Superior detection of low-allele burden Janus kinase 2 V617F mutation and monitoring clonal evolution in myeloproliferative neoplasms using chip-based digital PCR.

The JAK2 V617F is a prevalent driver mutation in Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (Ph-MPNs), significantly affecting disease progression, immunophenotype, and patient outcomes. The World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines highlight the JAK2 V617F mutation as one of the key diagnostic criterions for Ph-MPNs. In this study, we analyzed 283 MPN samples with the JAK2 V617F mutation to assess the effectiveness of three detection technologies: chip-based digital PCR (cdPCR), real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR), and next-generation sequencing (NGS). Additionally, we investigated the relationship between JAK2 V617F mutant allele burden (% JAK2 V617F) and various laboratory characteristics to elucidate potential implications in MPN diagnosis. Our findings demonstrated high conformance of cdPCR with qPCR/NGS for detecting % JAK2 V617F, but the mutant allele burdens detected by qPCR/NGS were lower than those detected by cdPCR. Moreover, the cdPCR exhibited high sensitivity with a limit of detection (LoD) of 0.08% and a limit of quantification (LoQ) of 0.2% for detecting % JAK2 V617F in MPNs. Clinical implications were explored by correlating % JAK2 V617F with various laboratory characteristics in MPN patients, revealing significant associations with white blood cell counts, lactate dehydrogenase levels, and particularly ß2-microglobulin (ß2-MG) levels. Finally, a case report illustrated the application of cdPCR in detecting low-allele burdens in a de novo chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patient with a hidden JAK2 V617F subclone, which expanded during tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. Our findings underscore the superior sensitivity and accuracy of cdPCR, making it a valuable tool for early diagnosis and monitoring clonal evolution.

[Study of the types of mutations of Thalassemia in Shanghai area].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the mutations of globin genes among patients suspected for thalassemia from the Shanghai area. METHODS: A total of 4 644 patients diagnosed at Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine between June 2016 and December 2019 were selected as the study subjects. The patients were tested for common mutations associated with thalassemia gene by Gap-PCR and reverse dot blotting (RDB). Patients were suspected to harbor rare mutations based on the inconsistency between hematological phenotypes and results of common mutation detection, and were further analyzed by Gap-PCR and Sanger sequencing. RESULTS: Among the 4 644 patients, 2 194 (47.24%) were found to carry common thalassemia mutations, among which 701 (15.09%) were α-thalassemia, 1 448 (31.18%) were ß-thalassemia, and 45 (0.97%) were both α- and ß-thalassemia. Forty six samples were found to harbor rare mutations, which included 17 α-globin gene and 29 ß-globin gene mutations. CD77(CCC>ACC) (HBA2: c.232C>A) of the α-globin gene, NG_000007.3: g.70567_71015del449, codon 102(-A) (HBB: c.308_308delA) and IVS-Ⅱ-636 (A>G) (HBB: c.316-215A>G) of the ß-globin gene were previously unreported new types of globin gene mutations. CONCLUSION: Among the 4 644 patients, the detection rate for common thalassemia mutations was 47.24%, whilst 46 samples were detected with rare gene mutations. The type of gene mutation types were diverse in the Shanghai area. The study has provided more accurate results for genetic diagnosis and counseling.

Serum cytokine profiles during engraftment syndrome and acute graft-versus-host disease in adult patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

BACKGROUND: The underlying biology of engraftment syndrome (ES) following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is not fully elucidated, and the extent of its overlap with acute graft-versus-host disease (aGvHD) remains unclear. In order to establish potential indicator to distinguish ES more accurately, we conducted a retrospective analysis of cytokine levels during HSCT. METHODS: A total of 121 consecutive adult patients who underwent HSCT were enrolled in this study. Blood samples for interleukin (IL)-2, IL-2R, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-1ß, IL-12p70, interferon (IFN)-γ, IFN-α, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and C-reactive protein CRP were regularly assessed after transplantation and during transplantation related adverse events. Additionally, the balance of naïve, central memory and effector memory of CD4+ and CD8+ was analyzed around 30 and 60 days after stem cell infusion, respectively. RESULTS: Thirty (24.79 %) and 33 (27.27 %) patients were diagnosed with ES and aGvHD, respectively. ES was characterized by a significant increase in level of IL-5, IL-6, IL-8 and sIL-2R, while aGvHD was associated with a significant upregulation of IL-6, IL-5, IL-10 and sIL-2R in the patients from grade I to grade IV. Notably, patients got much higher levels of IL-6, IL-5 and sIL-2R when developed to ES than to aGvHD. Moreover, a pronounced shift from naïve to memory cells, both in CD4+ and CD8+ subsets, was found in ES patients. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that cytokine profiles could serve as potential indicators for detecting and differentiating ES and aGvHD, enabling timely clinical intervention. Prospective clinical trials involving larger, independent patient cohorts are required to validate these observations.

