bims-tremyl 2021-08-29 papers

on Therapy resistance biology in myeloid leukemia

Issue of 2021–08–29
thirty-one papers selected by
Paolo Gallipoli, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London

Splicing factor gene mutations in acute myeloid leukemia offer additive value if incorporated in current risk classification.
Maturation State-Specific Alternative Splicing in FLT3-ITD and NPM1 Mutated AML.
Acute myeloid leukemia cell-derived extracellular vesicles carrying microRNA-548ac regulate hematopoietic function via the TRIM28/STAT3 pathway.
Improved survival with enasidenib versus standard of care in relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia associated with IDH2 mutations using historical data and propensity score matching analysis.
A Clinical Phase 1B Study of the CD3xCD123 Bispecific Antibody APVO436 in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia or Myelodysplastic Syndrome.
HBO1-MLL interaction promotes AF4/ENL/P-TEFb-mediated leukemogenesis.
NEI-01-induced arginine deprivation has potent activity against acute myeloid leukemia cells both in vitro and in vivo.
Safety of FLT3 inhibitors in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.
Results of a randomized phase 3 study of oral sapacitabine in elderly patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (SEAMLESS).
Molecular Landscape of Therapy-related Myeloid Neoplasms in Patients Previously Treated for Gynecologic and Breast Cancers.
TLR7 ligation augments hematopoiesis in Rps14 (uS11) deficiency via paradoxical suppression of inflammatory signalling.
Mutational landscape of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia and its potential clinical significance.
The Genetics of Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Clinical Relevance.
Prognostic impact of CEBPA bZIP domain mutation in acute myeloid leukemia.
Cladribine Combined with Low-Dose Cytarabine as Frontline Treatment for Unfit Elderly Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients: Results from a Prospective Multicenter Study of Polish Adult Leukemia Group (PALG).
Systematic profiling of DNMT3A variants reveals protein instability mediated by the DCAF8 E3 ubiquitin ligase adaptor.
CCT245718, a dual FLT3/Aurora A inhibitor overcomes D835Y-mediated resistance to FLT3 inhibitors in acute myeloid leukaemia cells.
Coevolving JAK2V617F+ relapsed AML and donor T cells with PD-1 blockade after stem cell transplantation: an index case.
Analyzing and disrupting leukemic stem cell adhesion to bone-marrow stromal cells by single molecule tracking nanoscopy.
Final results of a phase 2 clinical trial of LCL161, an oral SMAC mimetic for patients with myelofibrosis.
Venetoclax in combination with low dose Cytarabine and Actinomycin D for primary refractory acute myeloid leukemia patients failing intensive chemotherapy.
SCAMP2/5 as diagnostic and prognostic markers for acute myeloid leukemia.
KDM5A suppresses PML-RARα target gene expression and APL differentiation through repressing H3K4me2.
5-Azacytidine depletes hematopoietic stem cells and synergizes with an anti-CD117 antibody to augment donor engraftment in immunocompetent mice.
The association of Greig syndrome and mastocytosis reveals the involvement of hedgehog pathway in advanced mastocytosis.
Gene expression at a single-molecule level: implications for myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia.
Long-term tolerability and efficacy after initial PegIFN-α addition to dasatinib in CML-CP - five-year follow-up of the NordCML007 study.
Aspartate availability limits hematopoietic stem cell function during hematopoietic regeneration.
Clinical and molecular predictors of fibrotic progression in essential thrombocythemia: a multicenter study involving 1,607 patients.
Treatment free remission in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia: recommendations of LALNET expert panel.
Chronic myeloid leukaemia.

Blood Adv. 2021 Sep 14. 5(17): 3254-3265

Splicing factor gene mutations in acute myeloid leukemia offer additive value if incorporated in current risk classification.

Inge van der Werf, Anna Wojtuszkiewicz, Manja Meggendorfer, Stephan Hutter, Constance Baer, Martijn Heymans, Peter J M Valk, Wolfgang Kern, Claudia Haferlach, Jeroen J W M Janssen, Gert J Ossenkoppele, Jacqueline Cloos, Torsten Haferlach.

Splicing factor (SF) mutations are important contributors to the pathogenesis of hematological malignancies; however, their relevance in risk classification of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) warrants further investigation. To gain more insight into the characteristics of patients with AML carrying SF mutations, we studied their association with clinical features, cytogenetic and molecular abnormalities, and clinical outcome in a large cohort of 1447 patients with AML and high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome. SF mutations were identified in 22% of patients and were associated with multiple unfavorable clinical features, such as older age, antecedent myeloid disorders, and adverse risk factors (mutations in RUNX1 and ASXL1). Furthermore, they had significantly shorter event-free and overall survival. Notably, in European LeukemiaNet (ELN) 2017 favorable- and intermediate-risk groups, SF3B1 mutations were indicative of relatively poor prognosis. In addition, patients carrying concomitant SF mutations and RUNX1 mutations had a particularly adverse prognosis. In patients without any of the 4 most common SF mutations, RUNX1 mutations were associated with relatively good outcome, which was comparable to that of intermediate-risk patients. In this study, we propose that SF mutations be considered for incorporation into prognostic classification systems. First, SF3B1 mutations could be considered an intermediate prognostic factor when co-occurring with favorable risk features and as an adverse prognostic factor for patients currently categorized as having intermediate risk, according to the ELN 2017 classification. Second, the prognostic value of the current adverse factor RUNX1 mutations seems to be limited to its co-occurrence with SF mutations.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1182/bloodadvances.2021004556
Cancers (Basel). 2021 Aug 04. pii: 3929. [Epub ahead of print]13(16):

Maturation State-Specific Alternative Splicing in FLT3-ITD and NPM1 Mutated AML.

Anna Wojtuszkiewicz, Inge van der Werf, Stephan Hutter, Wencke Walter, Constance Baer, Wolfgang Kern, Jeroen J W M Janssen, Gert J Ossenkoppele, Claudia Haferlach, Jacqueline Cloos, Torsten Haferlach.

  Despite substantial progress achieved in unraveling the genetics of AML in the past decade, its treatment outcome has not substantially improved. Therefore, it is important to better understand how genetic mutations translate to phenotypic features of AML cells to further improve response predictions and to find innovative therapeutic approaches. In this respect, aberrant splicing is a crucial contributor to the pathogenesis of hematological malignancies. Thus far, altered splicing is well characterized in relation to splicing factor mutations in AML. However, splicing profiles associated with mutations in other genes remain largely unexplored. In this study, we explored differential splicing profiles associated with two of the most common aberrations in AML: FLT3-ITD and NPM1 mutations. Using RNA-sequencing data of a total of 382 primary AML samples, we found that the co-occurrence of FLT3-ITD and mutated NPM1 is associated with differential splicing of FAB-type specific gene sets. Despite the FAB-type specificity of particular gene sets, the primary functions perturbed by differential splicing in all three FAB types include cell cycle control and DNA damage response. Interestingly, we observed functional divergence between alternatively spliced and differentially expressed genes in FLT3-ITD+/NPM1+ samples in all analyzed FAB types, with differential expression affecting genes involved in hematopoietic differentiation. Altogether, these observations indicate that concomitant FLT3-ITD and mutated NPM1 are associated with the maturation state-specific differential splicing of genes with potential oncogenic relevance.

