Adenosine diphosphate ribose cyclase: An important regulator of human pathological and physiological processes.

Adenosine diphosphate ribose cyclase (ADPRC) exists widely in eukaryotes and lower metazoans cells. It can degrade nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) into cyclic ADP ribose (cADPR) and nicotinamide, and subsequently hydrolyses cADPR to ADP ribose (ADPR). In this paper, we have summarized the relative subcellular localization of ADPRC and enzymes with ADPRC activity in organisms, related enzyme family members of ADPRC are also described. In addition, we discussed the main biological functions of ADPRC, the regulation of Ca2+ signal, the regulation of insulin and glucagon secretion, oxytocin secretion, and the effects of renal and pulmonary vasomotor tension. Finally, we expounded the relationship between ADPRC and human health and disease occurrence. It provides a theoretical basis for the targeted treatment of ADPRC as a pharmacological tool for related diseases, and has important significance in clinical diagnosis and disease intervention.

PD-1 and PD-L1 gene expressions and their association with Epstein-Barr virus infection in chronic lymphocytic leukemia

PurposeThe PD-1 (programmed cell death-1) receptor is expressed on the surface of activated T cells. Its ligand, programmed cell death ligand-1 (PD-L1), is expressed on the surface of dendritic cells or macrophages. The PD-1/PD-L1 interaction ensures prevention of autoimmunity by activating the immune system only when needed. In cancers, PD-L1 expressed on the tumour cells binds to PD-1 receptors on the activated T cells, leading to inhibition of the cytotoxic T cells and immunosuppression. PD-1/PD-L1 pathway is upregulated in EBV infection that is known to worsen the CLL prognosis. Therefore, we aimed to study the association between PD-1 and PD-L1 expressions, EBV status and the CLL prognosis.Methods and patientsThe study was conducted on 80 newly diagnosed CLL patients and 80 controls. We analyzed PD-1 and PD-L1 expressions and EBV-DNA load by real-time PCR. The cytogenetic abnormalities and expression of ZAP70 and CD38 were detected by FISH and Flow cytometry, respectively.ResultsPD-1/PD-L1 expressions were significantly upregulated in CLL patients compared to controls. In addition, their mRNA levels were significantly higher in EBV( +) versus EBV( −) patients. High expression of PD-1/PD-L1 was associated with poor prognostic markers (RAI stages of CLL, del 17p13, ZAP70, and CD38 expression), failure of complete remission, shorter progression-free survival, and overall survival.ConclusionHigh expression of PD-1 and PD-L1, together with high EBD-DNA load were linked to worse prognosis in CLL. In addition, PD-1 and PD-L1 might represent suitable therapeutic targets for patients suffering from aggressive CLL. (AU)

Diagnosis of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria with flowcytometry panels including CD157: Data from the real world.

BACKGROUND: Several studies have used CD157 in white blood cells with or without proaerolysin (fluorescein-labeled proaerolysin [FLAER])-based flow cytometry assays in the diagnosis of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH). METHODS: We designed a seven-color CD marker panel comprising FLAER, CD15, CD64, CD24, CD14, CD157, and CD45 to verify CD157's clinical applicability and diagnostic performance in a clinical setting. RESULTS: A total of 356 samples were tested. These included 43 PNH-positive samples and 313 PNH-negative samples. PNH clones confirmed by the CD157/FLAER combination were almost identical in size to the clones detected by the CD24/CD14/FLAER combination, and the accuracy of the CD157/FLAER combination was 100% in granulocytes and 99.7% in monocytes. Substitution of FLAER with CD157 resulted in 1.9% and 3.5% false-positives in granulocytes and monocytes, respectively. The accuracy was 98.3% and 96.9% in granulocytes and monocytes, respectively. Moreover, the loss of CD157 expression in granulocytes and monocytes was commonly observed in non-PNH patients. Some monocytes in non-PNH patients had weak expression of CD14 but normal expression of FLAER. In this study, PNH clones in granulocytes were always lower than those in matched monocytes. CONCLUSIONS: We performed the first prospective exploration of the clinical usefulness of FLAER and CD157 in simultaneously recognizing PNH clones in granulocytes and monocytes and verified the applicability of CD157 in substitute for both CD14 and CD24. In the conditions where FLAER is not available, substitution of FLAER with CD157 is acceptable for the identification of PNH clones under the premise of giving full attention to the potential for false-positives.

