scholarly journals Could the candidate causal gene (LZTFL1) identified by Oxford University scientists, which doubles the risk of COVID-19-related respiratory failure, be used to boost the Weak immunogenicity of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines in patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)???. A double edged sword

Author(s):  
Mahmoud Ramadan Elkazzaz ◽  
Yousry Esam-Eldin Abo-Amer ◽  
Tamer Haydara ◽  
Aziz Rodan Sarohan ◽  
Amr Ahmed

Abstract Patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have an increased risk of severe infections due to disease- and treatment-related immunodeficiency. As a result, patients with hematologic malignancies have been given priority for primary COVID-19 vaccination. Unfortunately, many studies have suggested that patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who have been fully vaccinated can develop severe and often fatal complications. Therefore, adjuvants that can induce mRNA vaccine efficacy are desperately needed for this category of patients with haematological malignancies. A recent, study by Oxford University scientists showed that leucine zipper transcription factor-like 1(LZTFL1), as a candidate causal gene and its enhancer the rs17713054 A risk allele was significantly responsible for the twofold increased risk of respiratory failure from COVID-19 associated with 3p21.31.By using sequence analysis, the risk allele generates a second CCAAT/enhancer binding protein beta (CEBPB) motif in the enhancer. Moreover, neither LZTFL1 variants found in T cells nor B cells are responsible for increasing death risk from COVID-19 infection according to oxford study. Here, we propose attestable hypothesis that trans retinoic acid could enhance the immune response in vaccinated patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) according to the recent findings of Oxford scientists by inducing the casual gene(LZTFL1) in CD4 T cells and inhibiting (CEBPB) motif.Conclusions Haematological malignancies (blood cancers) patients are more vulnerable to COVID-19 disuse severity and mortality. Un fortunately mRNA vaccine seem to be less effective with weak immune response and insufficient level of generated antibodies in this category of patients. Therefore we suggest all trans retinoic acid is a good candidate as mRNA COVID-19 vaccine adjuvant via inducing LZTFL1 gene in CD4Tcells and this activation could improve the immune response and increase the level of the generated antibodies. Moreover LZTFL1 gene in CD4 T cells is not associated with increasing risk of COVID-19 infection because of absence of its enhancer(The risk allele of the SNP, rs17713054 A) in immune cells according to oxford recent study. In addition to all trans retinoic acid could inhibit CCAAT/enhancer binding protein beta motif that is generated by The risk allele of the SNP, rs17713054 A

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Ramadan Elkazzaz ◽  
Yousry Esam-Eldin Abo-Amer ◽  
Amr Ahmed ◽  
Tamer Haydara

Abstract Patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have an increased risk of severe infections due to disease- and treatment-related immunodeficiency. As a result, patients with hematologic malignancies have been given priority for primary COVID-19 vaccination. Unfortunately, many studies have suggested that patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who have been fully vaccinated can develop severe and often fatal complications. Therefore, adjuvants that can induce mRNA vaccine efficacy are desperately needed for this category of patients with haematological malignancies. A recent, study by Oxford University scientists showed that leucine zipper transcription factor-like 1(LZTFL1), as a candidate causal gene and its enhancer the rs17713054 A risk allele was significantly responsible for the twofold increased risk of respiratory failure from COVID-19 associated with 3p21.31.By using sequence analysis, the risk allele generates a second CCAAT/enhancer binding protein beta (CEBPB) motif in the enhancer. Moreover, neither LZTFL1 variants found in T cells nor B cells are responsible for increasing death risk from COVID-19 infection according to oxford study. Here, we propose attestable hypothesis that trans retinoic acid could enhance the immune response in vaccinated patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) according to the recent findings of Oxford scientists by inducing the casual gene(LZTFL1) in CD4 T cells and inhibiting (CEBPB) motif.Conclusions Haematological malignancies (blood cancers) patients are more vulnerable to COVID-19 disuse severity and mortality. Un fortunately mRNA vaccine seem to be less effective with weak immune response and insufficient level of generated antibodies in this category of patients. Therefore we suggest all trans retinoic acid is a good candidate as mRNA COVID-19 vaccine adjuvant via inducing LZTFL1 gene in CD4Tcells and this activation could improve the immune response and increase the level of the generated antibodies. Moreover LZTFL1 gene in CD4 T cells is not associated with increasing risk of COVID-19 infection because of absence of its enhancer(The risk allele of the SNP, rs17713054 A) in immune cells according to oxford recent study. In addition to all trans retinoic acid could inhibit CCAAT/enhancer binding protein beta motif that is generated by The risk allele of the SNP, rs17713054 A


