Poor mobilization of autologous CD34+ peripheral blood stem cells in haematology patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation is associated with the presence of variants in genes implicated in clonal haematopoiesis of indeterminant potential.

Clonal haematopoiesis of indeterminant potential (CHIP) increases in frequency with age. The effect of CHIP on the mobilization of autologous CD34+ peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) has not been reported. This study uses a DNA-based targeted candidate gene approach to identify the presence of somatic mutations in ASXL1, DNMT3A, JAK2, SF3B1, TET2 and TP53 in CD34+ haematopoietic progenitor cell-apheresis products of 96 patients who undergo PBSC mobilization for autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). Variants were identified in a significantly greater proportion of patients who experience poor CD34+ PBSC mobilization. A DNA-based targeted candidate gene array is able to predict poor CD34+ PBSC mobilization and may be deployed pre-emptively to minimize mobilization and graft failures.

The tumour microenvironment is immuno-tolerogenic and a principal determinant of patient outcome in EBV-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

OBJECTIVE: Epstein-Barr virus-positive diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (EBV-pos DLBCL) is a recently identified entity. Data regarding outcome to frontline immuno-chemotherapy are conflicting. Although the prognostic impact of the tumour microenvironment (TME) in EBV-neg DLBCL is well-established, it remains untested whether the TME influences survival in EBV-pos DLBCL. There are no data with new digital gene expression technologies that simultaneously interrogate the virus, B cells and the tumour microenvironment (TME). METHODS: We used the NanoString™ platform in a population-based cohort of 433 patients to establish if the technology could detect EBV in the tumour biopsies and to investigate the influence that EBV has on the complex tumour microenvironment of DLBCL. RESULTS: Incidence of EBV-pos DLBCL was 6.9% with 5-year survival of 65% vs 82% in EBV-neg DLBCL (P = 0.018). EBV-pos tissues had similar expression of T-cell genes compared to EBV-neg DLBCL but higher levels of the antigen-presenting molecule B2M. This was countered by elevated PD-L1, PD-L2, LAG3 and TIM3 immune checkpoints and a higher CD163/CD68 "M2" macrophage score. CONCLUSION: In EBV-pos DLBCL, the TME is immuno-tolerogenic and may explain the poor outcomes seen in this subtype of DLBCL.

Murine thymic NK cells are distinct from ILC1s and have unique transcription factor requirements.

Group 1 innate lymphoid cells include natural killer (NK) cells and ILC1s, which mediate the response to intracellular pathogens. Thymic NK (tNK) cells were described with hybrid features of immature NK cells and ILC1 but whether these cells are related to NK cells or ILC1 has not been fully investigated. We report that murine tNK cells expressed the NK-cell associated transcription factor EOMES and developed independent of the essential ILC1 factor TBET, confirming their placement within the NK lineage. Moreover, tNK cells resemble NK cells rather than ILC1 in their requirements for the E protein transcription factor inhibitor ID2. We provide further insight into the mechanisms governing tNK-cell development by showing that the transcription factor ETS1 prevented tNK cell acquisition of the conventional NK-cell maturation markers CD11b and KLRG1. Our data reveal few ILC1 in the thymus and clarify the identity and developmental requirements of tNK cells.

Diagnosis and treatment of MYH9-RD in an Australasian cohort with thrombocytopenia.

