Improving efficiency and sensitivity: European Research Initiative in CLL (ERIC) update on the international harmonised approach for flow cytometric residual disease monitoring in CLL.

Detection of minimal residual disease (MRD) in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is becoming increasingly important as treatments improve. An internationally harmonised four-colour (CLR) flow cytometry MRD assay is widely used but has limitations. The aim of this study was to improve MRD analysis by identifying situations where a less time-consuming CD19/CD5/κ/λ analysis would be sufficient for detecting residual CLL, and develop a six-CLR antibody panel that is more efficient for cases requiring full MRD analysis. In 784 samples from CLL patients after treatment, it was possible to determine CD19/CD5/κ/λ thresholds that identified cases with detectable MRD with 100% positive predictive value (PPV). However, CD19/CD5/κ/λ analysis was unsuitable for predicting iwCLL/NCI response status or identifying cases with no detectable MRD. For the latter cases requiring a full MRD assessment, a six-CLR assay was designed comprising CD19/CD5/CD20 with (1) CD3/CD38/CD79b and (2) CD81/CD22/CD43. There was good correlation between four-CLR and six-CLR panels in dilution studies and clinical samples, with 100% concordance for detection of residual disease at the 0.01% (10(-4)) level (n=59) and good linearity even at the 0.001-0.01% (10(-5)-10(-4)) level. A six-CLR panel therefore provides equivalent results to the four-CLR panel but it requires fewer reagents, fewer cells and a much simpler analysis approach.

Meloidogyne incognita: molecular and biochemical characterisation of a cathepsin L cysteine proteinase and the effect on parasitism following RNAi.

RNA interference has been used to investigate the function of a cathepsin L cysteine proteinase Mi-cpl-1, in the plant-parasitic nematode Meloidogyne incognita. A reduction in gene transcript was observed and the number of nematodes infecting plants was reduced by almost 60% as was the number of established females producing eggs at 21 days post-infection. The cysteine proteinase activity of M. incognita, reported by the substrate GLUpNA, was inhibited by the cysteine proteinase inhibitor Oc-IDeltaD86. A reduction in cysteine proteinase activity was also seen following RNAi of Mi-cpl-1 in J2 stage nematodes. In situ hybridization analysis in young and mature female nematodes has shown that Mi-cpl-1 is expressed in the intestine, which suggests that its product is a digestive enzyme. The effects of knocking-out Mi-cpl-1gene function were consistent with a reduction in feeding efficiency. Here, we have shown a correlation between transcript abundance proteinase activity and parasitic success of M. incognita.