Vitamin A Deficiency Induces Autistic-Like Behaviors in Rats by Regulating the RARß-CD38-Oxytocin Axis in the Hypothalamus.

SCOPE: Vitamin A (VA) is an essential nutrient for the development of the brain. We previously found that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a significant rate of VA deficiency (VAD). In the current study, we aim to determine whether VAD is a risk factor for the generation of autistic-like behaviors via the transcription factor retinoic acid receptor beta (RARß)-regulated cluster of differentiation 38 (CD38)-oxytocin (OXT) axis. METHODS AND RESULTS: Gestational VAD or VA supplementation (VAS) rat models are established, and the autistic-like behaviors in the offspring rats are investigated. The different expression levels of RARß and CD38 in hypothalamic tissue and serum retinol and OXT concentration are tested. Primary cultured rat hypothalamic neurons are treated with all-trans retinoic acid (atRA), and recombinant adenoviruses carrying the rat RARß (AdRARß) or RNA interference virus RARß-siRNA (siRARß) are used to infect neurons to change RARß signal. Western blotting, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP), and intracellular Ca2+ detections are used to investigate the primary regulatory mechanism of RARß in the CD38-OXT signaling pathway. We found that gestational VAD increases autistic-like behaviors and decreases the expression levels of hypothalamic RARß and CD38 and serum OXT levels in the offspring. VAS ameliorates these autistic-like behaviors and increases the expression levels of RARß, CD38, and OXT in the gestational VAD pups. In vitro, atRA increases the Ca2+ excitability of neurons, which might further promote the release of OXT. Different CD38 levels are induced in the neurons by infection with different RARß adenoviruses. Furthermore, atRA enhances the binding of RARß to the proximal promoter of CD38, indicating a potential upregulation of CD38 transcriptional activity by RARß. CONCLUSIONS: Gestational VAD might be a risk factor for autistic-like behaviors due to the RARß signal suppression of CD38 expression in the hypothalamus of the offspring, which improves with VAS during the early-life period. The nutritional status during pregnancy and the early-life period is important in rats.

CD157 enhances malignant pleural mesothelioma aggressiveness and predicts poor clinical outcome.

Malignant mesothelioma is a deadly tumor whose diagnosis and treatment remain very challenging. There is an urgent need to advance our understanding of mesothelioma biology and to identify new molecular markers for improving management of patients. CD157 is a membrane glycoprotein linked to ovarian cancer progression and mesenchymal differentiation. The common embryonic origin of ovarian epithelial cells and mesothelial cells and the evident similarities between ovarian and mesothelial cancer prompted us to investigate the biological role and clinical significance of CD157 in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). CD157 mRNA and protein were detected in four of nine MPM cell lines of diverse histotype and in 85.2% of MPM surgical tissue samples (32/37 epithelioid; 37/44 biphasic). CD157 expression correlated with clinical aggressiveness in biphasic MPM. Indeed, high CD157 was a negative prognostic factor and an independent predictor of poor survival for patients with biphasic MPM by multivariate survival analysis (HR = 2.433, 95% CI 1.120-5.284; p = 0.025). In mesothelioma cell lines, CD157 gain (in CD157-negative cells) or knockdown (in CD157-positive cells) affected cell growth, migration, invasion and tumorigenicity, most notably in biphasic MPM cell lines. In these cells, CD157 expression was associated with increased activation of the mTOR signaling pathway, resulting in decreased platinum sensitivity. Moreover, a trend towards reduced survival was observed in patients with biphasic MPM receiving postoperative platinum-based chemotherapy. These findings indicate that CD157 is implicated in multiple aspects of MPM progression and suggest that CD157 expression could be used to stratify patients into different prognostic groups or to select patients that might benefit from particular chemotherapeutic approach.

Use of CD157 in FLAER-based assays for high-sensitivity PNH granulocyte and PNH monocyte detection.

