Oxysterols in catfish skin secretions (Arius bilineatus, Val.) exhibit anti-cancer properties.

The edible catfish Arius bilineatus, (Valenciennes) elaborates a proteinaceous gel-like material through its epidermis when threatened or injured. Our on-going studies on this gel have shown it to be a complex mixture of several biologically active molecules. Anti-cancer studies on lipid fractions isolated from the gel-like materials showed them to be active against several cancer cell lines. This prompted us to investigate further the lipid composition of the catfish epidermal gel secretions (EGS). Analysis of the lipid fraction of EGS resulted in identification of 12 oxysterols including cholesterol and 2 deoxygenated steroids i.e., 7α-hydroxy cholesterol, 7ß-hydroxycholesterol, 5,6 epoxycholesterol, 3ß-hydroxycholest-5-ene-7-one and cholesta-3,5-dien-7-one. Progesterone, cholest-3,5-diene, cholesta-2,4-diene, cholest-3,5,6-triol and 4-cholesten-3-one were found as minor components, and were identified through their MS, 1HNMR and FTIR spectral data and were compared with those of the standards. Cholest-3,6-dione, cholesta-4,6-diene-3-one, cholesta-2,4-diene, and cholesta-5,20(22)-dien-3-ol were found only in trace amounts and were identified by GC/MS/MS spectral data. Since cholesterol is the major component of EGS, the identified oxysterols (OS) are presumably cholesterol oxidation products. Many of the identified OS are known important biological molecules that play vital physiological role in the producer and recipient organisms. We report herein the effects of these sterols on three human cancer cell lines in vitro, i.e., K-562 (CML cell line), MDA MB-231 (estrogen positive breast cancer cell line) and MCF-7 (estrogen negative breast cancer cell line). Interestingly significant (p < 0.05) dose differences were observed between tested OS on cell types used. The presence of these sterols in EGS may help explain some aspects of the physiological activities of fraction B (FB) prepared from EGS, such as enhanced wound and diabetic ulcer healing, anti-inflammatory action and cytotoxic activities reported in our previous studies. The anti-proliferative actions of some of these oxysterols especially the cholesterol 3,5,6-triol (#5) as established on selected cancer cell lines in this study support our previous studies and make them candidates for research for human application.

Ectopic expression of a combination of 5 genes detects high risk forms of T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

BACKGROUND: T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) defines a group of hematological malignancies with heterogeneous aggressiveness and highly variable outcome, making therapeutic decisions a challenging task. We tried to discover new predictive model for T-ALL before treatment by using a specific pipeline designed to discover aberrantly active gene. RESULTS: The expression of 18 genes was significantly associated with shorter survival, including ACTRT2, GOT1L1, SPATA45, TOPAZ1 and ZPBP (5-GEC), which were used as a basis to design a prognostic classifier for T-ALL patients. The molecular characterization of the 5-GEC positive T-ALL unveiled specific characteristics inherent to the most aggressive T leukemic cells, including a drastic shut-down of genes located on the mitochondrial genome and an upregulation of histone genes, the latter characterizing high risk forms in adult patients. These cases fail to respond to the induction treatment, since 5-GEC either predicted positive minimal residual disease (MRD) or a short-term relapse in MRD negative patients. CONCLUSION: Overall, our investigations led to the discovery of a homogenous group of leukemic cells with profound alterations of their biology. It also resulted in an accurate predictive tool that could significantly improve the management of T-ALL patients.

Transcriptome-wide subtyping of pediatric and adult T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in an international study of 707 cases.

