The Role of Mitochondrial VDAC2 in the Survival and Proliferation of T-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Cells

Background: T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive hematological malignancy with aberrant T-cell developmental arrest. Individuals with relapsed T-ALL have limited therapeutic alternatives and poor prognosis. The mitochondrial function is critical for the T-cell viability. The voltage-dependent anion channel 2 (VDAC2) in the mitochondrial outer membrane, interacts with pro-apoptotic BCL-2 proteins and mediates the apoptosis of several cancer cell lines. Objective: The aim of the current study is to explore the role of VDAC2 in T-ALL cell survival and proliferation. Methods: Publicly available datasets of RNA-seq results were analyzed for expression of VDAC isoforms and T-ALL cell lines were treated with a VDAC2 small molecular inhibitor erastin. A VDAC2 RNA interference (siRNA) was delivered to T-ALL cell lines using a retroviral vector. Functional assays were performed to investigate the VDAC2 siRNA impacts on cell proliferation, apoptosis and survival of T-ALL cells. Results: Our analysis found a high expression of VDAC2 mRNA in various T-ALL cell lines. Public datasets of T-ALL RNA-seq also showed that VDAC2 is highly expressed in T-ALL (116.2 ± 36.7), compared to control groups. Only two T-ALL cell lines showed sensitivity to erastin (20 μM) after 48 hours of incubation, including Jurkat (IC50 = 3.943 μM) and Molt4 (IC50 = 3.286 μM), while another two T-ALL cells (CUTLL1 and RPMI 8402) had unstable IC50. However, five T-ALL cell lines (LOUCY, CCRF-CEM, P12-ICHI, HPB-ALL, and PEER cells) showed resistance to erastin. On the contrary, all T-ALL cell lines genetically inhibited with VDAC2 siRNA led to more than 80% decrease in VDAC2 mRNA levels, and a Conclusion: VDAC2 is highly expressed in T-ALL cells. The inhibition of VDAC2 significantly decreased cell viability, increased apoptosis, reduced cell proliferation and caused cell cycle sub-G1 arrest of T-ALL cells.

Diphtheria Toxin/Human B-Cell Activating Factor Fusion Protein Kills Human Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia BALL-1 Cells: An Experimental Study

Objective： This study aimed to express a fusion protein of diphtheria toxin and human B cell-activating factor （DT388sBAFF） in Escherichia coli （E. coli） and investigate its activity in human B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia 1 cells （BALL-1）. Methods： A fragment of DT388sBAFF fusion gene was separated from plasmid pUC57-DT388sBAFF digested with Nde I and Xho I, and inserted into the expression vector pcold II digested with the same enzymes. Recombinants were screened by the colony polymerase chain reaction （PCR） and restriction map. The recombinant expression vector was transformed into BL21 and its expression was induced by isopropyl β-D-1-thiogalactopyranoside （IPTG）. The recombinant protein was identified by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis （SDS-PAGE） and Western blot, and then purified by Ni2＋-NTA affinity chromatography. The expression level of B cell-activating factor receptor （BAFF-R） on BALL-1 cells was assessed by real-time PCR. The receptor binding capacity of recombinant protein was determined by cell fluorescent assay. The specific cytotoxicity of recombinant protein on BALL-1 cells was detected by 3-（4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2）-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide （MTT） assay. Results： The expression level of recombinant protein was 50% of total bacterial proteins in E. coli, and the recombinant protein could bind to BAFF-R-positive BALL-1 cells and thereby produce a cytotoxic effect on the cells. Conclusion： The fusion protein expression vector DT388sBAFF was successfully constructed and the recombinant protein with selective cytotoxicity against BALL-1 cells was obtained, providing foundation for further study of the therapy of human B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Resveratrol Induces Apoptosis and Autophagy in T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Cells by Inhibiting Akt/mTOR and Activating p38-MAPK

