Elevated serum levels of soluble B-cell maturation antigen as a prognostic biomarker for multiple myeloma.

Serum B-cell maturation antigen (sBCMA) levels can serve as a sensitive biomarker in multiple myeloma (MM). In the research setting, sBCMA levels can be accurately detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), but the approach has not been approved for clinical use. Here, we used a novel chemiluminescence method to assess sBCMA levels in 759 serum samples from 17 healthy donors and 443 patients with plasma cell (PC) diseases including AL amyloidosis, POEMS syndrome and MM. Serum BCMA levels were elevated 16.1-fold in patients with newly diagnosed MM compared to healthy donors and rare PC diseases patients. Specifically, the sBCMA levels in patients with progressive disease were 64.6-fold higher than those who showed partial response or above to treatment. The sBCMA level also correlated negatively with the response depth of MM patients. In newly diagnosed and relapsed MM patients, survival was significantly longer among those subjects whose sBCMA levels are below the median levels compared with those above the median value. We optimized the accuracy of the survival prediction further by integrating sBCMA level into the Second Revised International Staging System (R2-ISS). Our findings provide evidence that the novel chemiluminescence method is sensitive and practical for measuring sBCMA levels in clinical samples and confirm that sBCMA might serve as an independent prognostic biomarker for MM.

The Landscape of Cytogenetic Aberrations in Light-Chain Amyloidosis with or without Coexistent Multiple Myeloma.

Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (iFISH) has been well established in the preliminary prognostic evaluation of multiple myeloma (MM). However, the chromosomal aberrations in patients with systemic light-chain amyloidosis, notably in patients with coexistent MM, have been rarely investigated. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of iFISH aberrations on the prognosis of systemic light-chain amyloidosis (AL) with and without concurrent MM. The iFISH results and clinical characteristics of 142 patients with systemic light-chain amyloidosis were analyzed, and survival analysis was conducted. Among the 142 patients, 80 patients had AL amyloidosis alone, and the other 62 patients had concurrent MM. The incidence rate of 13q deletion, t(4;14), was higher in AL amyloidosis patients with concurrent MM than that of primary AL amyloidosis patients (27.4% vs. 12.5%, and 12.9% vs. 5.0%, respectively), and the incidence rate of t(11;14) in primary AL amyloidosis patients was higher than that in AL amyloidosis patients with concurrent MM (15.0% vs. 9.7%). Moreover, the two groups had the similar incidence rates of 1q21 gain (53.8% and 56.5%, respectively). The result of the survival analysis suggested that patients with t(11;14) and 1q21 gain had a shorter median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS), irrespective of the presence or absence of MM, and patients with AL amyloidosis and concurrent MM carrying t(11;14) had the poorest prognosis, with a median OS time of 8.1 months.

Simultaneous quantification of thalidomide, lenalidomide and pomadomide in plasma by LC-MS/MS.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a new method for quantitatively analyzing three immunomodulators (thalidomide, lenalidomide and pomadomide) by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). METHODS: Using thalidomide-d4 as internal standard, the three analytes were separated on Agilent Zorbax SB-C18(2.1 mm × 100 mm, 3.5 µm, Agilent, USA) column and monitored in multiple reactions monitoring mode in Agilent G6460A triple quadrupole mass spectrometer operating in positive ionization mode. The sample was pretreated by protein precipitation using methanol at 3-fold volume to sample. The mobile phase was comprised of 0.1% formic acid in water (phase A) and acetonitrile (phase B) and was delivered in gradient elution program. The flow rate was 0.3 mL/min, and the injection volume was 5 µL. RESULTS: The accuracy and stability of the method are within ±15.0%, and the precision is not >15.0%. The recoveries were 85.04% âˆ¼ 119.07%, and the matrix effect was 73.68% âˆ¼ 116.75%. Specificity, linearity, LLOQ, carry-over and dilution were all in line with the requirements of pharmacopeia and guidelines. The peak concentrations of thalidomide, lenalidomide shows huge inter-individual differences. CONCLUSIONS: This newly developed method was sensitive, simple, and robust and can be used in therapeutic drug monitoring of three immunomodulators in multiple myeloma patients.