MYH9-related disorders (MYH9-RDs) caused by mutation of the MYH9 gene which encodes non-muscle myosin heavy-chain-IIA (NMMHC-IIA), an important motor protein in hemopoietic cells, are the most commonly encountered cause of inherited macrothrombocytopenia. Despite distinguishing features including an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance, giant platelets on the peripheral blood film accompanied by leucocytes with cytoplasmic inclusion bodies (döhle-like bodies), these disorders remain generally under-recognized and often misdiagnosed as immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). This may result in inappropriate treatment with corticosteroids, immunosupressants and in some cases, splenectomy. We explored the efficacy of next generation sequencing (NGS) with a candidate gene panel to establish the aetiology of thrombocytopenia for individuals who had been referred to our center from hematologists in the Australasian region in whom the cause of thrombocytopenia was suspected to be secondary to an inherited condition but which remained uncharacterized despite phenotypic investigations. Pathogenic MYH9 variants were detected in 15 (15/121, 12.4%) individuals and the pathogenecity of a novel variant of uncertain significance was confirmed in a further two related individuals following immunofluorescence (IF) staining performed in our laboratory. Concerningly, only one (1/17) individual diagnosed with MYH9-RD had been referred with this as a presumptive diagnosis, in all other cases (16/17, 94.1%), a diagnosis was not suspected by referring clinicians, indicating a lack of awareness or a failing of our diagnostic approach to these conditions. We examined the mean platelet diameter (MPD) measurements as a means to better identify and quantify platelet size. MPDs in cases with MYH9-RDs were significantly larger than controls (p < 0.001) and in 91% were greater than a previously suggested threshold for platelets in cases of ITP. In addition, we undertook IF staining in a proportion of cases and confirm that this test and/or NGS are satisfactory diagnostic tests. We propose that fewer cases of MYH9-RDs would be missed if diagnostic algorithms prioritized IF and/or NGS in cases of thrombocytopenia associated with giant platelets, even if döhle-like bodies are not appreciated on the peripheral blood film. Finally, our report describes the long-term use of a thrombopoietin agonist in a case of MYH9-RD that had previously been diagnosed as ITP, and demonstrates that treatment with these agents may be possible, and is well tolerated, in this group of patients.

Paris-Trousseau thrombocytopenia is phenocopied by the autosomal recessive inheritance of a DNA-binding domain mutation in FLI1.

Hemizygous deletion of a variable region on chromosome 11q containing FLI1 causes an inherited platelet-related bleeding disorder in Paris-Trousseau thrombocytopenia and Jacobsen syndrome. These multisystem disorders are also characterized by heart anomalies, changes in facial structure, and intellectual disability. We have identified a consanguineous family with autosomal recessive inheritance of a bleeding disorder that mimics Paris-Trousseau thrombocytopenia but has no other features of the 11q23 deletion syndrome. Affected individuals in this family have moderate thrombocytopenia; absent collagen-induced platelet aggregation; and large, fused α-granules in 1% to 5% of circulating platelets. This phenotype was caused by a FLI1 homozygous c.970C>T-point mutation that predicts an arginine-to-tryptophan substitution in the conserved ETS DNA-binding domain of FLI1. This mutation caused a transcription defect at the promoter of known FLI1 target genes GP6, GP9, and ITGA2B, as measured by luciferase assay in HEK293 cells, and decreased the expression of these target proteins in affected members of the family as measured by Western blotting of platelet lysates. This kindred suggests abnormalities in FLI1 as causative of Paris-Trousseau thrombocytopenia and confirms the important role of FLI1 in normal platelet development.

An experimentally representative in-silico protocol for dynamical studies of lyophilised and weakly hydrated amorphous proteins.

Characterization of biopolymers in both dry and weakly hydrated amorphous states has implications for the pharmaceutical industry since it provides understanding of the effect of lyophilisation on stability and biological activity. Atomistic Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations probe structural and dynamical features related to system functionality. However, while simulations in homogenous aqueous environments are routine, dehydrated model assemblies are a challenge with systems investigated in-silico needing careful consideration; simulated systems potentially differing markedly despite seemingly negligible changes in procedure. Here we propose an in-silico protocol to model proteins in lyophilised and weakly hydrated amorphous states that is both more experimentally representative and routinely applicable. Since the outputs from MD align directly with those accessed by neutron scattering, the efficacy of the simulation protocol proposed is shown by validating against experimental neutron data for apoferritin and insulin. This work also highlights that without cooperative experimental and simulative data, development of simulative procedures using MD alone would prove most challenging.

RAPP-containing arrest peptides induce translational stalling by short circuiting the ribosomal peptidyltransferase activity.

