参考文献

Summary Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) regularly acquire nonrandom genomic aberrations during culture,raising concerns about their safe therapeutic application. The International Stem Cell Initiative identified a copy number variant (CNV) amplification of chromosome 20q11.21 in 25% of hESC lines displaying a normal karyotype. By comparing four cell lines paired for the presence or absence of this CNV,we show that those containing this amplicon have higher population doubling rates,attributable to enhanced cell survival through resistance to apoptosis. Of the three genes encoded within the minimal amplicon and expressed in hESCs,only overexpression of BCL2L1 (BCL-XL isoform) provides control cells with growth characteristics similar to those of CNV-containing cells,whereas inhibition of BCL-XL suppresses the growth advantage of CNV cells,establishing BCL2L1 as a driver mutation. Amplification of the 20q11.21 region is also detectable in human embryonal carcinoma cell lines and some teratocarcinomas,linking this mutation with malignant transformation. View Publication

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) has poor prognostic outcome compared with other types of breast cancer. The molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying TNBC pathology are not fully understood. Here,we report that the transcription factor BCL11A is overexpressed in TNBC including basal-like breast cancer (BLBC) and that its genomic locus is amplified in up to 38% of BLBC tumours. Exogenous BCL11A overexpression promotes tumour formation,whereas its knockdown in TNBC cell lines suppresses their tumourigenic potential in xenograft models. In the DMBA-induced tumour model,Bcl11a deletion substantially decreases tumour formation,even in p53-null cells and inactivation of Bcl11a in established tumours causes their regression. At the cellular level,Bcl11a deletion causes a reduction in the number of mammary epithelial stem and progenitor cells. Thus,BCL11A has an important role in TNBC and normal mammary epithelial cells. This study highlights the importance of further investigation of BCL11A in TNBC-targeted therapies. View Publication

p53 can induce apoptosis through mitochondrial membrane permeabilization by interaction of its DNA binding region with the anti-apoptotic proteins BclxL and Bcl2. However,little is known about the action of p53 at the mitochondria in molecular detail. By using NMR spectroscopy and fluorescence polarization we characterized the binding of wild-type and mutant p53 DNA binding domains to BclxL and show that the wild-type p53 DNA binding domain leads to structural changes in the BH3 binding region of BclxL,whereas mutants fail to induce such effects due to reduced affinity. This was probed by induced chemical shift and residual dipolar coupling data. These data imply that p53 partly achieves its pro-apoptotic function at the mitochondria by facilitating interaction between BclxL and BH3-only proteins in an allosteric mode of action. Furthermore,we characterize for the first time the binding behavior of Pifithrin-mu,a specific small molecule inhibitor of the p53-BclxL interaction,and present a structural model of the protein-ligand complex. A rather unusual behavior is revealed whereby Pifithrin-mu binds to both sides of the protein-protein complex. These data should facilitate the rational design of more potent specific BclxL-p53 inhibitors. View Publication

The purpose of these studies was to develop and characterize B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA)-specific peptide-encapsulated nanoparticle formulations to efficiently evoke BCMA-specific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) with poly-functional immune activities against multiple myeloma (MM). Heteroclitic BCMA72-80 [YLMFLLRKI] peptide-encapsulated liposome or poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles displayed uniform size distribution and increased peptide delivery to human dendritic cells,which enhanced induction of BCMA-specific CTL. Distinct from liposome-based nanoparticles,PLGA-based nanoparticles demonstrated a gradual increase in peptide uptake by antigen-presenting cells,and induced BCMA-specific CTL with higher anti-tumor activities (CD107a degranulation,CTL proliferation,and IFN-$\gamma$/IL-2/TNF-$\alpha$ production) against primary CD138+ tumor cells and MM cell lines. The improved functional activities were associated with increased Tetramer+/CD45RO+ memory CTL,CD28 upregulation on Tetramer+ CTL,and longer maintenance of central memory (CCR7+ CD45RO+) CTL,with the highest anti-MM activity and less differentiation into effector memory (CCR7- CD45RO+) CTL. These results provide the framework for therapeutic application of PLGA-based BCMA immunogenic peptide delivery system,rather than free peptide,to enhance the induction of BCMA-specific CTL with poly-functional Th1-specific anti-MM activities. These results demonstrate the potential clinical utility of PLGA nanotechnology-based cancer vaccine to enhance BCMA-targeted immunotherapy against myeloma. View Publication

