Anti-NaPi2b antibody-drug conjugate lifastuzumab vedotin (DNIB0600A) compared with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin in patients with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer in a randomized, open-label, phase II study.

Background: Lifastuzumab vedotin (LIFA) is a humanized anti-NaPi2b monoclonal antibody conjugated to a potent antimitotic agent, monomethyl auristatin E, which inhibits cell division by blocking the polymerization of tubulin. This study is the first to compare an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) to standard-of-care in ovarian cancer (OC) patients. Patients and methods: Platinum-resistant OC patients were randomized to receive LIFA [2.4 mg/kg, intravenously, every 3 weeks (Q3W)] or pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD) (40 mg/m2, intravenously, Q4W). NaPi2b expression and serum CA-125 and HE4 levels were assessed. The primary end point was progression-free survival (PFS) in intent-to-treat (ITT) and NaPi2b-high patients. Results: Ninety-five patients were randomized (47 LIFA; 48 PLD). The stratified PFS hazard ratio was 0.78 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.46-1.31; P = 0.34] with a median PFS of 5.3 versus 3.1 months (LIFA versus PLD arm, respectively) in the ITT population, and 0.71 (95% CI, 0.40-1.26; P = 0.24) with a median PFS of 5.3 months versus 3.4 months (LIFA versus PLD arm, respectively) in NaPi2b-high patients. The objective response rate was 34% (95% CI, 22% to 49%, LIFA) versus 15% (95% CI, 7% to 28%, PLD) in the ITT population (P = 0.03), and 36% (95% CI, 22% to 52%, LIFA) versus 14% (95% CI, 6% to 27%, PLD) in NaPi2b-high patients (P = 0.02). Toxicities included grade ≥3 adverse events (AEs) (46% LIFA; 51% PLD), serious AEs (30% both arms), and AEs leading to discontinuation of drug (9% LIFA; 8% PLD). Five (11%) LIFA versus 2 (4%) PLD patients had grade ≥2 neuropathy. Conclusion: LIFA Q3W was well tolerated and improved objective response rate with a modest, nonstatistically significant improvement of PFS compared with PLD in platinum-resistant OC. While the response rate for the monomethyl auristatin E-containing ADC was promising, response durations were relatively short, thereby highlighting the importance of evaluating both response rates and duration of response when evaluating ADCs in OC. Clinical trials.gov: NCT01991210.

Manifestations and linkage analysis in X-linked autoimmunity-immunodeficiency syndrome.

The clinical findings of a kindred with an X-linked disorder are characterized by autoimmune polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy with villous atrophy, chronic dermatitis, and variable immunodeficiency. Linkage analysis was performed on 20 members of the affected kindred to determine the location of the responsible locus. Informative recombinations limited the region to an approximate 20 cM interval bordered by DXS1055 and DXS1196/DXS1050. Multipoint analysis generated a lod score >3 for the region contained between DXS8024 and DXS8031. The candidate region includes the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) locus. Evaluation of the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein gene by single strand conformational analysis, heteroduplex analysis, and direct sequencing of the 12 exons in an affected male and two carrier females revealed no abnormalities. We conclude that this kindred has an X-linked disorder, distinct from WAS, that results in autoimmunity and variable immunodeficiency. The responsible locus maps to the pericentromeric region Xp11.23 to Xq21.1.

Novel mutations in the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein gene and their effects on transcriptional, translational, and clinical phenotypes.

Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is an X-linked recessive immunodeficiency characterized by thrombocytopenia, eczema, and recurrent infections, and caused by mutations in the WAS protein (WASP) gene. WASP contains several functional domains through which it interacts with proteins involved in intracellular signaling and regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. In this report, 17 WASP gene mutations were identified, 12 of which are novel. DNA of affected males and obligate carriers was PCR amplified and analyzed by SSCA, heteroduplex analysis, and direct sequencing. The effects of the mutations at the mRNA and protein level were ascertained by RT-PCR and Western blot analyses. All missense mutations were located in exons 1-4. Most of the nonsense, frameshift and splice site mutations were found in exons 6-11. Mutations that alter splice sites led to the synthesis of several types of mRNAs, a fraction of which represented the normally spliced product. The presence of normally spliced transcripts was correlated with a milder phenotype. When one such case was studied by Western blotting, reduced amounts of normal-size WASP were present. In other cases as well, a correlation was found between the amount of normal or mutant WASP present and the phenotypes of the affected individuals. No protein was detected in two individuals with severe WAS. Reduced levels of a normal-size WASP with a missense mutation were seen in two individuals with XLT. It is concluded that mutation analysis at the DNA level is not sufficient for predicting clinical course. Studies at the transcript and protein level are needed for a better assessment.

