Abstract
Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) genomes show that relapses often arise from subclonal outgrowths. However, the impact of clonal evolution on the actionable proteome and response ...to targeted therapy is not known. Here, we present a comprehensive retrospective analysis of paired ALL diagnosis and relapsed specimen. Targeted next generation sequencing and proteome analysis indicate persistence of actionable genome variants and stable proteomes through disease progression. Paired viably-frozen biopsies show high correlation of drug response to variant-targeted therapies but in vitro selectivity is low. Proteome analysis prioritizes PARP1 as a pan-ALL target candidate needed for survival following cellular stress; diagnostic and relapsed ALL samples demonstrate robust sensitivity to treatment with two PARP1/2 inhibitors. Together, these findings support initiating prospective precision oncology approaches at ALL diagnosis and emphasize the need to incorporate proteome analysis to prospectively determine tumor sensitivities, which are likely to be retained at disease relapse.
High-risk neuroblastoma remains a profound clinical challenge that requires eradication of neuroblastoma cells from a variety of organ sites, including bone marrow, liver, and CNS, to achieve a cure. ...While preclinical modeling is a powerful tool for the development of novel cancer therapies, the lack of widely available models of metastatic neuroblastoma represents a significant barrier to the development of effective treatment strategies. To address this need, we report a novel luciferase-expressing derivative of the widely used Th-MYCN mouse. While our model recapitulates the non-metastatic neuroblastoma development seen in the parental transgenic strain, transplantation of primary tumor cells from disease-bearing mice enables longitudinal monitoring of neuroblastoma growth at distinct sites in immune-deficient or immune-competent recipients. The transplanted tumors retain GD2 expression through many rounds of serial transplantation and are sensitive to GD2-targeted immune therapy. With more diverse tissue localization than is seen with human cell line-derived xenografts, this novel model for high-risk neuroblastoma could contribute to the optimization of immune-based treatments for this deadly disease.
The presence of supernumerary chromosomes is the only abnormality shared by all patients diagnosed with high-hyperdiploid B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (HD-ALL). Despite being the most ...frequently diagnosed pediatric leukemia, the lack of clonal molecular lesions and complete absence of appropriate experimental models have impeded the elucidation of HD-ALL leukemogenesis. Here, we report that for 23 leukemia samples isolated from moribund Eμ-Ret mice, all were characterized by non-random chromosomal gains, involving combinations of trisomy 9, 12, 14, 15, and 17. With a median gain of three chromosomes, leukemia emerged after a prolonged latency from a preleukemic B cell precursor cell population displaying more diverse aneuploidy. Transition from preleukemia to overt disease in Eμ-Ret mice is associated with acquisition of heterogeneous genomic abnormalities affecting the expression of genes implicated in pediatric B-ALL. The development of abnormal centrosomes in parallel with aneuploidy renders both preleukemic and leukemic cells sensitive to inhibitors of centrosome clustering, enabling targeted in vivo depletion of leukemia-propagating cells. This study reveals the Eμ-Ret mouse to be a novel tool for investigating HD-ALL leukemogenesis, including supervision and selection of preleukemic aneuploid clones by the immune system and identification of vulnerabilities that could be targeted to prevent relapse.
Novel molecular mechanism identified by which intravenous immunoglobulin reduces macrophage inflammatory responses.
Intravenous Ig is used to treat autoimmune or autoinflammatory disorders, but the ...mechanism by which it exerts its immunosuppressive activity is not understood completely. To examine the impact of intravenous Ig on macrophages, we compared cytokine production by LPS‐activated macrophages in the presence and absence of intravenous Ig. Intravenous Ig treatment induced robust production of IL‐10 in response to LPS, relative to LPS stimulation alone, and reduced production of proinflammatory cytokines. This anti‐inflammatory, intravenous Ig‐induced activation was sustained for 24 h but could only be induced if intravenous Ig were provided within 1 h of LPS stimulation. Intravenous Ig activation led to enhanced and prolonged activation of MAPKs, Erk1/2, p38, and Erk5, and inhibition of each reduced intravenous Ig‐induced IL‐10 production and suppression of IL‐12/23p40. IL‐10 production occurred rapidly in response to intravenous Ig + LPS and was sufficient to reduce proinflammatory IL‐12/23p40 production in response to LPS. IL‐10 induction and reduced IL‐12/23p40 production were transcriptionally regulated. IL‐10 played a direct role in reducing proinflammatory cytokine production by macrophages treated with intravenous Ig + LPS, as macrophages from mice deficient in the IL‐10R β chain or in IL‐10 were compromised in their ability to reduce proinflammatory cytokine production. Finally, intraperitoneal injection of intravenous Ig or intravenous Ig + LPS into mice activated macrophages to produce high levels of IL‐10 during subsequent or concurrent LPS challenge, respectively. These findings identify IL‐10 as a key anti‐inflammatory mediator produced by intravenous Ig‐treated macrophages and provide insight into a novel mechanism by which intravenous Ig may dampen down inflammatory responses in patients with autoimmune or autoinflammatory diseases.