T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive hematological malignancy of T cell progenitors, known to be a heterogeneous disease in pediatric and adult patients. Here we attempted to better understand the disease at the molecular level based on the transcriptomic landscape of 707 T-ALL patients (510 pediatric, 190 adult patients, and 7 with unknown age; 599 from published cohorts and 108 newly investigated). Leveraging the information of gene expression enabled us to identify 10 subtypes (G1­G10), including the previously undescribed one characterized by GATA3 mutations, with GATA3R276Q capable of affecting lymphocyte development in zebrafish. Through associating with T cell differentiation stages, we found that high expression of LYL1/LMO2/SPI1/HOXA (G1­G6) might represent the early T cell progenitor, pro/precortical/cortical stage with a relatively high age of disease onset, and lymphoblasts with TLX3/TLX1 high expression (G7­G8) could be blocked at the cortical/postcortical stage, while those with high expression of NKX2-1/TAL1/LMO1 (G9­G10) might correspond to cortical/postcortical/mature stages of T cell development. Notably, adult patients harbored more cooperative mutations among epigenetic regulators, and genes involved in JAK-STAT and RAS signaling pathways, with 44% of patients aged 40 y or above in G1 bearing DNMT3A/IDH2 mutations usually seen in acute myeloid leukemia, suggesting the nature of mixed phenotype acute leukemia.

Optimized outcome prediction of oncogenetic mutations in non-early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

BACKGROUND: Early biomarkers allowing effective treatment stratification in adult T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) patients remain elusive. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The mutation spectrum of 116T-ALL adult patients enrolled in the Shanghai Institute of Hematology (SIH)-based hospital network or Multicenter Hematology-Oncology Protocols Evaluation System (M-HOPES) in China were studied by using RNA-sequencing or targeted next generation sequencing. A comprehensive survival analysis based on clinical characteristics, immunophenotype and oncogenetic classifier was performed. RESULTS: Early T-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ETP-ALL) has higher mutation rates of N/K-RAS and lower mutation rates of FBXW7 compared to non-ETP ALL, but the survival probability of ETP-ALL patients is similar to that of non-ETP ALL patients. T-ALLs with a NOTCH1/FBXW7 (N/F) mutation in the absence of RAS or PTEN abnormalities (NFRP class I) show a more favorable outcome compared to T-ALLs with no N/F mutation and/or with the presence of RAS/PTEN alterations (NFRP class II). A survival analysis of T-ALL, taking into account both the ETP-ALL/non-ETP T-ALL groups and the NFRP oncogenetic classifier, demonstrates that, within the non-ETP T-ALL subtype, NFRP class II identifies a group with poor prognosis and significant decreases of both OS (14.8% versus 50.9%, P = 0.019) and EFS (11.4% versus 42.4%, P = 0.001). In contrast, no survival difference is observed within ETP-ALL between the NFRP class I or class II (OS: 37.9% versus 33%, P = 0.876; EFS: 39.8% versus 33.7%, P = 0.969). CONCLUSION: In summary, the oncogenetic classifier based on the NFRP classes is particularly useful to improve the stratification of non-ETP ALL.

Potential Mechanism of Dermal Wound Treatment With Preparations From the Skin Gel of Arabian Gulf Catfish: A Unique Furan Fatty Acid (F6) and Cholesta-3,5-Diene (S5) Recruit Neutrophils and Fibroblasts to Promote Wound Healing.