Overexpression of TRAF4 promotes lung cancer growth and EGFR-dependent phosphorylation of ERK5.

Tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated factor 4 (TRAF4) is overexpressed in a variety of carcinomas of different origins, but its role in tumorigenesis remains incompletely understood. Previous studies suggest that TRAF4 promotes epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the downstream signaling pathway of TRAF4-mediated EGFR activation, as well as its effects on tumor cells, have not been fully elucidated. Here we report that TRAF4 overexpression is associated with increased activity of extracellular signal-regulated kinase 5 (ERK5) in NSCLC tissues. Activation of ERK5 was dependent on TRAF4-mediated EGFR activation, since inhibition of either TRAF4 or EGFR dramatically abolished phosphorylation of ERK5. Mechanistically, EGFR recruited mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 3 (MEKK3), an upstream kinase of ERK5, in a TRAF4-dependent manner. Thus, our data suggest that an EGFR-TRAF4-MEKK3-ERK5 axis promotes the proliferation of tumor cells, and this may be a potential target for therapeutic intervention of NSCLC.

The circular RNA circ_GRHPR promotes NSCLC cell proliferation and invasion via interactions with the RNA-binding protein PCBP2.

As the most common malignancy, lung cancer is characterised by high rates of occurrence and mortality. Although circular RNAs (circRNAs) are known to act as important regulators in cancer, their role in lung cancer remains poorly understood. In this study, circ_GRHPR expression was found to be significantly upregulated in the serum of five patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), compared to that in healthy controls. It is expressed at high levels in NSCLC cell lines, as revealed by qRT-PCR analysis. Functionally, we demonstrated that circ_GRHPR promotes NSCLC proliferation and invasion in vitro and in vivo by cell proliferation, transwell, cell cycle, and tumour-forming assays. Mechanistically, RNA pull-down and RNA immunoprecipitation assays showed that circ_GRHPR interacts with the RNA-binding protein poly(rC)-binding protein 2 (PCBP2) and regulates its subcellular localisation by forming the circ_GRHPR/PCBP2 complex, localizing PCBP2 mainly in the cytoplasm and reducing the proportion found in the nucleus. Furthermore, we demonstrated that four-and-a-half LIM-only protein 3 (FHL3) is a tumour-stimulating factor in NSCLC that interacts with and is influenced by PCBP2. Circ_GRHPR increased FHL3 expression in the nucleus of NSCLC cells by decreasing PCBP2 expression therein and promoting the proliferation and invasion of NSCLC cells. Therefore, our study identified that circ_GRHPR promotes NSCLC proliferation and invasion, providing a possible explanation for its mechanism of action.

Inflammation accelerates copper-mediated cytotoxicity through induction of six-transmembrane epithelial antigens of prostate 4 expression.

Copper is an essential trace metal, but imbalance in copper homeostasis can induce oxidative damage. Inflammation is a fundamental element of various pulmonary diseases. Although a positive relationship between copper and chronic pulmonary diseases has been reported, the underlying reasons are still not clear. The copper level in the sputum of patients with various pulmonary diseases was measured. An inflammatory model was established to evaluate the impact of inflammation on copper uptake in the lung. We found that the level of sputum copper was increased in patients with various pulmonary diseases, especially chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. Then, we confirmed that mice with pulmonary inflammation were susceptible to copper-mediated oxidative damage because of copper overload in lung tissue. Further investigation demonstrated that interleukin (IL)-17 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α exerted synergistic effects in airway epithelial cells by upregulating the expression of six-transmembrane epithelial antigens of prostate 4 (STEAP4), a metalloreductase that reduces extracellular copper ions from the cupric state to the cuprous state and facilitates copper uptake. Inhibition of STEAP4 decreased the copper uptake of cells and inhibited copper-mediated oxidative damage. Moreover, we demonstrated that the upregulation of STEAP4 by IL-17 and TNF-α was largely dependent on TNF receptor-associated factor 4 (TRAF4). Traf4-/- mice were resistant to copper-mediated oxidative damage. Our data suggest a novel IL-17/TNF-α-TRAF4-STEAP4 axis that regulates copper homeostasis.