Arrest peptides containing RAPP (ArgAlaProPro) motifs have been discovered in both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, where they are thought to regulate expression of important protein localization machinery components. Here we determine cryo-EM structures of ribosomes stalled on RAPP arrest motifs in both Bacillus subtilis and Escherichia coli. Together with molecular dynamics simulations, our structures reveal that the RAPP motifs allow full accommodation of the A-site tRNA, but prevent the subsequent peptide bond from forming. Our data support a model where the RAP in the P-site interacts and stabilizes a single hydrogen atom on the Pro-tRNA in the A-site, thereby preventing an optimal geometry for the nucleophilic attack required for peptide bond formation to occur. This mechanism to short circuit the ribosomal peptidyltransferase activity is likely to operate for the majority of other RAPP-like arrest peptides found across diverse bacterial phylogenies.

The SecM arrest peptide traps a pre-peptide bond formation state of the ribosome.

Nascent polypeptide chains can induce translational stalling to regulate gene expression. This is exemplified by the E. coli secretion monitor (SecM) arrest peptide that induces translational stalling to regulate expression of the downstream encoded SecA, an ATPase that co-operates with the SecYEG translocon to facilitate insertion of proteins into or through the cytoplasmic membrane. Here we present the structure of a ribosome stalled during translation of the full-length E. coli SecM arrest peptide at 2.0 Å resolution. The structure reveals that SecM arrests translation by stabilizing the Pro-tRNA in the A-site, but in a manner that prevents peptide bond formation with the SecM-peptidyl-tRNA in the P-site. By employing molecular dynamic simulations, we also provide insight into how a pulling force on the SecM nascent chain can relieve the SecM-mediated translation arrest. Collectively, the mechanisms determined here for SecM arrest and relief are also likely to be applicable for a variety of other arrest peptides that regulate components of the protein localization machinery identified across a wide range of bacteria lineages.

Multimodal binding and inhibition of bacterial ribosomes by the antimicrobial peptides Api137 and Api88.

Proline-rich antimicrobial peptides (PrAMPs) inhibit bacterial protein biosynthesis by binding to the polypeptide exit tunnel (PET) near the peptidyl transferase center. Api137, an optimized derivative of honeybee PrAMP apidaecin, inhibits protein expression by trapping release factors (RFs), which interact with stop codons on ribosomes to terminate translation. This study uses cryo-EM, functional assays and molecular dynamic (MD) simulations to show that Api137 additionally occupies a second binding site near the exit of the PET and can repress translation independently of RF-trapping. Api88, a C-terminally amidated (-CONH2) analog of Api137 (-COOH), binds to the same sites, occupies a third binding pocket and interferes with the translation process presumably without RF-trapping. In conclusion, apidaecin-derived PrAMPs inhibit bacterial ribosomes by multimodal mechanisms caused by minor structural changes and thus represent a promising pool for drug development efforts.

Simulation of Complex Biomolecular Systems: The Ribosome Challenge.

Large biomolecular systems are at the heart of many essential cellular processes. The dynamics and energetics of an increasing number of these systems are being studied by computer simulations. Pushing the limits of length- and timescales that can be accessed by current hard- and software has expanded the ability to describe biomolecules at different levels of detail. We focus in this review on the ribosome, which exemplifies the close interplay between experiment and various simulation approaches, as a particularly challenging and prototypic nanomachine that is pivotal to cellular biology due to its central role in translation. We sketch widely used simulation methods and demonstrate how the combination of simulations and experiments advances our understanding of the function of the translation apparatus based on fundamental physics.

NOTCH1 mutations in +12 chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) confer an unfavorable prognosis, induce a distinctive transcriptional profiling and refine the intermediate prognosis of +12 CLL.

Trisomy 12, the third most frequent chromosomal aberration in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), confers an intermediate prognosis. In our cohort of 104 untreated patients carrying +12, NOTCH1 mutations occurred in 24% of cases and were associated to unmutated IGHV genes (P=0.003) and +12 as a sole cytogenetic abnormality (P=0.008). NOTCH1 mutations in +12 CLL associated with an approximately 2.4 fold increase in the risk of death, a significant shortening of survival (P<0.01) and proved to be an independent predictor of survival in multivariate analysis. Analogous to +12 CLL with TP53 disruption or del(11q), NOTCH1 mutations in +12 CLL conferred a significantly worse survival compared to that of +12 CLL with del(13q) or +12 only. The overrepresentation of cell cycle/proliferation related genes of +12 CLL with NOTCH1 mutations suggests the biological contribution of NOTCH1 mutations to determine a poor outcome. NOTCH1 mutations refine the intermediate prognosis of +12 CLL.