Preparations from Arabian Gulf catfish (Arius bilineatus, Val) epidermal gel secretion (PCEGS) effectively heal chronic wounds in diabetic patients. However, specific lipid components of PCEGS that are responsible for various aspects of wound healing are unknown. Here, we report for the first time that, i) a unique preparation containing only proteins and lipids (Fraction B, FB), derived from the PCEGS accelerated the healing of experimental dermal wounds in female rats (transdermal punch biopsy) in vivo. Histological analyses showed that topical treatment of these wounds with FB promoted the migration of fibroblasts, facilitated the production of extracellular matrix (collagen, fibronectin), induced capillary formation and recruitment of immune cells, and accelerated overall wound healing by day 4 (tested at 1, 2, 3, 4, and 10 days; n=15 for vehicle; n=15 for FB treatment), ii) the lipids responsible for different stages of wound healing were separated into a protein-free bioactive lipid fraction, Ft, which contained a few common long-chain fatty acids, a unique furan fatty acid (F6) and a cholesterol metabolite, cholesta-3,5-diene (S5). Ft (the partially purified lipid fraction of PCEGS), and F6 and S5 present in Ft, proved to be bioactive for wound healing in human dermal fibroblasts. Ft increased the production and extracellular deposition of collagen and fibronectin, ex vivo, iii) Ft and its subcomponents, pure F6 and S5, also promoted human dermal fibroblast migration into the scratch wound gaps, ex vivo, iv) Ft, F6, and S5 promoted the recruitment of neutrophils (Green fluorescence protein labeled) to the site of injury in the transected tailfins of transgenic zebrafish, in vivo, v) Ft, but not F6 or S5, promoted the regeneration of tissues at the wound site in the transgenic zebrafish tailfin, in vivo. Therefore, we conclude that lipid fraction Ft from PCEGS contains the components necessary to promote complete wound healing, and F6 and S5 are responsible for promoting fibroblast and neutrophil recruitment to the site of wounds.

Exploratory trial of a biepitopic CAR T-targeting B cell maturation antigen in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma.

Relapsed and refractory (R/R) multiple myeloma (MM) patients have very poor prognosis. Chimeric antigen receptor modified T (CAR T) cells is an emerging approach in treating hematopoietic malignancies. Here we conducted the clinical trial of a biepitope-targeting CAR T against B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) (LCAR-B38M) in 17 R/R MM cases. CAR T cells were i.v. infused after lymphodepleting chemotherapy. Two delivery methods, three infusions versus one infusion of the total CAR T dose, were tested in, respectively, 8 and 9 cases. No response differences were noted among the two delivery subgroups. Together, after CAR T cell infusion, 10 cases experienced a mild cytokine release syndrome (CRS), 6 had severe but manageable CRS, and 1 died of a very severe toxic reaction. The abundance of BCMA and cytogenetic marker del(17p) and the elevation of IL-6 were the key indicators for severe CRS. Among 17 cases, the overall response rate was 88.2%, with 13 achieving stringent complete response (sCR) and 2 reaching very good partial response (VGPR), while 1 was a nonresponder. With a median follow-up of 417 days, 8 patients remained in sCR or VGPR, whereas 6 relapsed after sCR and 1 had progressive disease (PD) after VGPR. CAR T cells were high in most cases with stable response but low in 6 out of 7 relapse/PD cases. Notably, positive anti-CAR antibody constituted a high-risk factor for relapse/PD, and patients who received prior autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation had more durable response. Thus, biepitopic CAR T against BCMA represents a promising therapy for R/R MM, while most adverse effects are clinically manageable.

Transcriptional landscape of B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia based on an international study of 1,223 cases.

Most B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP ALL) can be classified into known major genetic subtypes, while a substantial proportion of BCP ALL remains poorly characterized in relation to its underlying genomic abnormalities. We therefore initiated a large-scale international study to reanalyze and delineate the transcriptome landscape of 1,223 BCP ALL cases using RNA sequencing. Fourteen BCP ALL gene expression subgroups (G1 to G14) were identified. Apart from extending eight previously described subgroups (G1 to G8 associated with MEF2D fusions, TCF3-PBX1 fusions, ETV6-RUNX1-positive/ETV6-RUNX1-like, DUX4 fusions, ZNF384 fusions, BCR-ABL1/Ph-like, high hyperdiploidy, and KMT2A fusions), we defined six additional gene expression subgroups: G9 was associated with both PAX5 and CRLF2 fusions; G10 and G11 with mutations in PAX5 (p.P80R) and IKZF1 (p.N159Y), respectively; G12 with IGH-CEBPE fusion and mutations in ZEB2 (p.H1038R); and G13 and G14 with TCF3/4-HLF and NUTM1 fusions, respectively. In pediatric BCP ALL, subgroups G2 to G5 and G7 (51 to 65/67 chromosomes) were associated with low-risk, G7 (with ≤50 chromosomes) and G9 were intermediate-risk, whereas G1, G6, and G8 were defined as high-risk subgroups. In adult BCP ALL, G1, G2, G6, and G8 were associated with high risk, while G4, G5, and G7 had relatively favorable outcomes. This large-scale transcriptome sequence analysis of BCP ALL revealed distinct molecular subgroups that reflect discrete pathways of BCP ALL, informing disease classification and prognostic stratification. The combined results strongly advocate that RNA sequencing be introduced into the clinical diagnostic workup of BCP ALL.