Dysregulated circular RNAs are closely linked to multiple myeloma prognosis, with circ_0026652 predicting bortezomib­based treatment response and survival via the microRNA­608­mediated Wnt/ß­catenin pathway.

Circular RNA (circRNA/circ) profiles have been suggested to be involved in the prognosis of several types of solid tumors and hematological malignancies, including multiple myeloma (MM). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to comprehensively explore the involvement of circRNA profiles in MM prognosis. A total of 60 patients with MM that underwent bortezomib­based induction therapy were enrolled. Next, eight patients with complete response (CR) and eight with no response (NR) were randomly selected to detect their circRNA profiles in bone marrow plasma cells (BMPCs) by microarray. Next, 10 candidate circRNAs were verified via reverse transcription­quantitative PCR (RT­qPCR) in the BMPCs of 60 patients with MM. Finally, the molecular mechanism of circ_0026652 knockdown underlying the regulation of chemosensitivity to bortezomib was assessed. Microarray showed that 79 circRNAs were upregulated and 167 were downregulated in CR compared with NR cases, which were found to be enriched in carcinogenic and chemoresistance­related pathways (Wnt, mTOR and MAPK pathways). RT­qPCR showed that 8/10 circRNAs (circ_0026652, circ_0068708, circ_0088128, circ_0001566, circ_0031113, circ_0083587, circ_0005552 and circ_0007171) were associated with treatment response [CR or objective response rate (ORR)] and 5/10 circRNAs (circ_0026652, circ_0068708, circ_0001566, circ_0031113 and circ_0005552) were associated with progression­free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS). Of note, circ_0026652 was a key prognostic marker simultaneously associated with CR, ORR, PFS and OS. Cellular experiments showed that circ_0026652 knockdown enhanced chemosensitivity to bortezomib through the microRNA (miR)­608­mediated Wnt/ß­catenin pathway in U266 and RPIM­8226 cells. In conclusion, dysregulated circRNA profiles were closely associated with MM prognosis, with circ_0026652 being linked to bortezomib­based treatment response and survival through the miR­608­mediated Wnt/ß­catenin pathway.

CAR-T cell therapy targeting B cell maturation antigen is effective for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma, including cases with poor performance status.

In this open-label, single-arm, phase I/II clinical trial, we evaluated the efficacy of anti-B cell maturation antigen (BCMA) chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell (HDS269B) therapy in 49 relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) patients, including 20 with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) grade 3-4. After HDS269B infusion (9 × 106 CAR+ cells/kg), 17 patients (34.69%, 11 ECOG 0-2, 6 ECOG 3-4) developed cytokine release syndrome [grade 1-2: 14 patients (28.57%); grade 3: 3 patients (6.12%)]. The objective response rate (ORR) was 77%, with a complete response (CR) achieved in 47%. Ongoing response >12 months occurred in 15 patients, and was extended beyond 38 months in one patient. The median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 10 months (95% CI 5.3-14.7) and 29 months (95% CI 10.0-48.0), respectively. The PFS (12 months) and OS (18 months) rates were 41.64% and 62.76%, respectively. In patients with ECOG 0-2 and 3-4, ORR was 79.31% (23/29) and 75.0% (15/20) and PFS were 15 months (95% CI 5.4-24.6) and 4 months (95% CI 0-11.7), respectively. OS was not reached in ECOG 0-2 patients, but was 10.5 months (95% CI 0-22) in ECOG 3-4 patients. Single-cell sequencing indicated that treatment efficacy might be related to mTORC1 signaling. Thus, HDS269B therapy is safe and effective for RRMM patients, even those with ECOG 3-4.

A novel protein encoded by circHNRNPU promotes multiple myeloma progression by regulating the bone marrow microenvironment and alternative splicing.

