Dual oligopeptides modification mediates arsenic trioxide containing nanoparticles to eliminate primitive chronic myeloid leukemia cells inside bone marrow niches.

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is one type of hematopoietic stem cell diseases. Although BCR-ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors are remarkably effective in inducing remission in chronic phase patients, they are not curative in a majority of patients due to their failure to eradicate residual CML stem/progenitor cells, which reside in bone marrow niches. Here, we presented novel dual oligopeptides-conjugated nanoparticles and demonstrated their effective delivery of arsenic trioxide in bone marrow niches for the elimination of primitive CML cells. We encapsulated As-Ni transitional metal compounds into polymeric nanoparticles based on the reverse micelle rationale. The loading density and stability of arsenic trioxide in nanoparticles were improved. In vitro experiments demonstrated that dual oligopeptides conjugated nanoparticles could deliver arsenic trioxide into bone marrow niches including endosteal niches and vascular niches. The colony-forming activity of CML cells was remarkably restrained in the presence of metaphyseal bone fragments pre-incubated with bone marrow niche targeted arsenic nanoparticles. The in vitro vascular niche model suggested that CML cell proliferation was also successfully inhibited through a tight contact with HUVECs, which were pre-treated using niche-targeted arsenic nanoparticles. This bone marrow niche targeted delivery strategy has a potential usage for the treatment of CML and other malignant hematologic disorders originated from the bone marrow.

The effect of tyrosine kinase inhibitor interruption and interferon use on pregnancy outcomes and long-term disease control in chronic myeloid leukemia.

The management of CML in pregnancy is challenging with the need to balance disease control against potential teratogenic effects of TKI therapy. In this multi-center case-cohort study of 16 women in chronic phase, CML ceased TKI treatment pre- or post-conception during their first pregnancy. Thirteen patients were on imatinib; 9 ceased their TKI prior to conception and 7 ceased at pregnancy confirmation. Twelve patients had achieved either MMR or better at time of TKI cessation. Eleven women lost MMR during pregnancy and two patients lost CHR. Fourteen women reestablished MMR on TKI recommenced. The depth molecular response prior to conception appeared to correlate well with restoration of disease control on TKI recommencement though duration of MMR did not appear to be as important. While interruption of TKI treatment for pregnancy usually leads to loss of molecular response, loss of hematological response is uncommon and disease control is reestablished with resumption of therapy in the majority of women.

Donor-recipient killer immunoglobulin like receptor (KIR) genotype matching has a protective effect on chronic graft versus host disease and relapse incidence following HLA-identical sibling hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

Impact of donor-recipient killer immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) gene-gene matching on transplant outcomes is still inconclusive. Recent data suggest that killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptor (KIR) regulated natural killer cell (NK cell) activity may contribute to graft versus leukemia (GvL) effects and graft versus host disease (GvHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT). This case-control study aims to evaluate the effects of both aKIR and iKIR donor-recipient genotype matching on the outcomes of T cell replete HLA-identical sibling allo-HSCTs in a homogenous young patient population with myeloid leukemias. Five transplant outcomes including relapse rate (RR), disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS), cumulative incidences of acute GvHD (aGvHD), and chronic GvHD (cGvHD) are investigated. Out of 96 HLA-identical sibling donor-recipient pairs, 34 were matched for activating KIR (aKIR), 38 for inhibitory KIR (iKIR), and 20 for both aKIR and iKIR. Fourty-four pairs were mismatched for both iKIR and aKIR. In univariate analysis, aKIR-matching resulted with a decrease in relapse rate (RR) (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.4; p = 0.04) and an increase in disease-free survival (DFS) (HR: 0.5; p = 0.03). In addition, cGvHD ocurred less frequently in the aKIR-matched (odds ratio [OR]: 0.4; p = 0.04) or iKIR-matched (OR: 0.3; p = 0.009) cohorts. Matching for both aKIR and iKIR was also associated with a decrease in cGvHD incidence (OR: 0.3; p = 0.02). iKIR-matching had no effects on RR, OS, or DFS. Analysis of donor haplotype effects showed haplotype-BB to have a tendency towards reduced relapse rate (HR: 0.4; p = 0.08) and better OS (HR: 0.4; p = 0.04); haplotype-Bx to increase the incidence of cGvHD (OR: 4.1; p = 0.03). In multivariate analysis, DFS advantage remained significant for aKIR-matching (HR: 0.5; p = 0.04); cGvHD incidence was reduced in the presence of iKIR-match (OR: 0.3; p = 0.02) and increased in the presence of haplotype-AB and -BB donors (OR: 7.9; p = 0.02; OR: 5.1; p = 0.03, respectively). In an attempt to investigate the pathogenesis underlying KIR-matching, we searched for residual NK/T cells on day 0 peripheral blood samples of six additional recipients and noted the presence of CD3+ (7.0-91.4 × 106/L) and CD56+57+ (0.8-12.7 × 106/L) cells. In conclusion, conditioning regimen surviving recipient NK/T cells potentially influenced by KIR-matching may contribute to GvL/GvH reactions.

