Integration is essential for HIV-1 replication, and the viral integrase (IN) protein is an important therapeutic target. Allosteric IN inhibitors (ALLINIs) that engage the IN dimer interface at the ...binding site for the host protein lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF)/transcriptional coactivator p75 are an emerging class of small molecule antagonists. Consistent with the inhibition of a multivalent drug target, ALLINIs display steep antiviral dose–response curves ex vivo. ALLINIs multimerize IN protein and concordantly block its assembly with viral DNA in vitro, indicating that the disruption of two integration-associated functions, IN catalysis and the IN-LEDGF/p75 interaction, determines the multimode mechanism of ALLINI action. We now demonstrate that ALLINI potency is unexpectedly accounted for during the late phase of HIV-1 replication. The compounds promote virion IN multimerization and, reminiscent of class II IN mutations, block the formation of the electron-dense viral core and inhibit reverse transcription and integration in subsequently infected target cells. Mature virions are recalcitrant to ALLINI treatment, and compound potency during virus production is independent of the level of LEDGF/p75 expression. We conclude that cooperative multimerization of IN by ALLINIs together with the inability for LEDGF/p75 to effectively engage the virus during its egress from cells underscores the multimodal mechanism of ALLINI action. Our results highlight the versatile nature of allosteric inhibitors to primarily inhibit viral replication at a step that is distinct from the catalytic requirement for the target enzyme. The vulnerability of IN to small molecules during the late phase of HIV-1 replication unveils a pharmacological Achilles’ heel for exploitation in clinical ALLINI development.
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BFBNIB, NMLJ, NUK, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Multiple primary lung cancers (MPLCs) harbour various genetic profiles among the tumours, even from individuals with same non-intrinsic risk factors. Paired mutational analyses were performed to ...obtain a census of mutational events in MPLC and assess their relationship with non-intrinsic risk factors. Thirty-eight surgical specimens from 17 patients diagnosed as MPLC were used. Extracted DNAs were sequenced for somatic mutations in 409 cancer-associated genes from a comprehensive cancer panel. We statistically analysed the correlation between each driver mutation frequency and non-intrinsic risk factors using Fisher's exact test, and whether genetic mutations occurred concomitantly or randomly in MPLC using an exact test. Comprehensive genetic analyses suggested different mutation profiles in tumours within the same individuals, with some exceptions. EGFR, KRAS, TP53, or PARP1 mutations were concomitantly detected in some MPLC cases. EGFR mutations were significantly more frequent in never or light smokers and females. Concomitant EGFR or KRAS mutations in MPLCs were significantly more frequent than expected by chance (P = .0023 and .0049, respectively) suggesting a more prominent role of non-intrinsic risk factors in EGFR and KRAS mutations than other mutations, which occurred more randomly. Concomitant EGFR or KRAS mutations were particularly prominent in never or light smokers and males.
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IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UL, UM, UPUK
Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are a tumor‐derived material utilized for liquid‐based biopsy; however, capturing rare CTCs for further molecular analysis remains technically challenging, especially ...in non‐small‐cell lung cancer. Here, we report the results of a clinical evaluation of On‐chip Sort, a disposable microfluidic chip‐based cell sorter, for capture and molecular analysis of CTCs from patients with lung adenocarcinoma. Peripheral blood was collected from 30 metastatic lung adenocarcinoma patients to enumerate CTCs using both On‐chip Sort and CellSearch in a blind manner. Captured cells by On‐chip Sort were subjected to further molecular analysis. Peripheral blood samples were also used for detection of EGFR mutations in plasma using droplet digital PCR. Significantly more CTCs were detected by On‐chip Sort (22/30; median 5; range, 0–18 cells/5 mL blood) than by CellSearch (9/30; median, 0; range, 0–12 cells/7.5 mL) (P < 0.01). Thirteen of 30 patients who had a negative CTC count by CellSearch had a positive CTC count by On‐chip Sort. EGFR mutations in CTCs captured by On‐chip Sort were observed in 40.0% (8/20) of patients with EGFR‐mutated primary tumor. EGFR mutations were often observed in 53.3% (8/15) of patients detected in plasma DNA. Expressions of EGFR and vimentin protein on CTCs were also successfully assessed using On‐chip Sort. These results suggest that On‐chip Sort is an efficient method to detect and capture rare CTCs from patients with lung adenocarcinoma that are undetectable with CellSearch. Mutation detection using isolated CTCs remains to be further tackled (UMIN000012488).
CTC analysis by a microfluidic chip cell sorter.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
To explore the efficacy of retreatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who responded to prior ICI and had adequate ICI-free interval.
...Advanced NSCLC patients who had achieved complete response (CR), partial response (PR), or stable disease for {greater than or equal to}6 months with prior ICI therapy preceding progression were prospectively enrolled. All patients should have had ICI-free interval {greater than or equal to} 60 days before registration. Patients were treated with nivolumab (240 mg/body) every 2 weeks until progression. The primary endpoint was overall response rate (ORR). Secondary endpoints included progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival, and safety (Trial Identifier, UMIN000028561).
