MPN patients focusing on genes in the JAK-STAT signaling pathway using low-density real-time PCR arrays. We identified the following 2 upregulated genes in MPN patients: a known target of the JAK-STAT axis, SOCS3, and a potentially novel target, SPI1, encoding PU.1. Induction of PU.1 expression by JAK2 V617F in JAK2-wildtype K562 cells and its downregulation by JAK2 siRNA transfection in JAK2 V617F-positive HEL cells supported this possibility. We also found that the ABL1 kinase inhibitor imatinib was very effective in suppressing PU.1 expression in BCR-ABL1-positive K562 cells but not in HEL cells. This suggests that PU.1 expression is regulated by both JAK2 and ABL1. The contribution of the two kinases in driving PU.1 expression was dominant for JAK2 and ABL1 in HEL and K562 cells, respectively. Therefore, PU.1 may be a common transcription factor upregulated in MPN. PU.1 is a transcription factor required for myeloid differentiation and is implicated in erythroid leukemia. Therefore, expression of PU.1 downstream of activated JAK2 may explain why JAK2 mutations are frequently observed in MPN patients.

  5. Isolation of dendritic-cell-like S100β-positive cells in rat anterior pituitary gland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horiguchi, Kotaro; Fujiwara, Ken; Yoshida, Saishu; Higuchi, Masashi; Tsukada, Takehiro; Kanno, Naoko; Yashiro, Takashi; Tateno, Kozue; Osako, Shunji; Kato, Takako; Kato, Yukio

    2014-07-01

    S100β-protein-positive cells in the anterior pituitary gland appear to possess multifunctional properties. Because of their pleiotropic features, S100β-positive cells are assumed to be of a heterogeneous or even a non-pituitary origin. The observation of various markers has allowed these cells to be classified into populations such as stem/progenitor cells, epithelial cells, astrocytes and dendritic cells. The isolation and characterization of each heterogeneous population is a prerequisite for clarifying the functional character and origin of the cells. We attempt to isolate two of the subpopulations of S100β-positive cells from the anterior lobe. First, from transgenic rats that express green fluorescent protein (GFP) driven by the S100β protein promoter, we fractionate GFP-positive cells with a cell sorter and culture them so that they can interact with laminin, a component of the extracellular matrix. We observe that one morphological type of GFP-positive cells possesses extended cytoplasmic processes and shows high adhesiveness to laminin (process type), whereas the other is round in shape and exhibits low adherence to laminin (round type). We successfully isolate cells of the round type from the cultured GFP-positive cells by taking advantage of their low affinity to laminin and then measure mRNA levels of the two cell types by real-time polymerase chain reaction. The resultant data show that the process type expresses vimentin (mesenchymal cell marker) and glial fibrillary acidic protein (astrocyte marker). The round type expresses dendritic cell markers, CD11b and interleukin-6. Thus, we found a method for isolating dendritic-cell-like S100β-positive cells by means of their property of adhering to laminin.

  6. Voltammetric behaviour at gold electrodes immersed in the BCR sequential extraction scheme media Application of underpotential deposition-stripping voltammetry to determination of copper in soil extracts

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Beni, Valerio; Newton, Hazel V.; Arrigan, Damien W.M.; Hill, Martin; Lane, William A.; Mathewson, Alan

    2004-01-30

    The development of mercury-free electroanalytical systems for in-field analysis of pollutants requires a foundation on the electrochemical behaviour of the chosen electrode material in the target sample matrices. In this work, the behaviour of gold working electrodes in the media employed in the BCR sequential extraction protocol, for the fractionation of metals in solid environmental matrices, is reported. All three of the BCR sequential extraction media are redox active, on the basis of acidity and oxygen content as well as the inherent reducing or oxidising nature of some of the reagents employed: 0.11 M acetic acid, 0.1 M hydroxylammonium chloride (adjusted to pH 2) and 1 M ammonium acetate (adjusted to pH 2) with added trace hydrogen peroxide. The available potential ranges together with the demonstrated detection of target metals in these media are presented. Stripping voltammetry of copper or lead in the BCR extract media solutions reveal a multi-peak behaviour due to the stripping of both bulk metal and underpotential metal deposits. A procedure based on underpotential deposition-stripping voltammetry (UPD-SV) was evaluated for application to determination of copper in 0.11 M acetic acid soil extracts. A preliminary screening step in which different deposition times are applied to the sample enables a deposition time commensurate with UPD-SV to be selected so that no bulk deposition or stripping occurs thus simplifying the shape and features of the resulting voltammograms. Choice of the suitable deposition time is then followed by standards addition calibration. The method was validated by the analysis of a number of BCR 0.11 M acetic acid soil extracts. Good agreement was obtained been the UPD-SV method and atomic spectroscopic results.

  7. Voltammetric behaviour at gold electrodes immersed in the BCR sequential extraction scheme media Application of underpotential deposition-stripping voltammetry to determination of copper in soil extracts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beni, Valerio; Newton, Hazel V.; Arrigan, Damien W.M.; Hill, Martin; Lane, William A.; Mathewson, Alan

    2004-01-01

    The development of mercury-free electroanalytical systems for in-field analysis of pollutants requires a foundation on the electrochemical behaviour of the chosen electrode material in the target sample matrices. In this work, the behaviour of gold working electrodes in the media employed in the BCR sequential extraction protocol, for the fractionation of metals in solid environmental matrices, is reported. All three of the BCR sequential extraction media are redox active, on the basis of acidity and oxygen content as well as the inherent reducing or oxidising nature of some of the reagents employed: 0.11 M acetic acid, 0.1 M hydroxylammonium chloride (adjusted to pH 2) and 1 M ammonium acetate (adjusted to pH 2) with added trace hydrogen peroxide. The available potential ranges together with the demonstrated detection of target metals in these media are presented. Stripping voltammetry of copper or lead in the BCR extract media solutions reveal a multi-peak behaviour due to the stripping of both bulk metal and underpotential metal deposits. A procedure based on underpotential deposition-stripping voltammetry (UPD-SV) was evaluated for application to determination of copper in 0.11 M acetic acid soil extracts. A preliminary screening step in which different deposition times are applied to the sample enables a deposition time commensurate with UPD-SV to be selected so that no bulk deposition or stripping occurs thus simplifying the shape and features of the resulting voltammograms. Choice of the suitable deposition time is then followed by standards addition calibration. The method was validated by the analysis of a number of BCR 0.11 M acetic acid soil extracts. Good agreement was obtained been the UPD-SV method and atomic spectroscopic results

  8. c-Abl Mediated Tyrosine Phosphorylation of Aha1 Activates Its Co-chaperone Function in Cancer Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diana M. Dunn

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available The ability of Heat Shock Protein 90 (Hsp90 to hydrolyze ATP is essential for its chaperone function. The co-chaperone Aha1 stimulates Hsp90 ATPase activity, tailoring the chaperone function to specific “client” proteins. The intracellular signaling mechanisms directly regulating Aha1 association with Hsp90 remain unknown. Here, we show that c-Abl kinase phosphorylates Y223 in human Aha1 (hAha1, promoting its interaction with Hsp90. This, consequently, results in an increased Hsp90 ATPase activity, enhances Hsp90 interaction with kinase clients, and compromises the chaperoning of non-kinase clients such as glucocorticoid receptor and CFTR. Suggesting a regulatory paradigm, we also find that Y223 phosphorylation leads to ubiquitination and degradation of hAha1 in the proteasome. Finally, pharmacologic inhibition of c-Abl prevents hAha1 interaction with Hsp90, thereby hypersensitizing cancer cells to Hsp90 inhibitors both in vitro and ex vivo.

  9. Acacetin and Chrysin, Two Polyphenolic Compounds, Alleviate Telomeric Position Effect in Human Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amina Boussouar

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available We took advantage of the ability of human telomeres to silence neighboring genes (telomere position effect or TPE to design a high-throughput screening assay for drugs altering telomeres. We identified, for the first time, that two dietary flavones, acacetin and chrysin, are able to specifically alleviate TPE in human cells. We further investigated their influence on telomere integrity and showed that both drugs drastically deprotect telomeres against DNA damage response. However, telomere deprotection triggered by shelterin dysfunction does not affect TPE, indicating that acacetin and chrysin target several functions of telomeres. These results show that TPE-based screening assays represent valuable methods to discover new compounds targeting telomeres.

  10. Somatic hypermutation of T cell receptor α chain contributes to selection in nurse shark thymus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ott, Jeannine A; Castro, Caitlin D; Deiss, Thaddeus C; Ohta, Yuko; Flajnik, Martin F; Criscitiello, Michael F

    2018-04-17

    Since the discovery of the T cell receptor (TcR), immunologists have assigned somatic hypermutation (SHM) as a mechanism employed solely by B cells to diversify their antigen receptors. Remarkably, we found SHM acting in the thymus on α chain locus of shark TcR. SHM in developing shark T cells likely is catalyzed by activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) and results in both point and tandem mutations that accumulate non-conservative amino acid replacements within complementarity-determining regions (CDRs). Mutation frequency at TcRα was as high as that seen at B cell receptor loci (BcR) in sharks and mammals, and the mechanism of SHM shares unique characteristics first detected at shark BcR loci. Additionally, fluorescence in situ hybridization showed the strongest AID expression in thymic corticomedullary junction and medulla. We suggest that TcRα utilizes SHM to broaden diversification of the primary αβ T cell repertoire in sharks, the first reported use in vertebrates. © 2018, Ott et al.

  11. Changes in T-cell subpopulations and cytokine network during early period of ibrutinib therapy in chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients: the significant decrease in T regulatory cells number.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Podhorecka, Monika; Goracy, Aneta; Szymczyk, Agnieszka; Kowal, Malgorzata; Ibanez, Blanca; Jankowska-Lecka, Olga; Macheta, Arkadiusz; Nowaczynska, Aleksandra; Drab-Urbanek, Elzbieta; Chocholska, Sylwia; Jawniak, Dariusz; Hus, Marek

    2017-05-23

    B cell receptor (BCR) stimulation signal plays an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and kinase inhibitors directed toward the BCR pathway are now the promising anti-leukemic drugs. Ibrutinib, a Bruton tyrosine kinase inhibitor, demonstrates promising clinical activity in CLL. It is reported that ibrutinib, additionally to directly targeting leukemic cells, also inhibits the interactions of these cells with T cells, macrophages and accessory cells. Assessment of these mechanisms is important because of their non -direct anti-leukemic effects and to identify possible side effects connected with long-term drug administration.The aim of this study was to assess the in vivo effects of ibrutinib on T-cell subpopulations and cytokine network in CLL. The analysis was performed on a group of 19 patients during first month of ibrutinib therapy. The standard multicolor flow cytometry and cytometric bead array methods were used for assessment of T-cell subsets and cytokines/chemokines, respectively.The data obtained indicates that Ibrutinib treatment results in changes in T-cell subpopulations and cytokine network in CLL patients. Particularly, a significant reduction of T regulatory cells in peripheral blood was observed. By targeting these populations of T cells Ibrutinib can stimulate rejection of tumor cells by the immune system.

  12. Dissection of pathways leading to antigen receptor-induced and Fas/CD95-induced apoptosis in human B cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Lens, S. M.; den Drijver, B. F.; Pötgens, A. J.; Tesselaar, K.; van Oers, M. H.; van Lier, R. A.

    1998-01-01

    To dissect intracellular pathways involved in B cell Ag receptor (BCR)-mediated and Fas-induced human B cell death, we isolated clones of the Burkitt lymphoma cell line Ramos with different apoptosis sensitivities. Selection for sensitivity to Fas-induced apoptosis also selected for clones with

  13. Podoplanin in cancer cells is experimentally able to attenuate prolymphangiogenic and lymphogenous metastatic potentials of lung squamoid cancer cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Suzuki Hanako

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Podoplanin, a mucin-like transmembrane glycoprotein, is reportedly expressed in a variety of malignant cells and is generally regarded as a factor for promoting tumor progression in conventional studies. By contrast, a clinicopathologically conflicting role for podoplanin, namely as a favorable prognostic factor for patients with lung/cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC, has recently been reported. Here, we investigated the role of podoplanin expressed in lung squamoid cancer cells (LSCCs in experimental tumor progression. Results Using EBC-1 cells, a lung SCC cell line without podoplanin expression and with lymphogenous metastatic potential, stable transformants with or without an exogenous human podoplanin gene were established and applied to a mouse tumor implantation model. In vivo examinations revealed that exogenous podoplanin had no influence on tumor growth, whereas it significantly restrained axillary lymph node metastasis associated with the suppression of lymphangiogenesis but not angiogenesis and with the downregulation of EBC-1-derived VEGF-C but not other lymphangiogenesis-related factor mRNAs in implanted tumor tissue. In vitro examinations to clarify the mechanisms underlying the in vivo phenomena revealed that exogenous podoplanin significantly suppressed the expression of VEGF-C mRNA and of the protein, and also increased the level of phosphorylated c-jun N terminal kinase (JNK in EBC-1 cells. The former effect of exogenous podoplanin was impaired by treatment with either JNK inhibitor sp600125 or podoplanin-siRNA, and the latter effect was impaired by treatment with podoplanin-siRNA, suggesting that podoplanin was able to activate JNK, thereby downregulating VEGF-C gene expression in LSCCs (podoplanin-JNK-VEGF-C axis. Furthermore, supporting evidence in regard to the axis present in LSCCs was obtained from similar experiments using H157 cells, another lung SCC cell line expressing endogenous podoplanin

  14. Podoplanin in cancer cells is experimentally able to attenuate prolymphangiogenic and lymphogenous metastatic potentials of lung squamoid cancer cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    Background Podoplanin, a mucin-like transmembrane glycoprotein, is reportedly expressed in a variety of malignant cells and is generally regarded as a factor for promoting tumor progression in conventional studies. By contrast, a clinicopathologically conflicting role for podoplanin, namely as a favorable prognostic factor for patients with lung/cervical squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), has recently been reported. Here, we investigated the role of podoplanin expressed in lung squamoid cancer cells (LSCCs) in experimental tumor progression. Results Using EBC-1 cells, a lung SCC cell line without podoplanin expression and with lymphogenous metastatic potential, stable transformants with or without an exogenous human podoplanin gene were established and applied to a mouse tumor implantation model. In vivo examinations revealed that exogenous podoplanin had no influence on tumor growth, whereas it significantly restrained axillary lymph node metastasis associated with the suppression of lymphangiogenesis but not angiogenesis and with the downregulation of EBC-1-derived VEGF-C but not other lymphangiogenesis-related factor mRNAs in implanted tumor tissue. In vitro examinations to clarify the mechanisms underlying the in vivo phenomena revealed that exogenous podoplanin significantly suppressed the expression of VEGF-C mRNA and of the protein, and also increased the level of phosphorylated c-jun N terminal kinase (JNK) in EBC-1 cells. The former effect of exogenous podoplanin was impaired by treatment with either JNK inhibitor sp600125 or podoplanin-siRNA, and the latter effect was impaired by treatment with podoplanin-siRNA, suggesting that podoplanin was able to activate JNK, thereby downregulating VEGF-C gene expression in LSCCs (podoplanin-JNK-VEGF-C axis). Furthermore, supporting evidence in regard to the axis present in LSCCs was obtained from similar experiments using H157 cells, another lung SCC cell line expressing endogenous podoplanin. Conclusions Our findings

  15. Simultaneous occurrence of t(9;22)(q34;q11.2) and t(16;16)(p13;q22) in a patient with chronic myeloid leukemia in blastic phase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zámecníkova, Adriana; Al Bahar, Soad; Ramesh, Pandita

    2008-06-01

    Coexistence of two specific chromosomal translocations in the same clone is an infrequent phenomenon and has only rarely been reported in hematological malignancies. We report a combination of t(16;16)(p13;q22), the Philadelphia translocation t(9;22)(q34;q11.2), and deletion of the long arm of chromosome 7 in a patient with chronic myeloid leukemia in blast phase. Monotherapy treatment with imatinib mesylate resulted in the disappearance of the Ph-positive clone, but with persistence of t(16;16) and del(7) in all of the metaphases examined. The case illustrates that, although imatinib mesylate can be an effective treatment in eradication of the BCR-ABL fusion gene cells, the occurrence of additional specific abnormalities in Philadelphia-positive leukemias may pose a significant therapeutic challenge. (c) 2008 Elsevier Inc.