[Preventative and therapeutic relapse strategies after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: Guidelines from the Francophone society of bone marrow transplantation and cellular therapy (SFGM-TC)]. / Stratégies préventives et thérapeutiques de la rechute après allogreffe de cellules souches hématopoïétiques : recommandations de la Société francophone de greffe de moelle et de thérapie cellulaire (SFGM-TC).

Disease relapse remains the first cause of mortality of hematological malignancies after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT). The risk of recurrence is elevated in patients with high-risk cytogenetic or molecular abnormalities, as well as when allo-HCT is performed in patients with refractory disease or with persistent molecular or radiological (PET-CT scan) residual disease. Within the frame of the 7th annual workshops of the francophone society for bone marrow transplantation and cellular therapy, the working group reviewed the literature in order to elaborate unified guidelines for the prevention and treatment of relapse after allo-HCT. For high risk AML and MDS, a post transplant maintenance strategy is possible, using hypomethylating agents or TKI anti-FLT3 when the target is present. For Philadelphia positive ALL, there was a consensus for the use of post-transplant TKI maintenance. For lymphomas, there are no strong data on the use of post-transplant maintenance, and hence a preemptive strategy is recommended based on modulation of immunosuppression, close follow-up of donor chimerism, and donor lymphocytes infusion. For multiple myeloma, even though the indication of allo-HCT is controversial, our recommendation is post transplant maintenance using bortezomib, due to its a good toxicity profile without increasing the risk of GVHD.

Leucemia mieloide crónica en España: sus características de presentación han cambiado. Sección española del registro poblacional EUTOS / Chronic myeloid leukaemia in Spain: Its presentation characteristics have changed. Spanish section of the EUTOS population-based registry

Objetivos. Pretendemos aportar datos más fiables sobre la epidemiología de la leucemia mieloide crónica (LMC) en España que los disponibles hasta la fecha. Material y métodos. El registro poblacional EUTOS, de la European LeukemiaNet, es un registro de casos nuevos de LMC en pacientes ≥ de 18 años de 22 áreas europeas. La sección española incluyó las comunidades autónomas de Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha y Aragón, en el periodo comprendido entre el 1-2-2010 y el 31-12-2012. Resultados. Se registraron 250 casos en 35 meses. La incidencia global fue de 1,08 casos/105 habitantes-año, con predominio masculino (58% de varones) y claras diferencias entre comunidades autónomas. La incidencia estandarizada por edad fue similar (global 1,04, varones 1,31, mujeres 0,81). La mediana de edad fue de 54 años. La incidencia aumentó con la edad, siendo máxima en>65 años, aunque un 31,7% de los casos aparecieron entre los 20 y los 44 años. Un 4% se diagnosticaron en fases avanzadas (2,4% en fase acelerada, 1,6% en crisis blástica), el 56% estaban asintomáticos, el 38% tenían esplenomegalia, y el score Sokal era alto en el 11% (inferior a lo previamente reflejado en la literatura). Conclusiones. La incidencia actual de LMC en España es superior a la previamente descrita y similar a la de los estudios europeos. A diferencia de las descripciones clásicas, la LMC se presenta mayoritariamente de forma asintomática, sin esplenomegalia, con menor leucocitosis y en estadios con mejor pronóstico (AU)