RRM2 protects against ferroptosis and is a tumor biomarker for liver cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ferroptosis is the process of cell death triggered by lipid peroxides, and inhibition of glutathione (GSH) synthesis leads to ferroptosis. Liver cancer progression is closely linked to ferroptosis suppression. However, the mechanism by which inhibition of GSH synthesis suppresses potential ferroptosis of liver cancer cells and whether ferroptosis-related liver cancer biomarkers have a promising diagnostic value remain unknown. METHODS: Ribonucleotide reductase regulatory subunit M2 (RRM2) levels were measured using an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), quantitative RT-PCR (qPCR), immunoblotting (IB) and immunochemistry (IHC). Cell viability and cell death were measured by a CellTiter-Glo luminescent cell viability assay and staining with SYTOX Green followed by flow cytometry, respectively. Metabolites were measured using the indicated kits. The Interaction between glutathione synthetase (GSS) and RRM2 was measured using immunofluorescence (IF), co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) and the proximal ligation assay (PLA). The diagnostic value was analyzed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC). Bioinformatics analysis was performed using the indicated database. RESULTS: RRM2 showed specifically elevated levels in liver cancer and inhibited ferroptosis by stimulating GSH synthesis via GSS. Mechanistically, phosphorylation of RRM2 at the Threonine 33 residue (T33) was maintained at normal levels to block the RRM2-GSS interaction and therefore protected RRM2 and GSS from further proteasome degradation. However, under ferroptotic stress, RRM2 was dephosphorylated at T33, thus the RRM2-GSS interaction was promoted. This resulted in the translocation of RRM2 and GSS to the proteasome for simultaneous degradation. Clinically, serum RRM2 was significantly associated with serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP), carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), gamma glutamyl transpeptidase (γ-GT), albumin (ALB) and total bilirubin. The AUC-ROC for the combination of RRM2 with AFP was 0.947, with a sensitivity of 88.7% and a specificity of 97.0%, which indicates better diagnostic performance compared to either RRM2 or AFP alone. CONCLUSION: RRM2 exerts an anti-ferroptotic role in liver cancer cells by sustaining GSH synthesis. Serum RRM2 will be useful as a biomarker to evaluate the degree to which ferroptosis is suppressed and improve diagnostic efficiency for liver cancer.

CCT3 acts upstream of YAP and TFCP2 as a potential target and tumour biomarker in liver cancer.

Although Yes-associated protein (YAP) is very important to liver cancer, its nuclear localisation prevents consideration as a promising therapeutic target and a diagnostic biomarker. Recently, we reported that the protumourigenic roles of YAP in liver cancer are indispensable for transcription factor CP2 (TFCP2) in a Hippo-independent manner; however, proteins that act upstream to simultaneously control YAP and TFCP2 remain unclear. The aim of this study was to uncover such proteins and evaluate whether they are potential YAP-associated therapeutic targets and diagnostic biomarkers. Mass spectrometry revealed that chaperonin containing TCP1 subunit 3 (CCT3) co-interact with YAP and TFCP2, and notably, CCT3 is a non-nuclear protein. CCT3 was elevated in liver cancer, and its higher expression was associated with poorer overall survival. Inhibiting CCT3 resulted in a suppressed transformative phenotype in liver cancer cells, suggesting that CCT3 might be a potential therapeutic target. CCT3 prolonged half-life of YAP and TFCP2 by blocking their ubiquitination caused by poly(rC) binding protein 2 (PCBP2) in a beta-transducin repeat containing E3 ubiquitin protein ligase (ßTrCP)-independent manner. Interestingly, PCBP2 directly interacted with YAP via a WB motif-WW domain interaction, whereas indirectly interacted with TFCP2 via the aid of YAP. Furthermore, CCT3 was capable of separating PCBP2-YAP interactions, thereby preventing YAP and TFCP2 from PCBP2-induced ubiquitination. Moreover, YAP and TFCP2 were downstream of CCT3 to positively control tumourigenesis, yet such effects were inhibited by PCBP2. Clinically, CCT3 was positively correlated with YAP and TFCP2, and elevated levels of the CCT3-YAP-TFCP2 axis might be critical for liver malignancy. In addition, seral-CCT3 was proven to be a potential biomarker, and its diagnostic capacity was better than that of alpha fetoprotein (AFP) to a certain extent. Together, CCT3 acts as a trigger of YAP and TFCP2 to affect tumourigenesis and serves as a potential therapeutic target and biomarker in liver cancer.

