bims-almceb Biomed News
on Acute Leukemia Metabolism and Cell Biology
Issue of 2022–01–23
nine papers selected by
Camila Kehl Dias, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul
  1. Acute Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells: Origin, Characteristics, and Clinical Implications.
  2. Subversion of serotonin-receptor signaling in osteoblasts by kynurenine drives Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
  3. Novel inhibitor of hematopoietic cell kinase as a potential therapeutic agent for acute myeloid leukemia.
  4. The mitochondrial anti-apoptotic dependencies of hematological malignancies: from disease biology to advances in precision medicine.
  5. Autophagy Regulation on Cancer Stem Cell Maintenance, Metastasis, and Therapy Resistance.
  6. CXCL12/CXCR4 axis supports mitochondrial trafficking in tumor myeloma microenvironment.
  7. MDH2 produced OAA is a metabolic switch rewiring the fuelling of respiratory chain and TCA cycle.
  8. Combination strategies with PD-1/PD-L1 blockade: current advances and future directions.
  9. Autophagy Targeting and Hematological Mobilization in FLT3-ITD Acute Myeloid Leukemia Decrease Repopulating Capacity and Relapse by Inducing Apoptosis of Committed Leukemic Cells.
  1. Stem Cell Rev Rep. 2022 Jan 20.
    Acute Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells: Origin, Characteristics, and Clinical Implications.
    Nathaniel A Long, Upendarrao Golla, Arati Sharma, David F Claxton.
      The stem cells of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are the malignancy initiating cells whose survival ultimately drives growth of these lethal diseases. Here we review leukemia stem cell (LSC) biology, particularly as it relates to the very heterogeneous nature of AML and to its high disease relapse rate. Leukemia ontogeny is presented, and the defining functional and phenotypic features of LSCs are explored. Surface and metabolic phenotypes of these cells are described, particularly those that allow distinction from features of normal hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Opportunities for use of this information for improving therapy for this challenging group of diseases is highlighted, and we explore the clinical needs which may be addressed by emerging LSC data. Finally, we discuss current gaps in the scientific understanding of LSCs.
    Keywords:  Acute Myeloid Leukemia; Hematopoiesis; Leukemia; Leukemia Stem Cell
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12015-021-10308-6
  2. Cancer Discov. 2022 Jan 19. pii: candisc.0692.2021. [Epub ahead of print]
    Subversion of serotonin-receptor signaling in osteoblasts by kynurenine drives Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
    Marta Galan-Diez, Florence Borot, Abdullah Mahmood Ali, Junfei Zhao, Eva Gil-Iturbe, Xiaochuan Shan, Na Luo, Yongfeng Liu, Xi-Ping Huang, Brygida Bisikirska, Rossella Labella, Irwin Kurland, Bryan L Roth, Matthias Quick, Siddhartha Mukherjee, Raul Rabadan, Martin Carroll, Azra Raza, Stavroula Kousteni.
      Remodeling of the microenvironment by tumor cells can activate pathways that favor cancer growth. Molecular delineation and targeting of such malignant-cell non-autonomous pathways may help overcome resistance to targeted-therapies. Herein we leverage genetic mouse models, patient-derived xenografts, and patient samples to show that acute myeloid leukemia (AML) exploits peripheral serotonin-signaling to remodel the endosteal niche to its advantage. AML progression requires the presence of serotonin receptor-1b (HTR1B) in osteoblasts and is driven by AML-secreted kynurenine, which acts as an oncometabolite and HTR1B ligand. AML cells utilize kynurenine to induce a pro-inflammatory state in osteoblasts which, through the acute-phase protein serum amyloid A (SAA), acts in a positive feedback-loop on leukemia cells by increasing expression of IDO1 -the rate-limiting enzyme for kynurenine synthesis-, thereby enabling AML progression. This leukemia-osteoblast crosstalk, conferred by the kynurenine-HTR1B-SAA-IDO1 axis, could be exploited as a niche-focused therapeutic approach against AML, opening new avenues for cancer treatment.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-21-0692
  3. Cancer Immunol Immunother. 2022 Jan 18.
    Novel inhibitor of hematopoietic cell kinase as a potential therapeutic agent for acute myeloid leukemia.
    Fernanda Marconi Roversi, Maura Lima Pereira Bueno, Juliete Aparecida Francisco da Silva, Guilherme Rossi Assis-Mendonça, Cristiane Okuda Torello, Rodrigo Nato Shiraishi, Fernando Viera Pericole, Karla Priscila Ferro, Adriana Santos Silva Duarte, Eduardo Magalhães Rego, Sara Teresinha Olalla Saad.
      Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are characterized by risk of relapses, poor survival, unwanted side effects and high toxicity with the current therapies. In light of these facts, there are efforts to develop new drugs specific for deregulated molecules that participate in leukemia pathogenesis. Hematopoietic cell kinase (HCK), an Src kinase family member, is overexpressed on hematopoietic stem cells of MDS and de novo AML patients and involved in the oncogenic process. Thus, we investigated in vitro, ex vivo and in vivo effects of a novel chemical compound targeting HCK inhibition (iHCK-37), in combination with the most used drugs for the treatment of MDS and de novo AML, 5-Azacytidine and Cytarabine. Herein, the combination treatment with iHCK-37 and 5-Azacytidine or Cytarabine demonstrated additive effects against leukemia cells, compared to either drug alone. iHCK-37 plus 5-Azacytidine or Cytarabine treatment was able to reduce the activation of oncogenic pathways, MAPK/ERK and PI3K/AKT, leading to reduction of ERK and AKT phosphorylation, and increased BAX and decreased BCL-XL protein expression. Moreover, treatment with iHCK-37 reduced MDS and AML CD34-positive cell numbers inside a 3D-structure but did not affect normal CD34-positive cell numbers. In vivo analysis showed that leukemic mice treated with iHCK-37 had reduced ERK and AKT proteins phosphorylation levels and leukocyte numbers. In conclusion, the iHCK-37 inhibitor has anti-neoplastic activity in leukemia cells without altering apoptosis and survival rate of normal cells, suggesting on-target malignant cell killing activity as a single agent or in combination with 5-Azacytidine or Cytarabine.
    Keywords:  De novo acute myeloid leukemia; Drug inhibition; Hematopoietic cell kinase; Myelodysplastic syndrome; iHCK-37
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-021-03111-2
  4. Haematologica. 2022 Jan 20.
    The mitochondrial anti-apoptotic dependencies of hematological malignancies: from disease biology to advances in precision medicine.
    Isacco Ferrarini, Antonella Rigo, Carlo Visco.
      Mitochondria are critical organelles in the regulation of intrinsic apoptosis. As a general feature of blood cancers, different anti-apoptotic members of the BCL-2 protein family localize at the outer mitochondrial membrane to sequester variable amounts of pro-apoptotic activators, and hence protect cancer cells from death induction. However, the impact of distinct anti-apoptotic members on apoptosis prevention, a concept termed anti-apoptotic dependence, remarkably differs across disease entities. Over the last two decades, several genetic and functional methodologies have been established to uncover the anti-apoptotic dependencies of the majority of blood cancers, inspiring the development of a new class of small molecules called BH3 mimetics. In this review, we highlight the rationale of targeting mitochondrial apoptosis in hematology, and provide a comprehensive map of the antiapoptotic dependencies that are currently guiding novel therapeutic strategies. Cell-extrinsic and intrinsic mechanisms conferring resistance to BH3 mimetics are also examined, with insights on potential strategies to overcome them. We finally discuss how the field of mitochondrial apoptosis might be complemented with other dimensions of precision medicine for more successfully treating 'highly complex' hematological malignancies.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3324/haematol.2021.280201
  5. Cancers (Basel). 2022 Jan 13. pii: 381. [Epub ahead of print]14(2):
    Autophagy Regulation on Cancer Stem Cell Maintenance, Metastasis, and Therapy Resistance.
    Xin Wang, Jihye Lee, Changqing Xie.
      Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a subset of the tumor population that play critical roles in tumorigenicity, metastasis, and relapse. A key feature of CSCs is their resistance to numerous therapeutic strategies which include chemotherapy, radiation, and immune checkpoint inhibitors. In recent years, there is a growing body of literature that suggests a link between CSC maintenance and autophagy, a mechanism to recycle intracellular components during moments of environmental stress, especially since CSCs thrive in a tumor microenvironment that is plagued with hypoxia, acidosis, and lack of nutrients. Autophagy activation has been shown to aid in the upkeep of a stemness state along with bolstering resistance to cancer treatment. However, recent studies have also suggested that autophagy is a double-edged sword with anti-tumorigenic properties under certain circumstances. This review summarizes and integrates what has been published in the literature in terms of what role autophagy plays in stemness maintenance of CSCs and suggests that there is a more complex interplay between autophagy and apoptosis which involves multiple pathways of regulation. Future cancer therapy strategies are needed to eradicate this resistant subset of the cell population through autophagy regulation.