Objectives. To provide more reliable data on the epidemiology of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) in Spain than are currently available. Material and methods. The EUTOS population-based project of European LeukemiaNet is a population registry of new CML cases in patients 18 years of age or older from 22 European areas. The Spanish section included the autonomous communities of Madrid, Castilla-La Mancha and Aragon, from 1-2-2010 to 31-12-2012. Results. A total of 250 cases were recorded in 35 months. The overall incidence was 1.08 cases/105 inhabitants-year, with a predominance of men (58%) and clear differences among the communities. The incidence standardised by age was similar (overall, 1.04; men, 1.31; women, 0.81). The median age was 54 years. The incidence increased with age, reaching a peak at>65 years, although 31.7% of cases appeared between the ages of 20 and 44 years. Four percent of cases were diagnosed in advanced stages (2.4% in accelerated phase, 1.6% in blast crisis), 56% were asymptomatic, 38% had splenomegaly, and the Sokal score was high in 11% (lower than what was previously reflected in the literature). Conclusions. The current incidence of CML in Spain is higher than previously reported and similar to that of the European studies. Unlike the classical descriptions, CML presented mostly in asymptomatic form, with no splenomegaly, less leucocytosis and in stages with better prognosis (AU)

Gestión cardiovascular de los pacientes con leucemia mieloide crónica desde una perspectiva multidisciplinar, y propuesta de protocolo de actuación por reunión de consenso / Cardiovascular management of patients with chronic myeloid leukemia from a multidisciplinary perspective, and proposing action protocol by consensus meeting

Introducción y objetivos: Los inhibidores de la tirosina cinasa (ITC) denominados de segunda generación (dasatinib y nilotinib) empleados en el tratamiento de la leucemia mieloide crónica (LMC) han demostrado un beneficio frente a imatinib en respuestas alcanzadas y progresiones de la enfermedad. No obstante, estos inhibidores se han relacionado con alguna forma de toxicidad cardiovascular, ocurriendo en su mayor parte en pacientes con factores de riesgo cardiovasculares (FRCV). El control de los FRCV se debe considerar por tanto imprescindible para un tratamiento adecuado de la LMC. En la actualidad, debido a la falta de recomendaciones en pacientes con LMC, el tratamiento de los FRCV se realiza de forma muy heterogénea. El objetivo de este trabajo es elaborar recomendaciones sobre la prevención y el seguimiento de episodios cardiovasculares (ECV) en pacientes con LMC tratados con ITC. Material y métodos: Expertos del Grupo Español de Leucemia Mieloide Crónica, junto con expertos en riesgo cardiovascular, hemos elaborado, con base en una reunión de consenso, recomendaciones de prevención y seguimiento de ECV en pacientes con LMC tratados con ITC. Resultados: En este documento se muestran las recomendaciones de consenso con respecto a la información necesaria a recoger en la historia clínica, la toma de decisiones terapéuticas, así como el tratamiento y el seguimiento de los FRCV. Conclusiones: El tratamiento con ITC requiere un manejo integral del paciente que deberá realizarse desde un abordaje multidisciplinar, en el que tanto la prevención como el tratamiento de los FRCV es fundamental (AU)

Introduction and objectives: The second generation tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI, dasatinib and nilotinib) used in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) treatment have shown a benefit compared to imatinib in responses achieved and disease progression. However, both have been related to some cardiovascular toxicity, being more frequent in patients with cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs). Nowadays, due to the lack of recommendations for CML patients, CVRF management is carried out heterogeneously. The aim of this work is to develop recommendations on the prevention and monitoring of cardiovascular events (CVD) in patients with CML treated with TKIs. Material and methods:Experts from the Spanish Group of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia together with experts in cardiovascular risk have elaborated, after a consensus meeting, recommendations for the prevention and follow-up of CVE in patients with CML treated with TKI. Results: Recommendations regarding the necessary information to be collected on clinical history, treatment decisions, as well as treatment and monitoring of CVRFs are shown in this document. Conclusions: TKI treatment requires comprehensive patient management from a multidisciplinary approach, in which both the prevention and management of CVRFs are essential (AU)