Neuropilin 1 (NRP1) is a novel tumor marker in hepatocellular carcinoma.

BACKGROUND: TEA domain transcription factor (TEAD) has an oncogenic role in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, whether a membrane protein can serve not only as a tumor marker that reflects TEAD function but also as a therapeutic target that stimulates tumorigenesis in HCC remains unknown. METHODS: Tissue NRP1 was measured using immunohistochemistry. Cell viability, colony formation and caspase3/7 activity were assessed using MTT, soft agar and caspase 3/7 Glo assays, respectively. Serum NRP1 was examined using ELISA and Western blotting. RESULTS: NRP1 expression was up-regulated by TEAD. We also identified a conserved TEAD-binding motif in the NRP1 promoters, which was essential for the TEAD-NRP1 interaction. NRP1 was upregulated in HCC tissues and cell lines, and knockdown of NRP1 inhibited the transformative phenotypes of HCC cells. Notably, the concentrations of serum NRP1 in the HCC patients were much higher than those of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, cirrhosis, breast cancer, colon cancer, gastric cancer and lung cancer patients. Moreover, serum NRP1 was significantly associated with AFP, γ-GT, Alb, bile acid, ALT, AST, ALP and pre-Alb. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) for serum NRP1 was 0.971, presenting better diagnostic performance compared to AFP. CONCLUSIONS: NRP1 is a novel tumor marker in HCC.

Hepatic expansion of virus-specific CD8+BTLA+ T cells with regulatory properties in chronic hepatitis B virus infection.

Similar to programmed death-1 (PD-1), B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) is a co-inhibitory molecule of the CD28 family. PD-1 is involved in T cell exhaustion during chronic viral infection. However, the role of BTLA in virus-specific T cells is poorly defined. Here we investigated the expression and function of BTLA in T cells from patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The phenotype of peripheral and intrahepatic HBV-specific T cells from 43 patients with chronic HBV infection was assessed by flow cytometry. Functional evaluation was analyzed by T cell expansion and cytokine secretion after different treatments. In chronic HBV patients, a subset of inefficient interferon-γ producing antigen-specific CD8+ T cells recruited to the liver expressed high BTLA levels. The BTLA+ HBV-specific CD8+ T cell suppressive function was antigen-specific, at least in the induction phase, because they were only activated by a pool of HBV peptides but not with a pool of unrelated peptides. Suppression of T cell responses was restored by a BTLA signaling blockade and neutralizing IL-10, indicating that BTLA signaling-mediated IL-10 secretion plays a key role in suppression. This study provides important evidence that there is a subset of liver infiltrated virus-specific CD8+BTLA+ regulatory T cells in patients with chronic HBV infection. This subset of cells plays a pivotal role in controlling hepatic effector CD8+ T cell responses through BTLA signaling mediated regulatory factor IL-10 production.

Focal adhesion kinase regulates the phosphorylation protein tyrosine phosphatase-α at Tyr789 in breast cancer cells.

Protein tyrosine phosphatase (PTP)­α regulates the phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase (FAK), which is important in cellular signal transduction and integration of proteins. It has been demonstrated that a FAK­Del33 mutation (deletion of exon 33; KF437463) in breast cancer tissues regulates cell migration through FAK/Src signaling activation. However, the detailed pathway for Src activation with FAK­Del33 remains to be elucidated. The present study used a retroviral expression system to examine changes in PTPα phosphorylation affected by the FAK­Del33 protein in breast cancer cells. Small interfering (si)RNA targeting PTPα interfered with the phosphorylation of Src. Wound­healing and migration assays were performed to identify cell morphology and quantitative analysis was performed by examining band color depth in western blot analysis. Significant differences were observed in the phosphorylation level of PTPα at Tyr789 between the FAK­Del33 and the wild­type breast cancer cells, suggesting that FAK regulated the phosphorylation level of PTPα at Tyr789 in breast cancer mutant FAK­Del33 cells. The gene expression profile with FAK siRNA did not alter the levels of phosphorylation in other mutants, including autophosphorylation disability (Y397F), ATP kinase dominant negative (K454R) and protein 4.1, ezrin, radixin, moesin domain attenuate (Δ375). FAK RNAi inhibited the activity of the FAK­Del33 at the Src site and rescued the elevated cell migration and invasion. The present study demonstrated for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, an increase in the phosphorylation level of PTPα­Tyr789 by its upstream activator, FAK­Del33, leading to Src activation in certain breast cancer cells, which has significant implications for metastatic potential.