Keywords:  FAB; FLT3-ITD; NPM1; acute myeloid leukemia; alternative splicing; maturation state

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13163929
Cancer Gene Ther. 2021 Aug 27.

Acute myeloid leukemia cell-derived extracellular vesicles carrying microRNA-548ac regulate hematopoietic function via the TRIM28/STAT3 pathway.

Chen Zhao, Yang Zhao, Jiaqi Zhao, Guixian Meng, Shuyu Huang, Yichen Liu, Shanshan Wang, Ling Qi.

microRNAs (miRNAs or miRs) can be delivered from acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells to hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) to regulate hematopoietic function via extracellular vesicles (EVs). In this study, we investigated the roles played by EVs that transport miR-548ac from AML cells in normal hematopoiesis. Bioinformatics analysis demonstrated that miR-548ac was highly expressed in AML-derived EVs. The expression of miR-548ac and TRIM28 and the targeting relationship were identified, and the results demonstrated that the expression of miR-548ac was upregulated in AML cell lines and AML cell-secreted EVs compared with CD34+ HSCs. AML-derived EVs targeted CD34+ HSCs to induce decreased expression of TRIM28 and downstream activation of STAT3. Exosomal miR-548ac was transferred into CD34+ HSCs to target TRIM28. Through gain- and loss-of-function assays, it was observed that the abrogated expression of miR-548ac or STAT3 promoted colony-forming units (CFU), whereas overexpressed miR-548ac repressed CFU, which was rescued by overexpression of TRIM28. Taken together, these results indicated that miR-548ac delivered by AML cell-derived EVs inhibits hematopoiesis via TRIM28-dependent STAT3 activation.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41417-021-00378-6
Cancer Med. 2021 Aug 24.

Improved survival with enasidenib versus standard of care in relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia associated with IDH2 mutations using historical data and propensity score matching analysis.

Stéphane de Botton, Joseph M Brandwein, Andrew H Wei, Arnaud Pigneux, Bruno Quesnel, Xavier Thomas, Ollivier Legrand, Christian Recher, Sylvain Chantepie, Mathilde Hunault-Berger, Nicolas Boissel, Salem A Nehme, Mark G Frattini, Alessandra Tosolini, Roland Marion-Gallois, Jixian J Wang, Chris Cameron, Muhaimen Siddiqui, Brian Hutton, Gary Milkovich, Eytan M Stein.

   BACKGROUND: The present study evaluated the relative survival benefits associated with enasidenib and current standard of care (SoC) therapies for patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and an isocitrate dehydrogenase 2 (IDH2) mutation who are ineligible for hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).
METHODS: Propensity score matching (PSM) analysis compared survival outcomes observed with enasidenib 100 mg daily in the phase I/II AG221-C-001 trial and SoC outcomes obtained from a real-world chart review of patients in France.
RESULTS: Before matching, enasidenib (n = 195) was associated with numerically improved overall survival (OS) relative to SoC (n = 80; hazard ratio [HR], 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.61-1.11). After matching and adjusting for covariates (n = 78 per group), mortality risk was significantly lower with enasidenib than with SoC (HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.47-0.97). The median OS was 9.26 months for enasidenib (95% CI, 7.72-13.24) and 4.76 months for SoC (95% CI, 3.81-8.21). Results remained robust across all sensitivity analyses conducted.
CONCLUSIONS: PSM analyses indicate that enasidenib significantly prolongs survival relative to SoC among patients with R/R AML and an IDH2 mutation who are ineligible for HSCT. Future prospective studies are needed to validate these findings using other data sources and to assess the comparative efficacy of enasidenib for other treatment outcomes.

Keywords:  IDH2 mutations; acute myeloid leukemia; enasidenib; overall survival; standard of care

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.4182
Cancers (Basel). 2021 Aug 15. pii: 4113. [Epub ahead of print]13(16):

A Clinical Phase 1B Study of the CD3xCD123 Bispecific Antibody APVO436 in Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Acute Myeloid Leukemia or Myelodysplastic Syndrome.

Fatih M Uckun, Tara L Lin, Alice S Mims, Prapti Patel, Cynthia Lee, Anoush Shahidzadeh, Paul J Shami, Elizabeth Cull, Christopher R Cogle, Justin Watts.

  APVO436 is a recombinant T cell-engaging humanized bispecific antibody designed to redirect host T cell cytotoxicity in an MHC-independent manner to CD123-expressing blast cells from patients with hematologic malignancies and has exhibited single-agent anti-leukemia activity in murine xenograft models of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In this first-in-human (FIH) multicenter phase 1B study, we sought to determine the safety and tolerability of APVO436 in R/R AML/myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients and identify a clinically active recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) level for its further clinical development. A total of 46 R/R AML/MDS patients who had failed 1-8 prior lines of therapy received APVO436 as weekly intravenous (IV) infusions at 10 different dose levels, ranging from a Minimum Anticipated Biological Effect Level (MABEL) of 0.3 mcg to 60 mcg. APVO436 exhibited a favorable safety profile with acceptable tolerability and manageable drug-related adverse events (AEs), and its maximum tolerated dose (MTD) was not reached at a weekly dose of 60 mcg. The most common APVO436-related AEs were infusion-related reactions (IRR) occurring in 13 (28.3%) patients and cytokine release syndrome (CRS) occurring in 10 (21.7%). The single dose RP2D level was identified as 0.2 mcg/kg. Preliminary efficacy signals were observed in both AML and MDS patients: Prolonged stable disease (SD), partial remissions (PR), and complete remissions (CR) were observed in R/R AML patients as best overall responses to APVO436 at the RP2D level. Three of six evaluable MDS patients had marrow CRs. The safety and preliminary evidence of efficacy of APVO436 in R/R AML and MDS patients warrant further investigation of its clinical impact potential.

Keywords:  AML; APVO436; CD123; MDS; T cells; bispecific antibody; clinical study; leukemia

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13164113
Elife. 2021 Aug 25. pii: e65872. [Epub ahead of print]10

HBO1-MLL interaction promotes AF4/ENL/P-TEFb-mediated leukemogenesis.

Satoshi Takahashi, Akinori Kanai, Hiroshi Okuda, Ryo Miyamoto, Yosuke Komata, Takeshi Kawamura, Hirotaka Matsui, Toshiya Inaba, Akifumi Takaori-Kondo, Akihiko Yokoyama.

  Leukemic oncoproteins cause uncontrolled self-renewal of hematopoietic progenitors by aberrant gene activation, eventually causing leukemia. However, the molecular mechanism underlying aberrant gene activation remains elusive. Here, we showed that leukemic MLL fusion proteins associate with the HBO1 histone acetyltransferase (HAT) complex through their trithorax homology domain 2 (THD2) in various human cell lines. MLL proteins associated with the HBO1 complex through multiple contacts mediated mainly by the ING4/5 and PHF16 subunits in a chromatin-bound context where histone H3 lysine 4 tri-methylation marks were present. Of the many MLL fusions, MLL-ELL particularly depended on the THD2-mediated association with the HBO1 complex for leukemic transformation. The C-terminal portion of ELL provided a binding platform for multiple factors including AF4, EAF1, and p53. MLL-ELL activated gene expression in murine hematopoietic progenitors by loading an AF4/ENL/P-TEFb (AEP) complex onto the target promoters wherein the HBO1 complex promoted the association with AEP complex over EAF1 and p53. Moreover, the NUP98-HBO1 fusion protein exerted its oncogenic properties via interaction with MLL but not its intrinsic HAT activity. Thus, the interaction between the HBO1 complex and MLL is an important nexus in leukemic transformation, which may serve as a therapeutic target for drug development.

