E(mu)-TCL1 mice represent a model for immunotherapeutic reversal of chronic lymphocytic leukemia-induced T-cell dysfunction.

Preclinical animal models have largely ignored the immune-suppressive mechanisms that are important in human cancers. The identification and use of such models should allow better predictions of successful human responses to immunotherapy. As a model for changes induced in nonmalignant cells by cancer, we examined T-cell function in the chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) Emu-TCL1 transgenic mouse model. With development of leukemia, Emu-TCL1 transgenic mice developed functional T-cell defects and alteration of gene and protein expression closely resembling changes seen in CLL human patients. Furthermore, infusion of CLL cells into young Emu-TCL1 mice induced defects comparable to those seen in mice with developed leukemia, demonstrating a causal relationship between leukemia and the T-cell defects. Altered pathways involved genes regulating actin remodeling, and T cells exhibited dysfunctional immunological synapse formation and T-cell signaling, which was reversed by the immunomodulatory drug lenalidomide. These results further demonstrate the utility of this animal model of CLL and define a versatile model to investigate both the molecular mechanisms of cancer-induced immune suppression and immunotherapeutic repair strategies.

GCOD - GeneChip Oncology Database.

BACKGROUND: DNA microarrays have become a nearly ubiquitous tool for the study of human disease, and nowhere is this more true than in cancer. With hundreds of studies and thousands of expression profiles representing the majority of human cancers completed and in public databases, the challenge has been effectively accessing and using this wealth of data. DESCRIPTION: To address this issue we have collected published human cancer gene expression datasets generated on the Affymetrix GeneChip platform, and carefully annotated those studies with a focus on providing accurate sample annotation. To facilitate comparison between datasets, we implemented a consistent data normalization and transformation protocol and then applied stringent quality control procedures to flag low-quality assays. CONCLUSION: The resulting resource, the GeneChip Oncology Database, is available through a publicly accessible website that provides several query options and analytical tools through an intuitive interface.

Sources of variation in baseline gene expression levels from toxicogenomics study control animals across multiple laboratories.

BACKGROUND: The use of gene expression profiling in both clinical and laboratory settings would be enhanced by better characterization of variance due to individual, environmental, and technical factors. Meta-analysis of microarray data from untreated or vehicle-treated animals within the control arm of toxicogenomics studies could yield useful information on baseline fluctuations in gene expression, although control animal data has not been available on a scale and in a form best served for data-mining. RESULTS: A dataset of control animal microarray expression data was assembled by a working group of the Health and Environmental Sciences Institute's Technical Committee on the Application of Genomics in Mechanism Based Risk Assessment in order to provide a public resource for assessments of variability in baseline gene expression. Data from over 500 Affymetrix microarrays from control rat liver and kidney were collected from 16 different institutions. Thirty-five biological and technical factors were obtained for each animal, describing a wide range of study characteristics, and a subset were evaluated in detail for their contribution to total variability using multivariate statistical and graphical techniques. CONCLUSION: The study factors that emerged as key sources of variability included gender, organ section, strain, and fasting state. These and other study factors were identified as key descriptors that should be included in the minimal information about a toxicogenomics study needed for interpretation of results by an independent source. Genes that are the most and least variable, gender-selective, or altered by fasting were also identified and functionally categorized. Better characterization of gene expression variability in control animals will aid in the design of toxicogenomics studies and in the interpretation of their results.

A cricket Gene Index: a genomic resource for studying neurobiology, speciation, and molecular evolution.