  16. Lupus risk variants in the PXK locus alter B-cell receptor internalization

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samuel E. Vaughn

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Genome wide association studies have identified variants in PXK that confer risk for humoral autoimmune diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and more recently systemic sclerosis. While PXK is involved in trafficking of epidermal growth factor Receptor (EGFR in COS-7 cells, mechanisms linking PXK to lupus pathophysiology have remained undefined. In an effort to uncover the mechanism at this locus that increases lupus-risk, we undertook a fine-mapping analysis in a large multi-ancestral study of lupus patients and controls. We define a large (257kb common haplotype that confers lupus risk detected only in European ancestral populations and spans the promoter through the 3’ UTR of PXK. The strongest association was found at rs6445972 with P < 4.62 x 10-10, OR 0.81 (0.75 – 0.86. Using stepwise logistic regression analysis, we demonstrate that one signal drives the genetic association in the region. Bayesian analysis confirms our results, identifying a 95% credible set consisting of 172 variants spanning 200kb.Functionally, we found that PXK operates on the B-cell antigen receptor (BCR; we confirmed that PXK influenced the rate of BCR internalization. Furthermore, we demonstrate that individuals carrying the risk haplotype exhibited a decreased rate of BCR internalization, a process known to impact B cell survival and cell fate. Taken together, these data define a new candidate mechanism for the genetic association of variants around PXK with lupus risk and highlight the regulation of intracellular trafficking as a genetically regulated pathway mediating human autoimmunity.

  17. Degradation of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Mediates Dasatinib-Induced Apoptosis in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells

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    Yu-Chin Lin

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR is an important oncoprotein that promotes cell growth and proliferation. Dasatinib, a bcr-abl inhibitor, has been approved clinically for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia and demonstrated to be effective against solid tumors in vitro through Src inhibition. Here, we disclose that EGFR degradation mediated dasatinib-induced apoptosis in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC cells. HNSCC cells, including Ca9-22, FaDu, HSC3, SAS, SCC-25, and UMSCC1, were treated with dasatinib, and cell viability, apoptosis, and underlying signal transduction were evaluated. Dasatinib exhibited differential sensitivities against HNSCC cells. Growth inhibition and apoptosis were correlated with its inhibition on Akt, Erk, and Bcl-2, irrespective of Src inhibition. Accordingly, we found that down-regulation of EGFR was a determinant of dasatinib sensitivity. Lysosome inhibitor reversed dasatinib-induced EGFR down-regulation, and c-cbl activity was increased by dasatinib, indicating that dasatinib-induced EGFR down-regulation might be through c-cbl-mediated lysosome degradation. Increased EGFR activation by ligand administration rescued cells from dasatinib-induced apoptosis, whereas inhibition of EGFR enhanced its apoptotic effect. Estrogen receptor α (ERα was demonstrated to play a role in Bcl-2 expression, and dasatinib inhibited ERα at the pretranslational level. ERα was associated with EGFR in dasatinib-treated HNSCC cells. Furthermore, the xenograft model showed that dasatinib inhibited HSC3 tumor growth through in vivo down-regulation of EGFR and ERα. In conclusion, degradation of EGFR is a novel mechanism responsible for dasatinib-induced apoptosis in HNSCC cells.

  18. B cell receptor pathway in chronic lymphocytic leukemia: specific role of CC-292

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arnason JE

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Jon E Arnason,1 Jennifer R Brown21Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 2CLL Center, Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USAAbstract: Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL is the most common adult leukemia. The current treatment paradigm involves the use of chemoimmunotherapy, when patients develop an indication for therapy. With this strategy, a majority of patients will obtain a remission, though cure remains elusive. While treatable, the majority of CLL patients will die of complications of their disease. Recent advances in the understanding of the importance of the B cell receptor (BCR pathway in CLL have led to the development of a number of agents targeting this pathway. In this review, we discuss recent developments in the targeting of the BCR pathway, with a focus on CC-292. CC-292 covalently binds to Bruton's tyrosine kinase, a key mediator of BCR signaling, and has demonstrated preclinical and clinical activity in CLL, with acceptable tolerability. Based on the success of CC-292 and other inhibitors of the BCR pathway, these agents are being investigated in combination with standard therapy, with the hope that they will increase the depth and length of response, without significant toxicity.Keywords: Bruton's tyrosine kinase inhibitor, ibrutinib

  19. Determination of persistent organohalogenated pollutants in human hair reference material (BCR 397): an interlaboratory study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gill, Udai [Health Canada, Product Safety Laboratory, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada); Covaci, Adrian [University of Antwerp, Toxicological Center, Wilrijk (Belgium); Ryan, John Jake [Health Canada, Bureau of Chemical Safety, Health Products and Food Branch, Ottawa, Ontario (Canada); Emond, Andre [Health Canada, Environmental Research Division, First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, Ottawa, Ontario K1A0L2 (Canada)

    2004-12-01

    A human powdered hair material (BCR 397) was tested for its content in persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs). Using different methods, three laboratories (two from Canada and one from Belgium) analysed a powdered hair sample to evaluate some methodologies and to obtain consensus values for selected POPs. Measured values for all PCB congeners and p,p'-DDE were within a relative standard deviation (RSD) of 15%. These first results contribute to the accuracy and precision for POPs quantification in hair and render test results more comparable among different laboratories. (orig.)

  20. The HDAC inhibitor SB939 overcomes resistance to BCR-ABL kinase Inhibitors conferred by the BIM deletion polymorphism in chronic myeloid leukemia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Muhammad Rauzan

    Full Text Available Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML treatment has been improved by tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs such as imatinib mesylate (IM but various factors can cause TKI resistance in patients with CML. One factor which contributes to TKI resistance is a germline intronic deletion polymorphism in the BCL2-like 11 (BIM gene which impairs the expression of pro-apoptotic splice isoforms of BIM. SB939 (pracinostat is a hydroxamic acid based HDAC inhibitor with favorable pharmacokinetic, physicochemical and pharmaceutical properties, and we investigated if this drug could overcome BIM deletion polymorphism-induced TKI resistance. We found that SB939 corrects BIM pre-mRNA splicing in CML cells with the BIM deletion polymorphism, and induces apoptotic cell death in CML cell lines and primary cells with the BIM deletion polymorphism. More importantly, SB939 both decreases the viability of CML cell lines and primary CML progenitors with the BIM deletion and restores TKI-sensitivity. Our results demonstrate that SB939 overcomes BIM deletion polymorphism-induced TKI resistance, and suggest that SB939 may be useful in treating CML patients with BIM deletion-associated TKI resistance.

  1. The Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF/Met Axis: A Neglected Target in the Treatment of Chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasms?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marjorie Boissinot

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Met is the receptor of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF, a cytoprotective cytokine. Disturbing the equilibrium between Met and its ligand may lead to inappropriate cell survival, accumulation of genetic abnormalities and eventually, malignancy. Abnormal activation of the HGF/Met axis is established in solid tumours and in chronic haematological malignancies, including myeloma, acute myeloid leukaemia, chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML, and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs. The molecular mechanisms potentially responsible for the abnormal activation of HGF/Met pathways are described and discussed. Importantly, inCML and in MPNs, the production of HGF is independent of Bcr-Abl and JAK2V617F, the main molecular markers of these diseases. In vitro studies showed that blocking HGF/Met function with neutralizing antibodies or Met inhibitors significantly impairs the growth of JAK2V617F-mutated cells. With personalised medicine and curative treatment in view, blocking activation of HGF/Met could be a useful addition in the treatment of CML and MPNs for those patients with high HGF/MET expression not controlled by current treatments (Bcr-Abl inhibitors in CML; phlebotomy, hydroxurea, JAK inhibitors in MPNs.

  2. Therapeutic options for chronic myeloid leukemia: focus on imatinib (Glivec®, Gleevec™

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Henkes

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available 1Martin Henkes, 2Heiko van der Kuip, 1Walter E Aulitzky12nd Department of Internal Medicine, Oncology and Hematology, Robert Bosch Hospital, Auerbachstr. 110, Stuttgart, Germany; 2Dr Margarete Fischer-Bosch Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, Auerbachstr. 112, Stuttgart, and University of Tuebingen, GermanyAbstract: Treatment options for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML have changed dramatically during the last decades. Interferon-α treatment and stem cell transplantation (SCT clearly improved survival over conventional chemotherapy and offered the possibility of complete and durable responses. With the advent of the small molecule inhibitor imatinib mesylate (Glivec®, GleevecTM targeting the causative Bcr-Abl oncoprotein, the era of molecular cancer therapy began with remarkable success especially in chronic phase patients. Today, imatinib is the first-line treatment for CML. However, imatinib does not appear to be capable to eliminate all leukemia cells in the patients and pre-existing as well as acquired resistance to the drug has been increasingly recognized. To overcome these problems, several strategies involving dose escalation, combinations with other agents, and novel Bcr-Abl inhibitors have been developed.Keywords: CML therapy, imatinib, SCT, novel kinase inhibitors

  3. The Hepatocyte Growth Factor (HGF)/Met Axis: A Neglected Target in the Treatment of Chronic Myeloproliferative Neoplasms?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boissinot, Marjorie [Translational Neuro-Oncology Group, Leeds Institute of Cancer and Pathology, University of Leeds, Level 5 Wellcome Trust Brenner Building, St James’s Hospital, Leeds LS9 7TF (United Kingdom); Vilaine, Mathias [Institute of Research on Cancer and Aging (IRCAN), CNRS-Inserm-UNS UMR 7284, U 1081, Centre A. Lacassagne, 33 Avenue Valombrose, Nice 06189 (France); Hermouet, Sylvie, E-mail: sylvie.hermouet@univ-nantes.fr [Centre Hospitalier Universitaire (CHU), Place Alexis Ricordeau, Nantes 44093 (France); Inserm UMR892, Centre de Recherche en Cancérologie Nantes-Angers, Institut de Recherche en Santé, Université de Nantes, 8 quai Moncousu, Nantes cedex 44007 (France)

    2014-08-12

    Met is the receptor of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), a cytoprotective cytokine. Disturbing the equilibrium between Met and its ligand may lead to inappropriate cell survival, accumulation of genetic abnormalities and eventually, malignancy. Abnormal activation of the HGF/Met axis is established in solid tumours and in chronic haematological malignancies, including myeloma, acute myeloid leukaemia, chronic myelogenous leukaemia (CML), and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). The molecular mechanisms potentially responsible for the abnormal activation of HGF/Met pathways are described and discussed. Importantly, inCML and in MPNs, the production of HGF is independent of Bcr-Abl and JAK2V617F, the main molecular markers of these diseases. In vitro studies showed that blocking HGF/Met function with neutralizing antibodies or Met inhibitors significantly impairs the growth of JAK2V617F-mutated cells. With personalised medicine and curative treatment in view, blocking activation of HGF/Met could be a useful addition in the treatment of CML and MPNs for those patients with high HGF/MET expression not controlled by current treatments (Bcr-Abl inhibitors in CML; phlebotomy, hydroxurea, JAK inhibitors in MPNs)

  4. UAP56 is an important mediator of Angiotensin II/platelet derived growth factor induced vascular smooth muscle cell DNA synthesis and proliferation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sahni, Abha; Wang, Nadan; Alexis, Jeffrey

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► Knockdown of UAP56 inhibits Angiotensin II/PDGF induced vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation. ► UAP56 is a positive regulator of E2F transcriptional activation. ► UAP56 is present in the vessel wall of low flow carotid arteries. -- Abstract: Angiotensin (Ang) II and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) are important mediators of pathologic vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) proliferation. Identifying downstream mediators of Ang II and PDGF signaling may provide insights for therapies to improve vascular proliferative diseases. We have previously demonstrated that breakpoint cluster region (Bcr) is an important mediator of Ang II/PDGF signaling in VSMC. We have recently reported that the DExD/H box protein UAP56 is an interacting partner of Bcr in regulating VSMC DNA synthesis. We hypothesized that UAP56 itself is an important regulator of VSMC proliferation. In this report we demonstrate that knockdown of UAP56 inhibits Ang II/PDGF induced VSMC DNA synthesis and proliferation, and inhibits E2F transcriptional activity. In addition, we demonstrate that UAP56 is present in the vessel wall of low-flow carotid arteries. These findings suggest that UAP56 is a regulator of VSMC proliferation and identify UAP56 as a target for preventing vascular proliferative disease

  5. Characterization of Antigen-Specific B Cells Using Nominal Antigen-Coated Flow-Beads

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akl, Ahmed; Lepetit, Maud; Crochette, Romain; Giral, Magali; Lepourry, Julie; Pallier, Annaick; Castagnet, Stéphanie; Dugast, Emilie; Guillot-Gueguen, Cécile; Jacq-Foucher, Marylène; Saulquin, Xavier; Cesbron, Anne; Laplaud, David; Nicot, Arnaud; Brouard, Sophie; Soulillou, Jean-Paul

    2013-01-01

    In order to characterize the reactivity of B cells against nominal antigens, a method based on the coupling of antigens onto the surface of fluorescent core polystyrene beads was developed. We first demonstrate that murine B cells with a human MOG-specific BCR are able to interact with MOG-coated beads and do not recognize beads coated with human albumin or pp65. B cells purified from human healthy volunteer blood or immunized individuals were tested for their ability to interact with various nominal antigens, including viral, vaccine, self and alloantigens, chosen for their usefulness in studying a variety of pathological processes. A substantial amount of B cells binding self-antigen MOG-coated beads can be detected in normal blood. Furthermore, greater frequencies of B cell against anti-Tetanic Toxin or anti-EBNA1 were observed in primed individuals. This method can reveal increased frequencies of anti-HLA committed B cells in patients with circulating anti-HLA antibodies compared to unsensitized patients and normal individuals. Of interest, those specific CD19 cells were preferentially identified within CD27−IgD+ (i-e naïve) subset. These observations suggest that a broad range of medical situations could benefit from a tool that allows the detection, the quantification and the characterization of antigen-specific blood B cells. PMID:24386360

  6. Contribution of nuclear analysis methods to the certification of BCR reference materials for non-metals in non-ferrous metals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pauwels, J.

    1979-01-01

    A number of reference materials for oxygen in different non-ferrous metals have been certified by BCR in the frame of a multidisciplinary Community project. The contribution of nuclear analysis methods is illustrated by several examples concerning the optimization of sample preparation techniques, the analysis of low and high oxygen non-ferrous metals and the extension of the program to other non-metals, especially nitrogen and carbon. (author)

  7. Abl family kinases regulate endothelial barrier function in vitro and in mice.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elizabeth M Chislock

    Full Text Available The maintenance of endothelial barrier function is essential for normal physiology, and increased vascular permeability is a feature of a wide variety of pathological conditions, leading to complications including edema and tissue damage. Use of the pharmacological inhibitor imatinib, which targets the Abl family of non-receptor tyrosine kinases (Abl and Arg, as well as other tyrosine kinases including the platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR, Kit, colony stimulating factor 1 receptor (CSF1R, and discoidin domain receptors, has shown protective effects in animal models of inflammation, sepsis, and other pathologies characterized by enhanced vascular permeability. However, the imatinib targets involved in modulation of vascular permeability have not been well-characterized, as imatinib inhibits multiple tyrosine kinases not only in endothelial cells and pericytes but also immune cells important for disorders associated with pathological inflammation and abnormal vascular permeability. In this work we employ endothelial Abl knockout mice to show for the first time a direct role for Abl in the regulation of vascular permeability in vivo. Using both Abl/Arg-specific pharmacological inhibition and endothelial Abl knockout mice, we demonstrate a requirement for Abl kinase activity in the induction of endothelial permeability by vascular endothelial growth factor both in vitro and in vivo. Notably, Abl kinase inhibition also impaired endothelial permeability in response to the inflammatory mediators thrombin and histamine. Mechanistically, we show that loss of Abl kinase activity was accompanied by activation of the barrier-stabilizing GTPases Rac1 and Rap1, as well as inhibition of agonist-induced Ca(2+ mobilization and generation of acto-myosin contractility. In all, these findings suggest that pharmacological targeting of the Abl kinases may be capable of inhibiting endothelial permeability induced by a broad range of agonists and that use

  8. Small interfering RNA delivery through positively charged polymer nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dragoni, Luca; Cesana, Alberto; Moscatelli, Davide; Ferrari, Raffaele; Morbidelli, Massimo; Lupi, Monica; Falcetta, Francesca; Ubezio, Paolo; D’Incalci, Maurizio

    2016-01-01

    Small interfering RNA (siRNA) is receiving increasing attention with regard to the treatment of many genetic diseases, both acquired and hereditary, such as cancer and diabetes. Being a high molecular weight (MW) polyanion, siRNA is not able to cross a cell membrane, and in addition it is unstable in physiological conditions. Accordingly, a biocompatible nanocarrier able to deliver siRNA into cells is needed. In this work, we synthesized biocompatible positively charged nanoparticles (NPs) following a two-step process that involves ring opening polymerization (ROP) and emulsion free radical polymerization (EFRP). Firstly, we proved the possibility of fine tuning the NPs’ characteristics (e.g. size and surface charge) by changing the synthetic process parameters. Then the capability in loading and delivering undamaged siRNA into a cancer cell cytoplasm has been shown. This latter process occurs through the biodegradation of the polymer constituting the NPs, whose kinetics can be tuned by adjusting the polymer’s MW. Finally, the ability of NPs to carry siRNA inside the cells in order to inhibit their target gene has been demonstrated using green flourescent protein positive cells. (paper)

  9. The necrotic signal induced by mycophenolic acid overcomes apoptosis-resistance in tumor cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gwendaline Guidicelli

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The amount of inosine monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH, a pivotal enzyme for the biosynthesis of the guanosine tri-phosphate (GTP, is frequently increased in tumor cells. The anti-viral agent ribavirin and the immunosuppressant mycophenolic acid (MPA are potent inhibitors of IMPDH. We recently showed that IMPDH inhibition led to a necrotic signal requiring the activation of Cdc42. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Herein, we strengthened the essential role played by this small GTPase in the necrotic signal by silencing Cdc42 and by the ectopic expression of a constitutive active mutant of Cdc42. Since resistance to apoptosis is an essential step for the tumorigenesis process, we next examined the effect of the MPA-mediated necrotic signal on different tumor cells demonstrating various mechanisms of resistance to apoptosis (Bcl2-, HSP70-, Lyn-, BCR-ABL-overexpressing cells. All tested cells remained sensitive to MPA-mediated necrotic signal. Furthermore, inhibition of IMPDH activity in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia cells was significantly more efficient at eliminating malignant cells than apoptotic inducers. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: These findings indicate that necrosis and apoptosis are split signals that share few if any common hub of signaling. In addition, the necrotic signaling pathway induced by depletion of the cellular amount of GTP/GDP would be of great interest to eliminate apoptotic-resistant tumor cells.

