Splicing Modulation Results in Aberrant Isoforms and Protein Products of p53 Pathway Genes and the Sensitization of B Cells to Non-Genotoxic MDM2 Inhibition.

Several molecular subtypes of cancer are highly dependent on splicing for cell survival. There is a general interest in the therapeutic targeting of splicing by small molecules. E7107, a first-in-class spliceosome inhibitor, showed strong growth inhibitory activities against a large variety of human cancer xenografts. Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) is a clinically heterogeneous hematologic malignancy, with approximately 90% of cases being TP53 wild-type at diagnosis. An increasing number of studies are evaluating alternative targeted agents in CLL, including MDM2-p53 binding antagonists. In this study, we report the effect of splicing modulation on key proteins in the p53 signalling pathway, an important cell death pathway in B cells. Splicing modulation by E7107 treatment reduced full-length MDM2 production due to exon skipping, generating a consequent reciprocal p53 increase in TP53WT cells. It was especially noteworthy that a novel p21WAF1 isoform with compromised cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitory activity was produced due to intron retention. E7107 synergized with the MDM2 inhibitor RG7388, via dual MDM2 inhibition; by E7107 at the transcript level and by RG7388 at the protein level, producing greater p53 stabilisation and apoptosis. This study provides evidence for a synergistic MDM2 and spliceosome inhibitor combination as a novel approach to treat CLL and potentially other haematological malignancies.

SF3B1 Mutations Are Associated with Resistance to Non-Genotoxic MDM2 Inhibition in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a genetically and clinically heterogeneous malignancy affecting older individuals. There are a number of current treatment options for CLL, including monoclonal antibodies, targeted drugs, chemotherapy, and different combinations of these. However, for those patients who are intrinsically treatment resistant, or relapse following initial responses, novel targeted therapies are still needed. Targeting the mouse double-minute-2 human homolog (MDM2), a primary negative regulator of p53, is an appealing therapeutic strategy for non-genotoxic reactivation of p53, since the TP53 gene is in its wild-type state at diagnosis in approximately 90% of patients. Mutated SF3B1 and TP53 are both associated with more aggressive disease, resistance to therapies and poorer overall survival for CLL. In this study, we performed a screen for SF3B1 and TP53 mutations and tested RG7388 (idasanutlin), a second-generation MDM2 inhibitor, in a cohort of CLL primary patient samples. SF3B1 mutations were detected in 24 of 195 cases (12.3%) and found associated with poor overall survival (hazard ratio [HR] 2.12, p = 0.032) and high CD38 expression (median CD38 (%) 32 vs. 5; p = 0.0087). The novel striking finding of this study was an independent link between SF3B1 mutational status and poor response to RG7388. Overall, SF3B1 mutations in CLL patient samples were associated with resistance to treatment with RG7388 ex vivo, and patients with the wild type for both SF3B1 and TP53 are more likely to benefit from treatment with MDM2 inhibitors.

Epigenome-wide analysis reveals functional modulators of drug sensitivity and post-treatment survival in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

BACKGROUND: Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) patients display a highly variable clinical course, with progressive acquisition of drug resistance. We sought to identify aberrant epigenetic traits that are enriched following exposure to treatment that could impact patient response to therapy. METHODS: Epigenome-wide analysis of DNA methylation was performed for 20 patients at two timepoints during treatment. The prognostic significance of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) was assessed in independent cohorts of 139 and 163 patients. Their functional role in drug sensitivity was assessed in vitro. RESULTS: We identified 490 DMRs following exposure to therapy, of which 31 were CLL-specific and independent of changes occurring in normal B-cell development. Seventeen DMR-associated genes were identified as differentially expressed following treatment in an independent cohort. Methylation of the HOXA4, MAFB and SLCO3A1 DMRs was associated with post-treatment patient survival, with HOXA4 displaying the strongest association. Re-expression of HOXA4 in cell lines and primary CLL cells significantly increased apoptosis in response to treatment with fludarabine, ibrutinib and idelalisib. CONCLUSION: Our study demonstrates enrichment for multiple CLL-specific epigenetic traits in response to chemotherapy that predict patient outcomes, and particularly implicate epigenetic silencing of HOXA4 in reducing the sensitivity of CLL cells to therapy.