BACKGROUND: Recent Flow Cytometric guidelines to detect Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH) in white blood cells recommend using FLAER-based assays to detect granulocytes and monocytes lacking expression of GPI-linked structures. However national proficiency testing results continue to suggest a need for improved testing algorithms, including the need to optimize diagnostic analytes in PNH. METHODS: CD157 is another GPI-linked structure expressed on both granulocytes and monocytes and here we assess its ability to replace CD24 and CD14 in predicate 4-color granulocyte and monocyte assays respectively. We also assess a single tube, 5-color combination of FLAER, CD157, CD64, CD15, and CD45 to simultaneously detect PNH clones in granulocyte and monocyte lineages. RESULTS: Delineation of PNH from normal phenotypes with 4- or 5-color CD157-based assays compared favorably with 4-color predicate methods and PNH clone size data were similar and highly correlated (R(2) >0.99) with predicate values over a range (0.06%-99.8%) of samples. Both CD157-based assays exhibited similar high levels of sensitivity and low background levels in normal samples. CONCLUSIONS: While CD157-based 4- and 5-color assays generated closely similar results to the predicate assays on a range of PNH and normal samples, the 5-color assay has significant advantages. Only a single 5-color WBC reagent cocktail is required to detect both PNH granulocytes and monocytes. Additionally, sample preparation and analysis time is reduced yielding significant efficiencies in technical resources and reagent costs. All 4- and 5-color reagent sets stained stabilized whole blood PNH preparations, used in external quality assurance programs.

Erythrocyte CD38 as a prognostic marker in cancer.

BACKGROUND: Surface antigen CD38 which is a multifunctional protein with enzymatic and receptorial properties is involved in many processes of cell proliferation and activation. It is widely expressed within the hematopoetic system, and its expression is stimulated by proinflammatory cytokines. CD38-associated enzymatic activities in erythrocytes from cancer patients were investigated in this context. METHODS: Erythrocyte NAD glycohydrolase and ADP-ribosyl cyclase activities in normal individuals and cancer patients were compared and correlation of these activities to CEA values and anemia were determined. Changes in CD38-expression were followed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis of erythrocyte membrane proteins. RESULTS: Erythrocyte NAD glycohydrolase and ADP-ribosyl cyclase activities were significantly increased in cancer, in parallel to enhancement of CD38 expression and in correlation with CEA values and anemia. CONCLUSIONS: An increased expression of CD38 which may be due to action of proinflammatory cytokines produced in tumor-host reactions appears to account for the elevations in erythrocyte CD38-associated enzyme activities in cancer patients. The changes in these enzyme activities may provide a prognostic outlook in view of their apparently close correlation to tumor progressions.

Lymphotoxin-independent expression of TNF-related activation-induced cytokine by stromal cells in cryptopatches, isolated lymphoid follicles, and Peyer's patches.

Stromal cells play a crucial role in the organogenesis of lymphoid tissues. We previously identified VCAM-1(+) stromal cells in cryptopatches (CP) and isolated lymphoid follicles (ILF) in the small intestine of C57BL/6 mice. Nonhemopoietic stromal cell networks in CP and ILF of adult mice also expressed FDC-M1, CD157 (BP-3), and TNF-related activation-induced cytokine (TRANCE). Individual stromal cells were heterogeneous in their expression of these markers, with not all stromal cells expressing the entire set of stromal cell markers. Expression of VCAM-1, FDC-M1, and CD157 on CP stromal cells was absent in alymphoplasia mice deficient in NF-kappaB-inducing kinase (NIK) and NIK knockout mice. Administration of lymphotoxin beta receptor (LTbetaR)-Ig to wild-type mice on day 13 resulted in the absence of CP on day 20; delaying administration of LTbetaR-Ig until day 18 resulted in an 80% decrease in the number of CP on day 22 and diminished expression of VCAM-1, FDC-M1, and CD157 on the remaining CP. In sharp contrast, TRANCE expression by stromal cells was completely independent of NIK and LTbetaR. In addition, expression of TRANCE in ILF was concentrated just beneath the follicle-associated epithelium, a pattern of polarization that was also observed in Peyer's patches. These findings suggest that TRANCE on stromal cells contributes to the differentiation and maintenance of organized lymphoid aggregates in the small intestine.

Mesenchymal lineage precursor cells induce vascular network formation in ischemic myocardium.

Mesenchymal lineage precursors can be reproducibly isolated from adult mammalian bone marrow and grown in culture. Immunoselection with monoclonal antibodies against STRO-1 and vascular-cell-adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM1/CD106) prior to expansion results in a 1,000-fold enrichment of mesenchymal precursors compared to standard isolation techniques. Intramyocardial injection of human STRO-1-selected precursors in an athymic rat model of acute myocardial infarction results in induction of vascular network formation and arteriogenesis coupled with global functional cardiac recovery.

