Osteoblasts, the bone forming cells, affect self-renewal and expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), as well as homing of healthy hematopoietic cells and tumor cells into the bone marrow. ...Constitutive activation of β-catenin in osteoblasts is sufficient to alter the differentiation potential of myeloid and lymphoid progenitors and to initiate the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in mice. We show here that Notch1 is the receptor mediating the leukemogenic properties of osteoblast-activated β-catenin in HSCs. Moreover, using cell-specific gene inactivation mouse models, we show that FoxO1 expression in osteoblasts is required for and mediates the leukemogenic properties of β-catenin. At the molecular level, FoxO1 interacts with β-catenin in osteoblasts to induce expression of the Notch ligand, Jagged-1. Subsequent activation of Notch signaling in long-term repopulating HSC progenitors induces the leukemogenic transformation of HSCs and ultimately leads to the development of AML. These findings identify FoxO1 expressed in osteoblasts as a factor affecting hematopoiesis and provide a molecular mechanism whereby the FoxO1/activated β-catenin interaction results in AML. These observations support the notion that the bone marrow niche is an instigator of leukemia and raise the prospect that FoxO1 oncogenic properties may occur in other tissues.
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a biologically and clinically heterogeneous disease with marked genomic instability and variable response to conventional R-CHOP (rituximab, cyclophosphamide, ...doxorubicin, vincristine and prednisone) chemotherapy. More clinically aggressive cases of DLBCLs have high level of circulating interleukin 10 (IL10) cytokine and evidence of activated intracellular STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) signaling. We investigated the role of IL10 and its surface receptor in supporting the neoplastic phenotype of DLBCLs. We determined that IL10RA gene is amplified in 21% and IL10RB gene in 10% of primary DLBCLs. Gene expression of IL10, IL10RA and IL10RB was markedly elevated in DLBCLs. We hypothesized that DLBCLs depend for their proliferation and survival on IL10-STAT3 signaling and that blocking the IL10 receptor (IL10R) would induce cell death. We used anti-IL10R blocking antibody, which resulted in a dose-dependent cell death in all tested activated B-cell-like subtype of DLBCL cell lines and primary DLBCLs. Response of germinal center B-cell-like subtype of DLBCL cell lines to anti-IL10R antibody varied from sensitive to resistant. Cells underwent cell cycle arrest, followed by induction of apoptosis. Cell death depended on inhibition of STAT3 and, to a lesser extent, STAT1 signaling. Anti-IL10R treatment resulted in interruption of IL10-IL10R autostimulatory loop. We thus propose that IL10R is a novel therapeutic target in DLBCLs.
Summary
The small intestinal (SI) epithelium harbors a heterogeneous population of lymphocytes that mediate mucosal damage and repair in celiac disease (CD). The composition and roles of human ...proximal SI intra‐epithelial innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), and their alterations in CD, are not well understood. We report that duodenal intra‐epithelial ILCs predominantly consist of natural killer (NK)p44+CD127− cytotoxic ILC1s and NKp44−CD127+ helper ILC1s, while ILC3s only represent a minor population. In patients with newly diagnosed or active CD (ACD) and refractory CD type 1 (RCD I), the frequency of SI NKp44+ ILCs is decreased, with restoration of NKp44+ ILC frequency observed in patients adhering to a gluten‐free diet who show evidence of mucosal healing. Moreover, the frequency of SI NKp44− ILCs is increased in ACD and RCD I patients and correlates with the severity of villous atrophy and epithelial damage, as assessed by serum levels of fatty acid binding protein 2 (FABP2). We show that the ILC alterations in CD represent a phenotypic shift of cytotoxic ILC1s rather than an increase in helper ILC1s or transdifferentiation of ILC1s to ILC3s, and activation‐induced loss of NKp44 by cytotoxic ILC1s is associated with increased interferon (IFN)‐γ expression and release of lytic granules. These findings suggest that intra‐epithelial NKp44−CD127− cytotoxic ILC1s may contribute to mucosal damage in CD.
In this study, we show that duodenal intraepithelial ILCs predominantly consist of NKp44+ CD127− cytotoxic ILC1s (ieILC1s) and NKp44− CD127+ helper ILC1s, while CD127+ ILC3s only represent a minor population. In celiac disease (CD), cytotoxic ILC1s undergo a phenotypic transition (downregulate NKp44 expression) and upregulate IFN‐γ. This phenomenon is mirrored in vitro upon activation of cytotoxic ILC1s and is associated with increased intracellular IFN‐γ and granzyme‐B expression and lytic granule release. These findings suggest that intraepithelial NKp44− CD127− cytotoxic ILC1s may foster intestinal inflammation and contribute to enterocyte damage in CD.