Keywords:  AF4; ENL; HBO1; MLL; cancer biology; chromosomes; epigenetic regulators; gene expression; leukemia; mouse

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.65872
Mol Cancer Ther. 2021 Aug 25. pii: molcanther.0120.2021. [Epub ahead of print]

NEI-01-induced arginine deprivation has potent activity against acute myeloid leukemia cells both in vitro and in vivo.

Yun-Chung Leung, Yijun Cai, Jeremy P H Chow, Yu-On Leung, Xiaoxu Lu, Chak-Ho Yuen, Wing Lun Lee, Ka-Chun Chau, Liz L Yang, Raymond M H Wong, Justin Y T Lam, Daniel T L Chow, Steven H K Chung, Sui-Yi Kwok.

Recent studies have revealed that targeting amino acid metabolic enzymes is a promising strategy in cancer therapy. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) downregulates the expression of argininosuccinate synthase (ASS1), a recognized rate-limiting enzyme for arginine synthesis, and yet displays a critical dependence on extracellular arginine for survival and proliferation. This dependence on extracellular arginine, also known as arginine auxotrophy, suggests that arginine deprivation would be a treatment strategy for AML. NEI-01, a novel arginine-depleting enzyme, is capable of binding to serum albumin to extend its circulating half-life, leading to a potent anticancer activity. Here we reported the preclinical activity of NEI-01 in arginine auxotrophic AMLs. NEI-01 efficiently depleted arginine both in vitro and in vivo. NEI-01-induced arginine deprivation was cytotoxic to arginine auxotrophic AML cells through induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Furthermore, the potent anti-leukemia activities of NEI-01 were observed in three different types of mouse models including human cell line-derived xenograft (CDX), mouse cell line-derived homografts in syngeneic mice and patient-derived xenograft (PDX). This preclinical data provide strong evidence to support the potential use of NEI-01 as a therapeutic approach in AML treatment.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-21-0120
Expert Rev Hematol. 2021 Aug 23.

Safety of FLT3 inhibitors in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

Claudio Cerchione, Andrés Peleteiro Raíndo, Adrián Mosquera Orgueira, Alicia Mosquera Torre, Laura Bao Pérez, Giovanni Marconi, Alessandro Isidori, Manuel Mateo Pérez Encinas, Giovanni Martinelli.

   INTRODUCTION: Acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) is the most frequent type of acute leukemia in adults with an incidence of 4.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and poor 5-year survival. Patients with mutations in the FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) gene have poor survival and higher relapse rates compared with wild-type cases.
AREAS COVERED: Several FLT3 inhibitors have been proved in FLT3mut AML patients, with differences in their pharmacokinetics, kinase inhibitory and adverse events profiles. First-generation multi-kinase inhibitors (midostaurin, sorafenib, lestaurtinib) target multiple proteins, whereas second-generation inhibitors (crenolanib, quizartinib, gilteritinib) are more specific and potent inhibitors of FLT3, so they are associated with less off-target toxic effects. All of these drugs have primary and acquired mechanisms of resistance, and therefore their combinations with other drugs (checkpoint inhibitors, hypomethylating agents, standard chemotherapy) and its application in different clinical settings are under study.
EXPERT OPINION: : The recent clinical development of various FLT3 inhibitors for the treatment of FLT3mut AML is an effective therapeutic strategy. However, there are unique toxicities and drug-drug interactions that need to be resolved. It is necessary to understand the mechanisms of toxicity in order to recognize and manage them adequately.

Keywords:  FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3); acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML); crenolanib; gilteritinib; midostaurin; quizartinib; sorafenib

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1080/17474086.2021.1969911
Cancer. 2021 Aug 23.

Results of a randomized phase 3 study of oral sapacitabine in elderly patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia (SEAMLESS).

Hagop M Kantarjian, Kebede H Begna, Jessica K Altman, Stuart L Goldberg, Mikkael A Sekeres, Stephen A Strickland, Martha L Arellano, David F Claxton, Maria R Baer, Marc Gautier, Ellin Berman, Karen Seiter, Scott R Solomon, Gary J Schiller, Selina M Luger, Aleksandra Butrym, Gianluca Gaidano, Xavier G Thomas, Pau Montesinos, David A Rizzieri, Donald P Quick, Parameswaran Venugopal, Rakesh Gaur, Lori J Maness, Tapan M Kadia, Farhad Ravandi, Marc E Buyse, Judy H Chiao.

   BACKGROUND: Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is fatal in elderly patients who are unfit for standard induction chemotherapy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the survival benefit of administering sapacitabine, an oral nucleoside analogue, in alternating cycles with decitabine, a low-intensity therapy, to elderly patients with newly diagnosed AML.
METHODS: This randomized, open-label, phase 3 study (SEAMLESS) was conducted at 87 sites in 11 countries. Patients aged ≥70 years who were not candidates for or chose not to receive standard induction chemotherapy were randomized 1:1 to arm A (decitabine in alternating cycles with sapacitabine) received 1-hour intravenous infusions of decitabine 20 mg/m2 once daily for 5 consecutive days every 8 weeks (first cycle and subsequent odd cycles) and sapacitabine 300 mg twice daily on 3 consecutive days per week for 2 weeks every 8 weeks (second cycle and subsequent even cycles) or to control arm C who received 1-hour infusions of decitabine 20 mg/m2 once daily for 5 consecutive days every 4 weeks. Prior hypomethylating agent therapy for preexisting myelodysplastic syndromes or myeloproliferative neoplasms was an exclusion criterion. Randomization was stratified by antecedent myelodysplastic syndromes or myeloproliferative neoplasms, white blood cell count (<10 × 109 /L and ≥10 × 109 /L), and bone marrow blast percentage (≥50% vs <50%). The primary end point was overall survival (OS). Secondary end points were the rates of complete remission (CR), CR with incomplete platelet count recovery, partial remission, hematologic improvement, and stable disease along with the corresponding durations, transfusion requirements, number of hospitalized days, and 1-year survival. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01303796).
RESULTS: Between October 2011 and December 2014, 482 patients were enrolled and randomized to receive decitabine administered in alternating cycles with sapacitabine (study arm, n = 241) or decitabine monotherapy (control arm, n = 241). The median OS was 5.9 months on the study arm versus 5.7 months on the control arm (P = .8902). The CR rate was 16.6% on the study arm and 10.8% on the control arm (P = .1468). In patients with white blood cell counts <10 × 109 /L (n = 321), the median OS was higher on the study arm versus the control arm (8.0 vs 5.8 months; P = .145), as was the CR rate (21.5% vs 8.6%; P = .0017).
CONCLUSIONS: The regimen of decitabine administered in alternating cycles with sapacitabine was active but did not significantly improve OS compared with decitabine monotherapy. Subgroup analyses suggest that patients with baseline white blood cell counts <10 × 109 /L might benefit from decitabine alternating with sapacitabine, with an improved CR rate and the convenience of an oral drug. These findings should be prospectively confirmed.

