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Two types of acquired loss of heterozygosity are possible in cancer: deletions and copy-neutral uniparental disomy (UPD). Conventionally,copy number losses are identified using metaphase cytogenetics,whereas detection of UPD is accomplished by microsatellite and copy number analysis and as such,is not often used clinically. Recently,introduction of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarrays has allowed for the systematic and sensitive detection of UPD in hematologic malignancies and other cancers. In this study,we have applied 250K SNP array technology to detect previously cryptic chromosomal changes,particularly UPD,in a cohort of 301 patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS),overlap MDS/myeloproliferative disorders (MPD),MPD,and acute myeloid leukemia. We show that UPD is a common chromosomal defect in myeloid malignancies,particularly in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML; 48%) and MDS/MPD-unclassifiable (38%). Furthermore,we show that mapping minimally overlapping segmental UPD regions can help target the search for both known and unknown pathogenic mutations,including newly identified missense mutations in the proto-oncogene c-Cbl in 7 of 12 patients with UPD11q. Acquired mutations of c-Cbl E3 ubiquitin ligase may explain the pathogenesis of a clonal process in a subset of MDS/MPD,including CMML. View Publication

Interactions between tumor and immune cells either enhance or inhibit cancer progression. We show here that Stat3 signaling within the tumor microenvironment induces a procarcinogenic cytokine,IL-23,while inhibiting a central anticarcinogenic cytokine,IL-12,thereby shifting the balance of tumor immunity toward carcinogenesis. Stat3 induces expression of IL-23,which is mainly produced by tumor-associated macrophages,via direct transcriptional activation of the IL-23/p19 gene. Furthermore,Stat3 inhibits NF-kappaB/c-Rel-dependent IL-12/p35 gene expression in tumor-associated dendritic cells. Tumor-associated regulatory T cells (Tregs) express IL-23 receptor,which activates Stat3 in this cell type,leading to upregulation of the Treg-specific transcription factor Foxp3 and the immunosuppressive cytokine IL-10. These results demonstrate that Stat3 promotes IL-23-mediated procarcinogenic immune responses while inhibiting IL-12-dependent antitumor immunity. View Publication

Hematopoiesis is a carefully controlled process that is regulated by complex networks of transcription factors that are,in part,controlled by signals resulting from ligand binding to cell-surface receptors. To further understand hematopoiesis,we have compared gene expression profiles of human erythroblasts,megakaryocytes,B cells,cytotoxic and helper T cells,natural killer cells,granulocytes,and monocytes using whole genome microarrays. A bioinformatics analysis of these data was performed focusing on transcription factors,immunoglobulin superfamily members,and lineage-specific transcripts. We observed that the numbers of lineage-specific genes varies by 2 orders of magnitude,ranging from 5 for cytotoxic T cells to 878 for granulocytes. In addition,we have identified novel coexpression patterns for key transcription factors involved in hematopoiesis (eg,GATA3-GFI1 and GATA2-KLF1). This study represents the most comprehensive analysis of gene expression in hematopoietic cells to date and has identified genes that play key roles in lineage commitment and cell function. The data,which are freely accessible,will be invaluable for future studies on hematopoiesis and the role of specific genes and will also aid the understanding of the recent genome-wide association studies. View Publication

OBJECTIVE: T lymphocytes play an important role in systemic sclerosis (SSc),a connective tissue disease characterized by inflammation,fibrosis,and vascular damage. While their precise role and antigen specificity are unclear,T cell-derived cytokines likely contribute to the induction of fibrosis. The aim of this study was to establish the role of cytokine dysregulation by T cells in the pathogenesis of SSc. METHODS: To identify relationships between a specific cytokine,T cell subset,and the disease course,we studied a large cohort of patients with diffuse cutaneous SSc (dcSSc) or limited cutaneous SSc (lcSSc). Using Luminex analysis and intracellular cytokine staining,we analyzed the intrinsic ability of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell subsets to produce cytokines following in vitro activation. RESULTS: High levels of the profibrotic type 2 cytokine interleukin-13 (IL-13) were produced following activation of peripheral blood effector CD8+ T cells from SSc patients as compared with normal controls or with patients with rheumatoid arthritis. In contrast,CD4+ T cells showed a lower and more variable level of IL-13 production. This abnormality correlated with the extent of fibrosis and was more pronounced in dcSSc patients than in lcSSc patients. CONCLUSION: Dysregulated IL-13 production by effector CD8+ T cells is important in the pathogenesis of SSc and is critical in the predisposition to more severe forms of cutaneous disease. Our study is the first to identify a specific T cell phenotype that correlates with disease severity in SSc and can be used as a marker of immune dysfunction in SSc and as a novel therapeutic target. View Publication