    Keywords:  autophagy; cancer stem cells; metastasis; self-renewal; stemness; treatment resistance
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14020381
  6. Oncogenesis. 2022 Jan 21. 11(1): 6
    CXCL12/CXCR4 axis supports mitochondrial trafficking in tumor myeloma microenvironment.
    Cesarina Giallongo, Ilaria Dulcamare, Daniele Tibullo, Vittorio Del Fabro, Nunzio Vicario, Nunziatina Parrinello, Alessandra Romano, Grazia Scandura, Giacomo Lazzarino, Concetta Conticello, Giovanni Li Volti, Angela Maria Amorini, Giuseppe Musumeci, Michelino Di Rosa, Francesca Polito, Rosaria Oteri, M'hammed Aguennouz, Rosalba Parenti, Francesco Di Raimondo, Giuseppe A Palumbo.
      Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) within the protective microenvironment of multiple myeloma (MM) promote tumor growth, confer chemoresistance and support metabolic needs of plasma cells (PCs) even transferring mitochondria. In this scenario, heterocellular communication and dysregulation of critical signaling axes are among the major contributors to progression and treatment failure. Here, we report that myeloma MSCs have decreased reliance on mitochondrial metabolism as compared to healthy MSCs and increased tendency to deliver mitochondria to MM cells, suggesting that this intercellular exchange between PCs and stromal cells can be consider part of MSC pro-tumorigenic phenotype. Interestingly, we also showed that PCs promoted expression of connexin 43 (CX43) in MSCs leading to CXCL12 activation and stimulation of its receptor CXCR4 on MM cells favoring protumor mitochondrial transfer. Consistently, we observed that selective inhibition of CXCR4 by plerixafor resulted in a significant reduction of mitochondria trafficking. Moreover, intracellular expression of CXCR4 in myeloma PCs from BM biopsy specimens demonstrated higher CXCR4 colocalization with CD138+ cells of non-responder patients to bortezomib compared with responder patients, suggesting that CXCR4 mediated chemoresistance in MM. Taken together, our data demonstrated that CXCL12/CXCR4 axis mediates intercellular coupling thus suggesting that the myeloma niche may be exploited as a target to improve and develop therapeutic approaches.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41389-022-00380-z
  7. Biochim Biophys Acta Bioenerg. 2022 Jan 18. pii: S0005-2728(22)00001-9. [Epub ahead of print] 148532
    MDH2 produced OAA is a metabolic switch rewiring the fuelling of respiratory chain and TCA cycle.
    Thibaut Molinié, Elodie Cougouilles, Claudine David, Edern Cahoreau, Jean-Charles Portais, Arnaud Mourier.
      The mitochondrial respiratory chain (RC) enables many metabolic processes by regenerating both mitochondrial and cytosolic NAD+ and ATP. The oxidation by the RC of the NADH metabolically produced in the cytosol involves redox shuttles as the malate-aspartate shuttle (MAS) and is of paramount importance for cell fate. However, the specific metabolic regulations allowing mitochondrial respiration to prioritize NADH oxidation in response to high NADH/NAD+ redox stress have not been elucidated. The recent discovery that complex I (NADH dehydrogenase), and not complex II (Succinate dehydrogenase), can assemble with other respiratory chain (RC) complexes to form functional entities called respirasomes, led to the assumption that this supramolecular organization would favour NADH oxidation. Unexpectedly, characterization of heart and liver mitochondria demonstrates that the RC systematically favours electrons provided by the 'respirasome free' complex II. Our results demonstrate that the preferential succinate driven respiration is tightly controlled by OAA levels, and that OAA feedback inhibition of complex II rewires RC fuelling increasing NADH oxidation capacity. This new regulatory mechanism synergistically increases RC's NADH oxidative capacity and rewires MDH2 driven anaplerosis of the TCA, preventing malate production from succinate to favour oxidation of cytosolic malate. This regulatory mechanism synergistically adjusts RC and TCA fuelling in response to extramitochondrial malate produced by the MAS.
    Keywords:  Bioenergetics; MDH2; Malate aspartate shuttle; Mitochondria; NADH redox homeostasis; Oxaloacetate; Respirasomes; Respiratory chain supercomplexes
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbabio.2022.148532
  8. Mol Cancer. 2022 Jan 21. 21(1): 28
    Combination strategies with PD-1/PD-L1 blockade: current advances and future directions.