Furanoid F-Acid F6 Uniquely Induces NETosis Compared to C16 and C18 Fatty Acids in Human Neutrophils.

Various biomolecules induce neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation or NETosis. However, the effect of fatty acids on NETosis has not been clearly established. In this study, we focused on the NETosis-inducing ability of several lipid molecules. We extracted the lipid molecules present in Arabian Gulf catfish (Arius bilineatus, Val) skin gel, which has multiple therapeutic activities. Gas chromatography⁻mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis of the lipid fraction-3 from the gel with NETosis-inducing activity contained fatty acids including a furanoid F-acid (F6; 12,15-epoxy-13,14-dimethyleicosa-12,14-dienoic acid) and common long-chain fatty acids such as palmitic acid (PA; C16:0), palmitoleic acid (PO; C16:1), stearic acid (SA; C18:0), and oleic acid (OA; C18:1). Using pure molecules, we show that all of these fatty acids induce NETosis to different degrees in a dose-dependent fashion. Notably, F6 induces a unique form of NETosis that is rapid and induces reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by both NADPH oxidase (NOX) and mitochondria. F6 also induces citrullination of histone. By contrast, the common fatty acids (PA, PO, SA, and OA) only induce NOX-dependent NETosis. The activation of the kinases such as ERK (extracellular signal-regulated kinase) and JNK (c-Jun N-terminal kinase) is important for long-chain fatty acid-induced NETosis, whereas, in F-acid-induced NETosis, Akt is additionally needed. Nevertheless, NETosis induced by all of these compounds requires the final chromatin decondensation step of transcriptional firing. These findings are useful for understanding F-acid- and other fatty acid-induced NETosis and to establish the active ingredients with therapeutic potential for regulating diseases involving NET formation.

Antifungal and eliciting properties of chitosan against Ceratocystis fimbriata in sweet potato.

The inhibitive effects of chitosan on black rot disease caused by Ceratocystis fimbriata in sweet potato tuber root (TR) were evaluated. The results demonstrated that chitosan effectively inhibited the mycelial growth and spore germination of C. fimbriata and directly led to the cell necrosis. Chitosan altered the chitin deposition and influenced the fatty acid composition of C. fimbriata. The application of chitosan effectively controlled the C. fimbriata development in sweet potato TRs 17 days of storage 25 °C. Phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity were clearly enhanced by the chitosan treatment, while the malondialdehyde (MDA) production was not increased. These findings suggest that chitosan effectively controlled the infection of C. fimbriata in sweet potato TRs owing to its antifungal and eliciting properties, which induced some defense responses during storage.

Genomic Profiling of Adult and Pediatric B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Genomic landscapes of 92 adult and 111 pediatric patients with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) were investigated using next-generation sequencing and copy number alteration analysis. Recurrent gene mutations and fusions were tested in an additional 87 adult and 93 pediatric patients. Among the 29 newly identified in-frame gene fusions, those involving MEF2D and ZNF384 were clinically relevant and were demonstrated to perturb B-cell differentiation, with EP300-ZNF384 inducing leukemia in mice. Eight gene expression subgroups associated with characteristic genetic abnormalities were identified, including leukemia with MEF2D and ZNF384 fusions in two distinct clusters. In subgroup G4 which was characterized by ERG deletion, DUX4-IGH fusion was detected in most cases. This comprehensive dataset allowed us to compare the features of molecular pathogenesis between adult and pediatric B-ALL and to identify signatures possibly related to the inferior outcome of adults to that of children. We found that, besides the known discrepancies in frequencies of prognostic markers, adult patients had more cooperative mutations and greater enrichment for alterations of epigenetic modifiers and genes linked to B-cell development, suggesting difference in the target cells of transformation between adult and pediatric patients and may explain in part the disparity in their responses to treatment.

