Exploring new prognostic biomarkers in Mantle Cell Lymphoma: a comparison of the circSCORE and the MCL35 score.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a biologically and clinically heterogeneous disease, emphasizing the need for prognostic biomarkers. In this study we aimed at comparing the prognostic value of two RNA-based risk scores, circSCORE and MCL35, in 149 patients from the MCL2 (ISRCTN87866680) and MCL3 (NCT00514475) patient cohorts. Both risk scores provided significant stratification of high versus low risk for progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). The circSCORE retained significant prognostic value in adjusted multivariable Cox regressions for PFS, but not for OS. Furthermore, circSCORE added significant prognostic value to MIPI in the pooled cohort (MCL2 and MCL3) for PFS and OS, and for PFS in MCL3 alone, outperforming Ki67 and MCL35. We suggest a new, combined MIPI-circSCORE with improved prognostic value, and with potential for future clinical implementation, if validated in a larger, independent cohort.

Global circRNA expression changes predate clinical and histological improvements of psoriasis patients upon secukinumab treatment.

Psoriasis is a common chronic inflammatory skin disease accompanied by heterogenous clinical and histological features, including a characteristic keratinocyte hyperproliferation and dermal immunogenic profile. In addition, psoriasis is associated with widespread transcriptomic alterations including changes in microRNA (miRNA) and circular RNA (circRNA) abundance, which constitute non-coding RNA (ncRNA) classes with specific regulatory capacities in diverse physiological and pathological processes. However, the knowledge about the expression dynamics of ncRNA during psoriasis treatment is sparse. To elucidate the dynamics of miRNA and circRNA abundance during secukinumab (anti-IL-17A) treatment, we studied their expression patterns in skin biopsies from 14 patients with severe plaque-type psoriasis before and during an 84-day secukinumab therapy at day 0, 4, 14, 42, and 84 using NanoString nCounter technology. We found a comprehensive downregulation of the majority of investigated circRNAs and specific alterations in the miRNA profile, including an upregulation of miR-203a-3p, miR-93-5p, and miR-378i in lesional compared to non-lesional skin before treatment. During treatment, the circRNAs progressively returned to the expression levels observed in non-lesional skin and already four days after treatment initiation most circRNAs were significantly upregulated. In comparison, for miRNAs, the normalization to baseline during treatment was delayed and limited to a subset of miRNAs. Moreover, we observed a strong correlation between multiple circRNAs, including ciRS-7 and circPTPRA, and the psoriasis area and severity index (PASI). Similar pronounced correlations could, however, not be found for miRNAs. Finally, we did not observe any significant changes in circRNA expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells during treatment. In conclusion, we uncovered a rapid shift in global circRNA abundance upon anti-IL-17A treatment, which predated clinical and histological improvements, and a strong correlation with PASI, indicating a biomarker potential of individual circRNAs.

Dual inhibition of DNMTs and EZH2 can overcome both intrinsic and acquired resistance of myeloma cells to IMiDs in a cereblon-independent manner.

Thalidomide and its derivatives, lenalidomide and pomalidomide (also known as IMiDs), have significantly changed the treatment landscape of multiple myeloma, and the recent discovery of cereblon (CRBN) as their direct biological target has led to a deeper understanding of their complex mechanism of action. In an effort to comprehend the precise mechanisms behind the development of IMiD resistance and examine whether it is potentially reversible, we established lenalidomide-resistant (-LR) and pomalidomide-resistant (-PR) human myeloma cell lines from two IMiD-sensitive cell lines, OPM2 and NCI-H929, by continuous culture in the presence of lenalidomide or pomalidomide for 4-6 months, until acquirement of stable resistance. By assessing genome-wide DNA methylation and chromatin accessibility in these cell lines, we found that acquired IMiD resistance is associated with an increase in genome-wide DNA methylation and an even greater reduction in chromatin accessibility. Transcriptome analysis confirmed that resistant cell lines are mainly characterized by a reduction in gene expression, identifying SMAD3 as a commonly downregulated gene in IMiD-resistant cell lines. Moreover, we show that these changes are potentially reversible, as combination of 5-azacytidine and EPZ-6438 not only restored the observed accessibility changes and the expression of SMAD3, but also resensitized the resistant cells to both lenalidomide and pomalidomide. Interestingly, the resensitization process was independent of CRBN. Our data suggest that simultaneous inhibition of DNA methyl transferases and EZH2 leads to an extensive epigenetic reprogramming which allows myeloma cells to (re)gain sensitivity to IMiDs.

Genotyping common FSHR polymorphisms based on competitive amplification of differentially melting amplicons (CADMA).

PURPOSE: To provide an improved platform for simple, reliable, and cost-effective genotyping. BACKGROUND: Modern fertility treatments are becoming increasingly individualized in an attempt to optimise the follicular response and reproductive outcome, following controlled ovarian stimulation. As the field of pharmacogenetics evolve, genetic biomarkers such as polymorphisms of the follicle stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) may be included as a predictive tool for individualized fertility treatment. However, the currently available genotyping methods are expensive, time-consuming or have a limited analytical sensitivity. Here, we present a novel version of "competitive amplification of differentially melting amplicons" (CADMA), providing an improved platform for simple, reliable, and cost-effective genotyping. METHODS: Two CADMA based assays were designed for the two common polymorphisms of the FSHR gene: rs6165 (c.919A > G, p. Thr307Ala, FSHR 307) and rs6166 (c.2039A > G, p. Asn680Ser, FSHR 680). To evaluate the reliability of the new CADMA-based assays, the genotyping results were compared with two conventional PCR based genotyping methods; allele-specific PCR (AS-PCR) and Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: The genotype frequencies for both polymorphisms were 35 % (TT), 42 % (CT), and 23 % (CC), respectively. A 100 % accordance was observed between the CADMA-based genotyping results and sequencing results, whereas 5 discrepancies were observed between the AS-PCR results and the CADMA-based genotyping results. Comparing the CADMA-based assays to (AS-PCR) and Sanger sequencing, the CADMA based assays showed an improved analytical sensitivity and a wider applicability. CONCLUSIONS: The new assays provide a reliable, fast and user-friendly genotyping method facilitating a wider implication in clinical practise.