scholarly journals Efficacy of a Novel Bi-Steric mTORC1 Inhibitor in Models of B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bianca J. Lee ◽  
Sharmila Mallya ◽  
Nuntana Dinglasan ◽  
Amos Fung ◽  
Tram Nguyen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
Xenograft Model ◽  
Protein Translation ◽  
Initiation Factor ◽  
Promote Cell Proliferation ◽  
Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

The mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) is a kinase whose activity is elevated in hematological malignancies. mTOR-complex-1 (mTORC1) phosphorylates numerous substrates to promote cell proliferation and survival. Eukaryotic initiation factor 4E (eIF4E)-binding proteins (4E-BPs) are mTORC1 substrates with an integral role in oncogenic protein translation. Current pharmacological approaches to inhibit mTORC1 activity and 4E-BP phosphorylation have drawbacks. Recently we described a series of bi-steric compounds that are potent and selective inhibitors of mTORC1, inhibiting 4E-BP phosphorylation at lower concentrations than mTOR kinase inhibitors (TOR-KIs). Here we report the activity of the mTORC1-selective bi-steric inhibitor, RMC-4627, in BCR-ABL-driven models of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). RMC-4627 exhibited potent and selective inhibition of 4E-BP1 phosphorylation in B-ALL cell lines without inhibiting mTOR-complex-2 (mTORC2) activity. RMC-4627 suppressed cell cycle progression, reduced survival, and enhanced dasatinib cytotoxicity. Compared to a TOR-KI compound, RMC-4627 was more potent, and its effects on cell viability were sustained after washout in vitro. Notably, a once-weekly, well tolerated dose reduced leukemic burden in a B-ALL xenograft model and enhanced the activity of dasatinib. These preclinical studies suggest that intermittent dosing of a bi-steric mTORC1-selective inhibitor has therapeutic potential as a component of leukemia regimens, and further study is warranted.

scholarly journals Phloridzin Docosahexaenoate (PZ-DHA) : A Novel Naturally Derived Drug Active in T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (T-ALL)

Blood ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 128 (22) ◽  
pp. 5197-5197
Author(s):  
Niroshaathevi Arumuggam ◽  
Nicole Melong ◽  
Catherine K.L. Too ◽  
Jason N. Berman ◽  
H.P. Vasantha Rupasinghe
Keyword(s):  
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
T Cell ◽  
Conflicts Of Interest ◽  
Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
Xenograft Model ◽  
Jurkat Cells ◽  
Interferon Α ◽  
Omega 3 ◽  
Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Abstract T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive malignant disease that accounts for about 15% of pediatric and 25% of adult ALL. Although risk stratification has provided more tailored therapy and improved the overall survival of T-ALL patients, clinical challenges such as suboptimal drug responses, morbidity from drug toxicities, and drug resistance still exist. Plant polyphenols have therapeutic efficacy as pharmacological adjuvants to help overcome these challenges. They can be acylated with fatty acids to overcome issues concerning bioavailability, such as poor intestinal absorption and low metabolic stability. Phloridzin (PZ), a flavonoid found in apple peels, was acylated with an omega-3 fatty acid, docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), to generate a novel ester called phloridzin docosahexaenoate (PZ-DHA). The cytotoxic effect of PZ-DHA was studied in the human Jurkat T-ALL cell line. PZ-DHA significantly reduced the viability and cellular ATP levels of treated cells. PZ-DHA was found to selectively induce apoptosis in Jurkat cells, while sparing normal murine T-cells. Apoptosis was further confirmed by demonstrating the ability of PZ-DHA to induce morphological alterations, DNA fragmentation, caspase activation, and the release of intracellular lactate dehydrogenase. PZ-DHA also significantly inhibited cell division in Jurkat cells. Furthermore, interferon-α-induced phosphorylation of the transcription factor, STAT3, was downregulated following PZ-DHA treatment. The in vitro efficacy of PZ-DHA was recapitulated in vivo in an established zebrafish xenograft model, where the proliferation of transplanted Jurkat cells was inhibited when PZ-DHA was added to the embryo water. Overall, these findings provide evidence for PZ-DHA as a novel therapeutic agent with activity in T-ALL. Studies examining the effect of PZ-DHA on patient-derived ALL cells engrafted in zebrafish are currently underway. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

scholarly journals Reprogramming of primary human Philadelphia chromosome-positive B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells into nonleukemic macrophages