Objective To explore the effects of resveratrol-induced apoptosis and autophagy in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia （T-ALL） cells and potential molecular mechanisms. Methods The anti-proliferation effect of resveratrol-induced, apoptosis and autophagy on T-ALL cells were detected by using MTI- test, immunofluorescence, electronic microscope, and flow cytometry, respectively. Western blotting was performed for detecting changes of apoptosis-associated proteins, cell cycle regulatory proteins and state of activation of Akt, mTOR, p70S6K, 4E-BP1, and p38-MAPK. Results Resveratrol inhibited the proliferation and dose and time-dependent manner. It also induced cyclin-dependent kinase （CDK） inhibitors p21 and induced apoptosis and autophagy in T-ALL cells in a cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase via up regulating p27 and down regulating cyclin A and cyclin D1. Western blotting revealed that resveratrol significantly decreased the expression of antiapoptotic proteins （Mcl-1 and Bcl-2） and increased the expression of proapoptotic proteins （Bax, Bim, and Bad）, and induced cleaved-caspase-3 in a time-dependent manner. Significant increase in ratio of LC3-11/LC3-1 and Beclin 1 was also detected. Furthermore, resveratrol induced significant dephosphorylation of Akt, mTOR, p70S6K, and 4E-BP1, but enhanced specific phosphorylation of p38-MAPK which could be blocked by SB203580. When autophagy was suppressed by 3-MA, apoptosis in T-ALL cells induced by resveratrol was enhanced. Conclusion Our findings have suggested that resveratrol induces cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and autophagy in T-ALL cells through inhibiting Akt/mTOR/p7OS6K/4E-BP1 and activating p38-MAPK signaling pathways. Autophagy might play a role as a self-defense mechanism in T-ALL cells treated by resveratrol. Therefore, the reasonable inhibition of autophagy in T-ALL cells may serve as a promising strategy for resveratrol induced apoptosis and can be used as adjuvant chemotherapy for T-ALL.

Philadelphia chromosome-positive leukemia stem cells in acute lymphoblastic leukemia and tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy

Leukemia stem cells(LSCs),which constitute a minority of the tumor bulk,are functionally defined on the basis of their ability to transfer leukemia into an immunodeficient recipient animal.The presence of LSCs has been demonstrated in acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL),of which ALL with Philadelphia chromosome-positive(Ph+).The use of imatinib,a tyrosine kinase inhibitor(TKI),as part of front-line treatment and in combination with cytotoxic agents,has greatly improved the proportions of complete response and molecular remission and the overall outcome in adults with newly diagnosed Ph+ ALL.New challenges have emerged with respect to induction of resistance to imatinib via Abelson tyrosine kinase mutations.An important recent addition to the arsenal against Ph+ leukemias in general was the development of novel TKIs,such as nilotinib and dasatinib.However,in vitro experiments have suggested that TKIs have an antiproliferative but not an antiapoptotic or cytotoxic effect on the most primitive ALL stem cells.None of the TKIs in clinical use target the LSC.Second generation TKI dasatinib has been shown to have a more profound effect on the stem cell compartment but the drug was still unable to kill the most primitive LSCs.Allogeneic stem cell transplantation(SCT) remains the only curative treatment available for these patients.Several mechanisms were proposed to explain the resistance of LSCs to TKIs in addition to mutations.Hence,TKIs may be used as a bridge to SCT rather than monotherapy or combination with standard chemotherapy.Better understanding the biology of Ph+ ALL will open new avenues for effective management.In this review,we highlight recent findings relating to the question of LSCs in Ph+ ALL.

REARRANGEMENT AND EXPRESSION OF T CELL RECEPTOR β GENE IN HUMAN HEMOPOIETIC CELL LINES AND PRIMARY CELLS FROM ACUTE LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIAS

Using Southern blot, Northern blot and Quick blot methods, we examined the rearrangement and expression of TCR βgene in four early differentiation stage cell lines from human hemopoietic system, namely HL-60, Jurkat, Daudi and Raji cells as well as lymphocytes from 17 acute lymphocytic leukemia （ALL） patients. The results showed. Ⅰ) Rearrangement of TCR βgene was seen in Jurkat cells. A germline pattern was observed in HL-60, Daudi and Raji cells. 2) Eight of 9 patients with T-ALL had cells with rearranged TCR βgene. But two of 3 patients with B-ALL and three of 5 patients with nonT, nonB-ALL also had cells with rearranged TCR βgene. 3) A 1.3 kb full-length transcript and a 1.0 kb truncated transcript were detected in Jurkat cells by probing with 32P-TCR βcDNA. But some leukemic B cells also expressed an incompleted transcript. 4) TCR βmRNA was detected in six of 8 patients with T-ALL, four of 5 patients with nonT, nonB-ALL and one of 3 patients with B-ALL. But the level of expression was quite differ ent. The dual-rearrangement and the abnormal expression may give us a new clue for researching leukemogenesis.