Noninvasive Free Flap Monitoring Using Eulerian Video Magnification.

Eulerian Video Magnification (EVM) can enhance subtle changes in videos to reveal what was once invisible to the naked eye. In this proof of concept study, we investigated using EVM as a novel form of free flap monitoring. Free flaps with skin paddles were filmed in the operating room with manipulation of their pedicles. In a representative 77-year-old female who received a latissimus dorsi-serratus-rib composite free flap, EVM was able to detect blockage of arterial or venous supply instantaneously, providing a visible representation through degree of color change in videos. EVM has the potential to serve as a powerful free flap monitoring tool with the benefit of being noninvasive, sensitive, easy-to-use, and nearly cost-free.

Arsenic trioxide rewires mantle cell lymphoma response to bortezomib.

Although most of the mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) patients initially responded well to bortezomib (BTZ), the dose-dependent toxicities have greatly limited the application of BTZ to MCL. To investigate the efficacy and mechanism of arsenic trioxide (ATO) with BTZ in inducing apoptosis of MCL cells, two MCL cell lines, along with primary cells from MCL patients (n = 4), were used. Additionally, the NOD-SCID mice xenograft model of Jeko-1 cells was established to study the anti-MCL mechanisms in an in vivo setting. ATO treatment highly improved BTZ capacity to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis of MCL cells. Furthermore, the interaction of Noxa and Mcl-1 leads Bak to release from Mcl-1 or from Bcl-xl, which could further activate Bak and Bax and then induce cell apoptosis. We also found that when lower doses of BTZ were used in combination with ATO, more effective proapoptotic effects in both the cell lines and the primary cells were obtained compared to the effects of BTZ used alone at higher doses. Simultaneously, the combination of these two drugs delayed the tumor growth in mice more effectively than BTZ alone. The cooperative anti-MCL effects of this combination therapy both in vitro and in vivo strongly provided a new strategy to the clinical treatment of MCL.

A distinct glucose metabolism signature of acute myeloid leukemia with prognostic value.

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a group of hematological malignancies with high heterogeneity. There is an increasing need to improve the risk stratification of AML patients, including those with normal cytogenetics, using molecular biomarkers. Here, we report a metabolomics study that identified a distinct glucose metabolism signature with 400 AML patients and 446 healthy controls. The glucose metabolism signature comprises a panel of 6 serum metabolite markers, which demonstrated prognostic value in cytogenetically normal AML patients. We generated a prognosis risk score (PRS) with 6 metabolite markers for each patient using principal component analysis. A low PRS was able to predict patients with poor survival independently of well-established markers. We further compared the gene expression patterns of AML blast cells between low and high PRS groups, which correlated well to the metabolic pathways involving the 6 metabolite markers, with enhanced glycolysis and tricarboxylic [corrected] acid cycle at gene expression level in low PRS group. In vitro results demonstrated enhanced glycolysis contributed to decreased sensitivity to antileukemic agent arabinofuranosyl cytidine (Ara-C), whereas inhibition of glycolysis suppressed AML cell proliferation and potentiated cytotoxicity of Ara-C. Our study provides strong evidence for the use of serum metabolites and metabolic pathways as novel prognostic markers and potential therapeutic targets for AML.

FTY720 induces apoptosis of M2 subtype acute myeloid leukemia cells by targeting sphingolipid metabolism and increasing endogenous ceramide levels.