Non-genotoxic MDM2 inhibition selectively induces a pro-apoptotic p53 gene signature in chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a clinically heterogeneous hematologic malignancy. In approximately 90% of cases the TP53 gene is in its wildtype state at diagnosis of this malignancy. As mouse double-minute-2 homolog (MDM2) is a primary repressor of p53, targeting this protein is an attractive therapeutic approach for non-genotoxic reactivation of p53. Since the discovery of the first MDM2 inhibitor, Nutlin-3a, newer potent and bioavailable compounds have been developed. In this study we tested the second-generation MDM2 inhibitor, RG7388, in patient-derived CLL cells and normal cells, examining its effect on the induction of p53-transcriptional targets. RG7388 potently decreased viability in p53-functional CLL cells, whereas p53-non-functional samples were more resistant to the drug. RG7388 induced a pro-apoptotic gene expression signature with upregulation of p53-target genes involved in the intrinsic (PUMA, BAX) and extrinsic (TNFRSF10B, FAS) pathways of apoptosis, as well as MDM2 Only a slight induction of CDKN1A was observed and upregulation of pro-apoptotic genes dominated, indicating that CLL cells are primed for p53-dependent apoptosis. Consequently, RG7388 led to a concentration-dependent increase in caspase-3/7 activity and cleaved poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase. Importantly, we observed a preferential pro-apoptotic signature in CLL cells but not in normal blood and bone marrow cells, including CD34+ hematopoietic cells. These data support the further evaluation of MDM2 inhibitors as a novel additional treatment option for patients with p53-functional CLL.

Age of platelet concentrates and time to the next transfusion.

BACKGROUND: Storage time of platelet (PLT) concentrates has been negatively associated with clinical efficacy outcomes. The aim of this study was to quantify the association between storage time of PLT concentrates and interval to the next PLT transfusion for different types of PLT components, stored for up to 7 days and transfused to transfusion-dependent hematooncology patients with thrombocytopenia. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: From a cohort of patients from 10 major Dutch hospitals, patients were selected whose transfusion patterns were compatible with PLT transfusion dependency due to hematooncologic disease. Mean time to the next transfusion and mean differences in time to the next transfusion for different storage time categories (i.e., fresh, <4 days; intermediate, 4-5 days; and old, >5 days) were estimated, per component type, using multilevel mixed-effects linear models. RESULTS: Among a cohort of 29,761 patients who received 140,896 PLT transfusions we selected 4441 hematooncology patients who had received 12,724 PLT transfusions during periods of PLT transfusion dependency. Transfusion of fresh, compared to old, buffy coat-derived PLTs in plasma was associated with a delay to the next transfusion of 6.2 hours (95% confidence interval [CI], 4.5-8.0 hr). For buffy coat-derived PLTs in PAS-B and -C this difference was 7.7 hours (95% CI, 2.2-13.3 hr) and 3.9 hours (95% CI, -2.1 to 9.9 hr) while for apheresis PLTs in plasma it was only 1.8 hours (95% CI, -3.5 to 7.1 hr). CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the time to the next transfusion shortens with increasing age of transfused buffy coat-derived PLT concentrates. This association was not observed for apheresis PLTs.

Where do all the red blood cells (RBCs) go? Results of a survey of RBC use in England and North Wales in 2014.

BACKGROUND: Knowledge of blood utilization can assist clinicians in directing patient blood management (PBM) initiatives and can facilitate demand planning by blood services. We describe a national study of red blood cell (RBC) utilization in England and North Wales in 2014. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: All hospitals that are supplied with blood components by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) were asked to provide data on the age and sex of all recipients of transfusions of RBCs, and the clinical indication for every unit transfused, for two separate weeks in 2014. Clinical indication categories were derived from those used in previous studies in an English region. Completeness of data collection was checked against NHSBT issue and wastage data. RESULTS: Data on 46,111 RBC units were collected, representing 73% of all RBCs issued by NHSBT during the weeks surveyed. A total of 67% of RBC units were transfused for a medical indication, with 27 and 6% being transfused for surgical and obstetric/gynecologic indications, respectively. For comparison, figures from a study in the North of England in 2009, on which this national study was based, showed that 64% of RBCs were transfused to medical patients. All but 20 units could be ascribed to a broad clinical heading, for example, "gastrointestinal bleeding." CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm the previous regional finding that the percentage of RBC units that are transfused to surgical patients in England and North Wales is now much lower than for medical patients and suggest that PBM initiatives should now focus on medical patients.