Sixty-one patients were enrolled during October 2017-February 2020, with 59 analyzed for efficacy. Regarding prior ICI, 41 patients had CR or PR. Median treatment on ICI and median ICI-free intervals were 8.1 months and 9.2 months, respectively. Twenty patients experienced immune-related adverse events (irAEs) that required discontinuation of prior ICI. Nivolumab retreatment demonstrated ORR of 8.5% (95% confidence interval CI: 2.8-18.7%) and median PFS of 2.6 months (95% CI: 1.6-2.8 months) while five responders had 11.1 months of median PFS. In the multivariate analysis, ICI-free interval was the only predictive factor of PFS (hazard ratio: 2.02, p = 0.02), while prior efficacy or history of irAE was not. Common adverse events were skin disorders (23%), malaise (20%), and hypoalbuminemia (15%).
Even in patients who initially responded to prior ICI and had ICI-free interval, once resistance occurred, retreatment with nivolumab had limited efficacy.
Oncogenic driver mutations are critical for lung cancer development and serve as therapeutic targets. However, their associations with environmental factors are not fully understood. We aimed to ...elucidate the relationship between tumor developmental biology and exposure to environmental factors.
This was a prospective, multicenter, molecular epidemiology study. Eligible patients were those with newly diagnosed stages I to IIIB non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who underwent surgery. The tumors were examined for somatic mutations in 72 cancer-associated genes by targeted deep sequencing, estrogen receptor β (ERβ) expression using immunohistochemical staining, and infection with any of 37 types of human papillomavirus (HPV) using a polymerase chain reaction-based microarray system. Detailed information on patient demographics and environmental factors was obtained from a comprehensive questionnaire.
From July 2012 to December 2013, 957 patients were enrolled, and molecular analyses were performed on 876 samples (from 441 ever- and 435 never-smokers). Oncogenic driver mutations in P53 and KRAS increased proportionally with smoking status, whereas mutations in EGFR and SMAD4 decreased. KRAS mutations in smokers and SMAD4 mutations were observed more frequently in proportion to body mass index. TP53 and NFE2L2 mutations were observed more frequently in advanced NSCLC stages. As for never-smokers, no environmental factors were significantly associated with mutational changes. EGFR mutations and TP53 mutations were observed more frequently in women and in men, respectively. Mutations in these two genes were also potentially associated with ERβ expression. Only three patients (0.3%) were HPV positive.
The mutational spectrum is associated with smoking, body mass index, and other environmental factors, as well as with ERβ expression. Little association was observed between HPV and NSCLC.
The multifunctional HIV-1 enzyme integrase interacts with viral DNA and its key cellular cofactor LEDGF to effectively integrate the reverse transcript into a host cell chromosome. These interactions ...are crucial for HIV-1 replication and present attractive targets for antiviral therapy. Recently, 2-(quinolin-3-yl) acetic acid derivatives were reported to selectively inhibit the integrase-LEDGF interaction in vitro and impair HIV-1 replication in infected cells. Here, we show that this class of compounds impairs both integrase-LEDGF binding and LEDGF-independent integrase catalytic activities with similar IC50 values, defining them as bona fide allosteric inhibitors of integrase function. Furthermore, we show that 2-(quinolin-3-yl) acetic acid derivatives block the formation of the stable synaptic complex between integrase and viral DNA by allosterically stabilizing an inactive multimeric form of integrase. In addition, these compounds inhibit LEDGF binding to the stable synaptic complex. This multimode mechanism of action concordantly results in cooperative inhibition of the concerted integration of viral DNA ends in vitro and HIV-1 replication in cell culture. Our findings, coupled with the fact that high cooperativity of antiviral inhibitors correlates with their increased instantaneous inhibitory potential, an important clinical parameter, argue strongly that improved 2-(quinolin-3-yl) acetic acid derivatives could exhibit desirable clinical properties.
2-(Quinolin-3-yl)-acetic-acid derivatives target HIV-1 integrase and inhibit viral replication.
The compounds are allosteric integrase inhibitors (ALLINIs) that block integrase interactions with viral DNA and its cellular cofactor LEDGF and cooperatively inhibit HIV-1 replication.
ALLINIs block multiple steps of HIV-1 integration.
These new properties of ALLINIs will facilitate their further development as potent antiretroviral compounds.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM)-based enumeration of circulating tumor cells (CTC) has prognostic value in patients with solid tumors, such as advanced breast, colon, and prostate cancer. ...However, poor sensitivity has been reported for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). To address this problem, we developed a microcavity array (MCA) system integrated with a miniaturized device for CTC isolation without relying on EpCAM expression. Here, we report the results of a clinical study on CTCs of advanced lung cancer patients in which we compared the MCA system with the CellSearch system, which employs the conventional EpCAM-based method.