Development and immunological evaluation of HLA-specific chronic myeloid leukemia polyepitope vaccine in Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: BCR/ABL and Wilms' tumor 1 (WT1) are an ideal tumor associated antigens which can be used to develop a potential chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) dentritic cell (DC) vaccine. Here, we constructed a novel polyepitope vaccine which used recombinant lentiviral vector carrying BCR/ABL and WT1 genes, and determined the immunological effects of this vaccine in vitro. METHODS: The DC vaccine was constructed using lentiviral vector transduced DCs. T lymphocytes were stimulated with DC vaccine and then co-cultured in vitro with peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from CML or ALL patients, respectively. The cytotoxicity of proliferous cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) was determined by the LDH assay. The IFN-γ production of CTLs was detected using ELISPOT assay. RESULTS: We constructed an lentiviral vector encoding 50 different epitopes from BCR/ABL and WT1 antigens, and transferred it into DCs to prepare the DC vaccine successfully. The in vivo stimulation of CTLs with this DC vaccine were proved to show strong cytotoxicity and produce high level of IFN-γ. CONCLUSIONS: The novel recombinant lentiviral polyepitope DC vaccine is a promising candidate for clinical trials and may be an effective approach for CML immunotherapy.

Desarrollo normal del embarazo en dos pacientes con leucemia mieloide crónica tratadas con interferón-a / Normal development of pregnancy in two patients with chronic myeloid leukemia treated with alpha-interferon

La leucemia mieloide crónica (LMC) es un trastorno clonal que generalmente se diagnostica con facilidad porque las células leucémicas en más del 95 por ciento de los pacientes presentan una anomalía citogenética característica, el cromosoma Filadelfia (Ph). El embarazo no tiene un efecto adverso sobre la enfermedad, pero esta puede comprometer potencialmente la circulación placentaria por leucoestasis, puede provocar bajo peso al nacer, nacimiento prematuro y aumento de la mortalidad. El mesilato de Imatinib se usa como terapia de primeria línea en estos pacientes pero existen numerosos reportes sobre su acción teratogénica. El interferón-á es considerado la droga de elección en el tratamiento durante el embarazo. Se describen dos pacientes con diagnóstico de LMC y embarazo tratadas con interferón-a; la primera al diagnóstico de la enfermedad y la segunda a los 3 años de tratamiento con mesilato de Imatinib, el cual suspendió un mes antes de la gestación. Los dos embarazos se desarrollaron satisfactoriamente al igual que los fetos y nacieron dos niños con buena vitalidad que actualmente están sanos y con un desarrollo psicomotor normal(AU)

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a clonal dysfunction with easy diagnosis since more than 95 percent of the leukemia cells present a citogenetic chromosome Philadelphia (Ph) anomaly. The pregnancy has no adverse effect on the illness, but the leucoestasis potentially can commit the placental circulation and cause underweight born, premature birth and the increase of mortality. The imatinib mesylate is the first line therapy for the disease but there are numerous reports about its teratogenic action. The alpha-interferon is the drug of election for treatment during pregnancy. Two patients with CML and pregnancy treated with alpha-interferon are described. The first one treated at diagnosis and the second one after 3 years of treatment with imatinib mesylate which was suspended one month before. The two pregnancies developed satisfactorily same as the fetuses and two children were born with good vitality and healthy with normal psychomotor development(AU)

Desarrollo normal del embarazo en dos pacientes con leucemia mieloide crónica tratadas con interferón-a / Normal development of pregnancy in two patients with chronic myeloid leukemia treated with alpha-interferon