A chronic antigenic stimulation is believed to sustain the leukemogenic development of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and most of lymphoproliferative malignancies developed from mature B cells. Reproducing a proliferative stimulation ex vivo is critical to decipher the mechanisms of leukemogenesis in these malignancies. However,functional studies of CLL cells remains limited since current ex vivo B cell receptor (BCR) stimulation protocols are not sufficient to induce the proliferation of these cells,pointing out the need of mandatory BCR co-factors in this process. Here,we investigated benefits of several BCR co-stimulatory molecules (IL-2,IL-4,IL-15,IL-21 and CD40 ligand) in multiple culture conditions. Our results demonstrated that BCR engagement (anti-IgM ligation) concomitant to CD40 ligand,IL-4 and IL-21 stimulation allowed CLL cells proliferation ex vivo. In addition,we established a proliferative advantage for ZAP70 positive CLL cells,associated to an increased phosphorylation of ZAP70/SYK and STAT6. Moreover,the use of a tri-dimensional matrix of methylcellulose and the addition of TLR9 agonists further increased this proliferative response. This ex vivo model of BCR stimulation with T-derived cytokines is a relevant and efficient model for functional studies of CLL as well as lymphoproliferative malignancies. View Publication

Earlier reports have suggested that the BCR/ABL oncogene,associated with chronic myeloid leukemia,induces a mutator phenotype; however,it is unclear whether this leads to long-term changes in chromosomes and whether the phenotype is found in primary chronic myelogeneous leukemia (CML) cells. We have addressed both these issues. BCR/ABL-expressing cell lines show an increase in DNA breaks after treatment with etoposide as compared to control cells. However,although BCR/ABL-expressing cell lines have an equivalent cell survival,they have an increase in chromosomal translocations after DNA repair as compared to control cells. This demonstrates that BCR/ABL expression decreases the fidelity of DNA repair. To see whether this is true in primary CML samples,normal CD34+ progenitor cells and CML progenitor cells were treated with etoposide. CML progenitor cells have equivalent survival but have an increase in DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Spectral karyotyping demonstrates new chromosomal translocations in CML cells,but not normal progenitor cells,consistent with error-prone DNA repair. Taken together,these data demonstrate that BCR/ABL enhances the accumulation of DSBs and alters the apoptotic threshold in CML leading to error-prone DNA repair. View Publication

BCR/ABL kinase-positive chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) cells display genomic instability leading to point mutations in various genes including bcr/abl and p53,eventually causing resistance to imatinib and malignant progression of the disease. Mismatch repair (MMR) is responsible for detecting misincorporated nucleotides,resulting in excision repair before point mutations occur and/or induction of apoptosis to avoid propagation of cells carrying excessive DNA lesions. To assess MMR activity in CML,we used an in vivo assay using the plasmid substrate containing enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) gene corrupted by T:G mismatch in the start codon; therefore,MMR restores EGFP expression. The efficacy of MMR was reduced approximately 2-fold in BCR/ABL-positive cell lines and CD34(+) CML cells compared with normal counterparts. MMR was also challenged by N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG),which generates O(6)-methylguanine and O(4)-methylthymine recognized by MMR system. Impaired MMR activity in leukemia cells was associated with better survival,accumulation of p53 but not of p73,and lack of activation of caspase 3 after MNNG treatment. In contrast,parental cells displayed accumulation of p53,p73,and activation of caspase 3,resulting in cell death. Ouabain-resistance test detecting mutations in the Na(+)/K(+) ATPase was used to investigate the effect of BCR/ABL kinase-mediated inhibition of MMR on mutagenesis. BCR/ABL-positive cells surviving the treatment with MNNG displayed approximately 15-fold higher mutation frequency than parental counterparts and predominantly G:C--textgreaterA:T and A:T--textgreaterG:C mutator phenotype typical for MNNG-induced unrepaired lesions. In conclusion,these results suggest that BCR/ABL kinase abrogates MMR activity to inhibit apoptosis and induce mutator phenotype. View Publication

