Germline Genetic IKZF1 Variation and Predisposition to Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Somatic genetic alterations of IKZF1, which encodes the lymphoid transcription factor IKAROS, are common in high-risk B-progenitor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and are associated with poor prognosis. Such alterations result in the acquisition of stem cell-like features, overexpression of adhesion molecules causing aberrant cell-cell and cell-stroma interaction, and decreased sensitivity to tyrosine kinase inhibitors. Here we report coding germline IKZF1 variation in familial childhood ALL and 0.9% of presumed sporadic B-ALL, identifying 28 unique variants in 45 children. The majority of variants adversely affected IKZF1 function and drug responsiveness of leukemic cells. These results identify IKZF1 as a leukemia predisposition gene, and emphasize the importance of germline genetic variation in the development of both familial and sporadic ALL.

Label-Free Detection of Microvesicles and Proteins by the Bundling of Gliding Microtubules.

Development of miniaturized devices for the rapid and sensitive detection of analyte is crucial for various applications across healthcare, pharmaceutical, environmental, and other industries. Here, we report on the detection of unlabeled analyte by using fluorescently labeled, antibody-conjugated microtubules in a kinesin-1 gliding motility assay. The detection principle is based on the formation of fluorescent supramolecular assemblies of microtubule bundles and spools in the presence of multivalent analytes. We demonstrate the rapid, label-free detection of CD45+ microvesicles derived from leukemia cells. Moreover, we employ our platform for the label-free detection of multivalent proteins at subnanomolar concentrations, as well as for profiling the cross-reactivity between commercially available secondary antibodies. As the detection principle is based on the molecular recognition between antigen and antibody, our method can find general application where it identifies any analyte, including clinically relevant microvesicles and proteins.

Expression Profiling of Circulating Microvesicles Reveals Intercellular Transmission of Oncogenic Pathways.

Circulating microvesicles have been described as important players in cell-to-cell communication carrying biological information under normal or pathologic condition. Microvesicles released by cancer cells may incorporate diverse biomolecules (e.g., active lipids, proteins, and RNA), which can be delivered and internalized by recipient cells, potentially altering the gene expression of recipient cells and eventually impacting disease progression. Leukemia in vitro model systems were used to investigate microvesicles as vehicles of protein-coding messages. Several leukemic cells (K562, LAMA-87, TOM-1, REH, and SHI-1), each carrying a specific chromosomal translocation, were analyzed. In the leukemic cells, these chromosomal translocations are transcribed into oncogenic fusion transcripts and the transfer of these transcripts was monitored from leukemic cells to microvesicles for each of the cell lines. Microarray gene expression profiling was performed to compare transcriptomes of K562-derived microvesicles and parental K562 cells. The data show that oncogenic BCR-ABL1 transcripts and mRNAs related to basic functions of leukemic cells were included in microvesicles. Further analysis of microvesicles cargo revealed a remarkable enrichment of transcripts related to cell membrane activity, cell surface receptors, and extracellular communication when compared with parental K562 cells. Finally, coculturing of healthy mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) with K562-derived microvesicles displayed the transfer of the oncogenic message, and confirmed the increase of target cell proliferation as a function of microvesicle dosage.Implications: This study provides novel insight into tumor-derived microvesicles as carriers of oncogenic protein-coding messages that can potentially jeopardize cell-directed therapy, and spread to other compartments of the body. Mol Cancer Res; 15(6); 683-95. ©2017 AACR.

Time-lapse 3-D measurements of a glucose biosensor in multicellular spheroids by light sheet fluorescence microscopy in commercial 96-well plates.

Light sheet fluorescence microscopy has previously been demonstrated on a commercially available inverted fluorescence microscope frame using the method of oblique plane microscopy (OPM). In this paper, OPM is adapted to allow time-lapse 3-D imaging of 3-D biological cultures in commercially available glass-bottomed 96-well plates using a stage-scanning OPM approach (ssOPM). Time-lapse 3-D imaging of multicellular spheroids expressing a glucose Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) biosensor is demonstrated in 16 fields of view with image acquisition at 10 minute intervals. As a proof-of-principle, the ssOPM system is also used to acquire a dose response curve with the concentration of glucose in the culture medium being varied across 42 wells of a 96-well plate with the whole acquisition taking 9 min. The 3-D image data enable the FRET ratio to be measured as a function of distance from the surface of the spheroid. Overall, the results demonstrate the capability of the OPM system to measure spatio-temporal changes in FRET ratio in 3-D in multicellular spheroids over time in a multi-well plate format.

Sensing protein antigen and microvesicle analytes using high-capacity biopolymer nano-carriers.

Lab-on-a-chip systems with molecular motor driven transport of analytes attached to cytoskeletal filament shuttles (actin filaments, microtubules) circumvent challenges with nanoscale liquid transport. However, the filaments have limited cargo-carrying capacity and limitations either in transportation speed (microtubules) or control over motility direction (actin). To overcome these constraints we here report incorporation of covalently attached antibodies into self-propelled actin bundles (nanocarriers) formed by cross-linking antibody conjugated actin filaments via fascin, a natural actin-bundling protein. We demonstrate high maximum antigen binding activity and propulsion by surface adsorbed myosin motors. Analyte transport capacity is tested using both protein antigens and microvesicles, a novel class of diagnostic markers. Increased incubation concentration with protein antigen in the 0.1-100 nM range (1 min) reduces the fraction of motile bundles and their velocity but maximum transportation capacity of >1 antigen per nm of bundle length is feasible. At sub-nanomolar protein analyte concentration, motility is very well preserved opening for orders of magnitude improved limit of detection using motor driven concentration on nanoscale sensors. Microvesicle-complexing to monoclonal antibodies on the nanocarriers compromises motility but nanocarrier aggregation via microvesicles shows unique potential in label-free detection with the aggregates themselves as non-toxic reporter elements.

Protein redox regulation in the thylakoid lumen: the importance of disulfide bonds for violaxanthin de-epoxidase.

When exposed to saturating light conditions photosynthetic eukaryotes activate the xanthophyll cycle where the carotenoid violaxanthin is converted into zeaxanthin by the enzyme violaxanthin de-epoxidase (VDE). VDE protein sequence includes 13 cysteine residues, 12 of which are strongly conserved in both land plants and algae. Site directed mutagenesis of Arabidopsis thaliana VDE showed that all these 12 conserved cysteines have a major role in protein function and their mutation leads to a strong reduction of activity. VDE is also shown to be active in its completely oxidized form presenting six disulfide bonds. Redox titration showed that VDE activity is sensitive to variation in redox potential, suggesting the possibility that dithiol/disulfide exchange reactions may represent a mechanism for VDE regulation.