Keywords:  acute myeloid leukemia (AML); decitabine; hypomethylation; sapacitabine; therapy

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.33828
Hemasphere. 2021 Sep;5(9): e632

Molecular Landscape of Therapy-related Myeloid Neoplasms in Patients Previously Treated for Gynecologic and Breast Cancers.

Sabine Khalife-Hachem, Khalil Saleh, Florence Pasquier, Christophe Willekens, Anthony Tarabay, Leony Antoun, Thomas Grinda, Cristina Castilla-Llorente, Matthieu Duchmann, Cyril Quivoron, Nathalie Auger, Veronique Saada, Suzette Delaloge, Alexandra Leary, Aline Renneville, Ileana Antony-Debre, Filippo Rosselli, Stéphane De Botton, Flore Salviat, Christophe Marzac, Jean-Baptiste Micol.

Definition of therapy-related myeloid neoplasms (TRMN) is only based on clinical history of exposure to leukemogenic therapy. No specific molecular classification combining therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia and therapy-related myelodysplastic syndromes has been proposed. We aimed to describe the molecular landscape of TRMN at diagnosis, among 77 patients with previous gynecologic and breast cancer with a dedicated next-generation sequencing panel covering 74 genes. We investigated the impact of clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential-associated mutations (CHIP-AMs defined as presence at TRMN stage of mutations described in CHIP with a frequency >1%) on overall survival (OS) and the clinical relevance of a modified genetic ontogeny-based classifier that categorized patients in 3 subgroups. The most frequently mutated genes were TP53 (31%), DNMT3A (19%), IDH1/2 (13%), NRAS (13%), TET2 (12%), NPM1 (10%), PPM1D (9%), and PTPN11 (9%). CHIP-AMs were detected in 66% of TRMN patients, with no impact on OS. Yet, patients with CHIP-AM were older and had a longer time interval between solid tumor diagnosis and TRMN. According to our modified ontogeny-based classifier, we observed that the patients with TP53 or PPM1D mutations had more treatment lines and complex karyotypes, the "MDS-like" patients were older with more gene mutations, while patients with "De novo/pan-AML" mutations were younger with more balanced chromosomal translocations. Median OS within each subgroup was 7.5, 14.5, and 25.2 months, respectively, with statistically significant difference in multivariate analysis. These results support the integration of cytogenetic and molecular markers into the future TRMN classification to reflect the biological diversity of TRMN and its impact on outcomes.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/HS9.0000000000000632
Blood Adv. 2021 Aug 25. pii: bloodadvances.2020003055. [Epub ahead of print]

TLR7 ligation augments hematopoiesis in Rps14 (uS11) deficiency via paradoxical suppression of inflammatory signalling.

Oscar A Peña, Alexandra Lubin, Catherine Hockings, Jasmine Rowell, Youngrock Jung, Yvette Hoade, Phoebe Ella Imogen Dace, Leonardo E Valdivia, Karin Tuschl, Charlotta Boiers, Maria Virgilio, Simon E Richardson, Elspeth M Payne.

Myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) is a haematological malignancy characterised by blood cytopenias and predisposition to acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). Therapies for MDS are lacking, particularly those that impact the early stages of disease. We developed a model of MDS using zebrafish using knockout of Rps14, the primary mediator of the anaemia associated with del (5q) MDS. These mutant animals display dose- and age-dependent abnormalities in haematopoiesis, culminating in bone marrow failure with dysplastic features. We utilized rps14 knockdown to undertake an in vivo small molecule screen to identify compounds that ameliorate the MDS phenotype, identifying imiquimod, an agonist of TLR7 and TLR8. Imiquimod alleviates anaemia by promoting haematopoietic stem and progenitor cell expansion and erythroid differentiation, the mechanism of which is dependent on TLR7 ligation and Myd88. TLR7 activation in this setting paradoxically promoted an anti-inflammatory gene signature indicating crosstalk between pro-inflammatory pathways endogenous to Rps14 loss and NFkappaB pathway via TLR7. Finally, we show that in highly purified human bone marrow samples from anaemic patients, imiquimod leads to an increase in erythroid output from myelo-erythroid progenitors and common myeloid progenitors. Our findings have both specific implications for the development of targeted therapeutics for del (5q) MDS and wider significance identifying a potential role for TLR7 ligation in modifying anaemia.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1182/bloodadvances.2020003055
Int J Hematol. 2021 Aug 27.

Mutational landscape of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia and its potential clinical significance.

Wenmin Han, Feng Zhou, Zheng Wang, Haiying Hua, Wei Qin, Zhuxia Jia, Xiaohui Cai, Meiyu Chen, Jie Liu, Hongying Chao, Xuzhang Lu.

  We evaluated the mutational landscape of chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) and its potential clinical significance. We analyzed 47 samples with a panel of 112 genes using next-generation sequencing. Forty-five of the 47 patients (95.74%) had at least one mutation identified, with an average of 3.7 (range 0-9) per patient. The most common mutation was NRAS, followed by ASXL1, TET2, SRSF2, RUNX1, KRAS, and SETBP1. Patients 60 years and older more frequently had mutations in TET2 (56% vs. 9.09%, P = 0.001) and ASXL1 (48% vs. 18.18%, P = 0.031) than patients younger than 60 years. Median overall survival (OS) in patients with CMML was 22.0 months (95% CI 19.7-24.3 months). ASXL1 (18 vs. 22 months, P = 0.012), RUNX1 (17 vs. 22 months, P = 0.001), and SETBP1 (20 vs. 27 months, P = 0.032) mutations predicted inferior OS. However, only RUNX1 mutation was significantly associated with inferior acute myeloid leukemia (AML)-free survival. Our data showed that mutation profile differed significantly between CMML patients aged 60 years and older versus those younger than 60 years, and some of these mutations impact the progression and prognosis of the disease to a certain extent.

Keywords:  Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia; Mutations; Next-generation sequencing; Overall survival

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12185-021-03210-x
Genes (Basel). 2021 Jul 27. pii: 1144. [Epub ahead of print]12(8):

The Genetics of Myelodysplastic Syndromes: Clinical Relevance.

Chiara Chiereghin, Erica Travaglino, Matteo Zampini, Elena Saba, Claudia Saitta, Elena Riva, Matteo Bersanelli, Matteo Giovanni Della Porta.

  Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a clonal disease arising from hematopoietic stem cells, that are characterized by ineffective hematopoiesis (leading to peripheral blood cytopenia) and by an increased risk of evolution into acute myeloid leukemia. MDS are driven by a complex combination of genetic mutations that results in heterogeneous clinical phenotype and outcome. Genetic studies have enabled the identification of a set of recurrently mutated genes which are central to the pathogenesis of MDS and can be organized into a limited number of cellular pathways, including RNA splicing (SF3B1, SRSF2, ZRSR2, U2AF1 genes), DNA methylation (TET2, DNMT3A, IDH1/2), transcription regulation (RUNX1), signal transduction (CBL, RAS), DNA repair (TP53), chromatin modification (ASXL1, EZH2), and cohesin complex (STAG2). Few genes are consistently mutated in >10% of patients, whereas a long tail of 40-50 genes are mutated in <5% of cases. At diagnosis, the majority of MDS patients have 2-4 driver mutations and hundreds of background mutations. Reliable genotype/phenotype relationships were described in MDS: SF3B1 mutations are associated with the presence of ring sideroblasts and more recent studies indicate that other splicing mutations (SRSF2, U2AF1) may identify distinct disease categories with specific hematological features. Moreover, gene mutations have been shown to influence the probability of survival and risk of disease progression and mutational status may add significant information to currently available prognostic tools. For instance, SF3B1 mutations are predictors of favourable prognosis, while driver mutations of other genes (such as ASXL1, SRSF2, RUNX1, TP53) are associated with a reduced probability of survival and increased risk of disease progression. In this article, we review the most recent advances in our understanding of the genetic basis of myelodysplastic syndromes and discuss its clinical relevance.

Keywords:  disease classification; gene mutations; myelodysplastic syndrome; prognosis

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/genes12081144
Blood Adv. 2021 Aug 27. pii: bloodadvances.2021004292. [Epub ahead of print]

Prognostic impact of CEBPA bZIP domain mutation in acute myeloid leukemia.

Satoshi Wakita, Masahiro Sakaguchi, Iekuni Oh, Shinichi Kako, Takashi Toya, Yuho Najima, Noriko Doki, Junya Kanda, Junya Kuroda, Shinichiro Mori, Atsushi Satake, Kensuke Usuki, Toshimitsu Ueki, Nobuhiko Uoshima, Yutaka Kobayashi, Eri Kawata, Kenji Tajika, Yuhei Nagao, Katsuhiro Shono, Motoharu Shibusawa, Jiro Tadokoro, Kensuke Kayamori, Masao Hagihara, Hitoji Uchiyama, Naoyuki Uchida, Yasushi Kubota, Shinya Kimura, Hisao Nagoshi, Tatsuo Ichinohe, Saiko Kurosawa, Sayuri Motomura, Akiko Hashimoto, Hideharu Muto, Eriko Sato, Masao Ogata, Kenjiro Mitsuhashi, Jun Ando, Atsushi Marumo, Ikuko Omori, Yusuke Fujiwara, Kazuki Terada, Shunsuke Yui, Kunihito Arai, Tomoaki Kitano, Miho Miyata, Akiyo Kurosawa, Ayumi Mizoguchi, Norio Komatsu, Takahiro Fukuda, Kazuteru Ohashi, Yoshinobu Kanda, Koiti Inokuchi, Hiroki Yamaguchi.

Mutations of CCAAT/enhancer binding protein alpha (CEBPAmu) are found in 10-15% of de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases. Double-mutated CEBPA (CEBPAdm) is associated with a favorable prognosis; however, single-mutated CEBPA (CEBPAsm) does not appear to improve prognosis. We investigated the CEBPAmu for prognosis in 1028 AML patients, registered in the Multi-center Collaborative Program for Gene Sequencing of Japanese AML. It was found that CEBPAmu in the basic leucine zipper domain (bZIP) was strongly associated with a favorable prognosis, but CEBPAmu out of the bZIP domain was not. The presence of CEBPAmu in bZIP was a strong indicator of a higher chance of achieving complete remission (p<0.001), better overall survival (OS; p<0.001) and a lower risk of relapse (p<0.001). The prognostic significance of CEBPAmu in bZIP was also observed in the subgroup with CEBPAsm (all patients, OS: p=0.008; the cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR): p=0.063. patients aged ≤70 years and with intermediate-risk karyotype, OS: p=0.008; CIR: p=0.026). Multivariate analysis of 744 patients aged ≤70 years showed that CEBPAmu in bZIP was the most potent predictor of OS (hazard ratio: 0.3287; p<0.001). CEBPAdm was validated as a cofounding factor, which was overlapping with CEBPAmu in bZIP. In summary, these findings indicate that CEBPAmu in bZIP is a potent marker for AML prognosis. It holds potential in the refinement of treatment stratification and the development of targeted therapeutic approaches in CEBPA mutated AML.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1182/bloodadvances.2021004292
Cancers (Basel). 2021 Aug 20. pii: 4189. [Epub ahead of print]13(16):

Cladribine Combined with Low-Dose Cytarabine as Frontline Treatment for Unfit Elderly Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patients: Results from a Prospective Multicenter Study of Polish Adult Leukemia Group (PALG).

Bożena Katarzyna Budziszewska, Aleksander Salomon-Perzyński, Katarzyna Pruszczyk, Joanna Barankiewicz, Agnieszka Pluta, Grzegorz Helbig, Anna Janowska, Marta Kuydowicz, Łukasz Bołkun, Jarosław Piszcz, Elżbieta Patkowska, Marzena Wątek, Piotr Małecki, Sylwia Kościołek-Zgódka, Edyta Cichocka, Grzegorz Charliński, Anna Irga-Staniukiewicz, Jan Maciej Zaucha, Agnieszka Piekarska, Tomasz Gromek, Marek Hus, Karol Wójcik, Małgorzata Raźny, Mariola Sędzimirska, Bartosz Puła, Sebastian Giebel, Sebastian Grosicki, Agnieszka Wierzbowska, Ewa Lech-Marańda.

  Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in older unfit patients is a therapeutic challenge for clinical hematologists. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of a novel low-intensity regimen consisting of low-dose cytarabine and cladribine (LD-AC+cladribine) in first-line treatment of elderly (≥60 years) AML patients not eligible for intensive chemotherapy (IC) who had either the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (ECOG PS) ≥2 or the hematopoietic cell transplantation comorbidity index (HCT-CI) score ≥3. The induction phase included two cycles of LD-AC+cladribine. Patients who achieved at least partial remission (PR) received maintenance treatment with LD-AC alone. Overall, 117 patients with a median age of 70 years were enrolled. Adverse cytogenetics, ECOG PS ≥2 and HCT-CI score ≥3 was observed in 43.5%, 60%, and 58% of patients, respectively. The response rate (≥PR) was 54% (complete remission [CR], 32%; CR with incomplete hematologic recovery [CRi], 5%). A median overall survival (OS) was 21 and 8.8 months in CR/CRi and PR group, respectively. Advanced age (≥75 years) and adverse cytogenetics had a negative impact on OS. The 56-day mortality rate was 20.5%. In conclusion, LD-AC+cladribine is a beneficial therapeutic option with a predictable safety profile in elderly AML patients not eligible for IC.

Keywords:  acute myeloid leukemia; cladribine; elderly; low-dose cytarabine; non-intensive therapy; unfit patients

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers13164189
Cancer Discov. 2021 Aug 24. pii: candisc.0560.2021. [Epub ahead of print]

Systematic profiling of DNMT3A variants reveals protein instability mediated by the DCAF8 E3 ubiquitin ligase adaptor.