Abstract
The production of concrete in its traditional form have reported a notable impact on the environment in terms of resource depletion and the carbon footprint it generates in the entire life ...cycle. To reduce these impacts, the ‘Green Concrete’ concept is at focal point of research in the construction industry. The advantage of resource conservation of ‘Green concrete’s is evident from usage of industrial by-products like fly ash, blast furnace slag, silica fume etc. as alternative binder materials and recycled wastes like construction and demolished waste and other industrial wastes as aggregate fillers. However, the quantification of environmental impact of such concretes in terms of most crucial emissions, like CO
2
emissions in an objective way would confirm the eco-friendly face of ‘Green concrete’. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is one of the most trusted tools to arrive at carbon score of such green concrete. This paper presents a step-by-step procedure of estimation of carbon footprint of a green concrete considering all possible phases of the life cycle of concrete including the post use phase. The conclusive findings from available literature for different types of ‘Green concrete’ are also presented to reflect the environmental advantage/disadvantage. The effect of system boundary, carbon uptake and allocation of impact are also discussed with reference to the results available in the literature.
PRDM1/BLIMP-1, a master regulator of plasma-cell differentiation, is frequently inactivated in activated B-cell-like (ABC) diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients. Little is known about its ...genetic aberrations and relevant clinical implications. A large series of patients with de novo DLBCL was effectively evaluated for PRDM1/BLIMP-1 deletion, mutation, and protein expression. BLIMP-1 expression was frequently associated with the ABC phenotype and plasmablastic morphologic subtype of DLBCL, yet 63% of the ABC-DLBCL patients were negative for BLIMP-1 protein expression. In these patients, loss of BLIMP-1 was associated with Myc overexpression and decreased expression of p53 pathway molecules. In addition, homozygous PRDM1 deletions and PRDM1 mutations within exons 1 and 2, which encode for domains crucial for transcriptional repression, were found to show a poor prognostic impact in patients with ABC-DLBCL but not in those with germinal center B-cell-like DLBCL (GCB-DLBCL). Gene expression profiling revealed that loss of PRDM1/BLIMP-1 expression correlated with a decreased plasma-cell differentiation signature and upregulation of genes involved in B-cell receptor signaling and tumor-cell proliferation. In conclusion, these results provide novel clinical and biological insight into the tumor-suppressive role of PRDM1/BLIMP-1 in ABC-DLBCL patients and suggest that loss of PRDM1/BLIMP-1 function contributes to the overall poor prognosis of ABC-DLBCL patients.
Ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) kinase is a master regulator of the DNA damage response. ATM is frequently inactivated in human B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphomas, including ~50% of mantle cell ...lymphomas (MCLs) characterized by ectopic expression of CyclinD1. Here we report that early and robust deletion of ATM in precursor/progenitor B cells causes cell autonomous, clonal mature B-cell lymphomas of both pre- and post-germinal center (GC) origins. Unexpectedly, naive B-cell-specific deletion of ATM is not sufficient to induce lymphomas in mice, highlighting the important tumor suppressor function of ATM in immature B cells. Although EμCyclinD1 is not sufficient to induce lymphomas, EμCyclinD1 accelerates the kinetics and increases the incidence of clonal lymphomas in ATM-deficient B-cells and skews the lymphomas toward pre-GC-derived small lymphocytic neoplasms, sharing morphological features of human MCL. This is in part due to CyclinD1-driven expansion of ATM-deficient naive B cells with genomic instability, which promotes the deletions of additional tumor suppressor genes (i.e. Trp53, Mll2, Rb1 and Cdkn2a). Together these findings define a synergistic function of ATM and CyclinD1 in pre-GC B-cell proliferation and lymphomagenesis and provide a prototypic animal model to study the pathogenesis of human MCL.
In patients with Barrett's esophagus (BE), targeted endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) of visible lesions of high grade dysplasia (HGD) or intramucosal adenocarcinoma (IMC) is effective, but carries ...the risk of leaving in place synchronous lesions and Barrett's epithelium with the potential for recurrent disease. We evaluated the safety and long-term efficacy of complete Barrett's eradication EMR (CBE-EMR) for the treatment of patients with HGD or IMC, independently of the presence of macroscopically visible lesions or surgical risk.
26 consecutive patients with BE and HGD or IMC underwent CBE-EMRs, which were performed with the endoscopic cap suction method and/or a 2.3-mm monofilament mucosectomy snare. Endoscopic follow up after completion of resection was carried out to assess the rate of residual or recurrent BE with or without HGD or IMC.
24 patients completed the study. They underwent a total of 44 EMR sessions with a median of 3 pieces (range 1-8) removed per session. Two patients with immediate bleeding were successfully managed endoscopically. Three patients developed an early esophageal stricture that was completely resolved with a single endoscopic dilation. After a median follow-up of 28 months (range 15-51 months), persistent endoscopic and histologic eradication of BE was demonstrated in 21 patients (87.5 %). In two patients, Barrett's epithelium was detected beneath the neosquamous epithelium 3 months after completion of the resection. In the remaining patient, IMC was found in a nodule seen and removed by EMR at 12-month surveillance endoscopy.
CBE-EMR is a safe and highly effective long-term treatment that should be offered to all patients with Barrett's esophagus with HGD and IMC.
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