Choice coding in frontal cortex during stimulus-guided or action-guided decision-making.

To optimally obtain desirable outcomes, organisms must track outcomes predicted by stimuli in the environment (stimulus-outcome or SO associations) and outcomes predicted by their own actions (action-outcome or AO associations). Anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) are implicated in tracking outcomes, but anatomical and functional studies suggest a dissociation, with ACC and OFC responsible for encoding AO and SO associations, respectively. To examine whether this dissociation held at the single neuron level, we trained two subjects to perform choice tasks that required using AO or SO associations. OFC and ACC neurons encoded the action that the subject used to indicate its choice, but this encoding was stronger in OFC during the SO task and stronger in ACC during the AO task. These results are consistent with a division of labor between the two areas in terms of using rewards associated with either stimuli or actions to guide decision-making.

Hierarchical learning induces two simultaneous, but separable, prediction errors in human basal ganglia.

Studies suggest that dopaminergic neurons report a unitary, global reward prediction error signal. However, learning in complex real-life tasks, in particular tasks that show hierarchical structure, requires multiple prediction errors that may coincide in time. We used functional neuroimaging to measure prediction error signals in humans performing such a hierarchical task involving simultaneous, uncorrelated prediction errors. Analysis of signals in a priori anatomical regions of interest in the ventral striatum and the ventral tegmental area indeed evidenced two simultaneous, but separable, prediction error signals corresponding to the two levels of hierarchy in the task. This result suggests that suitably designed tasks may reveal a more intricate pattern of firing in dopaminergic neurons. Moreover, the need for downstream separation of these signals implies possible limitations on the number of different task levels that we can learn about simultaneously.

Single-neuron mechanisms underlying cost-benefit analysis in frontal cortex.

Effective decision-making requires consideration of costs and benefits. Previous studies have implicated orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) in cost-benefit decision-making. Yet controversy remains about whether different decision costs are encoded by different brain areas, and whether single neurons integrate costs and benefits to derive a subjective value estimate for each choice alternative. To address these issues, we trained four subjects to perform delay- and effort-based cost-benefit decisions and recorded neuronal activity in OFC, ACC, DLPFC, and the cingulate motor area (CMA). Although some neurons, mainly in ACC, did exhibit integrated value signals as if performing cost-benefit computations, they were relatively few in number. Instead, the majority of neurons in all areas encoded the decision type; that is whether the subject was required to perform a delay- or effort-based decision. OFC and DLPFC neurons tended to show the largest changes in firing rate for delay- but not effort-based decisions; whereas, the reverse was true for CMA neurons. Only ACC contained neurons modulated by both effort- and delay-based decisions. These findings challenge the idea that OFC calculates an abstract value signal to guide decision-making. Instead, our results suggest that an important function of single PFC neurons is to categorize sensory stimuli based on the consequences predicted by those stimuli.

Medial-lateral organization of the orbitofrontal cortex.

Emerging evidence suggests that specific cognitive functions localize to different subregions of OFC, but the nature of these functional distinctions remains unclear. One prominent theory, derived from human neuroimaging, proposes that different stimulus valences are processed in separate orbital regions, with medial and lateral OFC processing positive and negative stimuli, respectively. Thus far, neurophysiology data have not supported this theory. We attempted to reconcile these accounts by recording neural activity from the full medial-lateral extent of the orbital surface in monkeys receiving rewards and punishments via gain or loss of secondary reinforcement. We found no convincing evidence for valence selectivity in any orbital region. Instead, we report differences between neurons in central OFC and those on the inferior-lateral orbital convexity, in that they encoded different sources of value information provided by the behavioral task. Neurons in inferior convexity encoded the value of external stimuli, whereas those in OFC encoded value information derived from the structure of the behavioral task. We interpret these results in light of recent theories of OFC function and propose that these distinctions, not valence selectivity, may shed light on a fundamental organizing principle for value processing in orbital cortex.

Familial pseudohyperkalemia in blood donors: a novel mutation with implications for transfusion practice.