Chromosomal abnormalities are frequent in myeloid malignancies,but in most cases of myelodysplasia (MDS) and myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN),underlying pathogenic molecular lesions are unknown. We identified recurrent areas of somatic copy number-neutral loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and deletions of chromosome 4q24 in a large cohort of patients with myeloid malignancies including MDS and related mixed MDS/MPN syndromes using single nucleotide polymorphism arrays. We then investigated genes in the commonly affected area for mutations. When we sequenced TET2,we found homozygous and hemizygous mutations. Heterozygous and compound heterozygous mutations were found in patients with similar clinical phenotypes without LOH4q24. Clinical analysis showed most TET2 mutations were present in patients with MDS/MPN (58%),including CMML (6/17) or sAML (32%) evolved from MDS/MPN and typical MDS (10%),suggesting they may play a ubiquitous role in malignant evolution. TET2 mutations affected conserved domains and the N terminus. TET2 is widely expressed in hematopoietic cells but its function is unknown,and it lacks homology to other known genes. The frequency of mutations in this candidate myeloid regulatory gene suggests an important role in the pathogenesis of poor prognosis MDS/MPN and sAML and may act as a disease gene marker for these often cytogenetically normal disorders. View Publication

Cytoplasmic APOBEC3G has been reported to block wild-type human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection in some primary cells. It is not known whether cytoplasmic APOBEC3G has residual activity in activated T cells,even though virion-packaged APOBEC3G does restrict HIV-1 in activated T cells. Because we found that APOBEC3G expression is greater in activated CD4(+) T-helper type 1 (Th1) lymphocytes than in T-helper type 2 (Th2) lymphocytes,we hypothesized that residual target cell restriction of incoming Vif-positive virions that lack APOBEC3G,if present,would be greater in Th1 than Th2 lymphocytes. Infection of activated Th1 cells with APOBEC3-negative virions did result in decreased amounts of early and late reverse transcription products and integrated virus relative to infection of activated Th2 cells. Two-long terminal repeat (2-LTR) circles,which are formed in the nucleus when reverse transcripts do not integrate,were increased after APOBEC3-negative virus infection of activated Th1 cells relative to infection of activated Th2 cells. In contrast,2-LTR circle forms were decreased after infection of APOBEC3G-negative cells with APOBEC3G-containing virions relative to APOBEC3G-negative virions and with Th1 cell-produced virions relative to Th2 cell-produced virions. Increasing APOBEC3G in Th2 cells and decreasing APOBEC3G in Th1 cells modulated the target cell phenotypes,indicating causation by APOBEC3G. The comparison between activated Th1 and Th2 cells indicates that cytoplasmic APOBEC3G in activated Th1 cells partially restricts reverse transcription and integration of incoming Vif-positive,APOBEC3G-negative HIV-1. The differing effects of cytoplasmic and virion-packaged APOBEC3G on 2-LTR circle formation indicate a difference in their antiviral mechanisms. View Publication

Natural killer T (NKT) cells are innate-like lymphocytes that recognize lipid antigens and have been shown to enhance B-cell activation and antibody production. B cells typically recruit T-cell help by presenting internalized antigens recognized by their surface antigen receptor. Here,we demonstrate a highly efficient means whereby human B cells present lipid antigens to NKT cells,capturing the antigen using apolipoprotein E (apoE) and the low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDL-R). ApoE dramatically enhances B-cell presentation of alpha-galactosylceramide (alphaGalCer),an exogenous CD1d presented antigen,inducing activation of NKT cells and the subsequent activation of B cells. B cells express the LDL-R on activation,and the activation of NKT cells by B cells is completely LDL-R dependent,as shown by blocking experiments and the complete lack of presentation when using apoE2,an isoform of apoE incapable of LDL-R binding. The dependence on apoE and the LDL-R is much more pronounced in B cells than we had previously seen in dendritic cells,which can apparently use alternate pathways of lipid antigen uptake. Thus,B cells use an apolipoprotein-mediated pathway of lipid antigen presentation,which constitutes a form of innate help for B cells by NKT cells. View Publication