Serum CD166: a novel hepatocellular carcinoma tumor marker.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the diagnostic value of serum-CD166 in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). METHODS: Tissue-CD166 was measured using immunohistochemistry. Cell proliferation and migration were evaluated using MTT and Transwell assays, respectively. Serum-CD166 was examined using ELISA and western blotting. RESULTS: CD166 was up-regulated in HCC compared to those in normal liver tissues. Cell proliferation was positively correlated and cell migration was negatively correlated with endogenous CD166 expression in HCC cells. CD166 inhibition using specific shRNA decreased cell proliferation but increased cell migration. Serum CD166 concentrations were much higher in HCC than in colon cancer, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, cirrhosis, gastric cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and healthy individuals. Serum CD166 also decreased dramatically after curative surgery. A positive correlation was found between serum CD166 and AFP (R=0.7141, p=0.000). Serum CD166 was also positively correlated with γ-GT, bile acid, ALT, AST, and ALP but was negatively correlated with Alb and pre-Alb. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for serum-CD166 was 0.9860, which was better than AFP (AUC-ROC, 0.9354) for the differentiation of HCC patients from healthy individuals, with a cut-off of 261 ng/ml (sensitivity: 100.00%, specificity: 89.41%). CONCLUSION: Serum CD166 is a novel diagnostic tumor marker for HCC.

New insights into FAK phosphorylation based on a FAT domain-defective mutation.

Mounting evidence suggests that the FAK N-terminal (FERM) domain controls FAK phosphorylation and function; however, little is known regarding the role of the C terminal (FAT) domain in FAK regulation. We identified a patient-derived FAK mutant, in which a 27-amino acid segment was deleted from the C-terminal FAT domain (named FAK-Del33). When FAK-Del33 was overexpressed in specific tumor cell lines, Y397 phosphorylation increased compared with that observed in cells expressing FAK-WT. Here, we attempt to unveil the mechanism of this increased phosphorylation. Using cell biology experiments, we show that FAK-Del33 is incapable of co-localizing with paxillin, and has constitutively high Y397 phosphorylation. With a kinase-dead mutation, it showed phosphorylation of FAK-Del33 has enhanced through auto-phosphorylation. It was also demonstrated that phosphorylation of FAK-Del33 is not Src dependent or enhanced intermolecular interactions, and that the hyperphosphorylation can be lowered using increasing amounts of transfected FERM domain. This result suggests that Del33 mutation disrupting of FAT's structural integrity and paxillin binding capacity leads to incapable of targeting Focal adhesions, but has gained the capacity for auto-phosphorylation in cis.

Cluster of differentiation 166 (CD166) regulated by phosphatidylinositide 3-Kinase (PI3K)/AKT signaling to exert its anti-apoptotic role via yes-associated protein (YAP) in liver cancer.

Cluster of differentiation 166 (CD166 or Alcam) is a cell surface molecule that can be greatly induced in liver cancer cells after serum deprivation, suggesting its role in influencing cell survival. However, whether and how CD166 acts as an anti-apoptotic regulator needs to be further investigated. Here, we report that gene silencing of CD166 promoted apoptosis via down-regulation of Bcl-2 in liver cancer cells. PI3K/AKT signaling was found to up-regulate CD166 expression independently of transcription. We also revealed that CD166 promoted both AKT expression and activity, thus providing a novel positive regulatory feedback between PI3K/AKT signaling and CD166. Moreover, Yes-associated protein (YAP) was identified as a CD166 downstream effecter, which can partly rescue CD166 knockdown-induced apoptosis and reduced in vivo cancer cell growth. Mechanically, CD166 modulated YAP expression and activity through at least two different ways, transcriptional regulation of YAP through cAMP-response element-binding protein and post-transcriptional control of YAP stability through inhibition to AMOT130. We also showed that CD9 enhanced CD166-mediated regulation of YAP via a mechanism involving facilitating CD166-CD166 homophilic interaction. Tissue microarray analysis revealed that CD166 and YAP were up-regulated and closely correlated in liver cancer samples, demonstrating the importance of their relationship. Taken together, this work summarizes a novel link between CD166 and YAP, explores the interplay among related important signaling pathways, and may lead to more effective therapeutic strategies for liver cancer.

