bims-minfam Biomed News
on Inflammation and metabolism in ageing and cancer
Issue of 2022–11–13
thirteen papers selected by
Ayesh Seneviratne, Western University



  1. Transl Res. 2022 Nov 05. pii: S1931-5244(22)00246-8. [Epub ahead of print]
      Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) occurs in hematopoietic stem cells with increased risks of progressing to hematologic malignancies. CH mutations are predominantly found in aged populations and correlate with an increased incidence of cardiovascular and other diseases. Increased lines of evidence demonstrate that CH mutations are closely related to the inflammatory bone marrow microenvironment. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in this topic starting from the discovery of CH and its mutations. We focus on the most commonly mutated and well-studied genes in CH and their contributions to the innate immune responses and inflammatory signaling, especially in the hematopoietic cells of bone marrow. We also aimed to discuss the interrelationship between inflammatory bone marrow microenvironment and CH mutations. Finally, we provide our perspectives on the challenges in the field and possible future directions to help understand the pathophysiology of CH.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trsl.2022.11.004
  2. J Bone Miner Metab. 2022 Nov 08.
      Clonal hematopoiesis (CH) is an expansion of clones in individuals without any hematologic abnormalities, often carrying the driver mutations implicated in myeloid tumors, such as DNMT3A, TET2, and ASXL1. Most notably, CH is an age-related event, accounting for ~ 10% of cases in people over 60 years old. CH may also be correlated with a previous history of cancer treatment with chemotherapeutic drugs/radiation and infection episodes. The link between aging and CH acquisition is best explained by the enhanced inflammatory level in the bone marrow environment, which in turn expands hematopoietic cell clones with mutations in myeloid drivers. This positive feedback accounts for not only increased incidence of subsequent myeloid tumors in CH carriers but also for increased all-cause mortality and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Recent evidence from large-scale epidemiological studies with genetic profiles, and mice models that recapitulate hematopoietic clones harboring driver gene mutations has revealed the detailed pathophysiology of CH clones represented by specific driver mutations, especially regarding expansion mechanisms under environmental factors and how they alter the environment. This review introduces the current knowledge of CH with a special focus on its interaction with the marrow environment.
    Keywords:  Aging; Bone marrow environment; Clonal hematopoiesis
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00774-022-01380-0
  3. Blood. 2022 Nov 08. pii: blood.2022016832. [Epub ahead of print]
      Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) balance self-renewal and differentiation to maintain hematopoietic fitness throughout life. In steady-state conditions, HSC exhaustion is prevented by the maintenance of most HSCs in a quiescent state, with cells entering the cell cycle only occasionally. HSC quiescence is regulated by retinoid and fatty-acid ligands of transcriptional factors of the nuclear retinoid X receptor (RXR) family. Here, we show that dual deficiency for hematopoietic RXRa and RXRb induces HSC exhaustion, myeloid cell/megakaryocyte differentiation, and myeloproliferative-like disease. RXRa and RXRb maintain HSC quiescence, survival, and chromatin compaction; moreover, transcriptome changes in RXRa;RXRb-deficient HSCs include premature acquisition of an aging-like HSC signature, MYC pathway upregulation, and RNA intron retention. Fitness loss and associated RNA transcriptome and splicing alterations in RXRa;RXRb-deficient HSCs are prevented by Myc haploinsufficiency. Our study reveals the critical importance of RXRs for the maintenance of HSC fitness and their protection from premature aging.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2022016832
  4. Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol. 2022 Nov 10.
      Chronologic age is the dominant risk factor for coronary artery disease but the features of aging promoting coronary artery disease are poorly understood. Advances in human genetics and population-based genetic profiling of blood cells have uncovered the surprising role of age-related subclinical leukemogenic mutations in blood cells, termed "clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential," in coronary artery disease. Such mutations typically occur in DNMT3A, TET2, ASXL1, and JAK2. Murine and human studies prioritize the role of key inflammatory pathways linking clonal hematopoiesis with coronary artery disease. Increasingly larger, longitudinal, multiomics analyses are enabling further dissection into mechanistic insights. These observations expand the genetic architecture of coronary artery disease, now linking hallmark features of hematologic neoplasia with a much more common cardiovascular condition. Implications of these studies include the prospect of novel precision medicine paradigms for coronary artery disease.
    Keywords:  cardiovascular disease; clonal hematopoiesis; coronary artery disease; interleukin; mutation
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1161/ATVBAHA.122.318181
  5. Nat Cardiovasc Res. 2022 Feb;1(2): 116-124
      Clonal hematopoiesis arises from somatic mutations that provide a fitness advantage to hematopoietic stem cells and the outgrowth of clones of blood cells. Clonal hematopoiesis commonly involves mutations in genes that are involved in epigenetic modifications, signaling and DNA damage repair. Clonal hematopoiesis has emerged as a major independent risk factor in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, thrombosis and heart failure. Studies in mouse models of clonal hematopoiesis have shown an increase in atherosclerosis, thrombosis and heart failure, involving increased myeloid cell inflammatory responses and inflammasome activation. Although increased inflammatory responses have emerged as a common underlying principle, some recent studies indicate mutation-specific effects. The discovery of the association of clonal hematopoiesis with cardiovascular disease and the recent demonstration of benefit of anti-inflammatory treatments in human cardiovascular disease converge to suggest that anti-inflammatory treatments should be directed to individuals with clonal hematopoiesis. Such treatments could target specific inflammasomes, common downstream mediators such as IL-1β and IL-6, or mutations linked to clonal hematopoiesis.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/s44161-021-00015-3
  6. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2022 Nov;pii: jnccn2011lw. [Epub ahead of print]20(11): 1276-1278
      