The M2 subtype Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML-M2) with t(8;21) represents an unmet challenge because of poor clinical outcomes in a sizable portion of patients. In this study,we report that FTY720 (Fingolimod), a sphingosine analogue and an FDA approved drug for treating of multiple sclerosis, shows antitumorigenic activity against the Kasumi-1 cell line, xenograft mouse models and leukemic blasts isolated from AML-M2 patients with t(8;21) translocation. Primary investigation indicated that FTY720 caused cell apoptosis through caspases and protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) activation. Transcriptomic profiling further revealed that FTY720 treatment could upregulate AML1 target genes and interfere with genes involved in ceramide synthesis. Treatment with FTY720 led to the elimination of AML1-ETO oncoprotein and caused cell cycle arrest. More importantly, FTY720 treatment resulted in rapid and significant increase of pro-apoptotic ceramide levels, determined by high-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry based lipidomic approaches. Structural simulation model had also indicated that the direct binding of ceramide to inhibitor 2 of PP2A (I2PP2A) could reactivate PP2A and cause cell death. This study demonstrates, for the first time, that accumulation of ceramide plays a central role in FTY720 induced cell death of AML-M2 with t(8;21). Targeting sphingolipid metabolism by using FTY720 may provide novel insight for the drug development of treatment for AML-M2 leukemia.

[Cytotoxicity and its mechanism of zinc oxide nanoparticles on human leukemic monocyte lymphoma cell line U937].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the cytotoxicity and its mechanism of ZnO nanoparticles on human leukemic monocyte lymphoma cell line U937. METHODS: Four different size ZnO (10, 30, 60, 500 nm) were carefully characterized. The survival rate and viability were measured by trypan blue assay and MTT assay for each size ZnO particles at different concentrations (12, 120, 240, 600, 1200 µmol/L). The zinc probe, Fluozin-3, was used to detect the intracellular free zinc. Transmission electron microscopy was adopted to observe the cellular ultrastructure and the uptake of ZnO. RESULTS: All four kinds of ZnO were rod shape, with a purity of > 99.9 wt%, and they were classified as zincite phase crystal and their surface areas were in accordance with the sizes. The viability (ZnO-n10: (97 ± 19)%, (91 ± 4)%, (24 ± 4)%, (15 ± 2)%; ZnO-n30: (111 ± 4)%, (81 ± 3)%, (24 ± 2)%, (27 ± 8)%; ZnO-n60: (105 ± 11)%, (73 ± 20)%, (43 ± 11)%, (28 ± 14)%; ZnO-µm: (88 ± 16)%, (62 ± 7)%, (22 ± 4)%, (13 ± 5)%) of cells exposed to ZnO decreased with the increasing of the concentration of ZnO from 12 to 600 µmol/L (r values were 0.965, 0.979, 0.998, 0.992, and the t values were 19.8, 25.3, 76.3, 40.9, respectively, P < 0.05). The liability (ZnO-n10: (98 ± 1)%, (67 ± 2)%, (59 ± 7)%, (13 ± 13)%, (5 ± 4)%; ZnO-n30: (98 ± 1)%, (97 ± 2)%, (50 ± 3)%, (20 ± 14)%, (7 ± 2)%; ZnO-n60: (97 ± 2)%, (88 ± 5)%, (48 ± 10)%, (12 ± 5)%, (4 ± 1)%; ZnO-µm: (96 ± 1)%, (76 ± 3)%, (58 ± 3)%, (19 ± 5)%, (20 ± 10)%) of cells exposed to ZnO decreased with the increasing of the concentration of ZnO from 12 to 600 µmol/L (r valued at 0.982, 0.956, 0.972, 0.980, and the t valued at 19.3, 12.1, 15.6, 18.5, respectively, P < 0.05). The increase of the zinc concentration showed by the zinc fluorescence probe was 121 ± 11, which was similar to the fluorescence of cells treated with ZnAc(2) (132 ± 14, F = 0.6, P > 0.05) at the Zn-equivalent concentration. There was no statistic difference for the percents of high zinc content cells in total cells exposed to ZnO-n30 (87.6 ± 2.6)% and these exposed to ZnAc(2) (86.9 ± 3.2)% (F = 1.5, P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: ZnO nanoparticles are highly cytotoxic to U937 cells and the solubilization of ZnO is the main toxicological mechanism.