La leucemia mieloide crónica (LMC) es un trastorno clonal que generalmente se diagnostica con facilidad porque las células leucémicas en más del 95 por ciento de los pacientes presentan una anomalía citogenética característica, el cromosoma Filadelfia (Ph). El embarazo no tiene un efecto adverso sobre la enfermedad, pero esta puede comprometer potencialmente la circulación placentaria por leucoestasis, puede provocar bajo peso al nacer, nacimiento prematuro y aumento de la mortalidad. El mesilato de Imatinib se usa como terapia de primeria línea en estos pacientes pero existen numerosos reportes sobre su acción teratogénica. El interferón-á es considerado la droga de elección en el tratamiento durante el embarazo. Se describen dos pacientes con diagnóstico de LMC y embarazo tratadas con interferón-a; la primera al diagnóstico de la enfermedad y la segunda a los 3 años de tratamiento con mesilato de Imatinib, el cual suspendió un mes antes de la gestación. Los dos embarazos se desarrollaron satisfactoriamente al igual que los fetos y nacieron dos niños con buena vitalidad que actualmente están sanos y con un desarrollo psicomotor normal

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a clonal dysfunction with easy diagnosis since more than 95 percent of the leukemia cells present a citogenetic chromosome Philadelphia (Ph) anomaly. The pregnancy has no adverse effect on the illness, but the leucoestasis potentially can commit the placental circulation and cause underweight born, premature birth and the increase of mortality. The imatinib mesylate is the first line therapy for the disease but there are numerous reports about its teratogenic action. The alpha-interferon is the drug of election for treatment during pregnancy. Two patients with CML and pregnancy treated with alpha-interferon are described. The first one treated at diagnosis and the second one after 3 years of treatment with imatinib mesylate which was suspended one month before. The two pregnancies developed satisfactorily same as the fetuses and two children were born with good vitality and healthy with normal psychomotor development

Knockdown of Peripheral Myelin Protein 22 Inhibits the Progression of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia.

We aimed to explore the underlying mechanism of peripheral myelin protein 22 (PMP22) in the development of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). The level of PMP22 expression in CD34(+) cells isolated from CML patients' bone marrow samples (BMMCs) and peripheral blood samples (PBMCs) was determined by RT-PCR. In addition, PMP22-siRNA and scrambled control siRNA were transfected into human CML cell line K562 with Lipofectamine 2000 reagent. Cell viability and apoptosis were, respectively, determined by MTT assay and flow cytometry. Besides, the level of caspase 3 and Bcl-xL was then detected using Western blot. The level of PMP22 expression in CML patients' CD34(+) cells isolated from both PBMCs and BMMCs was significantly higher than the control group. PMP22 expression in K562 cells was successfully knocked down by siRNA. MTT analysis showed that knockdown of PMP22 inhibited the proliferation of CML cells. Flow cytometry showed that knockdown of PMP22 promoted the apoptosis of CML cells. Besides, Bcl-xL expression markedly decreased, while the expression of caspase 3 in CML cells significantly increased after knockdown of PMP22 expression. Our findings indicate that high expression of PMP22 may promote cell proliferation and inhibit cell apoptosis via upregulation of Bcl-xL or inhibition of caspase 3 activation, and thus may contribute to the development of CML. PMP22 may serve as a novel therapeutic target for the treatment of CML.

CMV reactivation after allogeneic HCT and relapse risk: evidence for early protection in acute myeloid leukemia.

The association between cytomegalovirus (CMV) reactivation and relapse was evaluated in a large cohort of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) (n = 761), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) (n = 322), chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) (n = 646), lymphoma (n = 254), and myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) (n = 371) who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) between 1995 and 2005. In multivariable models, CMV pp65 antigenemia was associated with a decreased risk of relapse by day 100 among patients with AML (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.3-0.9) but not in patients with ALL, lymphoma, CML, or MDS. The effect appeared to be independent of CMV viral load, acute graft-versus-host disease, or ganciclovir-associated neutropenia. At 1 year after HCT, early CMV reactivation was associated with reduced risk of relapse in all patients, but this did not reach significance for any disease subgroup. Furthermore, CMV reactivation was associated with increased nonrelapse mortality (HR = 1.31; 95% CI, 1.1-1.6) and no difference in overall mortality (HR = 1.05; 95% CI, 0.9-1.3). This report demonstrates a modest reduction in early relapse risk after HCT associated with CMV reactivation in a large cohort of patients without a benefit in overall survival.