BACKGROUD: Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable plasma cell malignancy in the bone marrow (BM), while immunoglobulin D type of MM (IgD MM) is a very rare but most severe subtype in all MM cases. Therefore, systemic study on IgD MM is purposeful to disclose the recurrent and refractory features in both IgD and other types of MM, and beneficial to the development of potent therapeutic strategy on MM. METHODS: Agilent SBC-ceRNA microarray chips were employed to examine 3 normal plasma cell samples (NPCs), 5 lgD MM samples and 5 lgG MM samples, respectively. Sanger sequencing, RNase R digestion and qPCR assays were used to detect the existence and expression of circHNRNPU. BaseScope™ RNA ISH assay was performed to test circHNRNPU levels in paraffin-embedded MM tissues. The protein encoded by circHNRNPU was identified by LC-MS/MS, which was named as circHNRNPU_603aa. The function of circHNRNPU_603aa on cellular proliferation and cell cycle was assessed by MTT test, colony formation assay, flow cytometry and MM xenograft mouse model in vivo. RIP-seq, RIP-PCR and WB analysis for ubiquitination were performed to explore the potential mechanism of circHNRNPU_603aa in MM. Exosomes were isolated from the culture supernatant of MM cells by ultracentrifugation and characterized by Transmission Electron Microscope and WB confirmation of exosomes markers Alix and CD9. RESULTS: CircHNRNPU was one of the top most abundant and differentially expressed circRNA in IgD MM relative to lgG and NPCs samples. Increased circHNRNPU was associated with poor outcomes in four independent MM patient cohorts. Intriguingly, MM cells secreted circHNRNPU, which encoded a protein named as circHNRNPU_603aa. Overexpressed circHNRNPU_603aa promoted MM cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo, in contrast knockdown of circHNRNPU_603aa by siRNA abrogated these effects. Due to circHNRNPU_603aa including RNA-binding RGG-box region, it regulated SKP2 exon skipping, thereby competitively inhibited c-Myc ubiquitin so as to stabilize c-Myc in MM. MM cells secreted circHNRNPU through exosomes to interfere with various cells in the BM microenvironment. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrate that circHNRNPU_603aa is a promising diagnostic and therapeutic marker in both MM cells and BM niche.

Single-cell RNA-seq reveals clonal diversity and prognostic genes of relapsed multiple myeloma.

BACKGROUND: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a clinically and biologically heterogeneous plasma-cell malignancy. Despite extensive research, disease heterogeneity and relapse remain a big challenge in MM therapeutics. We tried to dissect this disease and identify novel biomarkers for patient stratification and treatment outcome prediction by applying single-cell technology. METHODS: We performed single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) and variable-diversity-joining regions-targeted sequencing (scVDJ-seq) concurrently on bone marrow samples from a cohort of 18 patients with newly diagnosed MM (NDMM; n = 12) or refractory/relapsed MM (RRMM; n = 6). We analysed the malignant clonotypes using scVDJ-seq data and conducted data integration and cell-type annotation through the CCA algorithm based on gene expression profiling. Furthermore, we identified disease status-specific genes and modules by comparison of NDMM and RRMM datasets and explored the findings in a larger MM cohort from the MMRF CoMMpass study. RESULTS: We found that all the myeloma cells in either diagnosed or relapsed samples were dominated by a major clone, with a few subclones in several samples (n = 5). Next, we investigated the universal transcriptional features of myeloma cells and identified eight meta-programs correlated with this disease, especially meta-programs 1 and 8 (M1 and M8), which were the most significant and related to cell cycle and stress response, respectively. Furthermore, we classified the malignant plasma cells into eight clusters and found that the cell numbers in clusters 2/6/7 were exclusively higher in relapsed samples. Besides, we identified several attractive candidates for biomarkers (e.g. SMAD1 and STMN1) associated with disease progression and relapse in our dataset and related to overall survival in the CoMMpass dataset. CONCLUSIONS: Our data provide insights into the heterogeneity of MM as well as highlight the relevance of intra-tumour heterogeneity and discover novel biomarkers that might be a potent therapy.