Yung-Hsin Huang, Chun-Wei Chen, Venkatasubramaniam Sundaramurthy, Mikolaj Slabicki, Dapeng Hao, Caroline J Watson, Ayala Tovy, Jaime M Reyes, Olga Dakhova, Brielle R Crovetti, Christina Galonska, Minjung Lee, Lorenzo Brunetti, Yubin Zhou, Katrina Tatton-Brown, Yun Huang, Xiaodong Cheng, Alexander Meissner, Peter J M Valk, Lionel Van Maldergem, Mathijs A Sanders, Jamie R Blundell, Wei Li, Benjamin L Ebert, Margaret A Goodell.

Clonal hematopoiesis is a prevalent age-related condition associated with greatly increased risk of hematologic disease; mutations in DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) are the most common driver of this state. DNMT3A variants occur across the gene with some particularly associated with malignancy, but the functional relevance and mechanisms of pathogenesis of the majority of mutations is unknown. Here, we systematically investigated the methyltransferase activity and protein stability of 253 disease-associated DNMT3A mutations, finding that 74% were loss-of-function mutations. Half of these variants exhibited reduced protein stability and, as a class, correlated with greater clonal expansion and AML development. We investigated the mechanisms underlying the instability using a CRISPR screen and uncovered regulated destruction of DNMT3A mediated by the DCAF8 E3 ubiquitin ligase adaptor. We establish a new paradigm to classify novel variants that has prognostic and potential therapeutic significance for patients with hematologic disease.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1158/2159-8290.CD-21-0560
Br J Cancer. 2021 Aug 26.

CCT245718, a dual FLT3/Aurora A inhibitor overcomes D835Y-mediated resistance to FLT3 inhibitors in acute myeloid leukaemia cells.

Muhammad Usama Tariq, Muhammad Furqan, Hira Parveen, Rahim Ullah, Muhammad Muddassar, Rahman Shah Zaib Saleem, Vassilios Bavetsias, Spiros Linardopoulos, Amir Faisal.

BACKGROUND: Activating mutations in the Fms-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) are among the most prevalent oncogenic mutations in acute myeloid leukaemia. Inhibitors selectively targeting FLT3 kinase have shown promising clinical activity; their success in the clinic, however, has been limited due to the emergence of acquired resistance.
METHODS: CCT245718 was identified and characterised as a dual Aurora A/FLT3 inhibitor through cell-based and biochemical assays. The ability of CCT245718 to overcome TKD-mediated resistance was evaluated in a cell line-based model of drug resistance to FLT3 inhibitors.
RESULTS: CCT245718 exhibits potent antiproliferative activity towards FLT3-ITD + AML cell lines and strongly binds to FLT3-ITD and TKD (D835Y) mutants in vitro. Activities of both FLT3-ITD and Aurora A are also inhibited in cells. Inhibition of FLT3 results in reduced phosphorylation of STAT5, downregulation of survivin and induction of apoptotic cell death. Moreover, CCT245718 overcomes TKD-mediated resistance in a MOLM-13-derived cell line containing FLT3 with both ITD and D835Y mutations. It also inhibits FLT3 signalling in both parental and resistant cell lines compared to FLT3-specific inhibitor MLN518, which is only active in the parental cell line.
CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that CCT245718 is a potent dual FLT3/Aurora A inhibitor that can overcome TKD-mediated acquired resistance.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41416-021-01527-2
Blood Adv. 2021 Aug 25. pii: bloodadvances.2021004335. [Epub ahead of print]

Coevolving JAK2V617F+ relapsed AML and donor T cells with PD-1 blockade after stem cell transplantation: an index case.

Livius Penter, Satyen Harish Gohil, Teddy Huang, Emily M Thrash, Dominik Schmidt, Shuqiang Li, Mariano Severgnini, Donna Neuberg, F Stephen Hodi, Kenneth J Livak, Robert Zeiser, Pavan Bachireddy, Catherine J Wu.

Relapse of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is associated with poor outcomes, as therapeutic approaches to reinstate effective graft-versus-leukemia (GvL) responses remain suboptimal. Immune escape through overexpression of PD-L1 in JAK2V617F mutated MPN provides a rationale for therapeutic PD-1 blockade, and indeed clinical activity of nivolumab in relapsed MPN post-HSCT has been observed. Elucidation of the features of response following PD-1 blockade in such patients could inform of novel therapeutic concepts for how to enhance GvL. Here, we report an integrated high-dimensional analysis using single cell RNA-, TCR-, CITE- and ATAC-sequencing together with mass cytometry on peripheral blood mononuclear cells collected at 6 timepoints before, during and after transient response to PD-1 blockade from an index case of relapsed MPN following HSCT. Before nivolumab infusion, AML blasts demonstrated high expression of chemokines, and T cells were characterized by expression of interferon-response genes. This baseline inflammatory signature disappeared after nivolumab infusion. Clinical response was characterized by transient expansion of a polyclonal CD4+ T cell population and contraction of an AML subpopulation that exhibited megakaryocytic features and elevated PD-L1 expression. At relapse, the proportion of the AML subpopulation with progenitor-like features progressively increased, suggesting co-evolution of AML blasts and donor-derived T cells. We thus demonstrate how single cell technologies can provide complementary insight into cellular mechanisms underlying response to PD-1 blockade, motivating future longitudinal high-dimensional single cell studies of GvL responses in relapsed myeloid disease.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1182/bloodadvances.2021004335
J Cell Sci. 2021 Aug 26. pii: jcs.258736. [Epub ahead of print]

Analyzing and disrupting leukemic stem cell adhesion to bone-marrow stromal cells by single molecule tracking nanoscopy.

Oksana Gorshkova, Jessica Cappaï, Loriane Maillot, Arnauld Sergé.

  Leukemic stem cells (LSC) adhere to bone niches by adhesion molecules. These interactions, deeply reorganized in tumors, contribute to LSC resistance and leukemia relapse. However, LSC adhesion mechanisms and potential therapeutic disruption using blocking antibodies remain largely unknown. Junctional adhesion molecule JAM-C over-expression by LSC correlates with increased leukemia severity, constituting a putative therapeutic target. Here, we took advantage of nanoscopy ability to detect single molecules with nanometric accuracy to characterize JAM dynamics at leuko-stromal contacts. Videonanoscopy trajectories were reconstructed using our dedicated Multi-Target Tracing algorithm, pipelined with dual-color analyses (MTT2col). JAM-C expressed by LSCs engaged transient interactions with JAM-B expressed by stromal cells. JAM recruitment and colocalization at cell contacts were proportional to JAM-C level and reduced by a blocking anti-JAM-C antibody. MTT2col revealed at single-molecule resolution the modalities of blocking antibodies to destabilize LSC binding to their niches, opening opportunities for disrupting LSC resistance mechanisms.

Keywords:  Adhesion; Leukemic stem cell; Nanoscopy; Ssingle molecule tracking; Super-resolution

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.258736
Blood Adv. 2021 Aug 24. 5(16): 3163-3173

Final results of a phase 2 clinical trial of LCL161, an oral SMAC mimetic for patients with myelofibrosis.

Naveen Pemmaraju, Bing Z Carter, Prithviraj Bose, Nitin Jain, Tapan M Kadia, Guillermo Garcia-Manero, Carlos E Bueso-Ramos, Courtney D DiNardo, Sharon Bledsoe, Naval G Daver, Uday Popat, Marina Y Konopleva, Lingsha Zhou, Sherry Pierce, Zeev E Estrov, Gautam M Borthakur, Maro Ohanian, Wei Qiao, Lucia Masarova, Xuemei Wang, Po Yee Mak, Jorge Cortes, Elias Jabbour, Srdan Verstovsek.