Donor lymphocyte infusions for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia relapse following peripheral blood or bone marrow stem cell transplantation.

Peripheral blood used as a source of stem cells for transplantation (PBSCT) is known to exert stronger immune-mediated effects compared with BM (BMT). We decided to retrospectively analyze the impact of stem cell source on the OS of CML patients who relapsed after either matched related donor PBSCT (N=168) or BMT (N=216) and were treated with donor lymphocyte infusions (DLI). Univariate analysis revealed a lower probability of OS after DLI in patients relapsing after PBSCT vs BMT (66% vs 79% at 5 years, P=0.013). However, a multivariate Cox analysis did not reveal any significant impact of PBSCT as a risk factor for decreased OS for patients transplanted in first chronic phase (CP1; hazard ratio (HR) 1.036, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.619-1.734). A statistical interaction term suggested that the impact of stem cell source on OS after DLI was different for those transplanted in advanced phases (negative impact of previous PBSCT-HR 2.176, 95% CI 0.930-5.091). In summary, the stem cell source does not affect the OS of CML patients who underwent PBSCT in CP1, relapsed and were treated with DLI. However, when the patients were transplanted in advanced phases, previous PBSCT seems to negatively affect OS after DLI compared with BMT.

Caracterización de los autoanticuerpos en la anemia hemolítica autoinmune secundaria al tratamiento con interferón alfa / Characterization of autoantibodies in autoimmune hemolytic anemia following treatment with interferon alfa

Se estudiaron 13 pacientes con leucemia mieloide crónica y anemia hemolítica autoinmune inducida por el interferón alfa, a quienes se les realizó la detección de inmunoproteínas y la caracterización de las subclases de IgG en los hematíes mediante la prueba de antiglobulina directa (PAD) y la técnica de microplacas. Se aplicó además un ELISA para la cuantificación de inmunoglobulinas en los hematíes. Se detectó la presencia de IgG y C3 en el 53,84 por ciento de los casos, IgG sola en el 23,07 por ciento y en el 15,38 por ciento se identificaron autoanticuerpos IgG e IgA. En 11 pacientes se demostró la presencia de IgG1 y en un caso se identificaron además autoanticuerpos de la subclase IgG3. El ELISA detectó autoanticuerpos en concentraciones de 183 moléculas de IgG por hematíe en un paciente con PAD negativa. En los pacientes con hemólisis de alto grado se encontró una concentración de autoanticuerpos entre 1 500 y 3 180 moléculas de IgG por hematíe, mientras que en los casos con hemólisis de bajo grado se comportó entre 183 y 1 000 moléculas. Se observó una correlación negativa entre las cifras de Hb y los valores de haptoglobina plasmática con el número de moléculas de IgG por hematíe y una correlación positiva entre este último con el conteo de reticulocitos(AU)

We studied 13 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia and autoimmune hemolytic anemia induced by interferon alfa. They underwent tests for immune protein detection and characterization of IgG subclasses in RBCs by direct antiglobulin test (PAD) and the microplate technique. Also they were applied ELISA test for quantifying immunoglobulins in the red blood cells. It was detected the presence of IgG and C3 in 53.84 percent of cases, IgG alone in 23.07 percent and in 15.38 percent were identified IgG and IgA autoantibodies. In 11 patients the presence of IgG1 was showed and also in one case the subclass IgG3 autoantibodies was identified. The ELISA detected antibodies at concentrations of 183 IgG molecules per erythrocyte in a patient with negative PAD. In high-grade hemolysis patients, it was found a concentration of autoantibodies between 1 500 and 3 180 molecules of IgG per erythrocyte, while in low-grade hemolysis patients it behaved between 183 and 1 000 molecules. There was a negative correlation between Hb and plasma haptoglobin values with the number of IgG molecules per erythrocyte and a positive correlation between the latter with the reticulocyte count(AU)