Arsenic Trioxide Induces Apoptosis of Glucocorticoid-Resistant Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia CEM-C1 Cells

Objective： To explore the effects of arsenic trioxide （ATO） on the apoptosis of glucocorticoid （GC）-resistant T-acute lymphoblastic leukemia （ALL） CEM-C1 cells and its possible mechanisms. Methods： Different concentrations of ATO （0.25 μmol/L-5 μmol/L） were used to induce the apoptosis of CEM-C1 cells. The inhibition rate of cell proliferation and apoptosis were detected by MTT test, Annexin V-FITC/PI flow cytometry and optical microscopy, respectively. RT-PCR was applied to semi-quantitatively analyze the mRNA expression of pro-apoptotic proteins （Bad and PDCD4） and anti-apoptotic proteins （XIAP and MCL-1） induced by different concentrations of ATO at different time points. Results： ATO could inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis of CEM-C1 cells at a concentration and time dependent manner. Low-dose ATO mildly inhibited the proliferation of CEM-C1 cells while higher concentrations （1 μmol/L and 5 μmol/L） had strong anti-tumor effect with the inhibiting rates of 40.07±7.98% and 88.67±2.88%, respectively. Annexin V-FITC/PI flow cytometry showed that the apoptotic rates of CEM-C1 ceils were significantly increased after 48 hours treatment of different concentrations of ATO. RT-PCR demonstrated up-regulated mRNA expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bad and PDCD4 but down-regulated mRNA expression of anti-apoptotic protein XIAP when CEM-C1 cells were treated with different concentrations of ATO at different time points. The MCL-1 mRNA expression was down-regulated only after the treatment of 5 μmol/L ATO. Conclusion： ATO can inhibit cell proliferation and induce cell apoptosis in GC-resistant CEM-C1 cells. The molecular mechanisms might involve the increased mRNA expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bad and PDCD-4, and rapid down-regulation of XIAP mRNA expression.

Dehydroabietic acid chemosensitizes drug-resistant acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells by downregulating survivin expression

Objective:To explore the mechanism of drug resistance in acute lymphoblastic leukemia and the anti-tumor effect of combination therapy of dehydroabietic acid and vincristine against acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells.Methods:Acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells REH and CCRFCEM were employed to detect the anti-tumor effect of vincristine and doxorubicin on proliferation and apoptosis using EdU assay,human active caspase-3 Quantikine ELISA kit,and flow cytometry.Vincristine-resistant REH cells(REH-R),survivin knockdown and overexpressing REH cells were established to verify the role of survivin in drug resistance.Additionally,in vitro and in vivo assays were performed to determine the effect of dehydroabietic acid on the cytotoxicity of vincristine.Results:Vincristine and doxorubicin markedly suppressed proliferation and induced apoptosis of REH and CCRF-CEM cells.Survivin expression was upregulated in REH-R cells compared with REH cells.Knockdown of survivin expression obviously restored the sensitivity of REH-R cells to vincristine.Akt phosphorylation was also increased in REH-R cells compared to REH cells.In addition,LY294002,a PI3k/Akt pathway blocker,inhibited survivin expression and enhanced cytotoxicity of vincristine to REH-R cells.Dehydroabietic acid effectively reduced survivin expression in REH-R cells,thereby enhancing the therapeutic effect of vincristine on drug-resistant cells.Survivin overexpression markedly reduced the effect of dehydroabietic acid on enhancing the anti-proliferation and inducing apoptosis effect of vincristine.Moreover,the combination of dehydroabietic acid with vincristine significantly extended the survival rate in a mouse xenograft model of acute lymphoblastic leukemia,compared with vincristine treatment alone.Conclusions:Dehydroabietic acid may be used as a potential candidate for the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in combination with vincristine.