The control of uptake and utilization of necessary extracellular nutrients-glucose and glutamine-is an important aspect of B cell activation. Let-7 is a family of microRNAs known to be involved in metabolic control. Here,we employed several engineered mouse models,including B cell-specific overexpression of Lin28a or the let-7a-1/let-7d/let-7f-1 cluster (let-7adf) and knockout of individual let-7 clusters to show that let-7adf specifically inhibits T cell-independent (TI) antigen-induced immunoglobulin (Ig)M antibody production. Both overexpression and deletion of let-7 in this cluster leads to altered TI-IgM production. Mechanistically,let-7adf suppresses the acquisition and utilization of key nutrients,including glucose and glutamine,through directly targeting hexokinase 2 (Hk2) and by repressing a glutamine transporter Slc1a5 and a key degradation enzyme,glutaminase (Gls),a mechanism mediated by regulation of c-Myc. Our results suggest a novel role of let-7adf as a metabolic brake" on B cell antibody production." View Publication

Among different cancer immunotherapy approaches,bispecific antibodies (BsAbs) are of great interest due to their ability to recruit immune cells to kill tumor cells directly. Various BsAbs against Her2 tumor cells have been proposed with potent cytotoxic activities. However,most of these formats require extensive processing to obtain heterodimeric bispecific antibodies. In this study,we describe a bispecific antibody,BiHC (bispecific Her2-CD3 antibody),constructed with a single-domain anti-Her2 and a single-chain Fv (variable fragment) of anti-CD3 in an IgG-like format. In contrast to most IgG-like BsAbs,the two arms in BiHC have different molecular weights,making it easier to separate hetero- or homodimers. BiHC can be expressed in Escherichia coli and purified via Protein A affinity chromatography. The purified BiHC can recruit T cells and induce specific cytotoxicity of Her2-expressing tumor cells in vitro. The BiHC can also efficiently inhibit the tumor growth in vivo. Thus,BiHC is a promising candidate for the treatment of Her2-positive cancers. View Publication

Lung macrophage subpopulations have been identified based on size. We investigated characteristics of small and large macrophages in the alveolar spaces and lung interstitium of COPD patients and controls. Alveolar and interstitial cells were isolated from lung resection tissue from 88 patients. Macrophage subpopulation cell-surface expression of immunological markers and phagocytic ability were assessed by flow cytometry. Inflammatory related gene expression was measured. Alveolar and interstitial macrophages had subpopulations of small and large macrophages based on size and granularity. Alveolar macrophages had similar numbers of small and large cells; interstitial macrophages were mainly small. Small macrophages expressed significantly higher cell surface HLA-DR,CD14,CD38 and CD36 and lower CD206 compared to large macrophages. Large alveolar macrophages showed lower marker expression in COPD current compared to ex-smokers. Small interstitial macrophages had the highest pro-inflammatory gene expression levels,while large alveolar macrophages had the lowest. Small alveolar macrophages had the highest phagocytic ability. Small alveolar macrophage CD206 expression was lower in COPD patients compared to smokers. COPD lung macrophages include distinct subpopulations; Small interstitial and small alveolar macrophages with more pro-inflammatory and phagocytic function respectively,and large alveolar macrophages with low pro-inflammatory and phagocytic ability. View Publication

Cellular senescence,which is characterized by an irreversible cell-cycle arrest1 accompanied by a distinctive secretory phenotype2,can be induced through various intracellular and extracellular factors. Senescent cells that express the cell cycle inhibitory protein p16INK4A have been found to actively drive naturally occurring age-related tissue deterioration3,4 and contribute to several diseases associated with ageing,including atherosclerosis5 and osteoarthritis6. Various markers of senescence have been observed in patients with neurodegenerative diseases7-9; however,a role for senescent cells in the aetiology of these pathologies is unknown. Here we show a causal link between the accumulation of senescent cells and cognition-associated neuronal loss. We found that the MAPTP301SPS19 mouse model of tau-dependent neurodegenerative disease10 accumulates p16INK4A-positive senescent astrocytes and microglia. Clearance of these cells as they arise using INK-ATTAC transgenic mice prevents gliosis,hyperphosphorylation of both soluble and insoluble tau leading to neurofibrillary tangle deposition,and degeneration of cortical and hippocampal neurons,thus preserving cognitive function. Pharmacological intervention with a first-generation senolytic modulates tau aggregation. Collectively,these results show that senescent cells have a role in the initiation and progression of tau-mediated disease,and suggest that targeting senescent cells may provide a therapeutic avenue for the treatment of these pathologies. View Publication