  10. Adaptation of Candida albicans to environmental pH induces cell wall remodelling and enhances innate immune recognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sorsby, Eleanor; Mahtey, Nabeel; Brown, Ian

    2017-01-01

    Candida albicans is able to proliferate in environments that vary dramatically in ambient pH, a trait required for colonising niches such as the stomach, vaginal mucosal and the GI tract. Here we show that growth in acidic environments involves cell wall remodelling which results in enhanced chitin and β-glucan exposure at the cell wall periphery. Unmasking of the underlying immuno-stimulatory β-glucan in acidic environments enhanced innate immune recognition of C. albicans by macrophages and neutrophils, and induced a stronger proinflammatory cytokine response, driven through the C-type lectin-like receptor, Dectin-1. This enhanced inflammatory response resulted in significant recruitment of neutrophils in an intraperitoneal model of infection, a hallmark of symptomatic vaginal colonisation. Enhanced chitin exposure resulted from reduced expression of the cell wall chitinase Cht2, via a Bcr1-Rim101 dependent signalling cascade, while increased β-glucan exposure was regulated via a non-canonical signalling pathway. We propose that this “unmasking” of the cell wall may induce non-protective hyper activation of the immune system during growth in acidic niches, and may attribute to symptomatic vaginal infection. PMID:28542528

  11. Adaptation of Candida albicans to environmental pH induces cell wall remodelling and enhances innate immune recognition.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sarah L Sherrington

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available Candida albicans is able to proliferate in environments that vary dramatically in ambient pH, a trait required for colonising niches such as the stomach, vaginal mucosal and the GI tract. Here we show that growth in acidic environments involves cell wall remodelling which results in enhanced chitin and β-glucan exposure at the cell wall periphery. Unmasking of the underlying immuno-stimulatory β-glucan in acidic environments enhanced innate immune recognition of C. albicans by macrophages and neutrophils, and induced a stronger proinflammatory cytokine response, driven through the C-type lectin-like receptor, Dectin-1. This enhanced inflammatory response resulted in significant recruitment of neutrophils in an intraperitoneal model of infection, a hallmark of symptomatic vaginal colonisation. Enhanced chitin exposure resulted from reduced expression of the cell wall chitinase Cht2, via a Bcr1-Rim101 dependent signalling cascade, while increased β-glucan exposure was regulated via a non-canonical signalling pathway. We propose that this "unmasking" of the cell wall may induce non-protective hyper activation of the immune system during growth in acidic niches, and may attribute to symptomatic vaginal infection.

  12. A Preliminary Study of the Suitability of Archival Bone Marrow and Peripheral Blood Smears for Diagnosis of CML Using FISH

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alice Charwudzi

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. FISH is a molecular cytogenetic technique enabling rapid detection of genetic abnormalities. Facilities that can run fresh/wet samples for molecular diagnosis and monitoring of neoplastic disorders are not readily available in Ghana and other neighbouring countries. This study aims to demonstrate that interphase FISH can successfully be applied to archival methanol-fixed bone marrow and peripheral blood smear slides transported to a more equipped facility for molecular diagnosis of CML. Methods. Interphase FISH was performed on 22 archival methanol-fixed marrow (BM and 3 peripheral blood (PB smear slides obtained at diagnosis. The BM smears included 20 CML and 2 CMML cases diagnosed by morphology; the 3 PB smears were from 3 of the CML patients at the time of diagnosis. Six cases had known BCR-ABL fusion results at diagnosis by RQ-PCR. Full blood count reports at diagnosis were also retrieved. Result. 19 (95% of the CML marrow smears demonstrated the BCR-ABL translocation. There was a significant correlation between the BCR-ABL transcript detected at diagnosis by RQ-PCR and that retrospectively detected by FISH from the aged BM smears at diagnosis (r=0.870; P=0.035. Conclusion. Archival methanol-fixed marrow and peripheral blood smears can be used to detect the BCR-ABL transcript for CML diagnosis.

  13. Next generation sequencing reveals skewing of the T and B cell receptor repertoires in patients with Wiskott Aldrich syndrome

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amy E O'Connell

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available The Wiskott Aldrich syndrome (WAS is due to mutations of the WAS gene encoding for the cytoskeletal WAS protein (WASp, leading to abnormal downstream signaling from the T cell and B cell antigen receptors (TCR, BCR. We hypothesized that the impaired signaling through the TCR and BCR in WAS would subsequently lead to aberrations in the immune repertoire of WAS patients. Using next generation sequencing, the T cell receptor beta (TRB and B cell immunoglobulin heavy chain (IGH repertoires of 8 patients with WAS and 6 controls were sequenced. Clonal expansions were identified within memory CD4+ cells, as well as in total, naïve and memory CD8+ cells from WAS patients. In the B cell compartment, WAS patient IGH repertoires were also clonally expanded and showed skewed usage of IGHV and IGHJ genes, and increased usage of IGHG constant genes, compared with controls. To our knowledge, this is the first study that demonstrates significant abnormalities of the immune repertoire in WAS patients using next generation sequencing.

  14. Researchers Identify Genomic Alterations Associated with Drug-Targetable Kinase Activation in Ph-like Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia | Office of Cancer Genomics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most prevalent cancer among children and young adults, and standard treatments within this population generally result in favorable outcomes. By contrast, one particular subtype of this disease, Philadelphia chromosome-like ALL (Ph-like ALL), is associated with inferior outcomes. Ph-like ALL exhibits a gene expression profile similar to chromosome 9:22 translocation positive ALL, yet it lacks the characteristic BCR-ABL fusion protein.

  15. Infectious mononucleosis accompanied by clonal proliferation of EBV-infected cells and infection of CD8-positive cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arai, Ayako; Yamaguchi, Takeshi; Komatsu, Honami; Imadome, Ken-Ichi; Kurata, Morito; Nagata, Kaoru; Miura, Osamu

    2014-01-01

    A 22-year-old male was admitted for a sustained fever of 2 months, lymphadenopathy, and liver dysfunction. Anti-VCA-IgM antibody was positive, with elevated Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-DNA load in the peripheral blood. Liver biopsy revealed infiltration of CD8-positive and EBV-positive cells. Most peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were also positive for CD8, and showed detectable levels of EBV-DNA. Monoclonal proliferation of EBV-infected cells was detected in the PBMCs by Southern blotting for EBV-terminal repeat (EBV-TR). Although EBV-positive T-cell lymphoproliferative disease (EBV-T-LPD) was suspected, the symptoms spontaneously resolved within 12 months. Anti-VCA-IgM antibody and the clonal band of EBV-TR were negative 1 year after the onset, while anti-EBNA antibody was positive. The final diagnosis was thus confirmed as infectious mononucleosis (IM). Our results indicate that EBV-infected CD8-positive cells and clonal proliferation of EBV-infected cells may be temporally detected in IM. EBV-T-LPDs should be carefully excluded in such cases.

  16. Imaging- and Flow Cytometry-based Analysis of Cell Position and the Cell Cycle in 3D Melanoma Spheroids

    OpenAIRE

    Beaumont, Kimberley A.; Anfosso, Andrea; Ahmed, Farzana; Weninger, Wolfgang; Haass, Nikolas K.

    2015-01-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) tumor spheroids are utilized in cancer research as a more accurate model of the in vivo tumor microenvironment, compared to traditional two-dimensional (2D) cell culture. The spheroid model is able to mimic the effects of cell-cell interaction, hypoxia and nutrient deprivation, and drug penetration. One characteristic of this model is the development of a necrotic core, surrounded by a ring of G1 arrested cells, with proliferating cells on the outer layers of the sphero...

  17. FGF7 and cell density are required for final differentiation of pancreatic amylase-positive cells from human ES cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takizawa-Shirasawa, Sakiko; Yoshie, Susumu; Yue, Fengming; Mogi, Akimi; Yokoyama, Tadayuki; Tomotsune, Daihachiro; Sasaki, Katsunori

    2013-12-01

    The major molecular signals of pancreatic exocrine development are largely unknown. We examine the role of fibroblast growth factor 7 (FGF7) in the final induction of pancreatic amylase-containing exocrine cells from induced-pancreatic progenitor cells derived from human embryonic stem (hES) cells. Our protocol consisted in three steps: Step I, differentiation of definitive endoderm (DE) by activin A treatment of hES cell colonies; Step II, differentiation of pancreatic progenitor cells by re-plating of the cells of Step I onto 24-well plates at high density and stimulation with all-trans retinoic acid; Step III, differentiation of pancreatic exocrine cells with a combination of FGF7, glucagon-like peptide 1 and nicotinamide. The expression levels of pancreatic endodermal markers such as Foxa2, Sox17 and gut tube endoderm marker HNF1β were up-regulated in both Step I and II. Moreover, in Step III, the induced cells expressed pancreatic markers such as amylase, carboxypeptidase A and chymotrypsinogen B, which were similar to those in normal human pancreas. From day 8 in Step III, cells immunohistochemically positive for amylase and for carboxypeptidase A, a pancreatic exocrine cell product, were induced by FGF7. Pancreatic progenitor Pdx1-positive cells were localized in proximity to the amylase-positive cells. In the absence of FGF7, few amylase-positive cells were identified. Thus, our three-step culture protocol for human ES cells effectively induces the differentiation of amylase- and carboxypeptidase-A-containing pancreatic exocrine cells.

  18. Converging evolution leads to near maximal junction diversity through parallel mechanisms in B and T cell receptors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benichou, Jennifer I. C.; van Heijst, Jeroen W. J.; Glanville, Jacob; Louzoun, Yoram

    2017-08-01

    T and B cell receptor (TCR and BCR) complementarity determining region 3 (CDR3) genetic diversity is produced through multiple diversification and selection stages. Potential holes in the CDR3 repertoire were argued to be linked to immunodeficiencies and diseases. In contrast with BCRs, TCRs have practically no Dβ germline genetic diversity, and the question emerges as to whether they can produce a diverse CDR3 repertoire. In order to address the genetic diversity of the adaptive immune system, appropriate quantitative measures for diversity and large-scale sequencing are required. Such a diversity method should incorporate the complex diversification mechanisms of the adaptive immune response and the BCR and TCR loci structure. We combined large-scale sequencing and diversity measures to show that TCRs have a near maximal CDR3 genetic diversity. Specifically, TCR have a larger junctional and V germline diversity, which starts more 5‧ in Vβ than BCRs. Selection decreases the TCR repertoire diversity, but does not affect BCR repertoire. As a result, TCR is as diverse as BCR repertoire, with a biased CDR3 length toward short TCRs and long BCRs. These differences suggest parallel converging evolutionary tracks to reach the required diversity to avoid holes in the CDR3 repertoire.

  19. Cyanobacteria from Terrestrial and Marine Sources Contain Apoptogens Able to Overcome Chemoresistance in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Liwei; Herfindal, Lars; Jokela, Jouni; Shishido, Tania Keiko; Wahlsten, Matti; Døskeland, Stein Ove; Sivonen, Kaarina

    2014-01-01

    In this study, we investigated forty cyanobacterial isolates from biofilms, gastropods, brackish water and symbiotic lichen habitats. Their aqueous and organic extracts were used to screen for apoptosis-inducing activity against acute myeloid leukemia cells. A total of 28 extracts showed cytotoxicity against rat acute myeloid leukemia (IPC-81) cells. The design of the screen made it possible to eliminate known toxins, such as microcystins and nodularin, or known metabolites with anti-leukemic activity, such as adenosine and its analogs. A cytotoxicity test on human embryonic kidney (HEK293T) fibroblasts indicated that 21 of the 28 extracts containing anti-acute myeloid leukemia (AML) activity showed selectivity in favor of leukemia cells. Extracts L26-O and L30-O were able to partly overcome the chemotherapy resistance induced by the oncogenic protein Bcl-2, whereas extract L1-O overcame protection from the deletion of the tumor suppressor protein p53. In conclusion, cyanobacteria are a prolific resource for anti-leukemia compounds that have potential for pharmaceutical applications. Based on the variety of cellular responses, we also conclude that the different anti-leukemic compounds in the cyanobacterial extracts target different elements of the death machinery of mammalian cells. PMID:24705501

  20. Cyanobacteria from Terrestrial and Marine Sources Contain Apoptogens Able to Overcome Chemoresistance in Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liwei Liu

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available In this study, we investigated forty cyanobacterial isolates from biofilms, gastropods, brackish water and symbiotic lichen habitats. Their aqueous and organic extracts were used to screen for apoptosis-inducing activity against acute myeloid leukemia cells. A total of 28 extracts showed cytotoxicity against rat acute myeloid leukemia (IPC-81 cells. The design of the screen made it possible to eliminate known toxins, such as microcystins and nodularin, or known metabolites with anti-leukemic activity, such as adenosine and its analogs. A cytotoxicity test on human embryonic kidney (HEK293T fibroblasts indicated that 21 of the 28 extracts containing anti-acute myeloid leukemia (AML activity showed selectivity in favor of leukemia cells. Extracts L26-O and L30-O were able to partly overcome the chemotherapy resistance induced by the oncogenic protein Bcl-2, whereas extract L1-O overcame protection from the deletion of the tumor suppressor protein p53. In conclusion, cyanobacteria are a prolific resource for anti-leukemia compounds that have potential for pharmaceutical applications. Based on the variety of cellular responses, we also conclude that the different anti-leukemic compounds in the cyanobacterial extracts target different elements of the death machinery of mammalian cells.