Isolation, cDNA, and genomic structure of a conserved gene (NOF) at chromosome 11q13 next to FAU and oriented in the opposite transcriptional orientation.

In our effort to characterize a gene at chromosome 11q13 involved in a t(11;17)(q13;q21) translocation in B-non-Hodgkin lymphoma, we have identified a novel human gene, NOF (Neighbour of FAU). It maps right next to FAU in a head to head configuration separated by a maximum of 146 nucleotides. cDNA clones representing NOF hybridized to a 2. 2-kb mRNA present in all tissues tested. The largest open reading frame appeared to contain 166 amino acids and is proline rich, and the sequence shows no homology with any known gene in the public databases. The NOF gene consists of 4 exons and 3 introns spanning approximately 5 kb, and the boundaries between exons and introns follow the GT/AG rule. The NOF locus is conserved during evolution, with the predicted protein having over 80% identity to three translated mouse and rat ESTs of unknown function. Moreover, the mouse ESTs map in the same organization, closely linked to the FAU gene, in the mouse genome. NOF, however, is not affected by the t(11;17)(q13;q21) chromosomal translocation.

Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein, a novel effector for the GTPase CDC42Hs, is implicated in actin polymerization.

The Rho family of GTPases control diverse biological processes, including cell morphology and mitogenesis. We have identified WASP, the protein that is defective in Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS), as a novel effector for CDC42Hs, but not for the other Rho family members, Rac and Rho. This interaction is dependent on the presence of the G protein-binding domain. Cellular expression of epitope-tagged WASP produces clusters of WASP that are highly enriched in polymerized actin. This clustering is not observed with a C-terminally deleted WASP and is inhibited by coexpression with dominant negative CDC42Hs-N17, but not with dominant negative forms of Rac or Rho. Thus, WASP provides a novel link between CDC42Hs and the actin cytoskeleton, which suggests a molecular mechanism for many of the cellular abnormalities in WAS. The WASP sequence contains two novel domains that are homologous to other proteins involved in action organization.

Molecular mapping of the chromosome 11 breakpoint of t(11;17)(q13;q21) in a t(11;14)(q13;q32)-positive B non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The FAU gene is the cellular homologue of the viral FOX sequences in the genome of the Finkel-Biskis-Reilly murine sarcoma virus (FBR-MuSV); the viral FOX sequences have been shown to increase the transforming capacity of FBR-MuSV in vitro. The human FAU gene has recently been isolated, characterized, and mapped to chromosome band 11q13. Here, we report results of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis which indicate that the FAU gene maps proximally to the putative oncogene BCL1 at 11q13. Furthermore, we identified a t(11;17)(q13;q21) translocation in tumor cells of a t(11;14)(q13;q32)-positive B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patient by FISH analysis using a FAU containing cosmid clone as molecular probe and by double-colour chromosome painting analysis using chromosome 11- and chromosome 17-specific painting probes. The position of the chromosome 11 breakpoint of the t(11;17) translocation was pinpointed to a human DNA region around the FAU gene of about 40 kbp.

The mouse homolog of the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) gene is highly conserved and maps near the scurfy (sf) mutation on the X chromosome.

The mouse WASP gene, the homolog of the gene mutated in Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, has been isolated and sequenced. the predicted amino acid sequence is 86% identical to the human WASP sequence. A distinct feature of the mouse gene is an expanded polymorphic GGA trinucleotide repeat that codes for polyglycine and varies from 15 to 17 triplets in different Mus musculus strains. The genomic structure of the mouse WASP gene is expressed as an approximately 2.4-kb mRNA in thymus and spleen. Chromosomal mapping in an interspecific M. Musculus/M. spretus backcross placed the Wasp locus near the centromere of the mouse X chromosome, inseparable from Gata1, Tcfe3, and scurfy (sf). This localization makes Wasp a candidate for involvement in scurfy, a T cell-mediated fatal lymphoreticular disease of mice that has previously been proposed as a mouse homolog of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome. Northern analysis of sf tissue samples indicated the presence of WASP mRNA in liver and skin, presumably as a consequence of lymphocytic infiltration, but non abnormalities in the amount or size of mRNA present.