Donor-Derived CD19-Targeted T Cell Infusion Eliminates B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Minimal Residual Disease with No Response to Donor Lymphocytes after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Leukemia relapse is still the leading cause of treatment failure after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) for B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). Relapsed patients with BALL after allo-HSCT have a very short median survival. Minimal residual disease (MRD) is predictive of forthcoming hematological relapse after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT);furthermore, eliminating MRD effectively prevents relapse. Donor lymphoblastic infusion (DLI) is the main established approach to treat B-ALL with MRD after allo-HSCT. However, about one-third of patients with MRD are non-responsive to DLI and their prognosis worsens. Although donor-derived cluster of differentiation (CD)19-directed chimeric antigen receptor-modified (CAR) T cells (CART19s) can potentially cure leukemia, the efficiency and safety of infusions with these cells have not yet been investigated in patients with MRD after HSCT. Between September 2014 and February 2018, six patients each received one or more infusions of CART19s from HSCT donors. Five (83.33%) achieved MRD-negative remission, and one case was not responsive to the administration of CAR T cells. Three of the six patients are currently alive without leukemia. No patient developed acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD), and no patient died of cytokine release syndrome. Donor-derived CAR T cell infusions seem to be an effective and safe intervention for patients with MRD in B-ALL after allo-HSCT and for those who were not responsive to DLI.

Decitabine for Relapsed Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation（allo-HSCT） remains a main question on treatment failure. Current strategies for management that usually include salvage chemotherapy, donor lymphocytic infusion and second transplantation. Our study assessed the efficacy of decitabine（DAC） for treating patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia（ALL） who relapsed after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation（allo-HSCT）. We retrospectively analyzed the outcomes of 12 patients with relapsed ALL after allo-HSCT who received DAC therapy. Nine patients received DAC combined with chemotherapy and donor stem cell infusion, and 3 patients received single-agent DAC. Ten of the 12 patients achieved complete remission（CR）, 1 achieved a partial remission（PR）, and 1 had no response（NR） after treatment at the latest follow-up（LFU）, the median survival was 11.2 months（range, 3.8–34, 7 months）. The 1-and 2-year overall survival（OS） rates were 50%（6/12） and 25%（3/12）, respectively. Five patients were still alive; 4 had maintained CR and 1 was alive with disease. Patients with Philadelphia chromosome-positive ALL had higher survival rate than patients with Philadelphia chromosome-negative ALL（57.1% vs. 20%）. No aggravated flares of graft-versus-host disease（GVHD） were observed during DAC treatment. Therefore, DAC may be a promising therapeutic agent for ALL recurrence after allo-HSCT.

Establishment of Reproducible Xenotransplantation Model of T Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in NOD/SCID Mice

T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia(T-ALL) is an aggressive leukemia.However the poor prognosis and low morbidity restrict further analysis of the disease.Therefore there is an increasing demand to develop animal models for identifying novel therapeutic approaches.In this study,we inoculated the anti-mouse CD122 monoclonal antibody conditioned NOD/SCID mice with the leukemia cells from 9 T-ALL patients and 1 cell line via the tail vein.Four of the 9 patients and the cell line were successfully engrafted.Flow cytometry detected high percentage of human CD45 + cells in recipient mice.Immunohistochemistry showed infiltration of human CD45 + cells in different organs.Serial transplantation was also achieved.In vivo drug treatment showed that dexamethasone could extend survival,which was consistent with clinical observation.These results demonstrated that we successfully established 5 xenotransplantation models of T-ALL in anti-mCD122 mAb conditioned NOD/SCID mice,which recapitulated the characteristics of original disease.