BACKGROUND: Familial pseudohyperkalemia (FP) is a dominantly inherited condition in which red blood cells (RBCs) have an increased cold-induced permeability to monovalent cations. Potassium leaks into the supernatant of all stored blood with time, but FP RBCs leak potassium more rapidly. We investigated two unrelated blood donors whose RBC donations demonstrated unexpectedly high potassium after 5 and 6 days' storage. We matched the observed pattern of RBC cation leak to a previously recognized family with FP (FP-Cardiff) and investigated the likely cause with targeted DNA analysis. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Cation leakage from the donor RBCs and from standard donor units was measured. DNA analysis of donors and family members with FP-Cardiff was performed. Allele frequencies were obtained from human variation databases. RESULTS: Both implicated donors were found to have increased cold-induced potassium leak identical in pattern to affected members of the family with FP-Cardiff. We found a heterozygous substitution Arg723Gln in the ATP-binding cassette, Subfamily B, Member 6 protein that segregated with FP in the Cardiff family and was also present in both blood donors. Arg723Gln is listed in human variation databases with an allele frequency of approximately 1:1000. CONCLUSIONS: We describe a novel FP mutation that may affect 1:500 European blood donors and causes rapid loss of potassium from stored RBCs. This finding has implications for neonates and infants receiving large-volume RBC transfusions. Genomic screening of donors could be used to identify donors with this mutation and potentially improve the quality and safety of donor units.

RNA Sequencing Reveals Candidate Genes and Pathways Associated with Resistance to MDM2 Antagonist Idasanutlin in TP53 Wild-Type Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a genetically and clinically diverse hematological cancer affecting middle-aged and elderly individuals. Novel targeted therapy options are needed for patients who relapse following initial responses or who are intrinsically resistant to current treatments. There is a growing body of investigation currently underway on MDM2 inhibitors in clinical trials, reflecting the increasing interest in including these drugs in cancer treatment regimens. One of the developed compounds, idasanutlin (RG7388), has shown promise in early-stage clinical trials. It is a second-generation MDM2-p53-binding antagonist with enhanced potency, selectivity, and bioavailability. In addition to the TP53 status, which is an important determinant of the response, we have shown in our previous studies that the SF3B1 mutational status is also an independent predictive biomarker of the ex vivo CLL patient sample treatment response to RG7388. The objective of this study was to identify novel biomarkers associated with resistance to RG7388. Gene set enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between RG7388-sensitive and -resistant CLL samples showed that the increased p53 activity led to upregulation of pro-apoptosis pathway genes while DNA damage response pathway genes were additionally upregulated in resistant samples. Furthermore, differential expression of certain genes was detected, which could serve as the backbone for novel combination treatment approaches. This research provides preclinical data to guide the exploration of drug combination strategies with MDM2 inhibitors, leading to future clinical trials and associated biomarkers that may improve outcomes for CLL patients.

Exome sequencing identifies GATA-2 mutation as the cause of dendritic cell, monocyte, B and NK lymphoid deficiency.

The human syndrome of dendritic cell, monocyte, B and natural killer lymphoid deficiency presents as a sporadic or autosomal dominant trait causing susceptibility to mycobacterial and other infections, predisposition to myelodysplasia and leukemia, and, in some cases, pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. Seeking a genetic cause, we sequenced the exomes of 4 unrelated persons, 3 with sporadic disease, looking for novel, heterozygous, and probably deleterious variants. A number of genes harbored novel variants in person, but only one gene, GATA2, was mutated in all 4 persons. Each person harbored a different mutation, but all were predicted to be highly deleterious and to cause loss or mutation of the C-terminal zinc finger domain. Because GATA2 is the only common mutated gene in 4 unrelated persons, it is highly probable to be the cause of dendritic cell, monocyte, B, and natural killer lymphoid deficiency. This disorder therefore constitutes a new genetic form of heritable immunodeficiency and leukemic transformation.

Ten-year pattern of red blood cell use in the North of England.