2015 ◽  
Vol 112 (13) ◽  
pp. 4074-4079 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Scott McClellan ◽  
Christopher Dove ◽  
Andrew J. Gentles ◽  
Christine E. Ryan ◽  
Ravindra Majeti
Keyword(s):  
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
Philadelphia Chromosome ◽  
Lineage Reprogramming ◽  
Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
Differentiation Block ◽  
Factor C ◽  
And Function

BCR–ABL1+ precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCR–ABL1+ B-ALL) is an aggressive hematopoietic neoplasm characterized by a block in differentiation due in part to the somatic loss of transcription factors required for B-cell development. We hypothesized that overcoming this differentiation block by forcing cells to reprogram to the myeloid lineage would reduce the leukemogenicity of these cells. We found that primary human BCR–ABL1+ B-ALL cells could be induced to reprogram into macrophage-like cells by exposure to myeloid differentiation-promoting cytokines in vitro or by transient expression of the myeloid transcription factor C/EBPα or PU.1. The resultant cells were clonally related to the primary leukemic blasts but resembled normal macrophages in appearance, immunophenotype, gene expression, and function. Most importantly, these macrophage-like cells were unable to establish disease in xenograft hosts, indicating that lineage reprogramming eliminates the leukemogenicity of BCR–ABL1+ B-ALL cells, and suggesting a previously unidentified therapeutic strategy for this disease. Finally, we determined that myeloid reprogramming may occur to some degree in human patients by identifying primary CD14+ monocytes/macrophages in BCR–ABL1+ B-ALL patient samples that possess the BCR–ABL1+ translocation and clonally recombined VDJ regions.

scholarly journals Therapeutic potential of SGN-CD19B, a PBD-based anti-CD19 drug conjugate, for treatment of B-cell malignancies

Blood ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 130 (18) ◽  
pp. 2018-2026 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maureen C. Ryan ◽  
Maria Corinna Palanca-Wessels ◽  
Brian Schimpf ◽  
Kristine A. Gordon ◽  
Heather Kostner ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
Preclinical Models ◽  
B Cell Malignancies ◽  
Key Points

