Sulfamate Acetamides as Self-Immolative Electrophiles for Covalent Ligand-Directed Release Chemistry.

Electrophiles for covalent inhibitors that are suitable for in vivo administration are rare. While acrylamides are prevalent in FDA-approved covalent drugs, chloroacetamides are considered too reactive for such purposes. We report sulfamate-based electrophiles that maintain chloroacetamide-like geometry with tunable reactivity. In the context of the BTK inhibitor ibrutinib, sulfamate analogues showed low reactivity with comparable potency in protein labeling, in vitro, and cellular kinase activity assays and were effective in a mouse model of CLL. In a second example, we converted a chloroacetamide Pin1 inhibitor to a potent and selective sulfamate acetamide with improved buffer stability. Finally, we show that sulfamate acetamides can be used for covalent ligand-directed release (CoLDR) chemistry, both for the generation of "turn-on" probes as well as for traceless ligand-directed site-specific labeling of proteins. Taken together, this chemistry represents a promising addition to the list of electrophiles suitable for in vivo covalent targeting.

CD74 as a regulator of transcription in normal B cells.

CD74 is receptor for the cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF). MIF binding to CD74 induces a signaling cascade resulting in the release of its cytosolic intracellular domain (CD74-ICD) that serves as a transcriptional regulator in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells. In the current study, we investigated the transcriptional and regulatory function of CD74-ICD in normal B cells. We show that following activation, CD74-ICD forms a complex in the cytosol with transcription factors, like PAX5, and binds the chromatin at a significantly higher number of sites compared with its binding in CLL cells. The expression of a major portion of these bound genes is shut down in the malignant cells. The CD74-ICD:PAX5 complex binds the promoter areas of a tumor-suppressor gene, DMTF1, and downregulates its expression through inhibition of transcription. These findings can help identify novel therapeutic pathways that are regulated during oncogenic transformation and are targets for future treatments.

Polysome-CAGE of TCL1-driven chronic lymphocytic leukemia revealed multiple N-terminally altered epigenetic regulators and a translation stress signature.

The transformation of normal to malignant cells is accompanied by substantial changes in gene expression programs through diverse mechanisms. Here, we examined the changes in the landscape of transcription start sites and alternative promoter (AP) usage and their impact on the translatome in TCL1-driven chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Our findings revealed a marked elevation of APs in CLL B cells from Eµ-Tcl1 transgenic mice, which are particularly enriched with intra-genic promoters that generate N-terminally truncated or modified proteins. Intra-genic promoter activation is mediated by (1) loss of function of 'closed chromatin' epigenetic regulators due to the generation of inactive N-terminally modified isoforms or reduced expression; (2) upregulation of transcription factors, including c-Myc, targeting the intra-genic promoters and their associated enhancers. Exogenous expression of Tcl1 in MEFs is sufficient to induce intra-genic promoters of epigenetic regulators and promote c-Myc expression. We further found a dramatic translation downregulation of transcripts bearing CNY cap-proximal trinucleotides, reminiscent of cells undergoing metabolic stress. These findings uncovered the role of Tcl1 oncogenic function in altering promoter usage and mRNA translation in leukemogenesis.

The survival and function of IL-10-producing regulatory B cells are negatively controlled by SLAMF5.

B cells have essential functions in multiple sclerosis and in its mouse model, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis, both as drivers and suppressors of the disease. The suppressive effects are driven by a regulatory B cell (Breg) population that functions, primarily but not exclusively, via the production of IL-10. However, the mechanisms modulating IL-10-producing Breg abundance are poorly understood. Here we identify SLAMF5 for controlling IL-10+ Breg maintenance and function. In EAE, the deficiency of SLAMF5 in B cells causes accumulation of IL10+ Bregs in the central nervous system and periphery. Blocking SLAMF5 in vitro induces both human and mouse IL-10-producing Breg cells and increases their survival with a concomitant increase of a transcription factor, c-Maf. Finally, in vivo SLAMF5 blocking in EAE elevates IL-10+ Breg levels and ameliorates disease severity. Our results suggest that SLAMF5 is a negative moderator of IL-10+ Breg cells, and may serve as a therapeutic target in MS and other autoimmune diseases.

CD74 is a regulator of hematopoietic stem cell maintenance.

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) are a small population of undifferentiated cells that have the capacity for self-renewal and differentiate into all blood cell lineages. These cells are the most useful cells for clinical transplantations and for regenerative medicine. So far, it has not been possible to expand adult hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) without losing their self-renewal properties. CD74 is a cell surface receptor for the cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), and its mRNA is known to be expressed in HSCs. Here, we demonstrate that mice lacking CD74 exhibit an accumulation of HSCs in the bone marrow (BM) due to their increased potential to repopulate and compete for BM niches. Our results suggest that CD74 regulates the maintenance of the HSCs and CD18 expression. Its absence leads to induced survival of these cells and accumulation of quiescent and proliferating cells. Furthermore, in in vitro experiments, blocking of CD74 elevated the numbers of HSPCs. Thus, we suggest that blocking CD74 could lead to improved clinical insight into BM transplant protocols, enabling improved engraftment.

CD84 is a regulator of the immunosuppressive microenvironment in multiple myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by an accumulation of malignant plasma cells (PCs) within the BM. The BM microenvironment supports survival of the malignant cells and is composed of cellular fractions that foster myeloma development and progression by suppression of the immune response. Despite major progress in understanding the biology and pathophysiology of MM, this disease is still incurable and requires aggressive treatment with significant side effects. CD84 is a self-binding immunoreceptor belonging to the signaling lymphocyte activation molecule (SLAM) family. Previously, we showed that CD84 bridges between chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells and their microenvironment, and it regulates T cell function. In the current study, we investigated the role of CD84 in MM. Our results show that MM cells express low levels of CD84. However, these cells secrete the cytokine macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF), which induces CD84 expression on cells in their microenvironment. Its activation leads to an elevation of expression of genes regulating differentiation to monocytic/granulocytic-myeloid-derived suppressor cells (M-MDSCs and G-MDSCs, respectively) and upregulation of PD-L1 expression on MDSCs, which together suppress T cell function. Downregulation of CD84 or its blocking reduce MDSC accumulation, resulting in elevated T cell activity and reduced tumor load. Our data suggest that CD84 might serve as a novel therapeutic target in MM.

Rapid enzymatic burn debridement: A review of the paediatric clinical trial experience.

NexoBrid (NXB) has been proven to be an effective selective enzymatic debridement agent in adults. This manuscript presents the combined clinical trial experience with NXB in children. Hundred and ten children aged 0.5 to 18 years suffering from deep thermal burns of up to 67% total body surface area were treated with NXB in three clinical trials. Seventy-seven children were treated with NXB in a phase I/II study, where 92.7% of the areas treated achieved complete eschar removal within 0.9 days from admission. Thirty-three children (17 NXB, 16 standard of care [SOC]) participated in a phase III randomized controlled trial. All wounds treated with NXB achieved complete eschar removal. Time to complete eschar removal (from informed consent) was 0.9 days for NXB vs 6.5 days for SOC (P < .001). The incidence of surgical excision was 7.9% for NXB vs 73.3% for SOC (P < .001). Seventeen of these children participated in a phase III-b follow-up study (9 NXB and 8 SOC). The average long-term modified Vancouver Scar Scale scores were 3.4 for NXB-treated wounds vs 4.4 for SOC-treated wounds (NS). There were no significant treatment-related adverse events. Additional studies are needed to strengthen these results.