BACKGROUND: An understanding of current and changing patterns of red blood cell (RBC) use will help predict future demands and aid future planning for transfusion services. It can also highlight areas where efforts to optimize RBC use are most likely to be productive. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Surveys were conducted in two 14-day periods of all RBC transfusions in a geographic region of England supplied by a single blood center. Data collection was prospective and used preprinted paper forms. Results were compared with two previous studies covering a period of 10 years. RESULTS: The clinical fate of 8025 units of RBCs was recorded consistent with data on more than 99% of units issued and transfused during the survey period. The overall RBC transfusion rate has decreased from 45.5 to 36 units per 100,000 population from 1999 and 2009. Twenty-nine percent were used for surgical indications indicating a further decrease in surgical use compared to previous surveys. This decrease was limited solely to recipients of 50 to 80 years of age. Use for medical and obstetric/gynecologic indications has not changed significantly over 10 years. CONCLUSION: Further decreases in surgical RBC use may be achievable but the aging population is likely to demand more blood for nonsurgical indications and efforts should be directed to optimizing use in these recipients. Comparative data on transfusion rates between regions or countries may be a useful tool for improving blood use.

Oscillatory phase coupling coordinates anatomically dispersed functional cell assemblies.

Hebb proposed that neuronal cell assemblies are critical for effective perception, cognition, and action. However, evidence for brain mechanisms that coordinate multiple coactive assemblies remains lacking. Neuronal oscillations have been suggested as one possible mechanism for cell assembly coordination. Prior studies have shown that spike timing depends upon local field potential (LFP) phase proximal to the cell body, but few studies have examined the dependence of spiking on distal LFP phases in other brain areas far from the neuron or the influence of LFP-LFP phase coupling between distal areas on spiking. We investigated these interactions by recording LFPs and single-unit activity using multiple microelectrode arrays in several brain areas and then used a unique probabilistic multivariate phase distribution to model the dependence of spike timing on the full pattern of proximal LFP phases, distal LFP phases, and LFP-LFP phase coupling between electrodes. Here we show that spiking activity in single neurons and neuronal ensembles depends on dynamic patterns of oscillatory phase coupling between multiple brain areas, in addition to the effects of proximal LFP phase. Neurons that prefer similar patterns of phase coupling exhibit similar changes in spike rates, whereas neurons with different preferences show divergent responses, providing a basic mechanism to bind different neurons together into coordinated cell assemblies. Surprisingly, phase-coupling-based rate correlations are independent of interneuron distance. Phase-coupling preferences correlate with behavior and neural function and remain stable over multiple days. These findings suggest that neuronal oscillations enable selective and dynamic control of distributed functional cell assemblies.

Expression and Activity of the NF-κB Subunits in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukaemia: A Role for RelB and Non-Canonical Signalling.

BACKGROUND: Canonical NF-κB signalling by p65 (RelA) confers chemo-resistance and poor survival in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). The role of non-canonical NF-κB signalling (leading to RelB and p52 subunit activation) in CLL is less understood, but given its importance in other B-cell tumour types, we theorised that RelB and p52 may also contribute to the pathology of CLL. METHODS: DNA binding activity of all five NF-kB subunits, p65, p50, RelB, p52, and c-Rel, was quantified using ELISA and correlated to ex vivo chemoresistance, CD40L-stimulated signalling (to mimic the lymph node microenvironment), and clinical data. RESULTS: Importantly, we show for the first time that high basal levels of RelB DNA binding correlate with nuclear RelB protein expression and are associated with del(11q), ATM dysfunction, unmutated IGHV genes, and shorter survival. High levels of nuclear p65 are prevalent in del(17p) cases (including treatment-naïve patients) and also correlate with the outcome. CD40L-stimulation resulted in rapid RelB activation, phosphorylation and processing of p100, and subsequent CLL cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: These data highlight a role for RelB in driving CLL cell tumour growth in a subset of patients and therefore strategies designed to inhibit non-canonical NF-κB signalling represent a novel approach that will have therapeutic benefit in CLL.

Capacity and precision in an animal model of visual short-term memory.

Temporary storage of information in visual short-term memory (VSTM) is a key component of many complex cognitive abilities. However, it is highly limited in capacity. Understanding the neurophysiological nature of this capacity limit will require a valid animal model of VSTM. We used a multiple-item color change detection task to measure macaque monkeys' VSTM capacity. Subjects' performance deteriorated and reaction times increased as a function of the number of items in memory. Additionally, we measured the precision of the memory representations by varying the distance between sample and test colors. In trials with similar sample and test colors, subjects made more errors compared to trials with highly discriminable colors. We modeled the error distribution as a Gaussian function and used this to estimate the precision of VSTM representations. We found that as the number of items in memory increases the precision of the representations decreases dramatically. Additionally, we found that focusing attention on one of the objects increases the precision with which that object is stored and degrades the precision of the remaining. These results are in line with recent findings in human psychophysics and provide a solid foundation for understanding the neurophysiological nature of the capacity limit of VSTM.