High stem cell frequency in acute myeloid leukemia at diagnosis predicts high minimal residual disease and poor survival.

PURPOSE: In CD34-positive acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the leukemia-initiating event originates from the CD34(+)CD38(-) stem cell compartment. Survival of these cells after chemotherapy may lead to minimal residual disease (MRD) and subsequently to relapse. Therefore, the prognostic impact of stem cell frequency in CD34-positive AML was investigated. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: First, the leukemogenic potential of unpurified CD34(+)CD38(-) cells, present among other cells, was investigated in vivo using nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice transplantation experiments. Second, we analyzed whether the CD34(+)CD38(-) compartment at diagnosis correlates with MRD frequency after chemotherapy and clinical outcome in 92 AML patients. RESULTS: In vivo data showed that engraftment of AML blasts in nonobese diabetic/severe combined immunodeficient mice directly correlated with stem cell frequency of the graft. In patients, a high percentage of CD34(+)CD38(-) stem cells at diagnosis significantly correlated with a high MRD frequency, especially after the third course of chemotherapy. Also, it directly correlated with poor survival. In contrast, total CD34(+) percentage showed no such correlations. CONCLUSIONS: Both in vivo data, as well as the correlation studies, show that AML stem cell frequency at diagnosis offers a new prognostic factor. From our data, it is tempting to hypothesize that a large CD34(+)CD38(-) population at diagnosis reflects a higher percentage of chemotherapy-resistant cells that will lead to the outgrowth of MRD, thereby affecting clinical outcome. Ultimately, future therapies should be directed toward malignant stem cells.

CD38 as a prognostic marker in CLL.

Cell-surface expression of CD38 in CLL has been recognised recently as a marker of progressive disease and poor outcome. In contrast to traditional staging systems, CD38 is able to identify progressive cases at an early stage. Measurement of CD38, in conjunction with other novel prognostic factors such as p53 and ZAP-70 helps to identify patients who might benefit from early and more intensive therapy. In addition, CD38 positivity can predict unmutated IgVH gene mutation status in most cases. These features, together with its easy applicability, render CD38 a valuable tool in the routine diagnostics of CLL. Questions remaining to be clarified about CD38 include the incidence and significance of its variations during the course of the disease, the optimal method to define CD38 positivity and the impact of different methodologies on results. Only after these issues are resolved can the definitive place of CD38 be defined in the diagnostics of CLL.

The maturation of myeloma cells correlates with sensitivity to chemotherapeutic agents.

We analyzed both morphologic and phenotypic findings of myeloma cells before and after chemotherapy in 21 patients with multiple myeloma. The morphologic analysis was based on the Greipp classification, and phenotypic analysis was performed by 3-color flow cytometry using the CD38 plasma gating method (Marrow plasma 38). Results with flow cytometry using a combination of MPC1, CD49e, and CD45 supported the morphologic findings for the myeloma cells. Treatment with 3 or 4 cycles of VAD (vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone) therapy was effective in reducing the total numbers of myeloma cells, but the proportion of immature myeloma cells increased after this treatment. However, the immature myeloma cells were reduced by high-dose melphalan (HD-Mel) therapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). High-dose cyclophosphamide treatment for stem cell harvesting did not show an effect on the residual immature myeloma cells after VAD treatment. In addition, thalidomide was not effective in reducing the numbers of immature myeloma cells. These results suggest that VAD (3 or 4 cycles) therapy plus HD-Mel followed by ASCT is a reasonable treatment for multiple myeloma and that Marrow plasma 38 analysis is a useful method for monitoring the response of multiple myeloma to chemotherapy.