An evolutionarily conserved PTEN-C/EBPalpha-CTNNA1 axis controls myeloid development and transformation.

Loss of function of tumor suppressor genes, such as PTEN, CEBPAlpha, and CTNNA1 (encoding the alpha-catenin protein), has been found to play an essential role in leukemogenesis. However, whether these genes genetically interact remains largely unknown. Here, we show that PTEN-mammalian target of rapamycin signaling acts upstream to dictate the ratio of wild-type p42 C/EBPalpha to its dominant-negative p30 isoform, which critically determines whether p30 C/EBPalpha (lower p42/p30 ratio) or p42 C/EBPalpha (higher p42/p30 ratio) binds to the proximal promoter of the retained CTNNA1 allele. Binding of p30 C/EBPalpha recruits the polycomb repressive complex 2 to suppress CTNNA1 transcription through repressive H3K27me3 modification, whereas binding of p42 C/EBPalpha relieves this repression and promotes CTNNA1 expression through activating H3K4me3 modification. Loss of Pten function in mice and zebrafish induces myelodysplasia with abnormal invasiveness of myeloid progenitors accompanied by significant reductions in both wild-type C/EBPalpha and alpha-catenin protein. Importantly, frame-shift mutations in either PTEN or CEBPA were detected exclusively in the primary LICs with low CTNNA1 expression. This study uncovers a novel molecular pathway, PTEN-C/EBPalpha-CTNNA1, which is evolutionarily conserved and might be therapeutically targeted to eradicate LICs with low CTNNA1 expression.

Long-term efficacy and safety of all-trans retinoic acid/arsenic trioxide-based therapy in newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia.

All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA)/arsenic trioxide (ATO) combination-based therapy has benefitted newly diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) in short-term studies, but the long-term efficacy and safety remained unclear. From April 2001, we have followed 85 patients administrated ATRA/ATO with a median follow-up of 70 months. Eighty patients (94.1%) entered complete remission (CR). Kaplan-Meier estimates of the 5-year event-free survival (EFS) and overall survival (OS) for all patients were 89.2% +/- 3.4% and 91.7% +/- 3.0%, respectively, and the 5-year relapse-free survival (RFS) and OS for patients who achieved CR (n = 80) were 94.8% +/- 2.5% and 97.4% +/- 1.8%, respectively. Upon ATRA/ATO, prognosis was not influenced by initial white blood cell count, distinct PML-RARalpha types, or FLT3 mutations. The toxicity profile was mild and reversible. No secondary carcinoma was observed, and 24 months after the last dose of ATRA/ATO, patients had urine arsenic concentrations well below the safety limit. These results demonstrate the high efficacy and minimal toxicity of ATRA/ATO treatment for newly diagnosed APL in long-term follow-up, suggesting a potential frontline therapy for de novo APL.

[Comparisons of conventional and normalized calculation of quantitative real-time RT-PCR detecting PML-RAR alpha fusion gene in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia].

OBJECTIVE: To optimize the calculation of quantitative real time RT-PCR (Q-RT-PCR) of PML-RARalpha in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) for molecular monitoring of minimal residual disease (MRD). METHODS: By using both regular reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Q-RT-PCR, the expression levels of PML-RARalpha transcripts were measured before and after treatment. The conventional Q-RT-PCR calculation was directly compared the post-treatment transcript level with the respective pre-treatment one (DoseN) in the individual patient while the standardized calculation was based on the calculation of standardized pre-treatment DoseN of all patients. RESULTS: In 181 samples from 31 patients, the results of log-reduction of PML-RARa after induction, at the end of consolidation and during maintenance by conventional method were (1.9 +/- 1.9), (4.8 +/- 1.3) and (5.7 +/- 0.4), respectively, while by standardized method were (2.0 +/- 1.9), (4.9 +/- 1.4) and (5.7 +/- 0.1), respectively. Of notice, the result was with significant less variation of the latter methods during maintenance therapy. Moreover, with defined criteria of molecular response (3.0-4.9 log-reduction as minor and > or = 5.0 log-reduction as major molecular response), the standardized method was validated in clinical settings. CONCLUSION: The standardized method is superior to the conventional method for calculation of Q-RT-PCR results. The new method can reduce the individual variation in monitoring the MRD and is feasible even for patients with unavailable pre-treatment samples.

