Proteomic profile of pre - B2 lymphoblasts from children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in relation with the translocation (12; 21).

BACKGROUND: Until now, the major prognostic factors for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), age, white blood cell count and chromosomal alterations are initially taken into account for the risk stratification of patients. In the light of protein marker studies to classify subtypes of Acute Myeloblastic Leukemia efficiently, we have compared the lymphoblastes proteome in Childhood ALL in accordance with the presence of t(12;21), indicator of good prognosis, usually. METHODS: Protein expression in pre-B2 lymphoblastic cells, collected from residual bone marrow cells after diagnostic procedures, was analyzed using two dimensional gel electrophoresis protocol. Protein spots whose average normalized volumes were statistically different in the two patients groups (n = 13; student t test p < 0.01), were excised. Tryptic peptides were then analyzed using a nano-LC1200 system coupled to a 6340 Ion Trap mass spectrometer equipped with a HPLC-chip cube interface. The tandem mass spectrometry peak lists extracted using the DataAnalysis program, were compared with the protein database Mascot Daemon. RESULTS: We focused on twelve spots corresponding to sixteen identified candidate proteins among the 26 found differentially expressed (p ≤ 0.05) regarding the presence of t(12;21). Among over expressed proteins, two proteins were implicated in cellular growth arrest (i.e. calponine 2, p ≤ 0.001 and phosphatidylinositol transfer protein beta, p ≤ 0.001) in accordance with good prognosis, while two other proteins favored cell cycle proliferation (i.e. methionine adenosyl transferase 2ß, p ≤ 0.005 and heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleo-proteins A2 p ≤ 0.01) and could therefore be good marker candidates of aggressiveness. Level of expression of proteasome subunit beta type-2 (p ≤ 0.01) and protein casein kinase 2α (p ≤ 0.01) which both favored apoptosis, deubiquitinating enzyme OTUB1 (p ≤ 0.05) and MLL septin-like fusion protein MSF-B, septin 9 i4 (p ≤ 0.01) were in accord with a good prognosis related to t(12;21) lymphoblasts. CONCLUSION: By drawing up the protein map of leukemic cells, these new data identified marker candidates of leukemic aggressiveness and new t(12;21) patients subgroups. These preliminary results will be in the near future confirmed by using a larger sample of pre-B2 childhood ALLs from national lymphoblastic cell collections.

[Proteomics and autoantibody]. / Protéomique et auto-anticorps.

Autoimmune response is diverse. This diversity is thought not to take place at the beginning of the autoimmune process but to occur as the disease evolves. It is mainly the consequence of the so-called epitope-spreading phenomenon and of the cross-reactivity of antibodies. Analysing autoantibody repertoire constitutes a powerful means to understand physiopathological processes at work in various diseases, mainly autoimmune diseases. In particular this analysis opens the way to precisely identify autoantigens and their changes in various pathological situations, and allows providing new biological markers in chronic inflammatory diseases. New methodologies have recently emerged for the analysis of the autoantibody repertoire in a given individual. They propose diagnostic approaches no more related upon few markers but founded upon analysis of global changes of the antibody repertoire. They belong to methodologies called target-oriented proteomics. Their common feature is to isolate autoantigens by means of affinity chromatography based upon antibody/antigen reactions. Autoantibodies to be studied interact with a protein substratum susceptible to include autoantibody targets. These interactions take place on solid macro- or microsurfaces, i.e. membrane filters or chips. Several strategies can be used for locating the specific autoantibody/autoantigen complexes and for identifying behind autoantigens. In this paper three approaches, namely, the recombinant protein chips, the SELDI techniques and the 2-D gel electrophoresis linked to mass spectrometry are described and compared.

In vitro secretion of matrix metalloprotease 9 is a prognostic marker in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) are endopeptidases involved in tumor cell invasion. Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is characterized by its capacity to infiltrate different organs. We analyzed the expression of MMP-2, -9, -14 and TIMP-1 and -2 in a prospective study on 86 children with newly diagnosed ALL (73 B- and 13 T-lineage) and 9 children at relapse with B-ALL. Membrane-bound and intracytoplasmic MMPs and TIMPs were analyzed by flow cytometry, and secreted MMPs were quantified by ELISA. In patients at relapse, MMP-14 was present in a greater proportion of the B-ALL cell population than at diagnosis. In patients with peripheral infiltration, intracytoplasmic MMP-9 was significantly higher than in patients without infiltration. ROC curve and Kaplan-Meier curve analysis showed that a high secretion of MMP-9 (>2450 pg/ml/10(6) cells) was associated with a lower overall survival rate, suggesting that the secretion of MMP-9 is an independent prognostic factor in childhood B-ALL.

Optimization of an animal model of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis achieved with a multiple MOG(35-55)peptide in C57BL6/J strain of mice.

The severity of the experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced by peptide myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein(35-55)(pMOG(35-55)) is thought to be predominantly influenced by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), so that C57BL6/J mice, on H2(b) strain, were only mildly sick. However, it remains unclear as to how non-MHC gene regions affect EAE. To determine whether the immunization protocol could have an influence on clinical signs, C57BL6/J mice were immunized with a multiple antigen peptide (MAP) containing eight pMOG(35-55)branches synthesized directly onto a lysine core, myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (35-55)-multiple antigen peptide (MOG(35-55)-MAP), in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). In most of the mice, clinical onset (marked weakness) occurred approximately at day 15. All mice injected with MOG(35-55)-MAP had more severe symptoms than those injected with pMOG(35-55), which developed no leg paralysis. All MOG(35-55)-MAP-immunized mice developed EAE symptoms, but 50% had primary-progressive EAE, while the other 50% had relapsing-remitting disease. Leukocyte infiltrations, associated with increased glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) expression by reactive astrocytes, were observed around the lateral ventricles and blood vessels in the brain. Significant positive correlations were established between anti-MOG(35-55)antibody levels and clinical scores or GFAP positivity in the spinal cord. The heterogeneity of EAE progression, observed in these genetically identical individuals, suggests that the environment rather than the genetics plays a role. This observation is highly pertinent as it corresponds to what is seen in clinical MS.