Combined analysis of ZAP-70 and CD38 expression as a predictor of disease progression in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Prognostic predictions in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) at early clinical stage are based on biological disease parameters, such as ZAP-70 and CD38 protein levels, genomic aberrations as well as immunoglobulin variable heavy chain gene (IgV(H)) mutation status. In the current study, ZAP-70 and CD38 expressions were examined by flow cytometry in 252 patients with B-CLL. Cytoplasmic ZAP-70 expression in more than 20% (ZAP-70(+)) and surface CD38 expression on more than 30% (CD38(+)) of B-CLL cells were associated with an unfavorable clinical course. The levels of ZAP-70 and CD38 did not change over time in the majority of patients where sequential samples were available for analysis. Combined analysis of ZAP-70 and CD38 yielded discordant results in 73 patients (29.0%), whereas 120 patients (47.6%) were concordantly negative and 59 patients (23.4%) were concordantly positive for ZAP-70 and CD38 expression. Median treatment-free survival times in patients whose leukemic cells were ZAP-70(+)CD38(+) was 30 months as compared to 130 months in patients with a ZAP-70(-)CD38(-) status. In patients with discordant ZAP-70/CD38 results, the median treatment-free survival time was 43 months. Thus, ZAP-70 and CD38 expression analyses provided complementary prognostic information identifying three patient subgroups with good, intermediate and poor prognosis. Over-representation of high-risk genomic aberrations such as 17p deletion or 11q deletion and distribution of the IgV(H) mutation status in B-CLL discordant for ZAP-70/CD38 pointed toward a distinct biologic background of the observed disease subgroups. This finding was also supported by microarray-based gene expression profiling in a subset of 35 patients. The expression of 37 genes differed significantly between the three groups defined by their expression of ZAP-70 and CD38, including genes that are involved in regulation of cell survival and chemotherapy resistance.

Interleukin-4 up-regulates T-tropic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 transcription in primary CD4+ CD38+ T-lymphocyte subset.

The capacity of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) to infect resting cells and to produce progeny particles may contribute significantly to its pathogenicity in vivo. We previously reported that primary culture of resting CD4(+) CD38(+) T-lymphocyte subset had higher production rate of CXCR4-using (X4) HIV-1 than CD4(+) CD38(-) subset. Interleukin (IL)-4 highly contributed to the up-regulation of the X4 virus production in the CD38(+) subset. Here, we show evidences that IL-4 treatment of both resting CD38(+) and CD38(-) subsets allowed the adsorption, entry, and integration of X4 virus at similar rates, while the following viral transcription rate was significantly lower in the CD38(-) than CD38(+) subset. Treatment of the CD38 subsets with IL-4 or phytohemagglutinin revealed no association of X4 virus replication ability in the subsets with classic T-cell activation or proliferation. Interestingly, the activator protein (AP)-1 was significantly activated in the CD38(+) subset after IL-4 treatment, while both nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB and signal transducers and activator of transcription (STAT)-6 were activated in the IL-4-treated CD38(-) and CD38(-) subsets at similar levels. Thus, IL-4-dependent X4 HIV-1 transcription occurs efficiently in the CD38(+) but not CD38(-) subset of CD4(+) population and AP-1 could play a significant role on viral transcription, leading to the up-regulated X4 virus production in the CD38(+) subset.

Role of the second-messenger cyclic-adenosine 5'-diphosphate-ribose on adrenocorticotropin secretion from pituitary cells.

We examined the role of the second-messenger cyclic-ADP-ribose (cADPR) on the regulation of ACTH secretion using AtT20 corticotroph tumor cell line. We found that the cADPR antagonist, 8-Br-cADPR, substantially diminished the secretion of ACTH induced by CRH and potassium in these cells, whereas xestospongin C, an inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate receptor antagonist, had no effect. In addition, the cADPR agonist, 3-deaza-cADPR, augmented ACTH secretion. The presence of the components of the cADPR system, namely ryanodine receptor, CD38, and cADPR itself, was determined in AtT20 cells. Furthermore, we observed that antagonists of the ryanodine channel and cADPR system can decrease the potassium-induced Ca2+ transients in these cells. These results suggest that cADPR is a second messenger in pituitary cells and regulates ACTH secretion by a mechanism dependent on activation of the ryanodine channel by extracellular Ca2+.

Plasmacellular differentiation in extranodal marginal zone B cell lymphomas of the ocular adnexa: an analysis of the neoplastic plasma cell phenotype and its prognostic significance in 136 cases.

