GZMKhigh CD8+ T effector memory cells are associated with CD15high neutrophil abundance in non-metastatic colorectal tumors and predict poor clinical outcome.

CD8+ T cells are a major prognostic determinant in solid tumors, including colorectal cancer (CRC). However, understanding how the interplay between different immune cells impacts on clinical outcome is still in its infancy. Here, we describe that the interaction of tumor infiltrating neutrophils expressing high levels of CD15 with CD8+ T effector memory cells (TEM) correlates with tumor progression. Mechanistically, stromal cell-derived factor-1 (CXCL12/SDF-1) promotes the retention of neutrophils within tumors, increasing the crosstalk with CD8+ T cells. As a consequence of the contact-mediated interaction with neutrophils, CD8+ T cells are skewed to produce high levels of GZMK, which in turn decreases E-cadherin on the intestinal epithelium and favors tumor progression. Overall, our results highlight the emergence of GZMKhigh CD8+ TEM in non-metastatic CRC tumors as a hallmark driven by the interaction with neutrophils, which could implement current patient stratification and be targeted by novel therapeutics.

HDAC8: A Promising Therapeutic Target for Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

Histone deacetylase 8 (HDAC8), a class I HDAC that modifies non-histone proteins such as p53, is highly expressed in different hematological neoplasms including a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) bearing inversion of chromosome 16 [inv(16)]. To investigate HDAC8 contribution to hematopoietic stem cell maintenance and myeloid leukemic transformation, we generated a zebrafish model with Hdac8 overexpression and observed an increase in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, a phenotype that could be reverted using a specific HDAC8 inhibitor, PCI-34051 (PCI). In addition, we demonstrated that AML cell lines respond differently to PCI treatment: HDAC8 inhibition elicits cytotoxic effect with cell cycle arrest followed by apoptosis in THP-1 cells, and cytostatic effect in HL60 cells that lack p53. A combination of cytarabine, a standard anti-AML chemotherapeutic, with PCI resulted in a synergistic effect in all the cell lines tested. We, then, searched for a mechanism behind cell cycle arrest caused by HDAC8 inhibition in the absence of functional p53 and demonstrated an involvement of the canonical WNT signaling in zebrafish and in cell lines. Together, we provide the evidence for the role of HDAC8 in hematopoietic stem cell differentiation in zebrafish and AML cell lines, suggesting HDAC8 inhibition as a therapeutic target in hematological malignancies. Accordingly, we demonstrated the utility of a highly specific HDAC8 inhibition as a therapeutic strategy in combination with standard chemotherapy.

Different Culture Times Affect MicroRNA Cargo in Equine Amniotic Mesenchymal Cells and Their Microvesicles.

Conditioned medium (CM) and microvesicles (MVs) are produced using different protocols: CM is collected following 12-96 h of cell culture without renewal of tissue culture medium, while MVs are collected after overnight cell culture. For future comparative studies in regenerative medicine looking at the efficacy of CM and MVs, it is important to understand how the quality of cell secretions is affected by culture. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the duration of culturing influences the micro-RNAs (miRNAs) cargo of equine amniotic mesenchymal cells (AMCs) and their MVs. The analysis identified 990 miRNAs. After one night, there were 347 differently expressed (DE)-miRNAs between MVs and cells, whereas after four nights there were 359. About 58.3% of the DE-miRNAs were shared between samples produced under the two conditions. The comparison between miRNA content in AMC cells cultured for one night versus four nights showed eight DE-Equus caballus (eca)-miRNAs, which target genes were involved in immune response to external stimulus, inflammatory response, and production of reactive oxygen species. Comparing MVs isolated from one or four nights, four DE-miRNAs that target genes regulating cell cycle progression and production of reactive oxygen species were found, but only eca-miR-214 was enriched in the MVs after four nights. In conclusion, after 4 days of cell culture, the profile of AMC miRNAs was altered, indicating a probable phenotypic transition versus a new cell culture environment and aging. After this time, MVs accumulated eca-miR-214, which may help cells survive or adapt to new culture conditions.