Higher PD-1 expression concurrent with exhausted CD8+ T cells in patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia

Objective： To investigate the association between the T cell inhibitory receptor programmed death 1（PD-1）and T cell exhaustion status in T cells from patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia（AML） and AML in complete remission（CR）.Methods：Surface expression of PD-1 and the exhaustion and immunosenescence markers CD244 and CD57 on CD3＋,CD4＋ and CD8＋ T cells from peripheral blood samples from 20 newly diagnosed,untreated AML patients and 10 cases with AML in CR was analyzed by flow cytometry.Twenty-three healthy individuals served as control.Results：A significantly higher percentage of PD-1＋ cells were found for CD3＋ T cells in the de novo AML group compared with healthy controls.In addition,an increased level of PD-1＋ CD8＋ T cells,but not PD-1＋ CD4＋,was found for CD3＋ T cells in the de novo AML and AML-CR samples.A higher percentage of CD244＋ CD4＋,CD244＋ CD8＋,CD57＋ CD4＋ and CD57＋ CD8＋ T cells was found in CD3＋ T cells in samples from those with de novo AML compared with those from healthy controls.Strong increased PD-1＋ CD244＋ and PD-1＋ CD57＋ coexpression was found for CD4＋ and CD8＋ T cells in the de novo AML group compared with healthy controls.Conclusions：We characterized the major T cell defects,including co-expression of PD-1 and CD244,CD57-exhausted T cells in patients with de novo AML,and found a particular influence on CD8＋ T cells,suggesting a poor anti-leukemia immune response in these patients.

A facile,branched DNA assay to quantitatively measure glucocorticoid receptor auto-regulation in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Glucocorticoid(GC) steroid hormones are used to treat acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL) because of their pro-apoptotic effects in hematopoietic cells.However,not all leukemia cells are sensitive to GC,and no assay to stratify patients is available.In the GC-sensitive T-cell ALL cell line CEM-C7,auto-up-regulation of RNA transcripts for the glucocorticoid receptor(GR) correlates with increased apoptotic response.This study aimed to determine if a facile assay of GR transcript levels might be promising for stratifying ALL patients into hormone-sensitive and hormone-resistant populations.The GR transcript profiles of various lymphoid cell lines and 4 bone marrow samples from patients with T-cell ALL were analyzed using both an optimized branched DNA(bDNA) assay and a real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction assay.There were significant correlations between both assay platforms when measuring total GR(exon 5/6) transcripts in various cell lines and patient samples,but not for a probe set that detects a specific,low abundance GR transcript(exon 1A3).Our results suggest that the bDNA platform is reproducible and precise when measuring total GR transcripts and,with further development,may ultimately offer a simple clinical assay to aid in the prediction of GC-sensitivity in ALL patients.

Individualized leukemia cell-population profiles in common B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients

Immunophenotype is critical for diagnosing common B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (common ALL) and detecting minimal residual disease. We developed a protocol to explore the immunophenotypic profiles of common ALL based on the expression levels of the antigens associated with B lymphoid development, including IL-7Rα (CD127), cytoplasmic CD79a (cCD79a), CD19, VpreB (CD179a), and sIgM, which are successive and essential for progression of B cells along their developmental pathway. Analysis of the immunophenotypes of 48 common ALL cases showed that the immunophenotypic patterns were highly heterogeneous, with the leukemic cell population differing from case to case. Through the comprehensive analysis of immunophenotypic patterns, the profiles of patient-specific composite leukemia cell populations could provide detailed information helpful for the diagnosis, therapeutic monitoring, and individualized therapies for common ALL.

ATP binding cassette C1 (ABCC1/MRP1)-mediated drug efflux contributes to disease progression in T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Purpose: In acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), multidrug resistance is often mediated by AT- Pase Binding Cassette (ABC) proteins, which principally involve ABCC1 (multidrug resistance protein 1, MRP1) and ABCB1 (multidrug resistance 1, MDR1). However, direct comparisons between the differential effects of ABCC1 and ABCB1 have been difficult, since identical cell lines with differential expression of these transporters have not been developed. Experimental Design: In this study, we developed and compared the biological profiles of Jurkat cell lines that selectively over-expressed ABCC1 and ABCB1. Vincristine (VCR) plays an important role in the treatment of T-lineage ALL (T-ALL), and is often the first drug given to newly-diagnosed patients. Because of its importance in treatment, we provide descalating, sub-lethal doses of VCR to Jurkat cells, and extended our observations to expression profiling of newly diagnosed patients with T-ALL. Results: We found that VCR-resistant cells over-expressed ABCC1 nearly 30-fold. The calcein AM assay confirmed that VCR-resistant cells actively extruded VCR, and that ABCC1-mediated drug resistance conferred a different spectrum of multidrug resistance than other T-ALL induction agents. siRNA experiments that blocked ABCC1 export confirmed that VCR resistance could be reversed in vitro. Analyses of T-lymphoblasts obtained from 100 newly diagnosed T-ALL patients treated on Children’s Oncology Group Phase III studies 9404 and AALL0434 that induction failure could be could be partially explained by the over-expression of ABCC1 and ABCB1. Conclusions: Taken together, these results suggest that over-expression of ABC transporters plays a contributing role in mediating treatment failure in T-ALL, and underscore the need to employ alternate treatment approaches in patients for whom induction failed or for those with relapsed disease.