Outcomes in patients with high-risk and treatment-resistant myelofibrosis (MF) post-JAK inhibitor therapy remain poor, with no approved drug therapies beyond the JAK inhibitor class. In certain clinical situations, such as severe thrombocytopenia, administration of most JAK inhibitors are contraindicated. Thus, there is an unmet medical need for the development of novel agents for patients with MF. SMAC mimetics [or inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) antagonists] induce apoptosis in cancer cells. Because these agents are hypothesized to have increased activity in a tumor necrosis factor-α cytokine-rich microenvironment, as is the case with MF, we conducted a single-center, investigator-initiated phase 2 clinical trial, with a monovalent SMAC mimetic LCL161 (oral, starting dose, 1500 mg per week) in patients with intermediate to high-risk MF. In an older group, 66% with ≥2 prior therapies and a median baseline platelet count of 52 × 103/μL and 28% with ASXL1 mutations, we observed a 30% objective response by Revised International Working Group-Myeloproliferative Neoplasms Research and Treatment (IWG-MRT) 2013 criteria. Notably, 6 responding patients achieved clinical improvement of anemia: 4, hemoglobin response; 2, transfusion independence. Median OS was 34 months (range, 2.2-60.1+). Reductions of cIAPs were observed in all responders. The most common toxicity was nausea/vomiting (N/V) in 64% (mostly grade 1/2); fatigue in 46%; and dizziness/vertigo in 30%. There were 4 grade 3/4 adverse events (2, syncope; 1, N/V; 1, skin eruption/pruritis). There were 2 deaths during the study period, both unrelated to the study drug. SMAC mimetics may represent an option for older patients with thrombocytopenia or for those in whom prior JAK inhibitors has failed. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT02098161.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1182/bloodadvances.2020003829
Leuk Res. 2021 Aug 21. pii: S0145-2126(21)00193-4. [Epub ahead of print]111 106692

Venetoclax in combination with low dose Cytarabine and Actinomycin D for primary refractory acute myeloid leukemia patients failing intensive chemotherapy.

Justinas Daraskevicius, Veronika Everatt, Vilmante Vaitekenaite, Ugne Ringeleviciute, Kazimieras Maneikis, Andrius Zucenka.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leukres.2021.106692
Sci Rep. 2021 Aug 23. 11(1): 17012

SCAMP2/5 as diagnostic and prognostic markers for acute myeloid leukemia.

Can Yue, Siting Xie, Jiaying Zhong, Haijun Zhao, Zhijuan Lin, Li Zhang, Bing Xu, Yiming Luo.

The secretory carrier-associated membrane proteins (SCAMPs) are associated with the development of multiple human cancers. The role of SCAMPs in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), however, remains to be identified. In the present study, we explored expression patterns and prognostic value of SCAMPs and network analysis of SCAMPs-related signaling pathways in AML using Oncomine, GEPIA, cBioPortal, LinkedOmics, DAVID and Metascape databases. Genetic alteration analysis revealed that the mutation rate of SCAMP genes was below 1% (9/1272) in AML, and there was no significant correlation between SCAMPs gene mutation and AML prognosis. However, the SCAMP2/5 mRNA levels were significantly higher in AML patients than in healthy controls. Moreover, high mRNA expressions of SCAMP2/4/5 were associated with poor overall survival, which might be due to that SCAMP2/4/5 and their co-expressed genes were associated with multiple pathways related to tumorigenesis and progression, including human T-cell leukemia virus 1 infection, acute myeloid leukemia, mTOR and NF-kappa B signaling pathways. These results suggest that SCAMP2/4/5 are potential prognostic markers for AML, and that SCAMP2 and SCAMP5 individually or in combination may be used as diagnostic markers for AML.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-96440-2
Blood Adv. 2021 Sep 14. 5(17): 3241-3253

KDM5A suppresses PML-RARα target gene expression and APL differentiation through repressing H3K4me2.

Siyuan Xu, Siqing Wang, Shenghui Xing, Dingdang Yu, Bowen Rong, Hai Gao, Mengyao Sheng, Yun Tan, Xiaojian Sun, Kankan Wang, Kai Xue, Zhennan Shi, Fei Lan.

Epigenetic abnormalities are frequently involved in the initiation and progression of cancers, including acute myeloid leukemia (AML). A subtype of AML, acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), is mainly driven by a specific oncogenic fusion event of promyelocytic leukemia-RA receptor fusion oncoprotein (PML-RARα). PML-RARα was reported as a transcription repressor through the interaction with nuclear receptor corepressor and histone deacetylase complexes leading to the mis-suppression of its target genes and differentiation blockage. Although previous studies were mainly focused on the connection of histone acetylation, it is still largely unknown whether alternative epigenetics mechanisms are involved in APL progression. KDM5A is a demethylase of histone H3 lysine 4 di- and tri-methylations (H3K4me2/3) and a transcription corepressor. Here, we found that the loss of KDM5A led to APL NB4 cell differentiation and retarded growth. Mechanistically, through epigenomics and transcriptomics analyses, KDM5A binding was detected in 1889 genes, with the majority of the binding events at promoter regions. KDM5A suppressed the expression of 621 genes, including 42 PML-RARα target genes, primarily by controlling the H3K4me2 in the promoters and 5' end intragenic regions. In addition, a recently reported pan-KDM5 inhibitor, CPI-455, on its own could phenocopy the differentiation effects as KDM5A loss in NB4 cells. CPI-455 treatment or KDM5A knockout could greatly sensitize NB4 cells to all-trans retinoic acid-induced differentiation. Our findings indicate that KDM5A contributed to the differentiation blockage in the APL cell line NB4, and inhibition of KDM5A could greatly potentiate NB4 differentiation.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1182/bloodadvances.2020002819
Blood Adv. 2021 Aug 27. pii: bloodadvances.2020003841. [Epub ahead of print]

5-Azacytidine depletes hematopoietic stem cells and synergizes with an anti-CD117 antibody to augment donor engraftment in immunocompetent mice.

Andriyana K Bankova, Wendy Pang, Brenda Josefina Velasco, Janel R Long-Boyle, Judith A Shizuru.

Depletion of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) is used therapeutically in many malignant and non-malignant blood disorders in the setting of a hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) to eradicate diseased HSC allowing donor HSC to engraft. Current treatments to achieve HSC elimination rely on modalities that cause DNA strand breakage (i.e., alkylators, radiation) resulting in multiple short-term and long-term toxicities, and sometimes even death. These risks have severely limited HCT utilization to patients with few to no co-morbidities, and excluded many others with diseases curable by HCT. 5-Azacytidine (AZA) is a widely used hypomethylating agent that is thought to preferentially target leukemic cells in myeloid malignancies. Here, we reveal a previously unknown effect of AZA on HSC. We show that AZA induces early HSC proliferation in vivo and exerts a direct cytotoxic effect on proliferating HSC in vitro. When used to pretreat recipient mice for transplant, AZA permitted low level donor HSC engraftment. Moreover, by combining AZA with a monoclonal antibody (mAb), targeting CD117 (c-Kit), a molecule expressed on HSC, more robust HSC-depletion and substantially higher levels of multilineage donor cell engraftment was achieved in immunocompetent mice. The enhanced effectiveness of this combined regimen correlated with increased apoptotic cell death in HSPC. Together, these findings highlight a previously unknown therapeutic mechanism for AZA which may broaden its utilization in clinical practice. Moreover, the synergy we show between AZA and anti-CD117 mAb is a novel strategy to eradicate abnormal HSC which can be rapidly tested in the clinical setting.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1182/bloodadvances.2020003841
Blood. 2021 Aug 23. pii: blood.2020010207. [Epub ahead of print]

The association of Greig syndrome and mastocytosis reveals the involvement of hedgehog pathway in advanced mastocytosis.