Key Points SGN-CD19B is broadly active in vitro against malignant B-cell lines, including double-hit and triple-hit lymphoma cell lines. SGN-CD19B shows significant antitumor activity in vivo in preclinical models of B-NHL and B-cell–derived acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Rac2 GTPase Activation Is Necessary for Development of p190-BCR-ABL-Induced B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 3790-3790
Author(s):  
Abel Sanchez-Aguilera ◽  
Ami tava Sengupta ◽  
Joseph P Mastin ◽  
Kyung H Chang ◽  
David A Williams ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
B Cells ◽  
Tyrosine Kinase ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Rho Gtpases ◽  
Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
Hematopoietic Stem ◽  
Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Abstract The fusion gene BCR-ABL, resulting from t(9;22) reciprocal chromosomal translocations, encodes a constitutively active tyrosine kinase. Two different isoforms of BCR-ABL, p190 and p210, are associated to two completely different diseases. In the tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) era, while p210-BCR-ABL-induced CML is highly responsive to TKI, p190-BCR-ABL still induces a poor prognosis B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). The only difference between these two forms of BCR-ABL is the existence of a DH/Cdc24/PH domain in p210-BCR-ABL, which acts as a guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) able to activate Rho GTPases. Rac is a subfamily of Rho GTPases with regulatory activity on hematopoietic stem cell and progenitor (HSC/P) functions. We have previously shown that Rac2 and further the combination of Rac1 and Rac2 mediate downstream signals in p210 BCR-ABL-induced myeloproliferation (Thomas EK, et al., Cancer Cell, 2007). Interestingly, despite the absence of a GEF domain in p190-BCR-ABL, Rac is activated, suggesting the activation of other GEF(s). Here we have analyzed whether Vav and Rac family members are involved in p190-BCR-ABL-induced B-ALL. We have used a combination of in vitro (Ba/F3 pro-B cells transduced with p190 or p210 BCR-ABL) and in vivo (murine transduction-transplantation model of p190 BCR-ABL-induced B-ALL) approaches. In Ba/F3 cells, both p190 BCR-ABL and p210 BCR-ABL activated Rac and the Rac effector p21 activated kinase (PAK), and their proliferation and survival appeared severely decreased in response to the Rac activation inhibitor NSC23766. Stat3, Stat5 and Jnk, but not ERK, p38 or NF-kB, were constitutively hyperactivated in p190 BCRABL-expressing Ba/F3 cells and primary murine B-ALL cells. Intracellular flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that Stat5 was specifically activated in the pro/pre-B leukemic cell population, compared to normal B cells. In the murine model of B-ALL, loss of Rac2, but not Rac3, prolonged survival and impaired leukemia development. Like in Ba/F3 cells, primary B-CFU and outgrowth in Witte-Whitlock assays of leukemic primary cells from mice was severely decreased by the addition of NSC23766 to the culture. Although Vav was activated by both p190- and p210-BCR-ABL, since NSC23766 does not block the activation by Vav1, we hypothesized that other GEFs were involved. Indeed, the loss of Vav1 or even combined loss of Vav1 and Vav2 did not impair BCR-ABL-mediated lymphoid leukemogenesis in vivo. Vav3, another member in the Vav family which uses a different mechanism of activation of Rac GTPases was a likely candidate. In fact, loss of Vav3 alone was able to significantly prolong the survival and attenuate development of p190 BCR-ABL-driven B-ALL. In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that Rac activation is necessary for the development of B-ALL induced by p190-BCR-ABL in vitro and in vivo, and validate a new signaling pathway as a therapeutic target for BCR-ABL-induced B-ALL.

scholarly journals Efficacy of an anti-CD22 antibody-monomethyl auristatin E conjugate in a preclinical xenograft model of precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

2016 ◽  
Vol 58 (5) ◽  
pp. 1254-1257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sakiko Yoshida ◽  
Emily Tuscano ◽  
Connie Duong ◽  
Jong Chung ◽  
Yueju Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
Xenograft Model ◽  
Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

scholarly journals PF161 THIOREDOXIN SYSTEM INHIBITORS ARE EFFECTIVE AGAINST B CELL ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA IN VITRO AND IN VIVO

HemaSphere ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (S1) ◽  
pp. 32-33
Author(s):  
K. Fidyt ◽  
A. Pastorczak ◽  
A. Goral ◽  
A. Muchowicz ◽  
L. Komorowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
Thioredoxin System ◽  
Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

scholarly journals IKAROS and CK2 regulate expression of BCL-XL and chemosensitivity in high-risk B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (13) ◽  
pp. 1520-1534 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chunhua Song ◽  
Zheng Ge ◽  
Yali Ding ◽  
Bi-Hua Tan ◽  
Dhimant Desai ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
High Risk ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
Specific Inhibitor ◽  
Therapeutic Effects ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
Resistance To Doxorubicin

Abstract High-risk B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is an aggressive disease, often characterized by resistance to chemotherapy. A frequent feature of high-risk B-ALL is loss of function of the IKAROS (encoded by the IKZF1 gene) tumor suppressor. Here, we report that IKAROS regulates expression of the BCL2L1 gene (encodes the BCL-XL protein) in human B-ALL. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function experiments demonstrate that IKAROS binds to the BCL2L1 promoter, recruits histone deacetylase HDAC1, and represses BCL2L1 expression via chromatin remodeling. In leukemia, IKAROS’ function is impaired by oncogenic casein kinase II (CK2), which is overexpressed in B-ALL. Phosphorylation by CK2 reduces IKAROS binding and recruitment of HDAC1 to the BCL2L1 promoter. This results in a loss of IKAROS-mediated repression of BCL2L1 and increased expression of BCL-XL. Increased expression of BCL-XL and/or CK2, as well as reduced IKAROS expression, are associated with resistance to doxorubicin treatment. Molecular and pharmacological inhibition of CK2 with a specific inhibitor CX-4945, increases binding of IKAROS to the BCL2L1 promoter and enhances IKAROS-mediated repression of BCL2L1 in B-ALL. Treatment with CX-4945 increases sensitivity to doxorubicin in B-ALL, and reverses resistance to doxorubicin in multidrug-resistant B-ALL. Combination treatment with CX-4945 and doxorubicin show synergistic therapeutic effects in vitro and in preclinical models of high-risk B-ALL. Results reveal a novel signaling network that regulates chemoresistance in leukemia. These data lay the groundwork for clinical testing of a rationally designed, targeted therapy that combines the CK2 inhibitor, CX-4945, with doxorubicin for the treatment of hematopoietic malignancies.