BCR/ABL-transformed chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) cells accumulate numerous DNA double-strand breaks (DSB) induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS) and genotoxic agents. To repair these lesions BCR/ABL stimulate unfaithful DSB repair pathways,homologous recombination repair (HRR),nonhomologous end-joining (NHEJ),and single-strand annealing (SSA). Here,we show that BCR/ABL enhances the expression and increase nuclear localization of WRN (mutated in Werner syndrome),which is required for processing DSB ends during the repair. Other fusion tyrosine kinases (FTK),such as TEL/ABL,TEL/JAK2,TEL/PDGFβR,and NPM/ALK also elevate WRN. BCR/ABL induces WRN mRNA and protein expression in part by c-MYC-mediated activation of transcription and Bcl-xL-dependent inhibition of caspase-dependent cleavage,respectively. WRN is in complex with BCR/ABL resulting in WRN tyrosine phosphorylation and stimulation of its helicase and exonuclease activities. Activated WRN protects BCR/ABL-positive cells from the lethal effect of oxidative and genotoxic stresses,which causes DSBs. In addition,WRN promotes unfaithful recombination-dependent repair mechanisms HRR and SSA,and enhances the loss of DNA bases during NHEJ in leukemia cells. In summary,we postulate that BCR/ABL-mediated stimulation of WRN modulates the efficiency and fidelity of major DSB repair mechanisms to protect leukemia cells from apoptosis and to facilitate genomic instability. View Publication

Decabromodiphenyl ether (BDE-209) has been detected in human serum,semen,placenta,cord blood and milk worldwide. However,little is known regarding the potential effects on the early human embryonic development of BDE-209. In this study,human embryonic stem cell lines FY-hES-10 and FY-hES-26 were used to evaluate the potential effects and explore the toxification mechanisms using low-level BDE-209 exposure. Our data showed that BDE-209 exposure (1,10 and 100 nM) reduced the expression of pluripotent genes such as OCT4,SOX2 and NANOG and induced human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) apoptosis. The downregulation of BIRC5/BCL2 and upregulation of BAX were related to apoptosis of hESCs induced by BDE-209 exposure. A mechanism study showed that OCT4 down-regulation accompanied by OCT4 promoter hypermethylation and increasing miR-145/miR-335 levels,OCT4 inhibitors. Moreover,BDE-209 could increase the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and decrease SOD2 expression. The ROS increase and OCT4 downregulation after BDE-209 exposure could be reversed partly by antioxidant N-acetylcysteine supplement. These findings showed that BDE-209 exposure could decrease pluripotent genes expression via epigenetic regulation and induce apoptosis through ROS generation in human embryonic stem cells in vitro. View Publication

Drug resistance resulting from emergence of imatinib-resistant BCR-ABL point mutations is a significant problem in advanced-stage chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). The BCR-ABL inhibitor,nilotinib (AMN107),is significantly more potent against BCR-ABL than imatinib,and is active against many imatinib-resistant BCR-ABL mutants. Phase 1/2 clinical trials show that nilotinib can induce remissions in patients who have previously failed imatinib,indicating that sequential therapy with these 2 agents has clinical value. However,simultaneous,rather than sequential,administration of 2 BCR-ABL kinase inhibitors is attractive for many reasons,including the theoretical possibility that this could reduce emergence of drug-resistant clones. Here,we show that exposure of a variety of BCR-ABL+ cell lines to imatinib and nilotinib results in additive or synergistic cytotoxicity,including testing of a large panel of cells expressing BCR-ABL point mutations causing resistance to imatinib in patients. Further,using a highly quantifiable bioluminescent in vivo model,drug combinations were at least additive in antileukemic activity,compared with each drug alone. These results suggest that despite binding to the same site in the same target kinase,the combination of imatinib and nilotinib is highly efficacious in these models,indicating that clinical testing of combinations of BCR-ABL kinase inhibitors is warranted. View Publication