Caracterización de los autoanticuerpos en la anemia hemolítica autoinmune secundaria al tratamiento con interferón alfa / Characterization of autoantibodies in autoimmune hemolytic anemia following treatment with interferon alfa

Se estudiaron 13 pacientes con leucemia mieloide crónica y anemia hemolítica autoinmune inducida por el interferón alfa, a quienes se les realizó la detección de inmunoproteínas y la caracterización de las subclases de IgG en los hematíes mediante la prueba de antiglobulina directa (PAD) y la técnica de microplacas. Se aplicó además un ELISA para la cuantificación de inmunoglobulinas en los hematíes. Se detectó la presencia de IgG y C3 en el 53,84 por ciento de los casos, IgG sola en el 23,07 por ciento y en el 15,38 por ciento se identificaron autoanticuerpos IgG e IgA. En 11 pacientes se demostró la presencia de IgG1 y en un caso se identificaron además autoanticuerpos de la subclase IgG3. El ELISA detectó autoanticuerpos en concentraciones de 183 moléculas de IgG por hematíe en un paciente con PAD negativa. En los pacientes con hemólisis de alto grado se encontró una concentración de autoanticuerpos entre 1 500 y 3 180 moléculas de IgG por hematíe, mientras que en los casos con hemólisis de bajo grado se comportó entre 183 y 1 000 moléculas. Se observó una correlación negativa entre las cifras de Hb y los valores de haptoglobina plasmática con el número de moléculas de IgG por hematíe y una correlación positiva entre este último con el conteo de reticulocitos

We studied 13 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia and autoimmune hemolytic anemia induced by interferon alfa. They underwent tests for immune protein detection and characterization of IgG subclasses in RBCs by direct antiglobulin test (PAD) and the microplate technique. Also they were applied ELISA test for quantifying immunoglobulins in the red blood cells. It was detected the presence of IgG and C3 in 53.84 percent of cases, IgG alone in 23.07 percent and in 15.38 percent were identified IgG and IgA autoantibodies. In 11 patients the presence of IgG1 was showed and also in one case the subclass IgG3 autoantibodies was identified. The ELISA detected antibodies at concentrations of 183 IgG molecules per erythrocyte in a patient with negative PAD. In high-grade hemolysis patients, it was found a concentration of autoantibodies between 1 500 and 3 180 molecules of IgG per erythrocyte, while in low-grade hemolysis patients it behaved between 183 and 1 000 molecules. There was a negative correlation between Hb and plasma haptoglobin values with the number of IgG molecules per erythrocyte and a positive correlation between the latter with the reticulocyte count

BCR/ABL1 fusion transcripts generated from alternative splicing: implications for future targeted therapies in Ph+ leukaemias.

Philadelphia (Ph+) positive leukaemias are an example of haematological malignant diseases where different chromosomal rearrangements involving both BCR and ABL1 genes generate a variety of chimeric proteins (BCR/ABL1 p210, p190 and p230) which are considered pathological "biomarkers". In addition to these three, there is a variety of fusion transcripts whose origin may depend either on diverse genetic rearrangement or on alternative/atypical splicing of the main mRNAs or on the occurrence of single-point mutations. Although the therapy of Ph+ leukaemias based on Imatinib represents a triumph of medicine, not all patients benefit from such drug and may show resistance and intolerance. Furthermore, interruption of Imatinib administration is often followed by clinical relapse, suggesting a failure in the eradication of residual leukaemic stem cells. Therefore, while the targeted therapy is searching for new and implemented pharmacological inhibitors covering all the possible mutations in the kinase domain, there is urge to identify alternative molecular targets to develop other specific and effective therapeutic approaches. In this review we discuss the importance of recent advances based on the discovery of novel BCR/ABL1 variants and their potential role as new targets/biomarkers of Ph+ leukaemias in the light of the current therapeutic trends. The limits of the pharmacological inhibitors used for treating the disease can be overcome by considering other targets than the kinase enzyme. Our evaluations highlight the potential of alternative perspectives in the therapy of Ph+ leukaemias.