BACKGROUND: As the developmental costs of genomic tools decline, genomic approaches to non-model systems are becoming more feasible. Many of these systems may lack advanced genetic tools but are extremely valuable models in other biological fields. Here we report the development of expressed sequence tags (EST's) in an orthopteroid insect, a model for the study of neurobiology, speciation, and evolution. RESULTS: We report the sequencing of 14,502 EST's from clones derived from a nerve cord cDNA library, and the subsequent construction of a Gene Index from these sequences, from the Hawaiian trigonidiine cricket Laupala kohalensis. The Gene Index contains 8607 unique sequences comprised of 2575 tentative consensus (TC) sequences and 6032 singletons. For each of the unique sequences, an attempt was made to assign a provisional annotation and to categorize its function using a Gene Ontology-based classification through a sequence-based comparison to known proteins. In addition, a set of unique 70 base pair oligomers that can be used for DNA microarrays was developed. All Gene Index information is posted at the DFCI Gene Indices web page CONCLUSION: Orthopterans are models used to understand the neurophysiological basis of complex motor patterns such as flight and stridulation. The sequences presented in the cricket Gene Index will provide neurophysiologists with many genetic tools that have been largely absent in this field. The cricket Gene Index is one of only two gene indices to be developed in an evolutionary model system. Species within the genus Laupala have speciated recently, rapidly, and extensively. Therefore, the genes identified in the cricket Gene Index can be used to study the genomics of speciation. Furthermore, this gene index represents a significant EST resources for basal insects. As such, this resource is a valuable comparative tool for the understanding of invertebrate molecular evolution. The sequences presented here will provide much needed genomic resources for three distinct but overlapping fields of inquiry: neurobiology, speciation, and molecular evolution.

Co-expression of Triosephosphate Isomerase, Fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate Aldolase and Fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase in E.coli.

To establish a way to control or to decrease the daily increasing concentration of atmospheric CO(2), metabolically engineering Cyanobacteria was taken for the improvement of its efficiency of photosynthetic CO(2) fixation. As a preliminary stage of this study, three genes coding for three important Calvin cycle enzymes, i.e. triosephosphate isomerase (TPI), fructose-1, 6-bisphosphate aldolase(FBP aldolase),and fructose-1, 6-bisphosphatase(FBPase), respectively, have been cloned into one plasmid, pTrcFAT, which is controlled by promoter trc. Successful co-transcriptional expression of these three genes resulted inhigh yields of these enzymes under the induction of 0.25 mmol/L IPTG. Bioassay showed that the expressed enzymes from one liter of culture could directly catalyze DHAP conversion into 700 &mgr;mol of fructose-6-phosphate (F-6-P) per one minute. Furthermore, in order to introduce the three genes co-expression system into Cyanobacteria, a shuttle plasmid between E.coli and Cyanobacteria was constructed using plasmid pTrcFAT and a shuttle vector pDC-8, forming ashuttle plasmid pDCFAT-2 containing a dimer of the three genes co-expression operator. Successful co-expression in E.coli of pDCFAT-2 with higher full activity has been obtained. This shuttle was used to transform of Cyanobacteria Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942, and a few positive colonies were obtained.

Efficacious immune therapy in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) recognizes antigens that are expressed on CML progenitor cells.

Curative effects of graft-versus-leukemia-based therapies such as donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) may result from immunologic ablation of self-renewing CML progenitor cells. Patients who achieved durable remissions after DLI developed a significant B-cell lymphocytosis after treatment, which did not occur in patients who were unresponsive to DLI. In this study, we identified antigen targets of this B-cell response by probing two immunoproteomic platforms with plasma immunoglobulins from seven CML patients with clinically apparent graft-versus-leukemia responses after DLI. In total, 62 antigens elicited greater reactivity from post-DLI versus pre-DLI plasma. Microarray analysis revealed that >70% of the antigens were expressed in CML CD34(+) cells, suggesting that expression in malignant progenitor cells is a feature common to antibody targets of DLI. We confirmed elevated expression of three target antigens (RAB38, TBCE, and DUSP12) in CML that together consistently elicited antibody responses in 18 of 21 of an additional cohort of CML patients with therapeutic responses, but not in normal donors and rarely in non-CML patients. In summary, immunologic targets of curative DLI responses include multiple antigens on CML progenitor cells, identifying them as potential immunogens for vaccination and/or monitoring of immunotherapeutics designed to eliminate myeloid leukemia stem cells.

Serologic markers of effective tumor immunity against chronic lymphocytic leukemia include nonmutated B-cell antigens.

Patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) who relapse after allogeneic transplant may achieve durable remission following donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI), showing the potency of donor-derived immunity in eradicating tumors. We sought to elucidate the antigenic basis of the effective graft-versus-leukemia (GvL) responses associated with DLI for the treatment of CLL by analyzing the specificity of plasma antibody responses developing in two DLI-treated patients who achieved long-term remission without graft-versus-host disease. By probing high-density protein microarrays with patient plasma, we discovered 35 predominantly intracellular antigens that elicited high-titer antibody reactivity greater in post-DLI than in pre-DLI plasma. Three antigens-C6orf130, MDS032, and ZFYVE19-were identified by both patients. Along with additional candidate antigens DAPK3, SERBP1, and OGFOD1, these proteins showed higher transcript and protein expression in B cells and CLL cells compared with normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells. DAPK3 and the shared antigens do not represent minor histocompatibility antigens, as their sequences are identical in both donor and tumor. Although ZFYVE19, DAPK3, and OGFOD1 elicited minimal antibody reactivity in 12 normal subjects and 12 chemotherapy-treated CLL patients, 5 of 12 CLL patients with clinical GvL responses were serologically reactive to these antigens. Moreover, antibody reactivity against these antigens was temporally correlated with clinical disease regression. These B-cell antigens represent promising biomarkers of effective anti-CLL immunity.

Calcium-regulated phosphorylation of soybean serine acetyltransferase in response to oxidative stress.

Glycine max serine acetyltransferase 2;1 (GmSerat2;1) is a member of a family of enzymes that catalyze the first reaction in the biosynthesis of cysteine from serine. It was identified by interaction cloning as a protein that binds to calcium-dependent protein kinase. In vitro phosphorylation assays showed that GmSerat2;1, but not GmSerat2;1 mutants (S378A or S378D), were phosphorylated by soybean calcium-dependent protein kinase isoforms. Recombinant GmSerat2;1 was also phosphorylated by soybean cell extract in a Ca2+-dependent manner. Phosphorylation of recombinant GmSerat2;1 had no effect on its catalytic activity but rendered the enzyme insensitive to the feedback inhibition by cysteine. In transient expression analyses, fluorescently tagged GmSerat2;1 localized in the cytoplasm and with plastids. Phosphorylation state-specific antibodies showed that an increase in GmSerat2;1 phosphorylation occurred in vivo within 5 min of treatment of soybean cells with 0.5 mM hydrogen peroxide, whereas GmSerat2;1 protein synthesis was not significantly induced until 1 h after oxidant challenge. Internal Ca2+ was required in the induction of both GmSerat2;1 phosphorylation and synthesis. Treatment of cells with calcium antagonists showed that externally derived Ca2+ was important for retaining GmSerat2;1 at a basal level of phosphorylation but was not necessary for its hydrogen peroxide-induced synthesis. Protein phosphatase type 1, but not type 2A or alkaline phosphatase, dephosphorylated native GmSerat2;1 in vitro. These results support the hypothesis that GmSerat2;1 is regulated by calcium-dependent protein kinase phosphorylation in vivo and suggest that increased GmSerat2;1 synthesis and phosphorylation in response to active oxygen species could play a role in anti-oxidative stress response.

Global transcription profiling reveals comprehensive insights into hypoxic response in Arabidopsis.

Plants have evolved adaptation mechanisms to sense oxygen deficiency in their environments and make coordinated physiological and structural adjustments to enhance their hypoxic tolerance. To gain insight into how plants respond to low-oxygen stress, gene expression profiling using whole-genome DNA amplicon microarrays was carried out at seven time points over 24 h, in wild-type and transgenic P(SAG12):ipt Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) plants under normoxic and hypoxic conditions. Transcript levels of genes involved in glycolysis and fermentation pathways, ethylene synthesis and perception, calcium signaling, nitrogen utilization, trehalose metabolism, and alkaloid synthesis were significantly altered in response to oxygen limitation. Analysis based on gene ontology assignments suggested a significant down-regulation of genes whose functions are associated with cell walls, nucleosome structures, water channels, and ion transporters and a significant up-regulation of genes involved in transcriptional regulation, protein kinase activity, and auxin responses under conditions of oxygen shortage. Promoter analysis on a cluster of up-regulated genes revealed a significant overrepresentation of the AtMYB2-binding motif (GT motif), a sugar response element-like motif, and a G-box-related sequence, and also identified several putative anaerobic response elements. Finally, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions using 29 selected genes independently verified the microarray results. This study represents one of the most comprehensive analyses conducted to date investigating hypoxia-responsive transcriptional networks in plants.