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmoud Ramadan Elkazzaz ◽  
Yousry Esam-Eldin Abo-Amer ◽  
Amr Ahmed ◽  
Tamer Haydara

Abstract Patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) have an increased risk of severe infections due to disease- and treatment-related immunodeficiency. As a result, patients with hematologic malignancies have been given priority for primary COVID-19 vaccination. Unfortunately, many studies have suggested that patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who have been fully vaccinated can develop severe and often fatal complications. Therefore, adjuvants that can induce mRNA vaccine efficacy are desperately needed for this category of patients with haematological malignancies. A recent, study by Oxford University scientists showed that leucine zipper transcription factor-like 1(LZTFL1), as a candidate causal gene and its enhancer the rs17713054 A risk allele was significantly responsible for the twofold increased risk of respiratory failure from COVID-19 associated with 3p21.31.By using sequence analysis, the risk allele generates a second CCAAT/enhancer binding protein beta (CEBPB) motif in the enhancer. Moreover, neither LZTFL1 variants found in T cells nor B cells are responsible for increasing death risk from COVID-19 infection according to oxford study. Here, we propose attestable hypothesis that trans retinoic acid could enhance the immune response in vaccinated patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) according to the recent findings of Oxford scientists by inducing the casual gene(LZTFL1) in CD4 T cells and inhibiting (CEBPB) motif.


Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (16) ◽  
pp. 2968-2974 ◽  
Author(s):  
Batoul Pourgheysari ◽  
Rachel Bruton ◽  
Helen Parry ◽  
Lucinda Billingham ◽  
Chris Fegan ◽  
...  

Abstract B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia is associated with immune suppression and an altered T-cell repertoire with expansion of memory cells. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common herpes virus that elicits a strong virus-specific T-cell immune response after infection. We studied the CMV-specific CD4+ T-cell response in 45 patients and 35 control subjects and demonstrated that it was markedly expanded in the patient group, averaging 11% of the CD4+ pool compared with 4.7% in controls. The magnitude of the CMV-specific CD4+ immune response increased with disease stage and was particularly high in patients who received chemotherapy. Within this group, the CMV-specific response comprised over 46% of the CD4+ T-cell repertoire in some patients. Serial analysis revealed that CMV-specific immunity increased during treatment with chemotherapy and remained stable thereafter. CMV-seropositive patients exhibited a markedly altered CD4+ T-cell repertoire with increased numbers of CD45R0+ T cells and a reduction in CD27, CD28, and CCR7 expression. Overall survival was reduced by nearly 4 years in CMV-seropositive patients, although this did not reach statistical significance. CLL patients therefore demonstrate an expansion of the CD4+ CMV-specific immune response, which is likely to contribute to the immunological and clinical features of this disease.


Blood ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 71 (4) ◽  
pp. 1012-1020 ◽  
Author(s):  
JS Moore ◽  
MB Prystowsky ◽  
RG Hoover ◽  
EC Besa ◽  
PC Nowell

The consistent occurrence of T cell abnormalities in patients with B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) suggest that the non- neoplastic host T cells may be involved in the pathogenesis of this B cell neoplasm. Because potential defects of immunoglobulin regulation are evident in B-CLL patients, we investigated one aspect of this by studying the T cell-mediated immunoglobulin isotype-specific immunoregulatory circuit in B-CLL. The existence of class-specific immunoglobulin regulatory mechanisms mediated by Fc receptor-bearing T cells (FcR + T) through soluble immunoglobulin binding factors (IgBFs) has been well established in many experimental systems. IgBFs can both suppress and enhance B cell activity in an isotype-specific manner. We investigated the apparently abnormal IgA regulation in a B-CLL patient (CLL249) whose B cells secrete primarily IgA in vitro. Enumeration of FcR + T cells showed a disproportionate increase in IgA FcR + T cells in the peripheral blood of this patient. Our studies showed that the neoplastic B cells were not intrinsically unresponsive to the suppressing component of IgABF produced from normal T cells, but rather the IgABF produced by the CLL249 host T cells was defective. CLL249 IgABF was unable to suppress IgA secretion by host or normal B cells and enhanced the in vitro proliferation of the host B cells. Size fractionation of both normal and CLL249 IgABF by gel-filtration high- performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) demonstrated differences in the ultraviolet-absorbing components of IgABF obtained from normal T cells v that from our patient with defective IgA regulation. Such T cell dysfunction may not be restricted to IgA regulation, since we have found similar expansion of isotype-specific FcR + T cells associated with expansion of the corresponding B cell clone in other patients with B-CLL. These data suggest that this T cell-mediated regulatory circuit could be significantly involved in the pathogenesis of B-CLL.