  1. Radiation-induced apoptosis in differentially modulated by PTK inhibitora in K562 cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Hyung Sik; Moon, Chang Woo; Hur, Won Joo; Jeong, Su Jin; Jeong Min Ho; Lee, Jeong Hyeon; Lim, Young Jin; Park, Heon Joo

    2000-01-01

    The effect of PTK inhibitors (herbimycin A and genistein) on the induction of radiation-induced apoptosis in Ph-positive K562 leukemia cell line was investigated. K562 cells in exponential growth phase were irradiated with a linear accelerator at room temperature. For 6 MV X-ray irradiation and drug treatment, cultures were initiated at 2x10 6 cells/ml. The cells were irradiated with 10Gy. Stock solutions of herbimycin A and genistein were prepared in dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO). After incubation at 37 .deg. for 0-48 h, the extent of apoptosis was determined using agarose gel electrophoresis and TUNEL assay. The progression of cells through the cell cycle after irradiation and drug treatment was also determined with flow cytometry. Western blot analysis was used to monitor bcl-2, bcl-X-L and bax protein levels. Treatment with 10 Gy X-irradiation did not result in the induction of apoptosis. The HMA alone (500 nM) also failed to induce apoptosis. By contrast, incubation of K562 cells with HMA after irradiation resulted in a substantial induction of nuclear condensation and fragmentation by agarose gel electrophoresis and TUNEL assay. Genistein failed to enhance the ability of X-irradiation to induce DNA fragmentation. Enhancement of apoptosis by HMA was not attributable to downregulation of the bcl-2 or bcl-X-L anti-apoptotic proteins. When the cells were irradiated and maintained with HMA, the percentage of cells in G2/M phase decreased to 30-40% at 48 h. On the other hand, cells exposed to 10 Gy X-irradiation alone or maintained with genistein did not show marked cell cycle redistribution. We have shown that nanomolar concentrations of the PTK inhibitor HMA synergize with X-irradiation in inducing the apoptosis in Ph (+) K562 leukemia cell line. While, genistein, a PTK inhibitor which is not selective for p210 bcr/abl failed to enhance the radiation induced apoptosis in K562 cells. It is unlikely that the ability of HMA to enhance apoptosis in K562 cells is

  2. The top ten clues to understand the origin of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

    Science.gov (United States)

    García-Muñoz, Ricardo; Feliu, Jesús; Llorente, Luis

    2015-01-01

    The fundamental task of the immune system is to protect the individual from infectious organisms without serious injury to self. The essence of acquired immunity is molecular self/non self discrimination. Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is characterized by a global failure of immune system that begins with the failure of immunological tolerance mechanisms (autoimmunity) and finish with the incapacity to response to non-self antigens (immunodeficiency). Immunological tolerance mechanisms are involved in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) development. During B cell development some self-reactive B cells acquire a special BCR that recognize their own BCR. This self-autoantibody-self BCR interaction promotes survival, differentiation and proliferation of self-reactive B cells. Continuous self-autoantibody-self BCR interaction cross-linking induces an increased rate of surface BCR elimination, CD5+ expression, receptor editing and anergy. Unfortunately, some times this mechanisms increase genomic instability and promote additional genetic damage that immortalize self-reactive B cells and convert them into CLL like clones with the capability of clonal evolution and transformed CLL B cells. This review summarizes the immunological effects of continuous self-autoantibody-self BCR interaction cross-linking in the surface of self-reactive B cells and their role in CLL development. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. EBV-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma of the elderly

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    C.Y. Ok (Chi Young); T.G. Papathomas (Thomas); L.J. Medeiros (L. Jeffrey); K.H. Young (Ken)

    2013-01-01

    textabstractEpstein-Barr virus (EBV) positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) of the elderly, initially described in 2003, is a provisional entity in the 2008World Health Organization classification system and is defined as an EBV-positive monoclonal large B-cell proliferation that occurs in

  4. CRISPR-Cas9-mediated saturated mutagenesis screen predicts clinical drug resistance with improved accuracy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Leyuan; Boucher, Jeffrey I; Paulsen, Janet; Matuszewski, Sebastian; Eide, Christopher A; Ou, Jianhong; Eickelberg, Garrett; Press, Richard D; Zhu, Lihua Julie; Druker, Brian J; Branford, Susan; Wolfe, Scot A; Jensen, Jeffrey D; Schiffer, Celia A; Green, Michael R; Bolon, Daniel N

    2017-10-31

    Developing tools to accurately predict the clinical prevalence of drug-resistant mutations is a key step toward generating more effective therapeutics. Here we describe a high-throughput CRISPR-Cas9-based saturated mutagenesis approach to generate comprehensive libraries of point mutations at a defined genomic location and systematically study their effect on cell growth. As proof of concept, we mutagenized a selected region within the leukemic oncogene BCR-ABL1 Using bulk competitions with a deep-sequencing readout, we analyzed hundreds of mutations under multiple drug conditions and found that the effects of mutations on growth in the presence or absence of drug were critical for predicting clinically relevant resistant mutations, many of which were cancer adaptive in the absence of drug pressure. Using this approach, we identified all clinically isolated BCR-ABL1 mutations and achieved a prediction score that correlated highly with their clinical prevalence. The strategy described here can be broadly applied to a variety of oncogenes to predict patient mutations and evaluate resistance susceptibility in the development of new therapeutics. Published under the PNAS license.

  5. Calpain-Mediated positional information directs cell wall orientation to sustain plant stem cell activity, growth and development

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eukaryotic development and stem cell control depend on the integration of cell positional sensing with cell cycle control and cell wall positioning, yet few factors that directly link these events are known. The DEFECTIVE KERNEL1 (DEK1) gene encoding the unique plant calpain protein is fundamental f...

  6. Human sepsis-associated Escherichia coli (SEPEC) is able to adhere to and invade kidney epithelial cells in culture

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Conceição, R.A. [Departamento de Genética, Evolução e Bioagentes, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP (Brazil); Ludovico, M.S. [Departamento de Microbiologia, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, PR (Brazil); Andrade, C.G.T.J. [Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Londrina, PR (Brazil); Yano, T. [Departamento de Genética, Evolução e Bioagentes, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP (Brazil)

    2012-04-13

    The adhesins of extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli are essential for mediating direct interactions between the microbes and the host cell surfaces that they infect. Using fluorescence microscopy and gentamycin protection assays, we observed that 49 sepsis-associated E. coli (SEPEC) strains isolated from human adults adhered to and invaded Vero cells in the presence of D-mannose (100%). In addition, bacteria concentrations of approximately 2 × 10{sup 7} CFU/mL were recovered from Vero cells following an invasion assay. Furthermore, PCR analysis of adhesin genes showed that 98.0% of these SEPEC strains tested positive for fimH, 69.4% for flu, 53.1% for csgA, 38.8% for mat, and 32.7% for iha. Analysis of the invasin genes showed that 16.3% of the SEPEC strains were positive for tia, 12.3% for gimB, and 10.2% for ibeA. Therefore, these data suggest that SEPEC adhesion to cell surfaces occurs through non-fimH mechanisms. Scanning electron microscopy showed the formation of microcolonies on the Vero cell surface. SEPEC invasiveness was also confirmed by the presence of intracellular bacteria, and ultrastructural analysis using electron transmission microscopy revealed bacteria inside the Vero cells. Taken together, these results demonstrate that these SEPEC strains had the ability to adhere to and invade Vero cells. Moreover, these data support the theory that renal cells may be the predominant pathway through which SEPEC enters human blood vessels.

  7. Characterization of nonlymphoid cells in rat spleen, with special reference to strongly Ia-positive branched cells in T-cell areas

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dijkstra, C.D.

    1982-01-01

    By use of a monoclonal antibody against Ia antigen in an immunoperoxidase method, strongly Ia-positive branched cells are found in the T-cell areas of the splenic white pulp of the rat. In order to further characterize these cells, enzyme histochemical characteristics, phagocytic capacity, and irradiation sensitivity have been studied. Evidence is presented that these strongly Ia-positive branched cells represent interdigitating cells. The influence of whole-body irradiation on interdigitating cells is discussed. Comparison with data from the literature on the in vitro dendritic cell isolated from spleen cell suspensions reveals many similarities between the described interdigitating cell in vivo and the dendritic cell in vitro

  8. Isolation and characterization of portal branch ligation-stimulated Hmga2-positive bipotent hepatic progenitor cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakai, Hiroshi; Tagawa, Yoh-ichi; Tamai, Miho; Motoyama, Hiroaki; Ogawa, Shinichiro; Soeda, Junpei; Nakata, Takenari; Miyagawa, Shinichi

    2010-01-01

    Research highlights: → Hepatic progenitor cells were isolated from the portal branch-ligated liver of mice. → Portal branch ligation-stimulated hepatic progenitor cells (PBLHCs) express Hmga2. → PBLHCs have bidirectional differentiation capability in vitro. -- Abstract: Hepatic stem/progenitor cells are one of several cell sources that show promise for restoration of liver mass and function. Although hepatic progenitor cells (HPCs), including oval cells, are induced by administration of certain hepatotoxins in experimental animals, such a strategy would be inappropriate in a clinical setting. Here, we investigated the possibility of isolating HPCs in a portal branch-ligated liver model without administration of any chemical agents. A non-parenchymal cell fraction was prepared from the portal branch-ligated or non-ligated lobe, and seeded onto plates coated with laminin. Most of the cells died, but a small number were able to proliferate. These proliferating cells were cloned as portal branch ligation-stimulated hepatic cells (PBLHCs) by the limiting dilution method. The PBLHCs expressed cytokeratin19, albumin, and Hmga2. The PBLHCs exhibited metabolic functions such as detoxification of ammonium ions and synthesis of urea on Matrigel-coated plates in the presence of oncostatin M. In Matrigel mixed with type I collagen, the PBLHCs became rearranged into cystic and tubular structures. Immunohistochemical staining demonstrated the presence of Hmga2-positive cells around the interlobular bile ducts in the portal branch-ligated liver lobes. In conclusion, successful isolation of bipotent hepatic progenitor cell clones, PBLHCs, from the portal branch-ligated liver lobes of mice provides the possibility of future clinical application of portal vein ligation to induce hepatic progenitor cells.

  9. Cumulative clinical experience from a decade of use: imatinib as first-line treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Baran Y

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Yusuf Baran,1 Guray Saydam21Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Izmir Institute of Technology, Izmir, Turkey; 2Department of Hematology, School of Medicine, Ege University, Izmir, TurkeyAbstract: Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML is a malignant disease that originates in the bone marrow and is designated by the presence of the Philadelphia (Ph+ chromosome, a translocation between chromosomes 9 and 22. Targeted therapy against CML commenced with the development of small-molecule tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs exerting their effect against the oncogenic breakpoint cluster region (BCR-ABL fusion protein. Imatinib emerged as the first successful example of a TKI used for the treatment of chronic-phase CML patients and resulted in significant improvements in response rate and overall survival compared with previous treatments. However, a significant portion of patients failed to respond to the therapy and developed resistance against imatinib. Second-generation TKIs nilotinib and dasatinib were to have higher efficiency in clinical trials in imatinib- resistant or intolerant CML patients compared with imatinib. Identification of novel strategies such as dose escalation, drug combination therapy, and use of novel BCR-ABL inhibitors may eventually overcome resistance against BCR-ABL TKIs. This article reviews the history of CML, including the treatment strategies used prediscovery of TKIs and the preclinical and clinical data obtained after the use of imatinib, and the second-generation TKIs developed for the treatment of CML.Keywords: drug resistance, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, chronic myeloid leukemia, imatinib, BCR/ABL

  10. Expression of chemokine CXCL10 in dendritic-cell-like S100β-positive cells in rat anterior pituitary gland.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Horiguchi, Kotaro; Fujiwara, Ken; Higuchi, Masashi; Yoshida, Saishu; Tsukada, Takehiro; Ueharu, Hiroki; Chen, Mo; Hasegawa, Rumi; Takigami, Shu; Ohsako, Shunji; Yashiro, Takashi; Kato, Takako; Kato, Yukio

    2014-09-01

    Chemokines are mostly small secreted polypeptides whose signals are mediated by seven trans-membrane G-protein-coupled receptors. Their functions include the control of leukocytes and the intercellular mediation of cell migration, proliferation, and adhesion in several tissues. We have previously revealed that the CXC chemokine ligand 12 (CXCL12) and its receptor 4 (CXCR4) are expressed in the anterior pituitary gland, and that the CXCL12/CXCR4 axis evokes the migration and interconnection of S100β-protein-positive cells (S100β-positive cells), which do not produce classical anterior pituitary hormones. However, little is known of the cells producing the other CXCLs and CXCRs or of their characteristics in the anterior pituitary. We therefore examined whether CXCLs and CXCRs occurred in the rat anterior pituitary lobe. We used reverse transcription plus the polymerase chain reaction to analyze the expression of Cxcl and Cxcr and identified the cells that expressed Cxcl by in situ hybridization. Transcripts of Cxcl10 and its receptor (Cxcr3 and toll-like receptor 4, Tlr4) were clearly detected: cells expressing Cxcl10 and Tlr4 were identified amongst S100β-positive cells and those expressing Cxcr3 amongst adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)-producing cells. We also investigated Cxcl10 expression in subpopulations of S100β-positive cells. We separated cultured S100β-positive cells into the round-type (dendritic-cell-like) and process-type (astrocyte- or epithelial-cell-like) by their adherent activity to laminin, a component of the extracellular matrix; CXCL10 was expressed only in round-type S100β-positive cells. Thus, CXCL10 produced by a subpopulation of S100β-positive cells probably exerts an autocrine/paracrine effect on S100β-positive cells and ACTH-producing cells in the anterior lobe.

  11. One isoform of Arg/Abl2 tyrosine kinase is nuclear and the other seven cytosolic isoforms differently modulate cell morphology, motility and the cytoskeleton

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bianchi, Cristina; Torsello, Barbara; Di Stefano, Vitalba; Zipeto, Maria A.; Facchetti, Rita; Bombelli, Silvia; Perego, Roberto A.

    2013-01-01

    The non-receptor tyrosine kinase Abelson related gene (Arg/Abl2) regulates cell migration and morphogenesis by modulating the cytoskeleton. Arg promotes actin-based cell protrusions and spreading, and inhibits cell migration by attenuating stress fiber formation and contractility via activation of the RhoA inhibitor, p190RhoGAP, and by regulating focal adhesion dynamics also via CrkII phosphorylation. Eight full-length Arg isoforms with different N- and C-termini are endogenously expressed in human cells. In this paper, the eight Arg isoforms, subcloned in the pFLAG-CMV2 vector, were transfected in COS-7 cells in order to study their subcellular distribution and role in cell morphology, migration and cytoskeletal modulation. The transfected 1BSCTS Arg isoform has a nuclear distribution and phosphorylates CrkII in the nucleus, whilst the other isoforms are detected in the cytoplasm. The 1BLCTL, 1BSCTL, 1ASCTS isoforms were able to significantly decrease stress fibers, induce cell shrinkage and filopodia-like protrusions with a significant increase in p190RhoGAP phosphorylation. In contrast, 1ALCTL, 1ALCTS, 1ASCTL and 1BLCTS isoforms do not significantly decrease stress fibers and induce the formation of retraction tail-like protrusions. The 1BLCTL and 1ALCTL isoforms have different effects on cell migration and focal adhesions. All these data may open new perspectives to study the mechanisms of cell invasiveness. -Highlights: • Each of the eight Arg isoforms was transfected in COS-7 cells. • Only the 1BSCTS Arg isoform has a nuclear distribution in transfected cells. • The cytoplasmic isoforms and F-actin colocalize cortically and in cell protrusions. • Arg isoforms differently phosphorylate p190RhoGAP and CrkII. • Arg isoforms differently modulate stress fibers, cell protrusions and motility

  12. One isoform of Arg/Abl2 tyrosine kinase is nuclear and the other seven cytosolic isoforms differently modulate cell morphology, motility and the cytoskeleton

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bianchi, Cristina; Torsello, Barbara; Di Stefano, Vitalba; Zipeto, Maria A.; Facchetti, Rita; Bombelli, Silvia; Perego, Roberto A., E-mail: roberto.perego@unimib.it

    2013-08-01

    The non-receptor tyrosine kinase Abelson related gene (Arg/Abl2) regulates cell migration and morphogenesis by modulating the cytoskeleton. Arg promotes actin-based cell protrusions and spreading, and inhibits cell migration by attenuating stress fiber formation and contractility via activation of the RhoA inhibitor, p190RhoGAP, and by regulating focal adhesion dynamics also via CrkII phosphorylation. Eight full-length Arg isoforms with different N- and C-termini are endogenously expressed in human cells. In this paper, the eight Arg isoforms, subcloned in the pFLAG-CMV2 vector, were transfected in COS-7 cells in order to study their subcellular distribution and role in cell morphology, migration and cytoskeletal modulation. The transfected 1BSCTS Arg isoform has a nuclear distribution and phosphorylates CrkII in the nucleus, whilst the other isoforms are detected in the cytoplasm. The 1BLCTL, 1BSCTL, 1ASCTS isoforms were able to significantly decrease stress fibers, induce cell shrinkage and filopodia-like protrusions with a significant increase in p190RhoGAP phosphorylation. In contrast, 1ALCTL, 1ALCTS, 1ASCTL and 1BLCTS isoforms do not significantly decrease stress fibers and induce the formation of retraction tail-like protrusions. The 1BLCTL and 1ALCTL isoforms have different effects on cell migration and focal adhesions. All these data may open new perspectives to study the mechanisms of cell invasiveness. -Highlights: • Each of the eight Arg isoforms was transfected in COS-7 cells. • Only the 1BSCTS Arg isoform has a nuclear distribution in transfected cells. • The cytoplasmic isoforms and F-actin colocalize cortically and in cell protrusions. • Arg isoforms differently phosphorylate p190RhoGAP and CrkII. • Arg isoforms differently modulate stress fibers, cell protrusions and motility.