Murine xenografts of pediatric leukemia accurately recapitulate genomic aberrations. How this translates to the functional capacity of cells remains unclear. Here, we studied global protein ...abundance, phosphorylation, and protein maturation by proteolytic processing in 11 pediatric B- and T- cell ALL patients and 19 corresponding xenografts.
Xenograft models were generated for each pediatric patient leukemia. Mass spectrometry-based methods were used to investigate global protein abundance, protein phosphorylation, and limited proteolysis in paired patient and xenografted pediatric acute B- and T- cell lymphocytic leukemia, as well as in pediatric leukemia cell lines. Targeted next-generation sequencing was utilized to examine genetic abnormalities in patients and in corresponding xenografts. Bioinformatic and statistical analysis were performed to identify functional mechanisms associated with proteins and protein post-translational modifications.
Overall, we found xenograft proteomes to be most equivalent with their patient of origin. Protein level differences that stratified disease subtypes at diagnostic and relapse stages were largely recapitulated in xenografts. As expected, PDXs lacked multiple human leukocyte antigens and complement proteins. We found increased expression of cell cycle proteins indicating a high proliferative capacity of xenografted cells. Structural genomic changes and mutations were reflected at the protein level in patients. In contrast, the post-translational modification landscape was shaped by leukemia type and host and only to a limited degree by the patient of origin. Of 201 known pediatric oncogenic drivers and drug-targetable proteins, the KMT2 protein family showed consistently high variability between patient and corresponding xenografts. Comprehensive N terminomics revealed deregulated proteolytic processing in leukemic cells, in particular from caspase-driven cleavages found in patient cells.
Genomic and host factors shape protein and post-translational modification landscapes differently. This study highlights select areas of diverging biology while confirming murine patient-derived xenografts as a generally accurate model system.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common form of cancer in children, with most cases arising from fetal B cell precursor, termed B-ALL. Here, we use immunofluorescence analysis of B-ALL ...cells to identify centrosome amplification events that require the centrosome clustering pathway to successfully complete mitosis. Our data reveals that primary human B-ALL cells and immortal B-ALL cell lines from both human and mouse sources show defective bipolar spindle formation, abnormal mitotic progression, and cell death following treatment with centrosome clustering inhibitors (CCI). We demonstrate that CCI-refractory B-ALL cells exhibit markers for increased genomic instability, including DNA damage and micronuclei, as well as activation of the cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS)-nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) signalling pathway. Our analysis of cGAS knock-down B-ALL clones implicates cGAS in the sensitivity of B-ALL cells to CCI treatment. Due to its integral function and specificity to cancer cells, the centrosome clustering pathway presents a powerful molecular target for cancer treatment while mitigating the risk to healthy cells.
Mitotic spindle assembly and organization require forces generated by motor proteins. The activity of these motors is regulated by nonmotor adaptor proteins. However, there are limited studies ...reporting the functional importance of adaptors on the balance of motor forces and the promotion of faithful and timely cell division. Here we show that genomic deletion or small interfering RNA silencing of the nonmotor adaptor
HMMR disturbs spindle microtubule organization and bipolar chromosome-kinetochore attachments with a consequent elevated occurrence of aneuploidy. Rescue experiments show a conserved motif in HMMR is required to generate interkinetochore tension and promote anaphase entry. This motif bears high homology with the kinesin Kif15 and is known to interact with TPX2, a spindle assembly factor. We find that HMMR is required to dampen kinesin Eg5-mediated forces through localizing TPX2 and promoting the formation of inhibitory TPX2-Eg5 complexes. In HMMR-silenced cells, K-fiber stability is reduced while the frequency of unattached chromosomes and the time needed for chromosome segregation are both increased. These defects can be alleviated in HMMR-silenced cells with chemical inhibition of Eg5 but not through the silencing of Kif15. Together, our findings indicate that HMMR balances Eg5--mediated forces to preserve the kinetics and integrity of chromosome segregation.