[FLT3 internal tandem duplication in patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia].

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the mutation of FLT3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3-ITD) in bone marrow cells from patients with newly-diagnosed acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). METHODS: The mutation of FLT3-ITD in bone marrow mononuclear cells (MNCs) from 103 APL patients were screened by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the clinical features of ITD positive patients were analyzed. RESULTS: FLT3-ITD mutations were identified in 19.4% (20/103) patients. It was associated with short/variant form of PML-RAR alpha isoforms (P < 0.0001). Among the 20 patients with FLT3-ITD mutation, 16 presented with short, 2 with variant and 2 with long form of PML-RAR alpha isoforms. Patients with FLT3-ITD mutation also presented significantly higher initial peripheral white blood cell count (WBC) (P < 0.01), especially in those with short/variant PML-RAR alpha isoforms (P = 0.015). For patients with long form PML-RAR alpha, there was no significant difference in initial WBC. Out of FLT3-ITD positive patients, 18/20 (90%) obtained complete remission and 16 evaluable patients (2 lost follow-up) remained in first remission in a median follow-up of 26 (11-47) months. CONCLUSION: FLT3-ITDs are frequently identified in patients with newly diagnosed APL. FLT3-ITD mutation is associated with short/variant form of PML-RAR alpha fusion gene and higher initial WBC. No significant impact on treatment outcome was observed with a limited follow-up.

[Bio-effects of water soluble taurine multi-wall carbon nanotubes on lungs of mice].

OBJECTIVE: To track the translocation of water soluble taurine multi-wall carbon nanotubes (14C-tau-MWCNTs) in lungs of the Kunming mice and evaluate the acute lung toxicity of intratracheally instilled tau-MWCNTs in Kunming mice. METHODS: Healthy adult Kunming mice were randomly grouped by their body weight (5 mice in each group). The lungs of mice were intratracheally instilled with 0.125, 0.25, 0.5 and 1 mg/kg of water soluble tau-MWCNTs and phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) as negative control. After exposure of 1, 7, 14 and 28 days, the blood and lung tissue were collected. Blood were assessed by using biochemical biomarkers of alkaline phosphatase (ALP), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE). Lung tissues were assessed by histopathology. The intratracheal instillation of 14C-tau-MWCNTs was conducted in the same way, after 1, 3, 7, 14, 21, 28 days, 14C-activity of the samples was counted in several organs, tissues, blood and feces etc. RESULTS: 14C-activities were detected only in lungs, and with the exposure time proceeding the radioactivity descending from (80 +/- 7.7)% of the 1st day to (22 +/- 6.9)% of the 28th day. Activity of all groups of ALP and LDH went to the highest level on the 7th day postexposure, and back to the control level on the 28th day post-exposure, but LDH of 1 mg/kg group[(14.18 +/- 1.70) micromol x s(-1) x L(-1)] was still higher than that of control [(10.95 +/- 3.51) micromol x s(-1) x L(-1)] after 28 days' exposure. There was no significant changes observed in the activity of ACE. Histopathology found that lungs of all groups presented significant increase in pulmonary inflammation, lung cell proliferation. Many tau-MWCNTs were clearly found in some alveolar macrophages and bronchial epithelial cells. CONCLUSION: Intratracheal instillation of water soluble tau-MWCNTs could induce slight bio-effects on lungs of Kunming mice.