Blood ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-108 ◽  
Author(s):  
M Yasukawa ◽  
T Shiroguchi ◽  
A Inatsuki ◽  
Y Kobayashi

The ability of B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) cells to present antigen to antigen-specific T cells was investigated. B-CLL cells present herpes simplex virus (HSV) antigen and purified protein derivative (PPD) to HSV- and PPD-specific, interleukin-2-dependent T- cell lines in an antigen-specific manner. Treatment of B-CLL cells with the phorbol ester 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) induced markedly increased levels of HLA-DR expression. TPA-treated B-CLL cells showed substantially more effective presentation, especially at low antigen concentrations, than did untreated B-CLL cells. By coculturing different allogeneic combinations of B-CLL cells and T cells and by adding anti-HLA-DR monoclonal antibody to cultures, it was found that antigen presentation by B-CLL cells was restricted by HLA-DR in the same way as for macrophages. We concluded from these experiments that B- CLL cells have a capacity to serve as antigen-presenting cells in an HLA class II-restricted fashion and that increasing the amount of HLA class II antigen and activation of B-CLL cells resulted in effective antigen presentation.


Blood ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 93 (6) ◽  
pp. 1992-2002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymund Buhmann ◽  
Annette Nolte ◽  
Doreen Westhaus ◽  
Bertold Emmerich ◽  
Michael Hallek

Although spontaneous remissions may rarely occur in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL), T cells do generally not develop a clinically significant response against B-CLL cells. Because this T-cell anergy against B-CLL cells may be caused by the inability of B-CLL cells to present tumor-antigens efficiently, we examined the possibility of upregulating critical costimulatory (B7-1 and B7-2) and adhesion molecules (ICAM-1 and LFA-3) on B-CLL cells to improve antigen presentation. The stimulation of B-CLL cells via CD40 by culture on CD40L expressing feeder cells induced a strong upregulation of costimulatory and adhesion molecules and turned the B-CLL cells into efficient antigen-presenting cells (APCs). CD40-activated B-CLL (CD40-CLL) cells stimulated the proliferation of both CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. Interestingly, stimulation of allogeneic versus autologous T cells resulted in the expansion of different effector populations. Allogeneic CD40-CLL cells allowed for the expansion of specific CD8+cytolytic T cells (CTL). In marked contrast, autologous CD40-CLL cells did not induce a relevant CTL response, but rather stimulated a CD4+, Th1-like T-cell population that expressed high levels of CD40L and released interferon-γ in response to stimulation by CD40-CLL cells. Together, these results support the view that CD40 activation of B-CLL cells might reverse T-cell anergy against the neoplastic cell clone, although the character of the immune response depends on the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) background on which the CLL or tumor antigens are presented. These findings may have important implications for the design of cellular immunotherapies for B-CLL.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 2519-2519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chia-Huey Lin ◽  
Thomas Kerkau ◽  
Christine Guntermann ◽  
Martin Trischler ◽  
Niklas Beyersdorf ◽  
...  

Abstract B cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) is characterised by an accumulation of malignant B cells, and impaired humoral and cellular immune responses. Evasion strategies of leukemic cells appear to involve down-regulation of co-stimulatory molecules as well as increased resistance to apoptosis. Here we provide data supporting a novel concept to treat B-CLL with a humanized, superagonistic monoclonal antibody specific for CD28 (TGN1412). Superagonistic anti-CD28 antibodies have been shown to activate human T cells in vitro without requirement for engagement of the T cell antigen receptor (Luhder et al., J. Exp. Med. 2003. 197(8):955–66). Indicative of their activation, TGN1412-triggered T cells from healthy donors upregulate, among other activation markers, CD40L, that has been reported to promote anti-leukemic effects when ectopically expressed on B-CLL cells (Wierda et al., Blood. 2000. 96 (9): 2917–2924). In this report, the responses of PBMCs from B-CLL patients to soluble TGN1412 were examined. We show that in a dose-dependent fashion, polyclonal T cell activation was induced by TGN1412 including proliferation, cytokine production and induction of activation markers such as CD25, CD71, CD134 (Ox40), CTLA-4 (CD152) and CD154 (CD40L). Significantly, modulation of malignant B-CLL cells was also observed. MHC class II molecules (HLA-DR), CD95 and the co-stimulatory molecules CD80 and CD86, but not the proliferation marker Ki-67, were strongly up-regulated upon TGN1412 stimulation. These data suggested that improved antigen-presenting functions of B-CLL cells were induced by TGN1412. Accordingly, preliminary data indicate that B-CLL cells isolated from TGN1412 stimulated cultures induced enhanced proliferation of both allogeneic and autologous T cells, and importantly, TGN1412 activated T cells exhibited enhanced CTL-activity against B-CLL cells. In conclusion, our data suggest that TGN1412 induces polyclonal T cell expansion and activation as well as increased APC function of B-CLL cells. They imply that TGN1412 may have future therapeutic benefit for B-CLL patients.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 53-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Giannopoulos ◽  
Iwona Hus ◽  
Li Li ◽  
Agnieszka Bojarska-Junak ◽  
Jochen Greiner ◽  
...  