Expression of the polycomb group gene <i>Bmi</i>1 does not affect the prognosis of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia

The Polycomb group protein Bmi1 is a constituent of the Polycomb repressive complex 1, and it is an important molecule for the regulation of the self-renewal of hematopoietic stem cells. In the field of clinical hematology, there are reports that the level of Bmi1 expression in blast cells is related to the prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia, chronic myeloid leukemia, and myelodysplastic syndrome. We investigated whether the level of Bmi1 expression in leukemic cells is related to the prognosis and the characteristics of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. In all the leukemic blast cells, Bmi1 gene expression was lower value than that in normal B cells. There were no correlations between the level of Bmi1 gene expression in leukemic blast cells and other parameters, including prognosis. Here, we report that the level of Bmi1 expression in blast cells is not related to the prognosis of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Rearranged Patterns of IgH and TcRγ Genes in Patients with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

The rearrangement of immunoglobulin heavy chain gene(IgH) and T cell receptor γgene (ToRγ)was studied in 30 patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL) by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). 19 cases was found to have rearrangement of IgH gene,12 of TcRγ. Most of IgH rearrangement was characterized by one or two specific bands while some had more than two. Rearrangement of TcRγgene appeared as one specific band. A slight difference in number, size and lightness of bands was found among the patients. 4 different kinds of rearrangement were observed in the detection of IgH rearrangement in combination with TcRγgene. The rearranged patterns of IgH and TcRγgene as well as the clinical significance were discussed.

Detection of lymphocyte subsets and regulatory T cells in peripheral blood of patients with acute leukemia and its clinical significance

Objective To study the changes of lymphocyte subsets and regulatory T cells in peripheral blood of patients with acute leukemia(AL) and its clinical significance.Methods The different levels of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets and regulatory T cells of 60 AL patients and 40 normal controls were detected with flow cytometry.Results Compared with the normal controls,the percentages of CD3+ T cells,CD4+ T cells,CD16+CD56+ NK cells and the ratio of CD4+ /CD8+ obviously decreased in newly diagnosed AL group(P <0.05),while their percentages of CD8+ T cells and CD19+ B cells significantly increased(P <0.01).The percentage of CD4+ T cells and the ratio of CD4+ /CD8+ in acute lymphoblastic leukemia(ALL) group were much lower than those in acute myelogenous leukemia(AML) group(P <0.01).Compared with these in control group,the proportions of CD4+ CD25high Treg cells and CD4+ CD25+ T cells in newly diagnosed AL group were significantly increased(P <0.01).Conclusion Cellular immune function is significantly abnormal in patients with AL.Compared with AML patients,ALL patients had poorer cellular immune function.The increased CD4 + CD25high Treg cells might be one of the important reasons of immunosuppression in AL.Detection of lymphocyte subsets and regulatory T cells is of clinical value on the evaluation of therapeutic effect and prognosis in AL patients.