Fibroblasts, or their homolog stromal cells, are present in most tissues and play an essential role in tissue homeostasis and regeneration. As a result, fibroblast-based strategies have been widely ...employed in tissue engineering. However, while considered to have immunosuppressive properties, the survival and functionality of allogeneic fibroblasts after transplantation remain controversial. Here, we evaluated innate and adaptive immune responses against allogeneic fibroblasts following intradermal injection into different immune-deficient mouse strains. While allogeneic fibroblasts were rejected 1 week after transplantation in immunocompetent mice, rejection did not occur in immunodeficient γ chain–deficient NOD-SCID (NSG) mice. T-cell- and B-cell-deficient RAG1 knockout mice showed greater loss of fibroblasts by day 5 after transplantation compared with NSG mice (P ≤ 0.05) but prolonged persistence compared with wild-type recipient (P ≤ 0.005). Loss of fibroblasts correlated with the expression of proinflammatory chemokine genes and infiltration of myeloid cells in the transplantation site. Depletion of macrophages and neutrophils delayed rejection, revealing the role of innate immune cells in an early elimination of fibroblasts that is followed by T-cell-mediated rejection in the second week. These findings indicate that the application of allogeneic fibroblasts in tissue engineering products requires further improvements to overcome cell rejection by innate and adaptive immune cells.
Cell-cycle progression and the acquisition of a migratory phenotype are hallmarks of human carcinoma cells that are perceived as independent processes but may be interconnected by molecular pathways ...that control microtubule nucleation at centrosomes. Here, cell-cycle progression dramatically impacts the engraftment kinetics of 4T1-luciferase2 breast cancer cells in immunocompetent BALB/c or immunocompromised NOD-SCID gamma (NSG) mice. Multiparameter imaging of wound closure assays was used to track cell-cycle progression, cell migration, and associated phenotypes in epithelial cells or carcinoma cells expressing a fluorescence ubiquitin cell-cycle indicator. Cell migration occurred with an elevated velocity and directionality during the S-G
-phase of the cell cycle, and cells in this phase possess front-polarized centrosomes with augmented microtubule nucleation capacity. Inhibition of Aurora kinase-A (AURKA/Aurora-A) dampens these phenotypes without altering cell-cycle progression. During G
-phase, the level of phosphorylated Aurora-A at centrosomes is reduced in hyaluronan-mediated motility receptor (HMMR)-silenced cells as is the nuclear transport of TPX2, an Aurora-A-activating protein. TPX2 nuclear transport depends upon HMMR-T703, which releases TPX2 from a complex with importin-α (KPNA2) at the nuclear envelope. Finally, the abundance of phosphorylated HMMR-T703, a substrate for Aurora-A, predicts breast cancer-specific survival and relapse-free survival in patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-negative (
= 941), triple-negative (TNBC) phenotype (
= 538), or basal-like subtype (
= 293) breast cancers, but not in those patients with ER-positive breast cancer (
= 2,218). Together, these data demonstrate an Aurora-A/TPX2/HMMR molecular axis that intersects cell-cycle progression and cell migration.
Tumor cell engraftment, migration, and cell-cycle progression share common regulation of the microtubule cytoskeleton through the Aurora-A/TPX2/HMMR axis, which has the potential to influence the survival of patients with ER-negative breast tumors.
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Dendritic cells (DC) are instrumental in orchestrating an appropriately polarized Th cell response to pathogens. DC exhibit considerable phenotypic and functional plasticity, influenced by lineage, ...Ag engagement, and the environment in which they develop and mature. In this study, we identify the human cationic peptide LL-37, found in abundance at sites of inflammation, as a potent modifier of DC differentiation, bridging innate and adaptive immune responses. LL-37-derived DC displayed significantly up-regulated endocytic capacity, modified phagocytic receptor expression and function, up-regulated costimulatory molecule expression, enhanced secretion of Th-1 inducing cytokines, and promoted Th1 responses in vitro. LL-37 may be an attractive therapeutic candidate for manipulating T cell polarization by DC.
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