Natural killer cell mediated missing-self recognition can protect mice from primary chronic myeloid leukemia in vivo.

BACKGROUND: Natural Killer (NK) cells are thought to protect from residual leukemic cells in patients receiving stem cell transplantation. However, multiple retrospective analyses of patient data have yielded conflicting conclusions regarding a putative role of NK cells and the essential NK cell recognition events mediating a protective effect against leukemia. Further, a NK cell mediated protective effect against primary leukemia in vivo has not been shown directly. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we addressed whether NK cells have the potential to control chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) arising based on the transplantation of BCR-ABL1 oncogene expressing primary bone marrow precursor cells into lethally irradiated recipient mice. These analyses identified missing-self recognition as the only NK cell-mediated recognition strategy, which is able to significantly protect from the development of CML disease in vivo. CONCLUSION: Our data provide a proof of principle that NK cells can control primary leukemic cells in vivo. Since the presence of NK cells reduced the abundance of leukemia propagating cancer stem cells, the data raise the possibility that NK cell recognition has the potential to cure CML, which may be difficult using small molecule BCR-ABL1 inhibitors. Finally, our findings validate approaches to treat leukemia using antibody-based blockade of self-specific inhibitory MHC class I receptors.

Quantitative detection of BCR-ABL fusion gene and its application in monitoring chronic myeloid leukemia treatment.

The BCR-ABL fusion gene in chromosome translocation, t (9; 22), and its product, p210BCR/ABL oncogenic tyrosine kinase, is the underlying molecular mechanism that leads to the development of CML. Quantitative detection of BCR-ABL fusion gene has become a reliable approach to diagnose and monitor CML. The aim of this study was to evaluate a Roche t (9; 22) kit in CML diagnosis, monitoring treatment responses, and identification of relapse. Using BCR-ABL fusion gene-expressing K562 cells, a series of standard samples were prepared and used to establish a curve for the calculation of BCR-ABL fusion gene expression in patient samples. Our results indicate that PCR detection system with aforementioned kit has good reproducibility. In addition, the relative concentration of BCR-ABL measured by PCR was in agreement with the patient's response to the Imatinib treatment and bone marrow morphology remission. Furthermore, we found that the relative concentration of BCR-ABL fusion gene increased 1-3 months before CML relapse was clinically and cytogenetically diagnosed, suggesting that the PCR-based BCR-ABL fusion gene detection with t (9; 22) kit is able to diagnose the recurrence of CML at least 1 month earlier than the classic cytogenetic analysis. In conclusion, detection of BCR-ABL fusion gene expression in CML using Roche t (9; 22) kit has great clinical value in the primary diagnosis, monitoring treatment responses, and identification of relapse in CML patients.

A small molecule significantly inhibits the bcr/abl fusion gene at the mRNA level in human chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Bcr/abl fusion gene is the marker gene in chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) and becomes the target for CML therapy. Although Imatinib opened a new way to treat CML, the resistance to the drug caused by bcr/abl fusion protein mutation stimulated search for new molecules to inhibit bcr/abl expression. In our research, it was found that a novel 2-aminosteroid (H89465) possessed special mechanism in treating CML. H89465 inhibits the proliferation of both non-resistant and resistant CML cells such as K562, Meg-01 and clinical primary CML cells. It prolongs the survival time of NOD/SCID mice inoculated with K562 leukemia cells. The mechanism underlying the effects is concerned with down-regulation of bcr/abl mRNA expression followed by decreasing the BCR/ABL protein expression and tyrosine kinase activity in CML cells. Our results demonstrate that H89465 possesses the therapeutic potential in treating human CML.

Immunogenic antigens as therapeutic targets against myeloid leukaemic cells.

SPAG9 is a further new antigen that might be a candidate for clinical use. In particular the high frequency of mRNA expression in different solid tumours and haematological malignancies is a prerequisite for a potentially wide use. Most of the tested CML patients showed humoral immune responses against SPAG9. Nevertheless, specific CD8-positive T cell-responses and clinical efficacy analogue to the targets RHAMM or WT-1 have to be shown.