Understanding the Synergy of NKp46 and Co-Activating Signals in Various NK Cell Subpopulations: Paving the Way for More Successful NK-Cell-Based Immunotherapy.

The NK cell population is characterized by distinct NK cell subsets that respond differently to the various activating stimuli. For this reason, the determination of the optimal cytotoxic activation of the different NK cell subsets can be a crucial aspect to be exploited to counter cancer cells in oncologic patients. To evaluate how the triggering of different combination of activating receptors can affect the cytotoxic responses of different NK cell subsets, we developed a microbead-based degranulation assay. By using this new assay, we were able to detect CD107a+ degranulating NK cells even within the less cytotoxic subsets (i.e., resting CD56bright and unlicensed CD56dim NK cells), thus demonstrating its high sensitivity. Interestingly, signals delivered by the co-engagement of NKp46 with 2B4, but not with CD2 or DNAM-1, strongly cooperate to enhance degranulation on both licensed and unlicensed CD56dim NK cells. Of note, 2B4 is known to bind CD48 hematopoietic antigen, therefore this observation may provide the rationale why CD56dim subset expansion correlates with successful hematopoietic stem cell transplantation mediated by alloreactive NK cells against host T, DC and leukemic cells, while sparing host non-hematopoietic tissues and graft versus host disease. The assay further confirms that activation of LFA-1 on NK cells leads to their granule polarization, even if, in some cases, this also takes to an inhibition of NK cell degranulation, suggesting that LFA-1 engagement by ICAMs on target cells may differently affect NK cell response. Finally, we observed that NK cells undergo a time-dependent spontaneous (cytokine-independent) activation after blood withdrawal, an aspect that may strongly bias the evaluation of the resting NK cell response. Altogether our data may pave the way to develop new NK cell activation and expansion strategies that target the highly cytotoxic CD56dim NK cells and can be feasible and useful for cancer and viral infection treatment.

Fatty acid synthase and adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase regulate cell survival and drug sensitivity in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Fatty acid synthesis is crucial in supporting the survival and proliferation of multiple forms of cancer. The high metabolic demands of fatty acid synthesis are regulated by the AMP-activated kinase and activity of the fatty acid synthase enzyme. In this study, the roles of these enzymes in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) were investigated by genetic knock-down and pharmacological activation of AMP-activated kinase by metformin, and selective inhibition of fatty acid synthase using the novel drug Fasnall. We observed distinct heterogeneity and adaptive plasticity of lipid metabolism in a panel of DLBCL cell lines and demonstrate the therapeutic potential of inhibiting fatty acid synthesis in a subset of DLBCL cells. The translational relevance of these in vitro data is supported by the strong correlation between AMP-activated protein kinase expression in primary DLBCL samples and disease relapse. Inhibition of fatty acid synthase with Fasnall may represent a therapeutic option for DLBCL that preferentially subverts to de novo fatty acid synthesis.

The Memories of NK Cells: Innate-Adaptive Immune Intrinsic Crosstalk.

Although NK cells are considered part of the innate immune system, a series of evidences has demonstrated that they possess characteristics typical of the adaptive immune system. These NK adaptive features, in particular their memory-like functions, are discussed from an ontogenetic and evolutionary point of view.

Primary retinal cultures as a tool for modeling diabetic retinopathy: an overview.

Experimental models of diabetic retinopathy (DR) have had a crucial role in the comprehension of the pathophysiology of the disease and the identification of new therapeutic strategies. Most of these studies have been conducted in vivo, in animal models. However, a significant contribution has also been provided by studies on retinal cultures, especially regarding the effects of the potentially toxic components of the diabetic milieu on retinal cell homeostasis, the characterization of the mechanisms on the basis of retinal damage, and the identification of potentially protective molecules. In this review, we highlight the contribution given by primary retinal cultures to the study of DR, focusing on early neuroglial impairment. We also speculate on possible themes into which studies based on retinal cell cultures could provide deeper insight.