Expression pattern of BIM,BCL-6,and c-MYC in adult B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Objective We aimed to evaluate the expression pattern of the genes BIM, BCL-6, and c-MYC in adult patients at initial diagnosis of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia(B-ALL).Methods Relative m RNA levels of BIM, BCL-6, and c-MYC in peripheral blood mononuclear cells(PBMCs) from B-ALL patients were determined by quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction(q RT-PCR) using SYBR Green dye. PBMCs from healthy volunteers served as a control. GAPDH was used as a reference gene.Results Relative expression of BIM, BCL-6, and c-MYC m RNA in B-ALL patients was significantly lower than in healthy controls(P < 0.05). Furthermore, this result was observed for both newly diagnosed B-ALL patients and those incomplete remission(CR)(P < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences in the expression levels of BIM, BCL-6, and c-MYC between these B-ALL patient groups(P > 0.05). Spearman's rank correlation analyses revealed the expression level of BIM to be positively correlated with that of BCL-6 in B-ALL patients.Conclusion Expression of the genes BIM, BCL-6, and c-MYC is decreased in adult B-ALL patients. Moreover, the expression pattern of these genes may be similar in such patients at initial diagnosis and following CR. The expression characteristics of BIM, BCL-6, and c-MYC may constitute useful markers for the diagnosis of adult B-ALL.

Graft vs host disease impacts overall survival post allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma

AIM To examine the outcome and prognostic factors for high risk patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia/lymphoma(ALL/LBL) who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation(HCT) at our center during the period of2010-2017 METHODS After due institutional review board approval, patients with high risk ALL/LBL post HCT were identified and included. All records were retrospectively collected. Time to event analysis was calculated from the date of HCT until event of interest or last follow up with Kaplan-Meir means. Cox regression model was used for multivariable analysis calculation.RESULTS A total of 69 patients were enrolled and examined with a median age of 21(14-61). After a median follow up of 15 mo(2-87.3), the 2-year cumulative incidence of relapse, cumulative incidence of non-relapse mortality, progression free survival and overall survival(OS) were 34.1%, 10.9%, 54.9% and 62.8%,respectively. In a multivariable analysis for OS; acute graft vs host disease(GVHD) and chronic GVHD were significant with corresponding hazard ratio 4.9(1.99-12; P = 0.0007) and 0.29(0.1-0.67; P = 0.0044), respectively.CONCLUSION Allogeneic-HCT for high risk ALL/LBL resulted in promising remissions particularly for patients with cGVHD.

Acute myeloid leukemia cells inhibit the differentiation and maturation of dendritic cells and induce the generation of regulatory T cells

Objective： To investigate the effects of soluble factors secreted by acute myeloid leukemia （AML） cells on the phenotypical and functional properties of DCs derived from normal mononuclear cells. Methods： Mononuclear cells were cultured with interleukin-4 （IL-4） and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor （GM-CSF）, in the presence or absence of 24 h culture supematants from fresh pdmary AML cells, to generate immature DCs. The maturation of DCs was induced by cytokines IL-lbeta, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha （TNF-alpha）, and prostaglandin-2 （PGE-2）. The phenotypic alterations of DCs and DCs-primed CD4＋ T cells were evaluated using flow cytometry. Precursor frequency （PF） was calculated to monitor the allostimulatory effects of DCs on CD4^＋ and CD8^＋ T cells. Results：AML cell supernatant-treated DCs showed significantly lower expression of co-stimulatory molecules CDS0 and CD86, and reduced response to cytokines IL-1beta, IL-6, TNF-alpha, and PGE-2. The allostimulatory effects of AML cell supematant-treated DCs on CD4^＋ and CD8^＋ T cells were significantly lower than those of normal mature DCs [PF： （1.8 ±0.5）% vs. （5.2 ± 1.6）% for CD4^＋ T cells, （2.1 ±0.6）% vs. （6.5 ± 2.0）% for CD8^＋ T cells, P 〈 0.01]. These AML supernatantoinduced DCs could also induce allogeneic CD4^＋ T cells to differentiate into CD4^＋CD25high T cells, which had immunophenotyping characteristics of regulatory T cells, i.e. they expressed Foxp3 but not active maker CD69. Conclusion： This study demonstrates that soluble factors secreted by AML cells can inhibit development and functions of DCs. In addition, AML supernatant-induced DCs can induce the generation of CD4^＋CD25^high T cells from CD4^＋ T cells, which may be a mechanism of increased prevalence of CD4^＋CD25^high regulatory T cells and immune dysfunction in AML patients.