  13. Analyzing the spatial positioning of nuclei in polynuclear giant cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stange, Maike; Hintsche, Marius; Sachse, Kirsten; Gerhardt, Matthias; Beta, Carsten; Valleriani, Angelo

    2017-01-01

    How cells establish and maintain a well-defined size is a fundamental question of cell biology. Here we investigated to what extent the microtubule cytoskeleton can set a predefined cell size, independent of an enclosing cell membrane. We used electropulse-induced cell fusion to form giant multinuclear cells of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum . Based on dual-color confocal imaging of cells that expressed fluorescent markers for the cell nucleus and the microtubules, we determined the subcellular distributions of nuclei and centrosomes in the giant cells. Our two- and three-dimensional imaging results showed that the positions of nuclei in giant cells do not fall onto a regular lattice. However, a comparison with model predictions for random positioning showed that the subcellular arrangement of nuclei maintains a low but still detectable degree of ordering. This can be explained by the steric requirements of the microtubule cytoskeleton, as confirmed by the effect of a microtubule degrading drug. (paper)

  14. Analyzing the spatial positioning of nuclei in polynuclear giant cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stange, Maike; Hintsche, Marius; Sachse, Kirsten; Gerhardt, Matthias; Valleriani, Angelo; Beta, Carsten

    2017-11-01

    How cells establish and maintain a well-defined size is a fundamental question of cell biology. Here we investigated to what extent the microtubule cytoskeleton can set a predefined cell size, independent of an enclosing cell membrane. We used electropulse-induced cell fusion to form giant multinuclear cells of the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum. Based on dual-color confocal imaging of cells that expressed fluorescent markers for the cell nucleus and the microtubules, we determined the subcellular distributions of nuclei and centrosomes in the giant cells. Our two- and three-dimensional imaging results showed that the positions of nuclei in giant cells do not fall onto a regular lattice. However, a comparison with model predictions for random positioning showed that the subcellular arrangement of nuclei maintains a low but still detectable degree of ordering. This can be explained by the steric requirements of the microtubule cytoskeleton, as confirmed by the effect of a microtubule degrading drug.

  15. Radiosensitivity and effect of hypoxia in HPV positive head and neck cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sørensen, Brita Singers; Busk, Morten; Olthof, Nadine; Speel, Ernst-Jan; Horsman, Michael R.; Alsner, Jan; Overgaard, Jens

    2013-01-01

    Background and purpose: HPV associated Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma (HNSCC) represents a distinct subgroup of HNSCC characterized by a favorable prognosis and a distinct molecular biology. Previous data from the randomized DAHANCA 5 trial indicated that HPV positive tumors did not benefit from hypoxic modifications by Nimorazole during radiotherapy, whereas a significant benefit was observed in the HPV negative tumors. However, more studies have demonstrated equal frequencies of hypoxic tumors among HPV-positive and HPV-negative tumors. The aim of the present study was to determine radiosensitivity, the impact of hypoxia and the effect of Nimorazole in HPV positive and HPV negative cell lines. Materials and method: The used cell lines were: UDSCC2, UMSCC47 and UPCISCC90 (HPV positive) and FaDu DD , UTSCC33 and UTSCC5 (HPV negative). Cells were cultured under normoxic or hypoxic conditions, and gene expression levels of previously established hypoxia induced genes were assessed by qPCR. Cells were irradiated with various doses under normoxia, hypoxia or hypoxia +1 mM Nimorazole, and the clonogenic survival was determined. Results: The HPV positive and HPV negative cell lines exhibited similar patterns of upregulation of hypoxia induced genes in response to hypoxia. The HPV positive cell lines were up to 2.4 times more radiation sensitive than HPV negative cell lines. However, all HPV positive cells displayed the same response to hypoxia in radiosensitivity, with an OER in the range 2.3–2.9, and a sensitizer effect of Nimorazole of 1.13–1.29, similar to HPV negative cells. Conclusions: Although HPV positive cells had a markedly higher radiosensitivity compared to HPV negative cells, they displayed the same relative radioresistance under hypoxia and the same relative sensitizer effect of Nimorazole. The clinical observation that HPV positive patients do not seem to benefit from Nimorazole treatment is not due to inherent differences in hypoxia sensitivity

  16. Synergistic apoptosis induction in leukemic cells by the phosphatase inhibitor salubrinal and proteasome inhibitors.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hannes C A Drexler

    Full Text Available Cells adapt to endoplasmic reticulum (ER-stress by arresting global protein synthesis while simultaneously activating specific transcription factors and their downstream targets. These processes are mediated in part by the phosphorylation-dependent inactivation of the translation initiation factor eIF2alpha. Following restoration of homeostasis protein synthesis is resumed when the serine/threonine-protein phosphatase PP1 dephosphorylates and reactivates eIF2alpha. Proteasome inhibitors, used to treat multiple myeloma patients evoke ER-stress and apoptosis by blocking the ER-associated degradation of misfolded proteins (ERAD, however, the role of eIF2alpha phosphorylation in leukemic cells under conditions of proteasome inhibitor-mediated ER stress is currently unclear.Bcr-Abl-positive and negative leukemic cell lines were used to investigate the functional implications of PP1-related phosphatase activities on eIF2alpha phosphorylation in proteasome inhibitor-mediated ER stress and apoptosis. Rather unexpectedly, salubrinal, a recently identified PP1 inhibitor capable to protect against ER stress in various model systems, strongly synergized with proteasome inhibitors to augment apoptotic death of different leukemic cell lines. Salubrinal treatment did not affect the phosphorlyation status of eIF2alpha. Furthermore, the proapoptotic effect of salubrinal occurred independently from the chemical nature of the proteasome inhibitor, was recapitulated by a second unrelated phosphatase inhibitor and was unaffected by overexpression of a dominant negative eIF2alpha S51A variant that can not be phosphorylated. Salubrinal further aggravated ER-stress and proteotoxicity inflicted by the proteasome inhibitors on the leukemic cells since characteristic ER stress responses, such as ATF4 and CHOP synthesis, XBP1 splicing, activation of MAP kinases and eventually apoptosis were efficiently abrogated by the translational inhibitor cycloheximide.Although PP1

  17. Prognostic value of regulatory T cells in newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zahran, Asmaa M; Badrawy, Hosny; Ibrahim, Abeer

    2014-08-01

    Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a clonal disease, characterized by a reciprocal t(9, 22) that results in a chimeric BCR/ABL fusion gene. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) constitute the main cell population that enables cancer cells to evade immune surveillance. The purpose of our study was to investigate the level of Tregs in newly diagnosed CML patients and to correlate it with the patients' clinical, laboratory and molecular data. We also aimed to assess the effect of treatment using tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) on Treg levels. Tregs were characterized and quantified by flow cytometry in 63 newly diagnosed CML patients and 40 healthy controls. TKI was used in 45 patients with chronic phase CML, and the response to therapy was correlated with baseline Treg levels. The percentages of Tregs were significantly increased in CML patients compared to the controls. Treg numbers were significantly lower in patients with chronic phase CML versus the accelerated and blast phases, and were significantly lower in patients with complete molecular remission (CMR) compared to those patients without CMR. Tregs may play a role in the maintenance of CML. Moreover, the decrease of their levels in patients with CMR suggests that Tregs might have a clinical value in evaluating the effects of therapy.

  18. IGHV1-69 B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia antibodies cross-react with HIV-1 and hepatitis C virus antigens as well as intestinal commensal bacteria.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kwan-Ki Hwang

    Full Text Available B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL patients expressing unmutated immunoglobulin heavy variable regions (IGHVs use the IGHV1-69 B cell receptor (BCR in 25% of cases. Since HIV-1 envelope gp41 antibodies also frequently use IGHV1-69 gene segments, we hypothesized that IGHV1-69 B-CLL precursors may contribute to the gp41 B cell response during HIV-1 infection. To test this hypothesis, we rescued 5 IGHV1-69 unmutated antibodies as heterohybridoma IgM paraproteins and as recombinant IgG1 antibodies from B-CLL patients, determined their antigenic specificities and analyzed BCR sequences. IGHV1-69 B-CLL antibodies were enriched for reactivity with HIV-1 envelope gp41, influenza, hepatitis C virus E2 protein and intestinal commensal bacteria. These IGHV1-69 B-CLL antibodies preferentially used IGHD3 and IGHJ6 gene segments and had long heavy chain complementary determining region 3s (HCDR3s (≥21 aa. IGHV1-69 B-CLL BCRs exhibited a phenylalanine at position 54 (F54 of the HCDR2 as do rare HIV-1 gp41 and influenza hemagglutinin stem neutralizing antibodies, while IGHV1-69 gp41 antibodies induced by HIV-1 infection predominantly used leucine (L54 allelic variants. These results demonstrate that the B-CLL cell population is an expansion of members of the innate polyreactive B cell repertoire with reactivity to a number of infectious agent antigens including intestinal commensal bacteria. The B-CLL IGHV1-69 B cell usage of F54 allelic variants strongly suggests that IGHV1-69 B-CLL gp41 antibodies derive from a restricted B cell pool that also produces rare HIV-1 gp41 and influenza hemagglutinin stem antibodies.

  19. Sr and Pb isotopic composition of five USGS glasses (BHVO-2G, BIR-1G, BCR-2G, TB-1G, NKT-1G)

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Elburg, M.A.; Vroon, P.Z.; van der Wagt, R.A.C.A.; Tchalikian, A.

    2005-01-01

    Sr isotopic compositions and Rb/Sr ratios of three USGS glasses (BHVO-2G, BIR-1G, BCR-2G) are identical to those of the original USGS reference materials. NKT-1G and TB-1G give values of 0.70351 and 0.70558, respectively. Pb isotopic ratios were measured by the standard-sample bracketing technique

  20. ROLE OF LEUKEMIC STEM CELLS IN THE CHRONIC MYELOID LEUKEMIA PATHOGENESIS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sviezhentseva IO

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The presence of leukemic stem cells (LSC in the bone marrow of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML is the cause of relapses as a result of the treatment with chemotherapeutic agents and target therapy drugs. This is due to the ability of LSC to attach itself to the microenvironment cells and to remain at rest for a long time. Vascular and osteoblasts niche play a very important role in this process. However, for being in G0 phase LSC have direct contact with the cellular elements of bone marrow microenvironment. So LSK contact with mesenchymal cells of bone marrow using the appendixes, connecting components invaginations and lint. The cadherins and integrins are important in the interaction of osteoblasts niche. They are able to activate intracellular signaling cascades that provide resting state of LSK. In addition, a bone marrow niche provides changes of LSC oxidative metabolism, which also plays an important role for cell entry into the G0 phase. Further, LSC also have certain physiological properties, which play an important role in the drug resistance formation, particularly drugs with targeted actions - tyrosine kinase inhibitors. LSK characterized by a high level of BCR-ABL expression and their population can have a lot of point mutations in the bcr-abl gene in the same patient. This leads to the fact that the taken medicines dose does not act against LSK, reducing the number of a whole leukemic cells clone. However, complete LSC elimination from the the patient’s bone marrow need search the main differences between the LSC and normal HSC. After the literature analysis it was found that LSC have several significant differences such as the ability to cause leukemia during the transplantation to immunodeficient animals, this leukemia is morphologically and phenotypically similar to the original tumor, in addition the LSC can be transmitted from animal to animal. In addition, the LSC is also characterized by the mutations presence

  1. Steroid induction of therapy-resistant cytokeratin-5-positive cells in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer through a BCL6-dependent mechanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goodman, C R; Sato, T; Peck, A R; Girondo, M A; Yang, N; Liu, C; Yanac, A F; Kovatich, A J; Hooke, J A; Shriver, C D; Mitchell, E P; Hyslop, T; Rui, H

    2016-01-01

    Therapy resistance remains a major problem in estrogen receptor-α (ERα)-positive breast cancer. A subgroup of ERα-positive breast cancer is characterized by mosaic presence of a minor population of ERα-negative cancer cells expressing the basal cytokeratin-5 (CK5). These CK5-positive cells are therapy resistant and have increased tumor-initiating potential. Although a series of reports document induction of the CK5-positive cells by progestins, it is unknown if other 3-ketosteroids share this ability. We now report that glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids effectively expand the CK5-positive cell population. CK5-positive cells induced by 3-ketosteroids lacked ERα and progesterone receptors, expressed stem cell marker, CD44, and displayed increased clonogenicity in soft agar and broad drug-resistance in vitro and in vivo. Upregulation of CK5-positive cells by 3-ketosteroids required induction of the transcriptional repressor BCL6 based on suppression of BCL6 by two independent BCL6 small hairpin RNAs or by prolactin. Prolactin also suppressed 3-ketosteroid induction of CK5+ cells in T47D xenografts in vivo. Survival analysis with recursive partitioning in node-negative ERα-positive breast cancer using quantitative CK5 and BCL6 mRNA or protein expression data identified patients at high or low risk for tumor recurrence in two independent patient cohorts. The data provide a mechanism by which common pathophysiological or pharmacologic elevations in glucocorticoids or other 3-ketosteroids may adversely affect patients with mixed ERα+/CK5+ breast cancer. The observations further suggest a cooperative diagnostic utility of CK5 and BCL6 expression levels and justify exploring efficacy of inhibitors of BCL6 and 3-ketosteroid receptors for a subset of ERα-positive breast cancers. PMID:26096934

  2. Clinicopathological Analysis of Ocular Adnexal Extranodal Marginal Zone B-Cell Lymphoma with IgG4-Positive Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Min Joung; Kim, Namju; Choe, Ji-Young; Khwarg, Sang In; Jeon, Yoon Kyung

    2015-01-01

    This study aims to analyze clinical and pathological characteristics of ocular adnexal extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma (EMZL) accompanying IgG4-positive cells. Fifty patients with a diagnosis of primary non-conjunctival ocular adnexal EMZL were enrolled in this study. The number of IgG4-positive cells and the ratio of IgG/IgG4 were evaluated by immunohistochemistry in the biopsy specimens. The patients were divided into two groups based on the absolute number and the ratio of IgG4-positive cells (IgG4-posivite vs IgG4-negative groups). The demographic data, clinical staging at diagnosis, histopathological characteristics, and response to initial treatment were comparatively analyzed between the 2 groups. Five (10%) of 50 patients were defined as IgG4-positive group, and all the cases showed characteristic histological features such as extensive plasma cell infiltration and dense fibrosis. Most of these patients (4 of 5 patients) had lymphoma of the lacrimal gland. The patients from the IgG4-positive group showed a lower response rate to initial treatment (87.5 vs 33%, p = 0.03) than IgG4-negative group with a median follow-up period of 38 months. A part of the ocular adnexal EMZLs were accompanied with IgG4-positive cells. Significantly, most IgG4-positive ocular adnexal EMZLs occurred in the lacrimal gland, and can be related with a more frequent treatment failure. PMID:26111022

  3. Induction of IgG3 to LPS via Toll-like receptor 4 co-stimulation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Francisco J Quintana

    Full Text Available B-cells integrate antigen-specific signals transduced via the B-cell receptor (BCR and antigen non-specific co-stimulatory signals provided by cytokines and CD40 ligation in order to produce IgG antibodies. Toll-like receptors (TLRs also provide co-stimulation, but the requirement for TLRs to generate T-cell independent and T-cell dependent antigen specific antibody responses is debated. Little is known about the role of B-cell expressed TLRs in inducing antigen-specific antibodies to antigens that also activate TLR signaling. We found that mice lacking functional TLR4 or its adaptor molecule MyD88 harbored significantly less IgG3 natural antibodies to LPS, and required higher amounts of LPS to induce anti-LPS IgG3. In vitro, BCR and TLR4 signaling synergized, lowering the threshold for production of T-cell independent IgG3 and IL-10. Moreover, BCR and TLR4 directly associate through the transmembrane domain of TLR4. Thus, in vivo, BCR/TLR synergism could facilitate the induction of IgG3 antibodies against microbial antigens that engage both innate and adaptive B-cell receptors. Vaccines might exploit BCR/TLR synergism to rapidly induce antigen-specific antibodies before significant T-cell responses arise.

  4. Danusertib, a potent pan-Aurora kinase and ABL kinase inhibitor, induces cell cycle arrest and programmed cell death and inhibits epithelial to mesenchymal transition involving the PI3K/Akt/mTOR-mediated signaling pathway in human gastric cancer AGS and NCI-N78 cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuan CX

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available Chun-Xiu Yuan,1,2 Zhi-Wei Zhou,2,3 Yin-Xue Yang,4 Zhi-Xu He,3 Xueji Zhang,5 Dong Wang,6 Tianxing Yang,7 Si-Yuan Pan,8 Xiao-Wu Chen,9 Shu-Feng Zhou2 1Department of Oncology, General Hospital, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Pharmaceutical Science, College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA; 3Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine, Stem Cell and Tissue Engineering Research Center and Sino-US Joint Laboratory for Medical Sciences, Guiyang Medical University, Guiyang, 4Department of Colorectal Surgery, General Hospital, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, 5Research Center for Bioengineering and Sensing Technology, University of Science and Technology Beijing, 6Cancer Center, Daping Hospital and Research Institute of Surgery, Third Military Medical University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China; 7Department of Internal Medicine, University of Utah and Salt Lake Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, UT, USA; 8Department of Pharmacology, School of Chinese Materia Medica, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing, 9Department of General Surgery, The First People’s Hospital of Shunde, Southern Medical University, Shunde, People’s Republic of China Abstract: Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, with a poor response to current chemotherapy. Danusertib is a pan-inhibitor of the Aurora kinases and a third-generation Bcr-Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitor with potent anticancer effects, but its antitumor effect and underlying mechanisms in the treatment of human gastric cancer are unknown. This study aimed to investigate the effects of danusertib on cell growth, apoptosis, autophagy, and epithelial to mesenchymal transition and the molecular mechanisms involved in human gastric cancer AGS and NCI-N78 cells. The results showed that danusertib had potent growth-inhibitory, apoptosis-inducing, and

  5. Identification and cloning of a prethymic precursor T lymphocyte from a population of common acute lymphoblastic leukemia antigen (CALLA)-positive fetal bone marrow cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hokland, P; Hokland, M; Daley, J

    1987-01-01

    We have cloned common acute lymphoblastic leukemia (CALLA)-positive cells from human fetal bone marrow containing less than 1 in 10,000 E-RFC in round-bottomed microtiter wells (one cell per well) using the autocloning unit of an EPICS-V cell sorter. Expansion of such cells (with IL-2 and heavily...... irradiated autologous thymocytes as feeder cells) resulted in growth in 6-14% of the wells (mean, 11%) with cells with mature T lymphocyte phenotype. Two-color fluorescence analysis of outgrowing cultures furthermore ascertained that these cells had differentiated through a phase of simultaneous expression...... of T4 and T8 antigens and at the same time expression of the thymocyte-associated T6 antigens. Thus, given the fact that 10-20% of T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALLs) are CALLA+, we have been able to identify a human prethymic T lymphocyte population that might be the normal counterpart...