scholarly journals Leukemia-on-a-chip: Dissecting the chemoresistance mechanisms in B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia bone marrow niche

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (44) ◽  
pp. eaba5536
Author(s):  
Chao Ma ◽  
Matthew T. Witkowski ◽  
Jacob Harris ◽  
Igor Dolgalev ◽  
Sheetal Sreeram ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bone Marrow ◽  
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
Chemotherapy Resistance ◽  
Patient Specific ◽  
Bone Marrow Niche ◽  
Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) blasts hijack the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment to form chemoprotective leukemic BM “niches,” facilitating chemoresistance and, ultimately, disease relapse. However, the ability to dissect these evolving, heterogeneous interactions among distinct B-ALL subtypes and their varying BM niches is limited with current in vivo methods. Here, we demonstrated an in vitro organotypic “leukemia-on-a-chip” model to emulate the in vivo B-ALL BM pathology and comparatively studied the spatial and genetic heterogeneity of the BM niche in regulating B-ALL chemotherapy resistance. We revealed the heterogeneous chemoresistance mechanisms across various B-ALL cell lines and patient-derived samples. We showed that the leukemic perivascular, endosteal, and hematopoietic niche-derived factors maintain B-ALL survival and quiescence (e.g., CXCL12 cytokine signal, VCAM-1/OPN adhesive signals, and enhanced downstream leukemia-intrinsic NF-κB pathway). Furthermore, we demonstrated the preclinical use of our model to test niche-cotargeting regimens, which may translate to patient-specific therapy screening and response prediction.

scholarly journals A Human Minor Histocompatibility Antigen Specific for B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

1999 ◽  
Vol 189 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harry Dolstra ◽  
Hanny Fredrix ◽  
Frans Maas ◽  
Pierre G. Coulie ◽  
Francis Brasseur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
Amino Acid ◽  
B Cell ◽  
Lymphoblastic Leukemia ◽  
Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation ◽  
Single Amino Acid ◽  
Allogeneic Bone ◽  
Specific Ctls ◽  
Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

Human minor histocompatibility antigens (mHags) play an important role in the induction of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) reactivity against leukemia after human histocompatibility leukocyte antigen (HLA)-identical allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT). As most mHags are not leukemia specific but are also expressed by normal tissues, antileukemia reactivity is often associated with life-threatening graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Here, we describe a novel mHag, HB-1, that elicits donor-derived CTL reactivity in a B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) patient treated by HLA-matched BMT. We identified the gene encoding the antigenic peptide recognized by HB-1–specific CTLs. Interestingly, expression of the HB-1 gene was only observed in B-ALL cells and Epstein-Barr virus–transformed B cells. The HB-1 gene–encoded peptide EEKRGSLHVW is recognized by the CTL in association with HLA-B44. Further analysis reveals that a polymorphism in the HB-1 gene generates a single amino acid exchange from His to Tyr at position 8 within this peptide. This amino acid substitution is critical for recognition by HB-1–specific CTLs. The restricted expression of the polymorphic HB-1 Ag by B-ALL cells and the ability to generate HB-1–specific CTLs in vitro using peptide-loaded dendritic cells offer novel opportunities to specifically target the immune system against B-ALL without the risk of evoking GVHD.

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