Paired peripheral blood samples were collected from 43 metastatic lung cancer patients to enumerate CTCs using the CellSearch system according to the manufacturer's protocol and the MCA system by immunolabeling and cytomorphological analysis. The presence of CTCs was assessed blindly and independently by both systems.
CTCs were detected in 17 of 22 NSCLC patients using the MCA system versus 7 of 22 patients using the CellSearch system. On the other hand, CTCs were detected in 20 of 21 small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients using the MCA system versus 12 of 21 patients using the CellSearch system. Significantly more CTCs in NSCLC patients were detected by the MCA system (median 13, range 0-291 cells/7.5 mL) than by the CellSearch system (median 0, range 0-37 cells/7.5 ml) demonstrating statistical superiority (p = 0.0015). Statistical significance was not reached in SCLC though the trend favoring the MCA system over the CellSearch system was observed (p = 0.2888). The MCA system also isolated CTC clusters from patients who had been identified as CTC negative using the CellSearch system.
The MCA system has a potential to isolate significantly more CTCs and CTC clusters in advanced lung cancer patients compared to the CellSearch system.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
We retrospectively investigated the impact of the tumor microenvironment (TME) on the efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)‐tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) as first‐line treatment in ...70 patients with advanced EGFR‐mutant non‐small cell lung cancer and who were seen at Osaka City University Hospital (Osaka, Japan) between August 2013 and December 2017. Using immunohistochemical staining with 28‐8 and D7U8C Abs, the tumor proportion score was assessed for programmed cell death‐1 ligand‐1 (PD‐L1), as high (50% or more) or low (less than 50%), and ligand‐2 (PD‐L2) expression, respectively. The extent of CD8+ tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes was evaluated on a scale of 0‐3, with 0‐1 as low and 2‐3 as high. The TME of the 52 evaluable pretreatment specimens was categorized into 4 subtypes, according to the respective PD‐L1 tumor proportion and CD8+ scores, as follows: (a) high/high (13.5%, n = 7); (b) low/low (42.3%, n = 22); (c) high/low (17.3%, n = 9); and (d) low/high (26.9%, n = 14). Expression of PD‐L2 was significantly the highest in type 1 (57.1% vs 4.5% vs 11.1% vs 7.1%, respectively; P = .0090). Response rate was significantly the lowest in type 1 (14.3% vs 81.8% vs 66.7% vs 78.6%, respectively; P = .0085). Progression‐free survival was the shortest in type 1 and the longest in type 4 (median, 2.4 vs 11.3 vs 8.4 vs 17.5 months, respectively; P = .00000077). The efficacy of EGFR‐TKIs differed according to the TME, and the phenotype with high PD‐L1 and CD8+ expression might be the subset that would poorly benefit from such treatment.
We assessed the impact of the tumor microenvironment (TME) based on tumor programmed cell death‐1 ligand‐1 (PD‐L1) expression and CD8+ tumor‐infiltrating lymphocytes on the efficacy of epidermal growth factor receptor‐tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR‐TKIs) in patients with EGFR‐mutant non‐small cell lung cancer. The TME was categorized into 4 subtypes and the efficacy of EGFR‐TKIs differed according to the TME. The PD‐L1 high/CD8+ high phenotype might be the subset that would poorly benefit from EGFR‐TKI treatment.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Objective Testing for the Janus activating kinase 2 (JAK2) V617F mutation is important for diagnosing and treating myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Recently, urine cell-free DNA (ucfDNA) was ...reported to be useful for detecting tumor-specific gene mutations in several solid tumors. However, its utility in detecting such mutations in hematological malignancies has not yet been assessed. In this study, we assessed whether or not the JAK2 V617F mutation could be detected in ucfDNA and whether or not its positivity rate in ucfDNA was associated with the JAK2 V617F allele ratio of peripheral blood cells in patients with MPN. Methods The JAK2 V617F allele ratio of genomic DNA from peripheral blood cells was determined using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) or droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). ucfDNA was subjected to ddPCR. The correlation between the JAK2 V617F mutation positivity rates of blood-derived DNA and those of ucfDNA was assessed. Materials Twelve patients with polycythemia vera and 12 patients with essential thrombocythemia were enrolled. Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-treated peripheral blood (100 mL) and 15-30 mL of fresh urine were used. Results The JAK2 V617F mutation was detected in the ucfDNA from all 20 JAK2 V617F mutation-positive patients. In addition, the JAK2 V617F mutation positivity rate of ucfDNA was correlated with the JAK2 V617Fｓ allele ratio of blood-derived DNA, including in both estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) groups (patients with an eGFR ≥50 or <50 mL/min/1.73 m2). Conclusion Our results indicate that ucfDNA is a valuable tool for diagnosing and monitoring MPN. Given these findings, other disease-specific gene mutations in hematological malignancies may also be detectable in ucfDNA.
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