B and T lymphocyte attenuator is highly expressed on intrahepatic T cells during chronic HBV infection and regulates their function.

BACKGROUND: T cell antiviral function is impaired during chronic hepatitis B (CHB). Programmed death-1 (PD-1) impairs antiviral T cell responses, but dysfunction is not always reversed by blockade of PD-1 pathway. Whether distinct T cell populations expressing different sets of inhibitory molecules exist has not been determined. METHODS: We studied the expression of the B and T lymphocyte attenuator (BTLA) on both peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and intrahepatic lymphocytes, and the effects of blocking BTLA on circulating and intrahepatic T cells in CHB patients. Sixty-three CHB patients who underwent liver biopsy were enrolled. The expression of BTLA and PD-1 on PBMC and intrahepatic T cells was assessed by flow cytometry with antibodies to T cell differentiation molecules. Functional recovery was evaluated by analyzing production of interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-2 after incubation of T cells with anti-CD3 and irradiated mature dendritic cells in the presence of anti-BTLA, anti-PD-1, or both. RESULTS: Intrahepatic T cells expressed higher levels of BTLA than their peripheral counterparts. A significant fraction of intrahepatic T cells coexpressed BTLA and PD-1 and showed deep exhaustion of T cell responses. Blockade of the BTLA pathway enhanced both intrahepatic and PBMC T cell proliferation and cytokine secretion, and exhibited an additive effect upon blockage of PD-1. CONCLUSIONS: Upregulation of inhibitory receptor BTLA restricts T cell responses in CHB. T cell exhaustion by high antigen concentrations exacerbates dysfunction of peripheral and intrahepatic T cells. Blockage of BTLA is a potential therapeutic approach for chronic HBV infection that may act by restoring antiviral T cell responses.

A regulatory role for IL-10 receptor signaling in development and B cell help of T follicular helper cells in mice.

IL -10 is widely accepted as a survival, proliferation, and differentiation factor for B cells. However, IL-10 deficiency accelerates disease progression as the result of autoantibody production in many autoimmune disease models. It was demonstrated that T follicular helper cells (T(FH) cells) play a key role in helping B cells that are secreting Abs. In this study, we demonstrated a regulatory role for IL-10R signaling on the development and B cell help function of T(FH) cells in vitro and in vivo. IL-1R subunit ß-deficient (Il10rb(-/-)) Th cells were able to differentiate more readily into T(FH) cells, as well as secrete more IL-21 and IL-17 compared with wild-type Th cell-derived T(FH) cells. Increased IL-21 and IL-17 contributed to the enhanced B cell help functions of T(FH) cells. Further experiments demonstrated that IL-6 and IL-23 from dendritic cells in Il10rb(-/-) mice contributed to the differentiation of naive Th cells into T(FH) cells, as well as the generation of IL-21- and IL-17-producing T(FH) cells. Our results provide useful information for clarifying the immunoregulatory mechanisms associated with IL-10 deficiency in certain autoimmune disease models. This information could also be of benefit for the development of vaccines.

NF-kappaB P50/P65 hetero-dimer mediates differential regulation of CD166/ALCAM expression via interaction with micoRNA-9 after serum deprivation, providing evidence for a novel negative auto-regulatory loop.

CD166/ALCAM plays an important role in tumor aggression and progression as well as protecting cancer cells against apoptosis and autophagy. However, the mechanism by which pro-cell death signals control CD166 expression remains unclear. Here we show that following serum deprivation (SD), upregulation of CD166 protein is shorter than that of CD166 mRNA. Molecular analysis revealed both CD166 and miR-9-1 as two novel NF-κB target genes in hepatoma cells. In vivo activation and translocation of the NF-κB P50/P65 hetero-dimer into the nucleus following the phosphorylation and accompanied degradation of its inhibitor, IκBα, contributes to efficient transcription of both genes following SD. We show that following serum starvation, delayed up-regulation of miR-9 represses translation of CD166 protein through its target sites in the 3'-UTR of CD166 mRNA. We also propose that miR-9 promotes cell migration largely due to inhibition of CD166. Collectively, the study elucidates a novel negative auto-regulatory loop in which NF-κB mediates differential regulation of CD166 after SD.