Leukemic progenitor cells enable immunosuppression and post-chemotherapy relapse via IL-36-inflammatory monocyte axis.

Chemotherapy can effectively reduce the leukemic burden and restore immune cell production in most acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases. Nevertheless, endogenous immunosurveillance usually fails to recover after chemotherapy, permitting relapse. The underlying mechanisms of this therapeutic failure have remained poorly understood. Here, we show that abnormal IL-36 production activated by NF-κB is an essential feature of mouse and human leukemic progenitor cells (LPs). Mechanistically, IL-36 directly activates inflammatory monocytes (IMs) in bone marrow, which then precludes clearance of leukemia mediated by CD8+ T cells and facilitates LP growth. While sparing IMs, common chemotherapeutic agents stimulate IL-36 production from residual LPs via caspase-1 activation, thereby enabling the persistence of this immunosuppressive IL-36­IM axis after chemotherapy. Furthermore, IM depletion by trabectedin, with chemotherapy and PD-1 blockade, can synergistically restrict AML progression and relapse. Collectively, these results suggest inhibition of the IL-36­IM axis as a potential strategy for improving AML treatment.

Development and validation of prognostic implications of chromosome abnormalities algorithm for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma.

Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) evaluation is essential for initial risk stratification in multiple myeloma (MM). The presence of specific cytogenetic abnormalities (CA) confers a heterogeneity impact on prognosis. However, the cutoff values among different centers are not uniform. Therefore, we conduct this study to better predict the prognosis of newly diagnosed MM patients based on FISH results. The Kaps method was used to calculate the chromosomal abnormal cutoff values. A total of 533 participants were included in the study. The best cutoff value of overall survival were as follows: 17p- 20.1%, 13q- 85%, 1q21+ 39%, t(11;14) 55.5%, t(14;16) 87%, and t(4;14) 53.5%. The survival analysis showed that 17p- and 1q21+ were the independent factors affecting both OS and progress free survival (PFS) among CA. The analysis based on the cutoff value obtained by Kaps suggested that 13q-, t(14;16), 17p-, and 1q21+ were independent factors affecting OS among CA; t(14;16), 17p-, and 1q21+ were independent factors affecting PFS among CA. The prognostic model was constructed by the Kaps method with the Harrell concordance index (c-index) at 0.719 (95% CI, 0.683-0.756; corrected 0.707), which was higher than that calculated by the European Myeloma Network criteria (0.714; 95% CI, 0.678-0.751; corrected 0.696). In conclusion, chromosomal abnormalities in different proportions and combinations can affect the prognosis of MM patients. Therefore, effective criteria should be formulated to evaluate the prognosis of MM patients better.

Leukemic IL-17RB signaling regulates leukemic survival and chemoresistance.

Secreted proteins provide crucial signals that have been implicated in the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in the bone marrow microenvironment. Here we identify aberrant expressions of inflammatory IL-17B and its receptor (IL-17RB) in human and mouse mixed lineage leukemia-rearranged AML cells, which were further increased after exposure to chemotherapy. Interestingly, silencing of IL-17B or IL-17RB led to significant suppression of leukemic cell survival and disease progression in vivo. Moreover, the IL-17B-IL-17RB axis protected leukemic cells from chemotherapeutic agent-induced apoptotic effects. Mechanistic studies revealed that IL-17B promoted AML cell survival by enhancing ERK, NF-κB phosphorylation, and the expression of antiapoptotic protein B-cell lymphoma 2, which were reversed by small-molecule inhibitors. Thus, the inhibition of the IL-17B-IL-17RB axis may be a valid strategy to enhance sensitivity and therapeutic benefit of AML chemotherapy.-Guo, H.-Z., Niu, L.-T., Qiang, W.-T., Chen, J., Wang, J., Yang, H., Zhang, W., Zhu, J., Yu, S.-H. Leukemic IL-17RB signaling regulates leukemic survival and chemoresistance.