Mitoxantrone in combination with an inhibitor of DNA-dependent protein kinase: a potential therapy for high risk B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

Defects in the DNA damage response pathway [e.g. del(17p)] are associated with drug-resistant B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). We previously demonstrated that over-expression of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) correlates with chemo-resistance and that inhibition of DNA-PK sensitizes CLL cells to chemotherapeutics. Here, we investigated expression of DNA-PK and other proteins that impact on drug resistance, and evaluated the effects of a DNA-PK inhibitor (NU7441) on mitoxantrone-induced cytotoxicity in CLL cells. NU7441 sensitized cells from 42/49 CLL samples to mitoxantrone, with sensitization ranging from 2- to 200-fold Co-culture of CLL cells in conditioned stromal medium increased chemoresistance but did not reduce sensitization by NU7441. Mitoxantrone treatment induced γH2AX foci and NU7441 increased their longevity (24 h). NU7441 prevented mitoxantrone-induced autophosphorylation of the DNA-PK catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) at Ser 2056, confirming that DNA-PK participates in repair of mitoxantrone-induced DNA damage. del(17p) cases were more resistant to mitoxantrone than del(13q) cases, but were resensitized (7-16 fold) by co-incubation with NU7441. Expression of DNA-PKcs, Ku80, P-glycoprotein and topoisomerase IIß were significantly higher in del(17p) cases. PRKDC mRNA levels correlated with DNA-PKcs protein expression, which predicted shorter survival. These data confirm the potential of DNA-PK as a therapeutic target in poor prognosis CLL.

Genome-wide association study identifies risk loci for progressive chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Prognostication in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is challenging due to heterogeneity in clinical course. We hypothesize that constitutional genetic variation affects disease progression and could aid prognostication. Pooling data from seven studies incorporating 842 cases identifies two genomic locations associated with time from diagnosis to treatment, including 10q26.13 (rs736456, hazard ratio (HR) = 1.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.47-2.15; P = 2.71 × 10-9) and 6p (rs3778076, HR = 1.99, 95% CI = 1.55-2.55; P = 5.08 × 10-8), which are particularly powerful prognostic markers in patients with early stage CLL otherwise characterized by low-risk features. Expression quantitative trait loci analysis identifies putative functional genes implicated in modulating B-cell receptor or innate immune responses, key pathways in CLL pathogenesis. In this work we identify rs736456 and rs3778076 as prognostic in CLL, demonstrating that disease progression is determined by constitutional genetic variation as well as known somatic drivers.

Reward-dependent modulation of working memory in lateral prefrontal cortex.

Although research implicates lateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) in executive control and goal-directed behavior, it remains unclear how goals influence executive processes. One possibility is that goal-relevant information, such as expected rewards, could modulate the representation of information relating to executive control, thereby ensuring the efficient allocation of cognitive resources. To investigate this, we examined how reward modulated spatial working memory. Past studies investigating spatial working memory have focused on dorsolateral PFC, but this area only weakly connects with areas processing reward. Ventrolateral PFC has better connections in this regard. Thus, we contrasted the functional properties of single neurons in ventrolateral and dorsolateral PFC as two subjects performed a task that required them to hold spatial information in working memory under different expectancies of reward for correct performance. We balanced the order of presentation of spatial and reward information so we could assess the neuronal encoding of the two pieces of information independently and conjointly. Neurons in ventrolateral PFC encoded both spatial and reward information earlier, stronger and in a more sustained manner than neurons in dorsolateral PFC. Within ventrolateral PFC, spatial selectivity was more prevalent on the inferior convexity than within the principal sulcus. Finally, when reward increased spatial selectivity, behavioral performance improved, whereas when reward decreased spatial selectivity, behavioral performance deteriorated. These results suggest that ventrolateral PFC may be a locus whereby information about expected rewards can modulate information in working memory. The pattern of results is consistent with a role for ventrolateral PFC in attentional control.