    Ming Yi, Xiaoli Zheng, Mengke Niu, Shuangli Zhu, Hong Ge, Kongming Wu.
      Antibodies targeting programmed cell death protein-1 (PD-1) or its ligand PD-L1 rescue T cells from exhausted status and revive immune response against cancer cells. Based on the immense success in clinical trials, ten α-PD-1 (nivolumab, pembrolizumab, cemiplimab, sintilimab, camrelizumab, toripalimab, tislelizumab, zimberelimab, prolgolimab, and dostarlimab) and three α-PD-L1 antibodies (atezolizumab, durvalumab, and avelumab) have been approved for various types of cancers. Nevertheless, the low response rate of α-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy remains to be resolved. For most cancer patients, PD-1/PD-L1 pathway is not the sole speed-limiting factor of antitumor immunity, and it is insufficient to motivate effective antitumor immune response by blocking PD-1/PD-L1 axis. It has been validated that some combination therapies, including α-PD-1/PD-L1 plus chemotherapy, radiotherapy, angiogenesis inhibitors, targeted therapy, other immune checkpoint inhibitors, agonists of the co-stimulatory molecule, stimulator of interferon genes agonists, fecal microbiota transplantation, epigenetic modulators, or metabolic modulators, have superior antitumor efficacies and higher response rates. Moreover, bifunctional or bispecific antibodies containing α-PD-1/PD-L1 moiety also elicited more potent antitumor activity. These combination strategies simultaneously boost multiple processes in cancer-immunity cycle, remove immunosuppressive brakes, and orchestrate an immunosupportive tumor microenvironment. In this review, we summarized the synergistic antitumor efficacies and mechanisms of α-PD-1/PD-L1 in combination with other therapies. Moreover, we focused on the advances of α-PD-1/PD-L1-based immunomodulatory strategies in clinical studies. Given the heterogeneity across patients and cancer types, individualized combination selection could improve the effects of α-PD-1/PD-L1-based immunomodulatory strategies and relieve treatment resistance.
    Keywords:  Angiogenesis inhibitor; Bispecific antibody; Combination therapy; Gut microbiota; PD-1; PD-L1; Radiotherapy; STING
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1186/s12943-021-01489-2
  9. Cancers (Basel). 2022 Jan 17. pii: 453. [Epub ahead of print]14(2):
    Autophagy Targeting and Hematological Mobilization in FLT3-ITD Acute Myeloid Leukemia Decrease Repopulating Capacity and Relapse by Inducing Apoptosis of Committed Leukemic Cells.
    Marine Dupont, Mathilde Huart, Claire Lauvinerie, Audrey Bidet, Amélie Valérie Guitart, Arnaud Villacreces, Isabelle Vigon, Vanessa Desplat, Ali El Habhab, Arnaud Pigneux, Zoran Ivanovic, Philippe Brunet De la Grange, Pierre-Yves Dumas, Jean-Max Pasquet.
      Targeting FLT3-ITD in AML using TKI against FLT3 cannot prevent relapse even in the presence of complete remission, suggesting the resistance and/or the persistence of leukemic-initiating cells in the hematopoietic niche. By mimicking the hematopoietic niche condition with cultures at low oxygen concentrations, we demonstrate in vitro that FLT3-ITD AML cells decrease their repopulating capacity when Vps34 is inhibited. Ex vivo, AML FLT3-ITD blasts treated with Vps34 inhibitors recovered proliferation more slowly due to an increase an apoptosis. In vivo, mice engrafted with FLT3-ITD AML MV4-11 cells have the invasion of the bone marrow and blood in 2 weeks. After 4 weeks of FLT3 TKI treatment with gilteritinib, the leukemic burden had strongly decreased and deep remission was observed. When treatment was discontinued, mice relapsed rapidly. In contrast, Vps34 inhibition strongly decreased the relapse rate, and even more so in association with mobilization by G-CSF and AMD3100. These results demonstrate that remission offers the therapeutic window for a regimen using Vps34 inhibition combined with mobilization to target persistent leukemic stem cells and thus decrease the relapse rate.
    Keywords:  FLT3-ITD; acute myeloid leukemia; autophagy; leukemic initiating cells; persistence; tyrosine kinase inhibitors
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14020453
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