AIM: To determine (a) the expression of plasma cell related antigens in extranodal marginal zone B cell lymphomas (EMZL) of the ocular adnexa; and (b) the prognostic value of plasmacellular differentiation in these tumours. METHODS: A consecutive case series of 136 ocular adnexal EMZL obtained from three ocular pathology centres over 20 years was analysed retrospectively. An extensive immunohistochemical panel, including the plasma cell related antigens VS38c, CD38, CD138, multiple myeloma oncogene-1-protein (MUM1/IRF4), and CREB binding protein (CBP) was performed. EMZL were defined as "plasmacellular differentiated" on the basis of morphological features, evidence of cytoplasmic immunoglobulin, negativity for BSAP/PAX5, and expression of at least one of the investigated plasma cell related antigens. Controls included normal or hyperplastic lymphatic tissues. Detailed clinical data were collected for most patients, and compared with the results of immunohistochemistry. The end points considered for statistical analysis were development of local tumour recurrence, development of systemic disease, and lymphoma related death. RESULTS: 57 (42%) of the 136 ocular adnexal EMZL showed a plasmacellular differentiation; 45 of these plasmacytoid cases were primary tumours. In contrast with most admixed normal plasma cells, which displayed co-expression of MUM1/IRF4, Vs38c, CD38, CD138, and CBP, the plasmacellular differentiated EMZL tumour cells demonstrated co-expression of all five plasma cell related antigens in only six of 57 (11%) plasmacellular differentiated ocular adnexal EMZL. The most commonly expressed plasma cell related antigen was MUM1/IRF4, immunoreactivity being seen in 56/57 (98%) plasmacellular differentiated EMZL examined. Although the association of plasmacellular differentiation in primary ocular adnexal EMZL and disseminated disease was statistically significant on univariate analysis (p = 0.042), this was weaker on multivariate analysis. CONCLUSION: Plasmacellular differentiated tumour cells in EMZL demonstrate an aberrant immune profile for plasma cell related antigens when compared with normal plasma cells. On multivariate analysis, plasmacellular differentiation in ocular adnexal EMZL was not significantly associated with local recurrence, the development of systemic disease, or with lymphoma related death.

Karyotyping, immunophenotyping, and apoptosis analyses on human hematopoietic precursor cells derived from umbilical cord blood following long-term ex vivo expansion.

By means of flow cytometry, CD34+/CD38- hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) were collected from umbilical cord blood (UCB) of 10 healthy women at the time of delivery and cultivated in stem-cell culture media supplemented with cell growth stimulating factors (IL-3, IL-6, GM-CSF, EPO, IGF-1, and SCF) for long periods. Apoptotic status, cell surface marker expression, and karyotypes of the cultured UCB-derived CD34+/CD38- stem-cells were investigated by flow cytometry and GTG-banding methods. The UCB-derived CD34+/CD38- stem-cells were able to divide and proliferate in vitro for at least 6 months. They did not show significantly increased apoptosis following ex vivo expansion for 20 and 32 days, respectively, in 2 cases and retained the same cell surface marker expression pattern (i.e., CD34+ and CD38-) in the majority of the cells of 2 cases following 20 and 37 days of incubation, respectively. In another 2 cases, chromosome analysis showed no evidence of numerical and structural abnormalities in the CD34+/CD38- stem-cells obtained after 20 and 43 days in culture, respectively. Our findings indicated that UCB-derived CD34+/CD38- stemcells are able to maintain their basic biologic and genetic characteristics after dividing and proliferating in vitro for a long period of time. UCB-derived HSC following ex vivo expansion can serve as a reliable resource for hematopoietic precursor cells transplantation.

Evi3, a zinc-finger protein related to EBFAZ, regulates EBF activity in B-cell leukemia.

Retroviral insertions that activate proto-oncogenes are a primary cause of tumors in certain strains of mice. The AKXD recombinant inbred mice are predisposed to a variety of leukemias and lymphomas as a result of viral integration. One common insertion site, the ecotropic viral insertion site 3 (Evi3), has been implicated in most B-cell tumors in the AKXD-27 strain. The Evi3 gene encodes a zinc-finger protein with sequence similarity to the Early B-cell Factor-Associated Zinc-finger gene (EBFAZ). We show that the Evi3 gene is overexpressed in several tumors with viral insertions at Evi3, which results in the upregulation of Early B-cell Factor (EBF)-target gene expression, suggesting that Evi3 modulates EBF activity. Reconstitution of primary leukemia cells showed that these tumors express high densities of the B-cell surface proteins CD19 and CD38, which are EBF targets. Using a transactivation assay, we show that the terminal six zinc-fingers of Evi3 are required for modification of EBF activity. This is the first evidence that Evi3 expression in tumors alters the level of EBF target genes, and the first characterization of the Evi3 protein domains required for modulation of EBF activity. Further, these data imply that Evi3 misexpression initiates tumorigenesis by perturbing B-cell development via an interaction with EBF.