  6. Dasatinib accelerates valproic acid-induced acute myeloid leukemia cell death by regulation of differentiation capacity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sook-Kyoung Heo

    Full Text Available Dasatinib is a compound developed for chronic myeloid leukemia as a multi-targeted kinase inhibitor against wild-type BCR-ABL and SRC family kinases. Valproic acid (VPA is an anti-epileptic drug that also acts as a class I histone deacetylase inhibitor. The aim of this research was to determine the anti-leukemic effects of dasatinib and VPA in combination and to identify their mechanism of action in acute myeloid leukemia (AML cells. Dasatinib was found to exert potent synergistic inhibitory effects on VPA-treated AML cells in association with G1 phase cell cycle arrest and apoptosis induction involving the cleavage of poly (ADP-ribose polymerase and caspase-3, -7 and -9. Dasatinib/VPA-induced cell death thus occurred via caspase-dependent apoptosis. Moreover, MEK/ERK and p38 MAPK inhibitors efficiently inhibited dasatinib/VPA-induced apoptosis. The combined effect of dasatinib and VPA on the differentiation capacity of AML cells was more powerful than the effect of each drug alone, being sufficiently strong to promote AML cell death through G1 cell cycle arrest and caspase-dependent apoptosis. MEK/ERK and p38 MAPK were found to control dasatinib/VPA-induced apoptosis as upstream regulators, and co-treatment with dasatinib and VPA to contribute to AML cell death through the regulation of differentiation capacity. Taken together, these results indicate that combined dasatinib and VPA treatment has a potential role in anti-leukemic therapy.

  7. Accurate determination of arsenic in arsenobetaine standard solutions of BCR-626 and NMIJ CRM 7901-a by neutron activation analysis coupled with internal standard method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miura, Tsutomu; Chiba, Koichi; Kuroiwa, Takayoshi; Narukawa, Tomohiro; Hioki, Akiharu; Matsue, Hideaki

    2010-09-15

    Neutron activation analysis (NAA) coupled with an internal standard method was applied for the determination of As in the certified reference material (CRM) of arsenobetaine (AB) standard solutions to verify their certified values. Gold was used as an internal standard to compensate for the difference of the neutron exposure in an irradiation capsule and to improve the sample-to-sample repeatability. Application of the internal standard method significantly improved linearity of the calibration curve up to 1 microg of As, too. The analytical reliability of the proposed method was evaluated by k(0)-standardization NAA. The analytical results of As in AB standard solutions of BCR-626 and NMIJ CRM 7901-a were (499+/-55)mgkg(-1) (k=2) and (10.16+/-0.15)mgkg(-1) (k=2), respectively. These values were found to be 15-20% higher than the certified values. The between-bottle variation of BCR-626 was much larger than the expanded uncertainty of the certified value, although that of NMIJ CRM 7901-a was almost negligible. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. CYT387, a selective JAK1/JAK2 inhibitor: in vitro assessment of kinase selectivity and preclinical studies using cell lines and primary cells from polycythemia vera patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pardanani, A; Lasho, T; Smith, G; Burns, C J; Fantino, E; Tefferi, A

    2009-08-01

    Somatic mutations in Janus kinase 2 (JAK2), including JAK2V617F, result in dysregulated JAK-signal transducer and activator transcription (STAT) signaling, which is implicated in myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) pathogenesis. CYT387 is an ATP-competitive small molecule that potently inhibits JAK1/JAK2 kinases (IC(50)=11 and 18 nM, respectively), with significantly less activity against other kinases, including JAK3 (IC(50)=155 nM). CYT387 inhibits growth of Ba/F3-JAK2V617F and human erythroleukemia (HEL) cells (IC(50) approximately 1500 nM) or Ba/F3-MPLW515L cells (IC(50)=200 nM), but has considerably less activity against BCR-ABL harboring K562 cells (IC=58 000 nM). Cell lines harboring mutated JAK2 alleles (CHRF-288-11 or Ba/F3-TEL-JAK2) were inhibited more potently than the corresponding pair harboring mutated JAK3 alleles (CMK or Ba/F3-TEL-JAK3), and STAT-5 phosphorylation was inhibited in HEL cells with an IC(50)=400 nM. Furthermore, CYT387 selectively suppressed the in vitro growth of erythroid colonies harboring JAK2V617F from polycythemia vera (PV) patients, an effect that was attenuated by exogenous erythropoietin. Overall, our data indicate that the JAK1/JAK2 selective inhibitor CYT387 has potential for efficacious treatment of MPN harboring mutated JAK2 and MPL alleles.

  9. Tyrosine hydroxylase positive nerves and mast cells in the porcine gallbladder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I. Stefanov

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to detect the localisation of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH positive nerve fibres (THN and distribution of tyrosine hydroxylase positive mast cells (THMC in the wall of porcine gallbladder. THN were observed as single fibres, nerve fibres forming perivascular plexuses and nerve fibres grouped within the nerve fascicles. In the gallbladder`s fundus, body and neck, the TH+ fibres formed mucosal, muscular and serosal nonganglionated nerve plexuses. Toluidine blue (TB staining was used to confirm that the TH positive cells were mast cells. The number of THMC in the propria of gallbladder`s fundus, body and neck was significantly higher than in the muscular and serosal layers in both genders. The number of mast cells in the musculature was higher than in the serosa. The density and location of the THMC were similar to the TB positive (with gamma meta-chromasia mast cells in both males and females, and statistically significant difference was not established. In conclusion, original data concerning the existence and localisation of catecholaminergic nerves and THMC distribution in the porcine gallbladder’s wall are presented. The results could con-tribute to the body of knowledge of functional communication between autonomic nerves and mast cells in the gallbladder.

  10. Protein sorting by lipid phase-like domains supports emergent signaling function in B lymphocyte plasma membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stone, Matthew B; Shelby, Sarah A; Núñez, Marcos F; Wisser, Kathleen; Veatch, Sarah L

    2017-02-01

    Diverse cellular signaling events, including B cell receptor (BCR) activation, are hypothesized to be facilitated by domains enriched in specific plasma membrane lipids and proteins that resemble liquid-ordered phase-separated domains in model membranes. This concept remains controversial and lacks direct experimental support in intact cells. Here, we visualize ordered and disordered domains in mouse B lymphoma cell membranes using super-resolution fluorescence localization microscopy, demonstrate that clustered BCR resides within ordered phase-like domains capable of sorting key regulators of BCR activation, and present a minimal, predictive model where clustering receptors leads to their collective activation by stabilizing an extended ordered domain. These results provide evidence for the role of membrane domains in BCR signaling and a plausible mechanism of BCR activation via receptor clustering that could be generalized to other signaling pathways. Overall, these studies demonstrate that lipid mediated forces can bias biochemical networks in ways that broadly impact signal transduction.

  11. Src inhibitor herbimycin A prevents 132.7 kDa tyrosine phosphatase activity in Ramos Burkitt's lymphoma B cell line

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hristov, K.; Mitev, V.; Knox, K.

    2006-01-01

    Reversible tyrosine phosphorylation, regulation of expression and proteolytic cleavage control tyrosine phosphatase contribution for the signalling pathways of B-cell antigen receptor (BCR), and CD40 during B cell selection. We used Ramos-BL B cell line to determine whether BCR and CD40 stimulation, or inhibition of the Src - tyrosine kinase, tyrosine phosphatase and caspase activity have an effect on the tyrosine phosphatase activities determined on in-gel phosphatase assay. The tyrosine phosphatase activities present in whole cell lysates of Ramos-BL B cells following treatment with 20 μg/ml anti-IgM, 1 μg/ml anti-CD40, 10 μM herbimycin A, 178 μM vanadate,100 μM phenylarsine oxide and 10 μM zVAD-fmk were detected with an in-gel phosphatase assay. Seven major tyrosine phosphatase activities with approximate molecular weight of 132.7, 63.9, 60.3, 54.2, 49.7, 44.6, and 39 kDa are present in whole cell lysates of Ramos-BL B cells. Treatment with Src-PTK inhibitor herbimycin A prevents 132.7 kDa tyrosine phosphatase activity. We conclude that the catalytic activity of Src-PTK in Ramos-BL B cells is critical for the presence of this 132.7 kDa tyrosine phosphatase activity. (authors)

  12. An analysis of the kinetics of molecular response during the first trimester of treatment with nilotinib in newly diagnosed chronic myeloid leukemia patients in chronic phase.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steegmann, Juan Luis; Colomer, Dolors; Gómez-Casares, Maria-Teresa; García-Gutiérrez, Valentín; Ortí, Guillermo; Ramírez-Payer, Angel; Olavarria, Eduardo; Vall-Llovera, Ferrán; Giraldo, Pilar; Conde, Eulogio; Vallansot, Rolando; López-Lorenzo, Jose Luis; Palomera, Luis; Álvarez-Larrán, Alberto; Conesa, Venancio; Bautista, Guiomar; Casas, Laura; Giles, Frank; Hochhaus, Andreas; Casado-Montero, Luis Felipe

    2017-10-01

    This study was aimed to analyze the association of very early molecular response to nilotinib with the achievement of deep molecular response (MR4) at 18 months. We hypothesized that the BCR-ABL1 levels during the first 3 months of therapy, and the kinetics of their descent in this period, could be predictive of deep molecular response thereafter. This substudy of the ENEST1st trial included 60 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia in chronic phase treated with front-line nilotinib, and BCR-ABL1IS levels were measured using GUS as the control gene. The analysis included seven time points during the first trimester of treatment (baseline and fortnightly thereafter). The rates of MMR at 12 months, and of MR4 at 18 months (primary variable of the study), were 70 and 41%, respectively, similar to those obtained in the core study. BCR-ABL1IS ≤10% was achieved at 1, 1.5, 2 and 3 months in 50, 70, 83 and 93% of the patients, respectively. The observed shape of the BCR-ABL1IS descent was biphasic, with a faster slope during the first trimester and a median halving time (HT) of 11 days, the shortest reported in the literature. An HT ≤13 days was predictive of MMR at 12 months and MR4 at 18 months. The association of a shorter HT with response provides a rationale for exploring very early kinetics patterns in all patients treated with potent TKIs such as nilotinib.

  13. Ibrutinib (PCI-32765) in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jain, Nitin; O'Brien, Susan

    2013-08-01

    B-cell receptor (BCR) signaling is essential for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cell survival. Many kinases in the BCR signaling pathway are being studied as potential therapeutic targets. Ibrutinib (PCI-32765) is a novel first-in-class selective inhibitor of Bruton tyrosine kinase. Preclinical evidence suggests that ibrutinib inhibits CLL cell survival and proliferation and affects CLL cell migration and homing. Early clinical data in patients with CLL and non-Hodgkin lymphoma is encouraging. It is likely that ibrutinib and other drugs targeting the BCR pathway will become an integral component of CLL therapy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. The Bone Marrow-Mediated Protection of Myeloproliferative Neoplastic Cells to Vorinostat and Ruxolitinib Relies on the Activation of JNK and PI3K Signalling Pathways.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bruno A Cardoso

    Full Text Available The classical BCR-ABL-negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN are a group of heterogeneous haematological diseases characterized by constitutive JAK-STAT pathway activation. Targeted therapy with Ruxolitinib, a JAK1/2-specific inhibitor, achieves symptomatic improvement but does not eliminate the neoplastic clone. Similar effects are seen with histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi, albeit with poorer tolerance. Here, we show that bone marrow (BM stromal cells (HS-5 protected MPN-derived cell lines (SET-2; HEL and UKE-1 and MPN patient-derived BM cells from the cytotoxic effects of Ruxolitinib and the HDACi Vorinostat. This protective effect was mediated, at least in part, by the secretion of soluble factors from the BM stroma. In addition, it correlated with the activation of signalling pathways important for cellular homeostasis, such as JAK-STAT, PI3K, JNK, MEK-ERK and NF-κB. Importantly, the pharmacological inhibition of JNK and PI3K pathways completely abrogated the BM protective effect on MPN cell lines and MPN patient samples. Our findings shed light on mechanisms of tumour survival and may indicate novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of MPN.

  15. The Bone Marrow-Mediated Protection of Myeloproliferative Neoplastic Cells to Vorinostat and Ruxolitinib Relies on the Activation of JNK and PI3K Signalling Pathways

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cardoso, Bruno A.; Belo, Hélio; Barata, João T.; Almeida, António M.

    2015-01-01

    The classical BCR-ABL-negative Myeloproliferative Neoplasms (MPN) are a group of heterogeneous haematological diseases characterized by constitutive JAK-STAT pathway activation. Targeted therapy with Ruxolitinib, a JAK1/2-specific inhibitor, achieves symptomatic improvement but does not eliminate the neoplastic clone. Similar effects are seen with histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), albeit with poorer tolerance. Here, we show that bone marrow (BM) stromal cells (HS-5) protected MPN-derived cell lines (SET-2; HEL and UKE-1) and MPN patient-derived BM cells from the cytotoxic effects of Ruxolitinib and the HDACi Vorinostat. This protective effect was mediated, at least in part, by the secretion of soluble factors from the BM stroma. In addition, it correlated with the activation of signalling pathways important for cellular homeostasis, such as JAK-STAT, PI3K, JNK, MEK-ERK and NF-κB. Importantly, the pharmacological inhibition of JNK and PI3K pathways completely abrogated the BM protective effect on MPN cell lines and MPN patient samples. Our findings shed light on mechanisms of tumour survival and may indicate novel therapeutic approaches for the treatment of MPN. PMID:26623653

  16. Molecular Diagnostics, Targeted Therapy, and the Indication for Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplantation in Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anthony Oyekunle

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, the panel of known molecular mutations in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL has been continuously increased. In Philadelphia-positive ALL, deletions of the IKZF1 gene were identified as prognostically adverse factors. These improved insights in the molecular background and the clinical heterogeneity of distinct cytogenetic subgroups may allow most differentiated therapeutic decisions, for example, with respect to the indication to allogeneic HSCT within genetically defined ALL subtypes. Quantitative real-time PCR allows highly sensitive monitoring of the minimal residual disease (MRD load, either based on reciprocal gene fusions or immune gene rearrangements. Molecular diagnostics provided the basis for targeted therapy concepts, for example, combining the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib with chemotherapy in patients with Philadelphia-positive ALL. Screening for BCR-ABL1 mutations in Philadelphia-positive ALL allows to identify patients who may benefit from second-generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors or from novel compounds targeting the T315I mutation. Considering the central role of the molecular techniques for the management of patients with ALL, efforts should be made to facilitate and harmonize immunophenotyping, cytogenetics, and molecular mutation screening. Furthermore, the potential of high-throughput sequencing should be evaluated for diagnosis and follow-up of patients with B-lineage ALL.

