CML patients with deep molecular responses to TKI have restored immune effectors and decreased PD-1 and immune suppressors.

Immunological control may contribute to achievement of deep molecular response in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients on tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy and may promote treatment-free remission (TFR). We investigated effector and suppressor immune responses in CML patients at diagnosis (n = 21), on TKI (imatinib, nilotinib, dasatinib) before achieving major molecular response (pre-MMR, BCR-ABL1 >0.1%, n = 8), MMR (BCR-ABL1 ≤0.1%, n = 20), molecular response4.5 (MR4.5, BCR-ABL1 ≤0.0032%, n = 16), and sustained TFR (BCR-ABL1 undetectable following cessation of TKI therapy, n = 13). Aberrant immune-inhibitory responses (myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), regulatory T cells (Tregs), and programmed death-1 (PD-1) inhibitory molecule expression on CD4+/CD8+ T cells were increased in CML patients at diagnosis. Consequent quantitative and functional defects of innate effector natural killer (NK) cells and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte responses to leukemia-associated antigens WT1, BMI-1, PR3, and PRAME were observed at diagnosis. Treg and PD-1+CD4+/CD8+ T cells persisted in pre-MMR CML patients on TKI. Patients in MMR and MR4.5 had a more mature, cytolytic CD57+CD62L- NK cell phenotype, consistent with restoration of NK cell activating and inhibitory receptor repertoire to normal healthy donor levels. Immune responses were retained in TFR patients off-therapy, suggesting the restored immune control observed in MMR and MR4.5 is not an entirely TKI-mediated effect. Maximal restoration of immune responses occurred only in MR4.5, as demonstrated by increased NK cell and effector T-cell cytolytic function, reduced T-cell PD-1 expression and reduced numbers of monocytic MDSCs.

KIR2DL5B genotype predicts outcomes in CML patients treated with response-directed sequential imatinib/nilotinib strategy.

Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIRs) on natural killer (NK) cells have been shown to predict for response in chronic phase-chronic myeloid leukemia (CP-CML) patients treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors. We performed KIR genotyping in 148 newly diagnosed CP-CML patients treated with a novel sequential imatinib/nilotinib strategy aimed at achievement of optimal molecular responses at defined time points. We found the presence of KIR2DL5B to be associated with inferior transformation-free survival and event-free survival and an independent predictor of inferior major molecular response (BCR-ABL1 ≤0.1%) and molecular response 4.5 (BCR-ABL1 ≤0.0032%). This suggests a critical early role for NK cells in facilitating response to imatinib that cannot be overcome by subsequent intensification of therapy. KIR genotyping may add valuable prognostic information to future baseline predictive scoring systems in CP-CML patients and facilitate optimal frontline treatment selection.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitor resistance in chronic myeloid leukemia cell lines: investigating resistance pathways.

There are three currently identified secondary resistance mechanisms observed in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). These are BCR-ABL kinase domain (KD) mutations, increased BCR-ABL expression, and overexpression of drug-efflux proteins (ABCB1 and ABCG2). To investigate the interplay between these three modes of resistance, three CML blast crisis cell lines (K562, its ABCB1-overexpressing variant K562 Dox, and KU812) were cultured in gradually increasing concentrations of imatinib to 2 µM, or dasatinib to 200 nM. Eight imatinib- and two dasatinib-resistant cell lines were established. Two imatinib-resistant K562 lines both had increased BCR-ABL expression as the apparent mode of resistance. However, when a dasatinib-resistant K562 culture was generated we observed gradually increasing BCR-ABL expression which peaked prior to identification of the T315I mutation. BCR-ABL overexpression followed by mutation development was observed in a further 4/10 cell lines, each with different KD mutations. In contrast, three imatinib-resistant K562 Dox lines exhibited only a further increase in ABCB1 expression. All TKI-resistant cell lines generated had increased IC(50) (dose of drug required to reduce phosphorylation of the adaptor protein p-Crkl by 50%) to imatinib, dasatinib, and nilotinib, regardless of which TKI was used to induce resistance. This suggests that currently available TKIs share the same susceptibilities to drug resistance.