Flow cytometric evaluation of bone marrow plasma cells using CD19, CD45, CD56, CD38, and CD138 and correlation with bone marrow infiltration ratio in multiple myeloma patients.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the co-expression of CD19, CD45, CD38, CD56, and CD138 molecules in plasma cells of bone marrow (BM) aspirates and their relation with BM infiltration, and treatment in patients with multiple myeloma by flow cytometry. METHODS: Forty BM aspirate samples were assessed from 40 patients at diagnosis and on follow-up at the Medical Oncology Department, Cukurova University, Balcali Hospital, Turkey, between 2002 and 2004. The mean age was 56.83 +/- 9.1 and male:female ratio was 2.6. All patients received at least 4 courses of VAD(vincristine, adriamycin, dexamethasone) regimens and 20 of them were also treated with high dose melphalan and peripheral autologous stem cell transplantation. The median follow-up period was 19.1 +/- 22.7 months. RESULTS: Using light microscopy the BM smears stained with hematoxylin and eosin from patients on follow up were classified into one of 3 categories, complete remission (CR) (<5%), partial remission (PR) (>5% and <30%), and extensive infiltration (EI) (>30%). According to infiltration ratio 23 were evaluated CR, 2 were PR and 15 were EI. The mean value of CD19 was 6.01 +/- 9.5%, CD56 = 9.9 +/- 6.8%, CD138 = 8.6 +/- 5.6%, CD45 = 84.2 +/- 22.3% and CD38 = 59.5 +/- 25.4%. The flow cytometric analyses revealed that only the mean value of CD38 and CD45 expression were significantly high. We correlated infiltration ratio with each parametric and found statistically significant relations. We also correlated independent variables with each other and found a relation between CD38 and CD19 (p=0.005). We also defined the groups whether treated with peripheral autologous transplantation or not and compared the independent variables between them, in which CD138 was statistically significant (p=0.02). CONCLUSION: We suggest BM plasma cells expressed mainly by CD38 and CD45 may have a role in generation of BM plasma cells and that CD138 expression may be considered in follow-up for minimal residual disease after autologous transplantation in myeloma patients.

[CD38 antigen as a marker for immunological follow-up in HIV-positive patients]. / Antigen CD38 jako ukazatel pro imunologické sledování HIV-pozitivních osob.

BACKGROUND: HIV infection causes chronic activation of cytotoxic CD8+ T-lymphocytes, which is partly responsible for the hallmark of the disease--progressive loss of CD4+ T-lymphocytes. The aim of this study was to evaluate an influence of HIV infection and long-term antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on expression of the activation molecules CD38 on CD8+ T-lymphocytes. METHODS: A group of 16 HIV-positive patients treated with HAART was followed for 12 months. Also, we examined 10 persons with a newly diagnosed HIV infection that were not treated with HAART. Expression of CD38 molecules on CD8+ T-lymphocytes was determined with five-parameter cytometric analysis using monoclonal antibodies as well as their mean fluorescence intensity (MFI). RESULTS: The percentage of CD8+/CD38+ T-lymphocytes in HIV-positive patients treated with HAART significantly decreased during the follow-up period from 46.1 I 3.7 to 35.2 I 3.8 (p = 0,01). Furthermore, the percentage of these cells correlated negatively with the number of CD4+T-lymphocytes at the beginning and the end of the study (r = -0,679, p < 0.01; r = -0,51, p = 0,05, respectively). There was no correlation between these parameters in persons with newly diagnosed HIV infection. However, the percentage of CD8+/CD38+ T-lymphocytes in these patients was significantly higher than in persons treated with HAART (68.5 I 5.3 vs. 35.2 I 3.8, p < 0,01). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the importance of expression of CD38 antigen on CD8+ T-lymphocytes as a biological and clinical marker of HIV infection and indicate its usefulness for monitoring of the efficacy of HAART therapy.