  17. In vitro effects of imatinib mesylate on radiosensitivity and chemosensitivity of breast cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Weigel, Marion T; Maass, Nicolai; Mundhenke, Christoph; Dahmke, Linda; Schem, Christian; Bauerschlag, Dirk O; Weber, Katrin; Niehoff, Peter; Bauer, Maret; Strauss, Alexander; Jonat, Walter

    2010-01-01

    Breast cancer treatment is based on a combination of adjuvant chemotherapy followed by radiotherapy effecting intracellular signal transduction. With the tyrosine kinase inhibitors new targeted drugs are available. Imatinib mesylate is a selective inhibitor of bcr-abl, PRGFR alpha, beta and c-kit. The purpose of this study was to determine whether Imatinib has an influence on the effectiveness of radiotherapy in breast cancer cell lines and if a combination of imatinib with standard chemotherapy could lead to increased cytoreduction. Colony-forming tests of MCF 7 and MDA MB 231 were used to study differences in cell proliferation under incubation with imatinib and radiation. Changes in expression and phosphorylation of target receptors were detected using western blot. Cell proliferation, migration and apoptosis assays were performed combining imatinib with doxorubicin. The combination of imatinib and radiotherapy showed a significantly stronger inhibition of cell proliferation compared to single radiotherapy. Differences in PDGFR expression could not be detected, but receptor phosphorylation was significantly inhibited when treated with imatinib. Combination of imatinib with standard chemotherapy lead to an additive effect on cell growth inhibition compared to single treatment. Imatinib treatment combined with radiotherapy leads in breast cancer cell lines to a significant benefit which might be influenced through inhibition of PDGFR phosphorylation. Combining imatinib with chemotherapy enhances cytoreductive effects. Further in vivo studies are needed to evaluate the benefit of Imatinib in combination with radiotherapy and chemotherapy on the treatment of breast cancer

  18. Enzalutamide inhibits androgen receptor-positive bladder cancer cell growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawahara, Takashi; Ide, Hiroki; Kashiwagi, Eiji; El-Shishtawy, Kareem A; Li, Yi; Reis, Leonardo O; Zheng, Yichun; Miyamoto, Hiroshi

    2016-10-01

    Emerging preclinical evidence suggests that androgen-mediated androgen receptor (AR) signals promote bladder cancer progression. However, little is known about the efficacy of an AR signaling inhibitor, enzalutamide, in the growth of bladder cancer cells. In this study, we compared the effects of enzalutamide and 2 other classic antiandrogens, flutamide and bicalutamide, on androgen-induced bladder cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion as well as tumor growth in vivo. Thiazolyl blue cell viability assay, flow cytometry, scratch wound-healing assay, transwell invasion assay, real-time polymerase chain reaction, and reporter gene assay were performed in AR-positive (e.g., UMUC3, TCCSUP, and 647V-AR) and AR-negative (e.g., UMUC3-AR-short hairpin RNA [shRNA], TCCSUP-AR-shRNA, 647V) bladder cancer lines treated with dihydrotestosterone and each AR antagonist. We also used a mouse xenograft model for bladder cancer. Dihydrotestosterone increased bladder cancer cell proliferation, migration, and invasion indicating that endogenous or exogenous AR was functional. Enzalutamide, hydroxyflutamide, and bicalutamide showed similar inhibitory effects, without significant agonist activity, on androgen-mediated cell viability/apoptosis, cell migration, and cell invasion in AR-positive lines. No significant effects of dihydrotestosterone as well as AR antagonists on the growth of AR-negative cells were seen. Correspondingly, in UMUC3 cells, these AR antagonists down-regulated androgen-induced expression of AR, matrix metalloproteinase-2, and interleukin-6. Androgen-enhanced AR-mediated transcriptional activity was also blocked by each AR antagonist exhibiting insignificant agonist activity. In UMUC3 xenograft-bearing mice, oral gavage treatment with each antiandrogen retarded tumor growth, and only enzalutamide demonstrated a statistically significant suppression compared with mock treatment. Our current data support recent observations indicating the involvement of

  19. Effects of antioxidants on apoptosis induced by dasatinib and nilotinib in K562 cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Damiano, Sara; Montagnaro, Serena; Puzio, Maria V; Severino, Lorella; Pagnini, Ugo; Barbarino, Marcella; Cesari, Daniele; Giordano, Antonio; Florio, Salvatore; Ciarcia, Roberto

    2018-06-01

    In clinical practice for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia, second generation of tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as Nilotinib (NIL) specific and potent inhibitor of the BCR/ABL kinase and Dasatinib (DAS) a inhibitor of BCR/ABL and Src family kinase were developed to clinically overcome imatinib resistance. In this study, we wanted to test the ability of some antioxidants such Resveratrol (RES) or a new recombinant mitochondrial manganese containing superoxide dismutase (rMnSOD) or δ-tocotrienol (δ-TOCO) to interact with DAS and NIL on viability, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, lipid peroxidation, and apoptosis. To test the possible mechanisms of action of such antioxidants, we utilized N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC) a specific inhibitor ROS production or PP1 a specific Src tyrosine kinase inhibitor or BAPTA a specific chelator of intracellular calcium. Our data demonstrated: 1) RES, rMnSOD, δ-TOCO, and NAC, at dose used, significantly reduced the intracellular levels of MDA induced by DAS or NIL; 2) RES, rMnSOD, and δ-TOCO increased the intracellular ROS levels; 3) The increase ROS levels is related to higher levels of oligonucleosomesi induced by DAS and NIL and that NAC significantly reduced this activity. Interestingly, our data showed that apoptotic activity of DAS and NIL have significantly increased the production of oligonucleosomes by triggering excessive ROS generation as well as functionality of SERCA receptors. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. c-Abl phosphorylation of Yin Yang 1's conserved tyrosine 254 in the spacer region modulates its transcriptional activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daraiseh, Susan I; Kassardjian, Ari; Alexander, Karen E; Rizkallah, Raed; Hurt, Myra M

    2018-05-25

    Yin Yang 1 (YY1) is a multifunctional transcription factor that can activate or repress transcription depending on the promotor and/or the co-factors recruited. YY1 is phosphorylated in various signaling pathways and is critical for different biological functions including embryogenesis, apoptosis, proliferation, cell-cycle regulation and tumorigenesis. Here we report that YY1 is a substrate for c-Abl kinase phosphorylation at conserved residue Y254 in the spacer region. Pharmacological inhibition of c-Abl kinase by imatinib, nilotinib and GZD824, knock-down of c-Abl using siRNA, and the use of c-Abl kinase-dead drastically reduces tyrosine phosphorylation of YY1. Both radioactive and non-radioactive in vitro kinase assays, as well as co-immunoprecipitation in different cell lines, show that the target of c-Abl phosphorylation is tyrosine residue 254. c-Abl phosphorylation has little effect on YY1 DNA binding ability or cellular localization in asynchronous cells. However, functional studies reveal that c-Abl mediated phosphorylation of YY1 regulates YY1's transcriptional ability in vivo. In conclusion, we demonstrate the novel role of c-Abl kinase in regulation of YY1's transcriptional activity, linking YY1 regulation with c-Abl tyrosine kinase signaling pathways. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  1. BCR-ABL V280G Mutation, Potential Role in Imatinib Resistance: First Case Report

    OpenAIRE

    Azevedo, Ana P; Reichert, Alice; Afonso, Celina; Alberca, Maria D; Tavares, Purifica??o; Lima, Fernando

    2017-01-01

    Export Date: 28 December 2017 Correspondence Address: Azevedo, A.P.; Department of Clinical Pathology, Hospital São Francisco Xavier, Centro Hospitalar Lisboa Ocidental, Estrada do Forte do Alto do Duque, Portugal; email: Chemicals/CAS: glycine, 56-40-6, 6000-43-7, 6000-44-8; hydroxyurea, 127-07-1; imatinib, 152459-95-5, 220127-57-1; nilotinib, 641571-10-0; valine, 7004-03-7, 72-18-4 References: Radich, J.P., Shah, N.P., Mauro, M.J., Integrating current treatment options ...

  2. Sunitinib Malate in Treating HIV-Positive Patients With Cancer Receiving Antiretroviral Therapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-03-14

    Accelerated Phase Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia; Acute Myeloid Leukemia With Multilineage Dysplasia Following Myelodysplastic Syndrome; Acute Undifferentiated Leukemia; Adult Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in Remission; Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia With 11q23 (MLL) Abnormalities; Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia With Del(5q); Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia With Inv(16)(p13;q22); Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia With t(15;17)(q22;q12); Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia With t(16;16)(p13;q22); Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia With t(8;21)(q22;q22); Adult Grade III Lymphomatoid Granulomatosis; Adult Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis; Adult Nasal Type Extranodal NK/T-cell Lymphoma; Aggressive NK-cell Leukemia; AIDS-related Diffuse Large Cell Lymphoma; AIDS-related Diffuse Mixed Cell Lymphoma; AIDS-related Diffuse Small Cleaved Cell Lymphoma; AIDS-related Immunoblastic Large Cell Lymphoma; AIDS-related Lymphoblastic Lymphoma; AIDS-related Malignancies; AIDS-related Small Noncleaved Cell Lymphoma; Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma; Angioimmunoblastic T-cell Lymphoma; Atypical Chronic Myeloid Leukemia, BCR-ABL1 Negative; Chronic Eosinophilic Leukemia; Chronic Myelomonocytic Leukemia; Chronic Neutrophilic Leukemia; Chronic Phase Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia; Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma; Cutaneous B-cell Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma; de Novo Myelodysplastic Syndromes; Essential Thrombocythemia; Extramedullary Plasmacytoma; Extranodal Marginal Zone B-cell Lymphoma of Mucosa-associated Lymphoid Tissue; Hepatosplenic T-cell Lymphoma; HIV Infection; HIV-associated Hodgkin Lymphoma; Intraocular Lymphoma; Isolated Plasmacytoma of Bone; Light Chain Deposition Disease; Mast Cell Leukemia; Myelodysplastic Syndrome With Isolated Del(5q); Myelodysplastic/Myeloproliferative Neoplasm, Unclassifiable; Myeloid/NK-cell Acute Leukemia; Nodal Marginal Zone B-cell Lymphoma; Noncutaneous Extranodal Lymphoma; Osteolytic Lesions of Multiple Myeloma; Peripheral T-cell Lymphoma; Plasma Cell Neoplasm; Polycythemia Vera; Post

  3. Estimation of the target stem-cell population size in chronic myeloid leukemogenesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Radivoyevitch, T.; Ramsey, M.J.; Tucker, J.D.

    1999-01-01

    Estimation of the number of hematopoietic stem cells capable of causing chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is relevant to the development of biologically based risk models of radiation-induced CML. Through a comparison of the age structure of CML incidence data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program and the age structure of chromosomal translocations found in healthy subjects, the number of CML target stem cells is estimated for individuals above 20 years of age. The estimation involves three steps. First, CML incidence among adults is fit to an exponentially increasing function of age. Next, assuming a relatively short waiting time distribution between BCR-ABL induction and the appearance of CML, an exponential age function with rate constants fixed to the values found for CML is fitted to the translocation data. Finally, assuming that translocations are equally likely to occur between any two points in the genome, the parameter estimates found in the first two steps are used to estimate the number of target stem cells for CML. The population-averaged estimates of this number are found to be 1.86 x 10 8 for men and 1.21 x 10 8 for women; the 95% confidence intervals of these estimates are (1.34 x 10 8 , 2.50 x 10 8 ) and (0.84 x 10 8 , 1.83 x 10 8 ), respectively. (orig.)

  4. JAK2 46/1 haplotype is associated with JAK2 V617F--positive myeloproliferative neoplasms in Brazilian patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Macedo, L C; Santos, B C; Pagliarini-e-Silva, S; Pagnano, K B B; Rodrigues, C; Quintero, F C; Ferreira, M E; Baraldi, E C; Ambrosio-Albuquerque, E P; Sell, A M; Visentainer, J E L

    2015-10-01

    This study aimed to verify the association between the JAK2 46/1 haplotype (V617F positive) and some hematological parameters in BCR-ABL-negative chronic myeloproliferative neoplasms (cMPNs) in our population. The blood samples obtained from the patients with cMPN were genotyped for the JAK2 V617F mutation and JAK2 rs10974944 SNP screening using a PCR-RFLP assay. The JAK2 V617F mutation was detected in 80.15% of patients. The G variant of rs10974944 was more frequent in all MPNs, especially those that were JAK2 V617F positive, than in the control population. We also compared the 46/1 haplotype status in each MPN disease entity, polycythemia vera (PV), essential thrombocythemia (ET), primary myelofibrosis (PMF), and MPNu with controls. The G allele frequency relative to controls was significantly enriched in patients with PV and ET, but not in those with PMF and MPNu. PV and ET patients especially, all of whom had the JAK2 V617F mutation, showed significant excess of the G allele. The frequency of JAK2 V617F mutation was associated with elevated hematological parameters, but when we analyze the occurrence of the mutation and the presence of the G allele, just the high hemoglobin was significantly. In agreement with previous reports, JAK2 46/1 haplotype for JAK2 V617F was associated with cMPN positive in Brazilian patients. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. ATP-ase positive cells in human oral mucosa transplanted to nude mice

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dabelsteen, E; Kirkeby, S

    1981-01-01

    A model to study the differentiation of human oral epithelium in vivo utilizing transplantation of human tissue to nude mice has been described. Previous studies have described the epithelial cells in this model. In this study we demonstrate that 8 d after transplantation, Langerhans cells, ident......, identified as ATP-ase positive dendritic cells, have almost disappeared from the transplanted epithelium whereas at day 21 after transplantation such cells were abundant. It is suggested that the ATP-ase positive cells which reappear in the transplanted epithelium are of mouse origin....

  6. Increased number of IgG4-positive plasma cells in chronic rhinosinusitis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohno, Keiko; Kimura, Yurika; Matsuda, Yoko; Takahashi, Masatoki; Honjyou, Motomu; Arai, Tomio; Tsutsumi, Takeshi

    2017-02-01

    High levels of IgG4-positive plasma cells were observed in tissue samples from ∼30% of patients with chronic rhinosinusitis who satisfied the comprehensive diagnostic criteria for IgG4-related disease. Detection of increased numbers of IgG4-positive plasma cells in the nasal cavity or paranasal sinuses might not be sufficient to make a diagnosis of IgG4-related rhinosinusitis, and a comprehensive evaluation is required. This study aimed to clarify the clinicopathological characteristics of IgG4-positive plasma cells in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis. This study examined nasal mucosal specimens from 35 patients and assigned them to high-IgG4 and low-IgG4 groups based on infiltration of IgG4-positive plasma cells. It compared the pathological characteristics of the two groups, including the presence of fibrosis, phlebitis, hyperplasia of the nasal glands and infiltration of inflammatory cells. No cases of chronic rhinosinusitis showed storiform fibrosis or obliterative phlebitis. The mean number of IgG4-positive plasma cells in samples from all patients was 29.8 ± 40.3/high-power field. Eleven of the 35 cases (31.4%) were classified as high-IgG4. Hyperplasia of the nasal glands was observed significantly more frequently in the high-IgG4 group than in the low-IgG4 group (p = .03).

  7. Curcuma longa Is Able to Induce Apoptotic Cell Death of Pterygium-Derived Human Keratinocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sancilio, Silvia; Di Staso, Silvio; Sebastiani, Stefano; Centurione, Lucia; Di Girolamo, Nick; Ciancaglini, Marco; Di Pietro, Roberta

    2017-01-01

    Pterygium is a relatively common eye disease that can display an aggressive clinical behaviour. To evaluate the in vitro effects of Curcuma longa on human pterygium-derived keratinocytes, specimens of pterygium from 20 patients undergoing pterygium surgical excision were collected. Pterygium explants were put into culture and derived keratinocytes were treated with an alcoholic extract of 1.3% Curcuma longa in 0.001% Benzalkonium Chloride for 3, 6, and 24 h. Cultured cells were examined for CAM5.2 (anti-cytokeratin antibody) and CD140 (anti-fibroblast transmembrane glycoprotein antibody) expression between 3th and 16th passage to assess cell homogeneity. TUNEL technique and Annexin-V/PI staining in flow cytometry were used to detect keratinocyte apoptosis. We showed that Curcuma longa exerts a proapoptotic effect on pterygium-derived keratinocytes already after 3 h treatment. Moreover, after 24 h treatment, Curcuma longa induces a significant increase in TUNEL as well as Annexin-V/PI positive cells in comparison to untreated samples. Our study confirms previous observations highlighting the expression, in pterygium keratinocytes, of nuclear VEGF and gives evidence for the first time to the expression of nuclear and cytoplasmic VEGF-R1. All in all, these findings suggest that Curcuma longa could have some therapeutic potential in the treatment and prevention of human pterygium.

  8. Curcuma longa Is Able to Induce Apoptotic Cell Death of Pterygium-Derived Human Keratinocytes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Silvia Sancilio

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Pterygium is a relatively common eye disease that can display an aggressive clinical behaviour. To evaluate the in vitro effects of Curcuma longa on human pterygium-derived keratinocytes, specimens of pterygium from 20 patients undergoing pterygium surgical excision were collected. Pterygium explants were put into culture and derived keratinocytes were treated with an alcoholic extract of 1.3% Curcuma longa in 0.001% Benzalkonium Chloride for 3, 6, and 24 h. Cultured cells were examined for CAM5.2 (anti-cytokeratin antibody and CD140 (anti-fibroblast transmembrane glycoprotein antibody expression between 3th and 16th passage to assess cell homogeneity. TUNEL technique and Annexin-V/PI staining in flow cytometry were used to detect keratinocyte apoptosis. We showed that Curcuma longa exerts a proapoptotic effect on pterygium-derived keratinocytes already after 3 h treatment. Moreover, after 24 h treatment, Curcuma longa induces a significant increase in TUNEL as well as Annexin-V/PI positive cells in comparison to untreated samples. Our study confirms previous observations highlighting the expression, in pterygium keratinocytes, of nuclear VEGF and gives evidence for the first time to the expression of nuclear and cytoplasmic VEGF-R1. All in all, these findings suggest that Curcuma longa could have some therapeutic potential in the treatment and prevention of human pterygium.