Abstract Definition of appropriate target antigens might open new avenues to antigen targeted immunotherapies for patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). We screened the mRNA expression of tumor associated antigens (TAAs), from the literature (fibromodulin, survivin, OFA-iLRP, BAGE, G250, MAGE1, PRAME, proteinase, Syntaxin, hTERT, WT-1), and TAAs defined earlier by serological analysis of cDNA expression libraries from leukemic cells (PINCH, HSJ2, MAZ, MPP11, RHAMM/CD168, NY-Ren60). Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 43 B-CLL patients and 20 healthy volunteers (HVs) were examined by conventional and quantitative RT-PCR. mRNA of RHAMM/CD168, fibromodulin, syntaxin and NY-Ren60 was expressed in 55–90%, mRNA of HSJ2, MAZ and OFA-iLRP in 90–100% of the patients. No expression of WT-1, h-TERT, BAGE, G250, MAGE1 and survivin was observed. Low (2–20%) expression frequencies of MPP11, PINCH, PRAME and proteinase were detected. RHAMM/CD168, fibromodulin, PRAME and MPP11 showed expression in B-CLL patients, but not in HVs. Because of the exquisite tissue expression of RHAMM/CD168 and its high expression frequency in B-CLL patients even in early stages of disease, mixed lymphocyte peptide culture (MLPC), enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISPOT) and flow cytometry were performed for antigen specific T cells. In MLPC, RHAMM specific responses by CD8+HLA-A2/R3tetramer+CCR7-CD45RAhigh effector T cells were detected. Moreover, we observed an enhanced RHAMM/CD168 specific CD8+ T cell response after vaccination in one from four HLA-A2 positive B-CLL patients vaccinated with tumor cell lysate pulsed dendritic cells. Therefore, RHAMM/CD168 is an interesting candidate antigen for future immunotherapies in both ZAP-70 (+) and ZAP-70 (−) B-CLL patients.


Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 2773-2773
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Giannopoulos ◽  
Alexander Krober ◽  
Anna Dmoszynska ◽  
Jacek Rolinski ◽  
Hartmut Dohner ◽  
...  

Abstract Background and Aims: Differential expression of molecules in patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) might define suitable targets for T cell based vaccines and/or antibody approaches. Methods: We assessed the mRNA expression of the tumor associated antigen (TAA) RHAMM/CD168 defined earlier by serological analysis of cDNA expression libraries (SEREX) from leukemic cells. Results: Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 40 B-CLL patients and 20 healthy volunteers (HVs) were examined by quantitative RT-PCR. A leukemia-restricted expression of the antigen RHAMM/CD168 was observed in 39/40 B-CLL patients in contrast to the absence of its expression in HVs. To evaluate the immunogenicity of this novel LAA, mixed lymphocyte peptide cultures (MLPCs), followed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent spot (ELISPOT) and flow cytometry assays were performed to detect antigen-specific CD8+ T cells. RHAMM/CD168 specific responses by CD8+ HLA-A2/R3tetramer+CCR7-CD45RAhigh effector T cells were detected. As these CD8+ T cells contribute to the elimination of RHAMM+ CLL cells, we questioned whether expression of the antigen would be associated with a better survival. RHAMM/CD168 expression revealed to be higher in patients with unmutated IgVH status. RHAMM normalized against the housekeeping gene TATA binding protein (TBP), i.e. the RHAMM/TBP ratio was defined as a prognostic surrogate marker for B-CLL. B-CLL patients with a RHAMM/TBP ratio > 1.67 showed a significantly shorter treatment free survival (TFS) (Fig. 1). A tendency towards higher RHAMM/TBP expression ratios was observed in B-CLL cases with del11q. Conclusion: RHAMM/CD168 is a novel LAA in B-CLL patients, an antigen correlating with the clinical course of the disease. Therefore, we consider RHAMM/CD168 an interesting target for immunotherapy in early stage B-CLL patients, especially with worse prognosis (IgVH unmutated). Figure 1. Treatment-free-survival (TFS) according to RHAMM/TBP ratio Figure 1. Treatment-free-survival (TFS) according to RHAMM/TBP ratio


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