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.6004/jnccn.2022.7086
  7. J Autoimmun. 2022 Nov 07. pii: S0896-8411(22)00155-X. [Epub ahead of print] 102947
      Immune aging is a complex process rendering the host susceptible to cancer, infection, and insufficient tissue repair. Many autoimmune diseases preferentially occur during the second half of life, counterintuitive to the concept of excess adaptive immunity driving immune-mediated tissue damage. T cells are particularly susceptible to aging-imposed changes, as they are under extreme proliferative pressure to fulfill the demands of clonal expansion and of homeostatic T cell repopulation. T cells in older adults have a footprint of genetic and epigenetic changes, lack mitochondrial fitness, and fail to maintain proteostasis, diverging them from host protection to host injury. Here, we review recent progress in understanding how the human T-cell system ages and the evidence detailing how T cell aging contributes to autoimmune conditions. T cell aging is now recognized as a risk determinant in two prototypic autoimmune syndromes; rheumatoid arthritis and giant cell arteritis. The emerging concept adds susceptibility to autoimmune and autoinflammatory disease to the spectrum of aging-imposed adaptations and opens new opportunities for immunomodulatory therapy by restoring the functional intactness of aging T cells.
    Keywords:  Autoimmune disease; Giant cell arteritis; Immune aging; Inflammaging; Rheumatoid arthritis; T cell aging
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaut.2022.102947
  8. EMBO Rep. 2022 Nov 07. e54729
      Chronic inflammation represents a major threat to human health since long-term systemic inflammation is known to affect distinct tissues and organs. Recently, solid evidence demonstrated that chronic inflammation affects hematopoiesis; however, how chronic inflammation affects hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) on the mechanistic level is poorly understood. Here, we employ a mouse model of chronic multifocal osteomyelitis (CMO) to assess the effects of a spontaneously developed inflammatory condition on HSCs. We demonstrate that hematopoietic and nonhematopoietic compartments in CMO BM contribute to HSC expansion and impair their function. Remarkably, our results suggest that the typical features of murine multifocal osteomyelitis and the HSC phenotype are mechanistically decoupled. We show that the CMO environment imprints a myeloid gene signature and imposes a pro-inflammatory profile on HSCs. We identify IL-6 and the Jak/Stat3 signaling pathway as critical mediators. However, while IL-6 and Stat3 blockage reduce HSC numbers in CMO mice, only inhibition of Stat3 activity significantly rescues their fitness. Our data emphasize the detrimental effects of chronic inflammation on stem cell function, opening new venues for treatment.
    Keywords:  IL-6/Jak/Stat3; chronic inflammation; chronic multifocal osteomyelitis; hematopoietic stem cells; niche
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.15252/embr.202254729
  9. JACC Asia. 2021 Dec;1(3): 314-316
      
    Keywords:  Asia; frailty; frailty index; heart failure; outcomes
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacasi.2021.11.002
  10. Rinsho Ketsueki. 2022 ;63(10): 1422-1429
      Hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) have self-renewal as well as multilineage differentiation capacity and maintain hematopoiesis throughout life. HSC transplantation (HSCT) is performed as a curative therapy for hematopoietic malignancies and nonmalignant hematopoietic disorders. Furthermore, bone marrow, mobilized peripheral blood, and cord blood are available sources for HSCT. HLA compatibility is the most critical factor for a successful HSCT. The HSC number in a graft is also invaluable for engraftment. Moreover, it is challenging to obtain an abundant number of HSC for patients with obesity, particularly, in cord blood. HSC ex vivo expansion is an appropriate solution for this problem. Extrinsic factors to expand and maintain HSCs, such as cytokines are identified from analysis of HSCs and their niche. Thus, HSC ex vivo expansion is improved by adding them in culture medium; however, it is still difficult for therapeutic applications. Recently, several small molecular compounds have been reported to facilitate ex vivo expansion of HSC. Clinical trials that transplant ex vivo expanded cord blood have been already expanded, and some trials demonstrate reduction of time to hematopoietic recovery. Thus, we anticipate that ex vivo expanded cord blood transplantation will be applied widely in the future.
    Keywords:  Ex vivo expansion; Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; Polyvinyl alcohol; Small molecule compounds
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.11406/rinketsu.63.1422
  11. J Cardiovasc Aging. 2022 ;pii: 44. [Epub ahead of print]2
      
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.20517/jca.2022.33
  12. Nature. 2022 Nov 10.
      
    Keywords:  CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing; Cancer; Medical research
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-03676-7
  13. Biochem Biophys Res Commun. 2022 Dec 10. pii: S0006-291X(22)01276-1. [Epub ahead of print]633 88-91
      The human gut microbiota comprises of trillions of micro-organisms in the gut some which secrete metabolites that play a pivotal role in supporting optimal body and organ functions. These dynamic and malleable gut microbes share a bidirectional relationship with their hosts that supports health in an age- and sex-dependent manner. Disruption of the gut microbiota or decrease in their diversity and richness due to unhealthy changes in lifestyle, diet or social disconnection, always results in unwanted outcomes on the host health which fuel chronic disease symptoms including neurodegenerative diseases. Thus, impairment of gut microbiota composition, results in organ decline that accelerates an individual's biological ageing. Here we review evidence supporting the bidirectional relationships between the gut microbiota and biological ageing.
    DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbrc.2022.09.026