  9. Construction and modelling of an inducible positive feedback loop stably integrated in a mammalian cell-line.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Velia Siciliano

    2011-06-01

    Full Text Available Understanding the relationship between topology and dynamics of transcriptional regulatory networks in mammalian cells is essential to elucidate the biology of complex regulatory and signaling pathways. Here, we characterised, via a synthetic biology approach, a transcriptional positive feedback loop (PFL by generating a clonal population of mammalian cells (CHO carrying a stable integration of the construct. The PFL network consists of the Tetracycline-controlled transactivator (tTA, whose expression is regulated by a tTA responsive promoter (CMV-TET, thus giving rise to a positive feedback. The same CMV-TET promoter drives also the expression of a destabilised yellow fluorescent protein (d2EYFP, thus the dynamic behaviour can be followed by time-lapse microscopy. The PFL network was compared to an engineered version of the network lacking the positive feedback loop (NOPFL, by expressing the tTA mRNA from a constitutive promoter. Doxycycline was used to repress tTA activation (switch off, and the resulting changes in fluorescence intensity for both the PFL and NOPFL networks were followed for up to 43 h. We observed a striking difference in the dynamics of the PFL and NOPFL networks. Using non-linear dynamical models, able to recapitulate experimental observations, we demonstrated a link between network topology and network dynamics. Namely, transcriptional positive autoregulation can significantly slow down the "switch off" times, as compared to the non-autoregulated system. Doxycycline concentration can modulate the response times of the PFL, whereas the NOPFL always switches off with the same dynamics. Moreover, the PFL can exhibit bistability for a range of Doxycycline concentrations. Since the PFL motif is often found in naturally occurring transcriptional and signaling pathways, we believe our work can be instrumental to characterise their behaviour.

  10. Construction and modelling of an inducible positive feedback loop stably integrated in a mammalian cell-line.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Siciliano, Velia; Menolascina, Filippo; Marucci, Lucia; Fracassi, Chiara; Garzilli, Immacolata; Moretti, Maria Nicoletta; di Bernardo, Diego

    2011-06-01

    Understanding the relationship between topology and dynamics of transcriptional regulatory networks in mammalian cells is essential to elucidate the biology of complex regulatory and signaling pathways. Here, we characterised, via a synthetic biology approach, a transcriptional positive feedback loop (PFL) by generating a clonal population of mammalian cells (CHO) carrying a stable integration of the construct. The PFL network consists of the Tetracycline-controlled transactivator (tTA), whose expression is regulated by a tTA responsive promoter (CMV-TET), thus giving rise to a positive feedback. The same CMV-TET promoter drives also the expression of a destabilised yellow fluorescent protein (d2EYFP), thus the dynamic behaviour can be followed by time-lapse microscopy. The PFL network was compared to an engineered version of the network lacking the positive feedback loop (NOPFL), by expressing the tTA mRNA from a constitutive promoter. Doxycycline was used to repress tTA activation (switch off), and the resulting changes in fluorescence intensity for both the PFL and NOPFL networks were followed for up to 43 h. We observed a striking difference in the dynamics of the PFL and NOPFL networks. Using non-linear dynamical models, able to recapitulate experimental observations, we demonstrated a link between network topology and network dynamics. Namely, transcriptional positive autoregulation can significantly slow down the "switch off" times, as compared to the non-autoregulated system. Doxycycline concentration can modulate the response times of the PFL, whereas the NOPFL always switches off with the same dynamics. Moreover, the PFL can exhibit bistability for a range of Doxycycline concentrations. Since the PFL motif is often found in naturally occurring transcriptional and signaling pathways, we believe our work can be instrumental to characterise their behaviour.

  11. Initiation of Antiviral B Cell Immunity Relies on Innate Signals from Spatially Positioned NKT Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaya, Mauro; Barral, Patricia; Burbage, Marianne; Aggarwal, Shweta; Montaner, Beatriz; Warren Navia, Andrew; Aid, Malika; Tsui, Carlson; Maldonado, Paula; Nair, Usha; Ghneim, Khader; Fallon, Padraic G; Sekaly, Rafick-Pierre; Barouch, Dan H; Shalek, Alex K; Bruckbauer, Andreas; Strid, Jessica; Batista, Facundo D

    2018-01-25

    B cells constitute an essential line of defense from pathogenic infections through the generation of class-switched antibody-secreting cells (ASCs) in germinal centers. Although this process is known to be regulated by follicular helper T (TfH) cells, the mechanism by which B cells initially seed germinal center reactions remains elusive. We found that NKT cells, a population of innate-like T lymphocytes, are critical for the induction of B cell immunity upon viral infection. The positioning of NKT cells at the interfollicular areas of lymph nodes facilitates both their direct priming by resident macrophages and the localized delivery of innate signals to antigen-experienced B cells. Indeed, NKT cells secrete an early wave of IL-4 and constitute up to 70% of the total IL-4-producing cells during the initial stages of infection. Importantly, the requirement of this innate immunity arm appears to be evolutionarily conserved because early NKT and IL-4 gene signatures also positively correlate with the levels of neutralizing antibodies in Zika-virus-infected macaques. In conclusion, our data support a model wherein a pre-TfH wave of IL-4 secreted by interfollicular NKT cells triggers the seeding of germinal center cells and serves as an innate link between viral infection and B cell immunity. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. PDGFBB promotes PDGFRα-positive cell migration into artificial bone in vivo

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yoshida, Shigeyuki; Iwasaki, Ryotaro; Kawana, Hiromasa; Miyauchi, Yoshiteru; Hoshi, Hiroko; Miyamoto, Hiroya; Mori, Tomoaki; Kanagawa, Hiroya; Katsuyama, Eri; Fujie, Atsuhiro; Hao, Wu

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► We examined effects of PDGFBB in PDGFRα positive cell migration in artificial bones. ► PDGFBB was not expressed in osteoblastic cells but was expressed in peripheral blood cells. ► PDGFBB promoted PDGFRα positive cell migration into artificial bones but not osteoblast proliferation. ► PDGFBB did not inhibit osteoblastogenesis. -- Abstract: Bone defects caused by traumatic bone loss or tumor dissection are now treated with auto- or allo-bone graft, and also occasionally by artificial bone transplantation, particularly in the case of large bone defects. However, artificial bones often exhibit poor affinity to host bones followed by bony union failure. Thus therapies combining artificial bones with growth factors have been sought. Here we report that platelet derived growth factor bb (PDGFBB) promotes a significant increase in migration of PDGF receptor α (PDGFRα)-positive mesenchymal stem cells/pre-osteoblastic cells into artificial bone in vivo. Growth factors such as transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) and hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) reportedly inhibit osteoblast differentiation; however, PDGFBB did not exhibit such inhibitory effects and in fact stimulated osteoblast differentiation in vitro, suggesting that combining artificial bones with PDGFBB treatment could promote host cell migration into artificial bones without inhibiting osteoblastogenesis.

  13. Long term follow up of patients after allogeneic stem cell transplantation and transfusion of HSV-Tk transduced T-cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eva Maria Weissinger

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT is one of the curative treatments for hematologic malignancies, but is hampered by severe complications, such as acute or chronic graft-versus-host-disease (aGvHD; cGvHD and infections. CD34-selcetion of stem cells reduces the risk of aGvHD, but also leads to increased infectious complications and relapse. Thus, we studied the efficacy, safety and feasibility of transfer of gene modified donor T-cells shortly after allo-HSCT in two clinical trials between 2002 and 2007 and here we compare the results to unmodified donor leukocyte transfusion (DLI. The aim of these trials was to provide patients with the protection of T-cells after T-cell-depleted allo-HSCT in the matched or mismatched donor setting with an option to delete transduced T-cells, if severe aGvHD occurred within the trial period. Donor-T-cells were transduced with the replication-deficient retrovirus SFCMM-3, expressing HSV-Tk and the truncated LNGFR for selection of transduced cells. Transduced cells were transfused either after day +60 (matched donors or on day +42 (haploidentical donors.Nine patients were included in the first trial (MHH; 2002 until 2007 2 were included in TK007 (2005-2009 and 6 serve as a control group for outcome after haploidentical transplantation without HSV-TK-transduced DLI. Three patients developed acute GvHD, two had grade I of the skin, one had aGvHD on day +131 (post-HSCT; +89 post-HSV-Tk DLI grade II, which was successfully controlled by ganciclovir (GCV. Donor chimerism was stabilized after transfusion of the transduced cells in all patients treated. Functionality of HSV-Tk gene expressing T-cells was shown by loss of bcr-abl gene expression as well as by control of cytomegalovirus-reactivation. To date, 6patients have relapsed and died, 2 after a second HSCT without T-cell depletion or administration of unmodified T-cells. Eleven patients (7 post-HSV-Tk DLI are alive and well to date.

  14. Molecular pathways of early CD105-positive erythroid cells as compared with CD34-positive common precursor cells by flow cytometric cell-sorting and gene expression profiling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Machherndl-Spandl, S; Suessner, S; Danzer, M; Proell, J; Gabriel, C; Lauf, J; Sylie, R; Klein, H-U; Béné, M C; Weltermann, A; Bettelheim, P

    2013-01-01

    Special attention has recently been drawn to the molecular network of different genes that are responsible for the development of erythroid cells. The aim of the present study was to establish in detail the immunophenotype of early erythroid cells and to compare the gene expression profile of freshly isolated early erythroid precursors with that of the CD34-positive (CD34 + ) compartment. Multiparameter flow cytometric analyses of human bone marrow mononuclear cell fractions (n=20) defined three distinct early erythroid stages. The gene expression profile of sorted early erythroid cells was analyzed by Affymetrix array technology. For 4524 genes, a differential regulation was found in CD105-positive erythroid cells as compared with the CD34 + progenitor compartment (2362 upregulated genes). A highly significant difference was observed in the expression level of genes involved in transcription, heme synthesis, iron and mitochondrial metabolism and transforming growth factor-β signaling. A comparison with recently published data showed over 1000 genes that as yet have not been reported to be upregulated in the early erythroid lineage. The gene expression level within distinct pathways could be illustrated directly by applying the Ingenuity software program. The results of gene expression analyses can be seen at the Gene Expression Omnibus repository

  15. Hyperfractionated high-dose total body irradiation in bone marrow transplantation for Ph{sup 1}-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kikuchi, Akira; Ebihara, Yasuhiro; Mitsui, Tetsuo [Tokyo Univ. (Japan). Hospital of the Institute of Medical Science] [and others

    1998-12-01

    In two cases of Philadelphia-positive childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (Ph{sup 1} ALL), we performed allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (AlloBMT) with preconditioning regimen, including hyperfractionated high-dose total body irradiation (TBI) (13.5 Gy, in 9 fractions). Their disease statuses at BMT were hematological relapse in case 1 and molecular relapse in case 2. Bone marrow donors were unrelated in case 1, and HLA was a partially mismatched mother in case 2. Regimen-related toxicity was tolerable in both cases. Hematological recovery was rapid, and engraftment was obtained on day 14 in case 1 and on day 12 in case 2. BCR/ABL message in bone marrow disappeared on day 89 in case 1 and on day 19 in case 2 and throughout their subsequent clinical courses. Although short-term MTX and Cy-A continuous infusion were used for GVHD prophylaxis, grade IV GVHD was observed in case 1 and grade III in case 2. Both cases experienced hemorrhagic cystitis because of adenovirus type 11 infection. Although case 1 died of interstitial pneumonitis on day 442, case 2 has been free of disease through day 231. AlloBMT for Ph{sup 1} ALL with preconditioning regimen including hyperfractionated high-dose TBI is considered to be worth further investigation. (author)

  16. Gravity and positional homeostasis of the cell

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nace, G. W.

    1983-01-01

    The effect of gravity upon cytoplasmic aggregates of the size present in eggs and upon cells is investigated. An expression is developed to describe the tendency of torque to rotate the egg and reorganize its constituents. This expression provides the net torque resulting from buoyancy and gravity acting upon a dumbbell-shaped cell, with heavy and light masses at either end and floating in a medium. Torques of approximately 2.5 x 10 to the -13th to 0.85 dyne-cm are found to act upon cells ranging from 6.4 microns to 31 mm (chicken egg). It is noted that cells must expend energy to maintain positional homeostasis against gravity, as demonstrated by results from Skylab 3, where tissue cultures used 58 percent more glucose on earth than in space. The implications for developmental biology, physiology, genetics, and evolution are discussed. It is argued that at the cellular and tissue levels the concept of gravity receptors may be unnecessary.

  17. Positive Feedback Keeps Duration of Mitosis Temporally Insulated from Upstream Cell-Cycle Events.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Araujo, Ana Rita; Gelens, Lendert; Sheriff, Rahuman S M; Santos, Silvia D M

    2016-10-20

    Cell division is characterized by a sequence of events by which a cell gives rise to two daughter cells. Quantitative measurements of cell-cycle dynamics in single cells showed that despite variability in G1-, S-, and G2 phases, duration of mitosis is short and remarkably constant. Surprisingly, there is no correlation between cell-cycle length and mitotic duration, suggesting that mitosis is temporally insulated from variability in earlier cell-cycle phases. By combining live cell imaging and computational modeling, we showed that positive feedback is the molecular mechanism underlying the temporal insulation of mitosis. Perturbing positive feedback gave rise to a sluggish, variable entry and progression through mitosis and uncoupled duration of mitosis from variability in cell cycle length. We show that positive feedback is important to keep mitosis short, constant, and temporally insulated and anticipate it might be a commonly used regulatory strategy to create modularity in other biological systems. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Able but unintelligent: including positively stereotyped black subgroups in the stereotype content model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walzer, Amy S; Czopp, Alexander M

    2011-01-01

    The stereotype content model (SCM) posits that warmth and competence are the key components underlying judgments about social groups. Because competence can encompass different components (e.g., intelligence, talent) different group members may be perceived to be competent for different reasons. Therefore, we believe it may be important to specify the type of competence being assessed when examining perceptions of groups that are positively stereotyped (i.e., Black athletes and musical Blacks). Consistent with the SCM, these subgroups were perceived as high in competence-talent but not in competence-intelligence and low in warmth. Both the intelligence and talent frame of competence fit in the SCM's social structural hypothesis.

  19. Prevalence and pattern of Lupus erythematosus cell positivity in ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The prevalence and pattern of lupus erythematosus (LE) cell positivity in diseases in Ile-Ife, Osun state was carried out between January 1999 and June 2004 (5½ years). A total of 96 patients with different diseases were screened for LE cell using standard techniques. Of this number, 63 (65.6%) were females and 33 ...

  20. Enrofloxacin and Toltrazuril Are Able to Reduce Toxoplasma gondii Growth in Human BeWo Trophoblastic Cells and Villous Explants from Human Third Trimester Pregnancy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rafaela J. da Silva

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Classical treatment for congenital toxoplasmosis is based on combination of sulfadiazine and pyrimethamine plus folinic acid. Due to teratogenic effects and bone marrow suppression caused by pyrimethamine, the establishment of new therapeutic strategies is indispensable to minimize the side effects and improve the control of infection. Previous studies demonstrated that enrofloxacin and toltrazuril reduced the incidence of Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii infection. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of enrofloxacin and toltrazuril in the control of T. gondii infection in human trophoblast cells (BeWo line and in human villous explants from the third trimester. BeWo cells and villous were treated with several concentrations of enrofloxacin, toltrazuril, sulfadiazine, pyrimethamine, or combination of sulfadiazine+pyrimethamine, and the cellular or tissue viability was verified. Next, BeWo cells were infected by T. gondii (2F1 clone or the ME49 strain, whereas villous samples were only infected by the 2F1 clone. Then, infected cells and villous were treated with all antibiotics and the T. gondii intracellular proliferation as well as the cytokine production were analyzed. Finally, we evaluated the direct effect of enrofloxacin and toltrazuril in tachyzoites to verify possible changes in parasite structure. Enrofloxacin and toltrazuril did not decrease the viability of cells and villous in lower concentrations. Both drugs were able to significantly reduce the parasite intracellular proliferation in BeWo cells and villous explants when compared to untreated conditions. Regardless of the T. gondii strain, BeWo cells infected and treated with enrofloxacin or toltrazuril induced high levels of IL-6 and MIF. In villous explants, enrofloxacin induced high MIF production. Finally, the drugs increased the number of unviable parasites and triggered damage to tachyzoite structure. Taken together, it can be concluded that