Laura Polivka, Veronique Parietti, Julie Bruneau, Erinn Soucie, Marine Madrange, Elisa Bayard, Rachel Rignault, Danielle Canioni, Sylvie Fraitag, Ludovic Lhermitte, Mélanie Féroul, Margot Tissandier, Julien Rossignol, Laurent Frenzel, Nicolas Cagnard, Cecile Meni, Hassiba Bouktit, Anne-Florence Collange, Christina Gougoula, Mélanie Parisot, Brigitte Bader-Meunier, Cristina Livideanu, Camille Laurent, Michel Arock, Smail Hadj-Rabia, Ulrich Rüther, Patrice Dubreuil, Christine Bodemer, Olivier Hermine, Leila Maouche-Chretien.

Mastocytosis is a heterogeneous disease characterized by an abnormal accumulation of mast cells (MCs) in one or several organs. Although a somatic KIT D816V mutation is detected in ~85% of patients, attempts to demonstrate its oncogenic effect alone have repeatedly failed, suggesting that additional pathways are involved in MC transformation. From three children presenting with both Greig cephalopolysyndactyly syndrome (GCPS, MIM#175700) and congenital mastocytosis, we demonstrated the involvement of the hedgehog (Hh) pathway in mastocytosis. GCPS is an extremely rare syndrome resulting from haploinsufficiency of GLI3, the major repressor of Hh family members. From these familial cases of mastocytosis, we demonstrate that the Hh pathway is barely active in normal primary MCs and overactive in neoplastic MCs. We show that GLI3 and KIT mutations have a synergistic, tumorigenic effect on the onset of mastocytosis in a GCPS mouse model. Finally, we show that Hh inhibitors suppress neoplastic MC proliferation in vitro and extend the survival time of aggressive systemic mastocytosis (ASM) mice. This work revealed, for the first time, the involvement of Hh signaling in the pathophysiology of mastocytosis and demonstrated the cooperative effects of the KIT and Hh oncogenic pathways in ASM, leading to the identification of new promising therapeutic targets.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2020010207
Blood. 2021 Aug 26. 138(8): 625-636

Gene expression at a single-molecule level: implications for myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia.

Justin C Wheat, Ulrich Steidl.

Nongenetic heterogeneity, or gene expression stochasticity, is an important source of variability in biological systems. With the advent and improvement of single molecule resolution technologies, it has been shown that transcription dynamics and resultant transcript number fluctuations generate significant cell-to-cell variability that has important biological effects and may contribute substantially to both tissue homeostasis and disease. In this respect, the pathophysiology of stem cell-derived malignancies such as acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes, which has historically been studied at the ensemble level, may require reevaluation. To that end, it is our aim in this review to highlight the results of recent single-molecule, biophysical, and systems studies of gene expression dynamics, with the explicit purpose of demonstrating how the insights from these basic science studies may help inform and progress the field of leukemia biology and, ultimately, research into novel therapies.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1182/blood.2019004261
Eur J Haematol. 2021 Aug 21.

Long-term tolerability and efficacy after initial PegIFN-α addition to dasatinib in CML-CP - five-year follow-up of the NordCML007 study.

Hjalmar Flygt, Stina Söderlund, Jesper Stentoft, Johan Richter, Perttu Koskenvesa, Satu Mustjoki, Waleed Majeed, Anna Lübking, Arta Dreimane, Berit Markevärn, Leif Stenke, Kristina Myhr Eriksson, Bjørn Tore Gjertsen, Tobias Gedde-Dahl, Andreja Dimitrijevic, Lene Udby, Ulla Olsson-Strömberg, Henrik Hjorth-Hansen.

   OBJECTIVES: Treatment-free remission (TFR) has emerged as a treatment goal in Chronic Myeloid Leukemia in Chronic Phase (CML-CP). Attempts to increase proportion of patients achieving TFR include combination of Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKI) and other drugs. Interferon-α in addition to TKI has shown promising efficacy but with dose-dependent toxicity and discontinuations. NordCML007 was initiated to study the efficacy and safety of low dose pegylated IFN-α (PegIFN-α) in combination with dasatinib (DAS) in CML-CP.
METHODS: Forty patients with newly diagnosed CML-CP were given DAS upfront. After month 3 (M3) 15 μg/week of PegIFN-α was added and increased to 25 μg/week from M7 until M15. DAS treatment was continued and adverse events and BCR-ABL1 qRT-PCR values were reported yearly after M24. Results from M1-M18 have previously been published, and here we present long-term data.
RESULTS: After five years of follow-up there were no suspected unexpected serious adverse reactions, no increase in serosal effusions, no disease progressions and no CML-related deaths. Rates of MR3.0 (MMR), MR4.0 and MR4.5 were 84.6%, 64.1% and 51.3% respectively at M60 and 95% of patients reached MMR at some point during the study.
CONCLUSION: Initial addition of PegIFN-α to DAS shows good long-term efficacy without increased toxicity.

Keywords:  BCR-ABL Positive; Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia; Clinical Trial; Dasatinib; Interferon-alpha

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1111/ejh.13699
Cell Stem Cell. 2021 Aug 21. pii: S1934-5909(21)00296-4. [Epub ahead of print]

Aspartate availability limits hematopoietic stem cell function during hematopoietic regeneration.

Le Qi, Misty S Martin-Sandoval, Salma Merchant, Wen Gu, Matthias Eckhardt, Thomas P Mathews, Zhiyu Zhao, Michalis Agathocleous, Sean J Morrison.

  The electron transport chain promotes aspartate synthesis, which is required for cancer cell proliferation. However, it is unclear whether aspartate is limiting in normal stem cells. We found that mouse hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) depend entirely on cell-autonomous aspartate synthesis, which increases upon HSC activation. Overexpression of the glutamate/aspartate transporter, Glast, or deletion of glutamic-oxaloacetic transaminase 1 (Got1) each increased aspartate levels in HSCs/progenitor cells and increased the function of HSCs but not colony-forming progenitors. Conversely, deletion of Got2 reduced aspartate levels and the function of HSCs but not colony-forming progenitors. Deletion of Got1 and Got2 eliminated HSCs. Isotope tracing showed aspartate was used to synthesize asparagine and purines. Both contributed to increased HSC function as deletion of asparagine synthetase or treatment with 6-mercaptopurine attenuated the increased function of GLAST-overexpressing HSCs. HSC function is thus limited by aspartate, purine, and asparagine availability during hematopoietic regeneration.

Keywords:  asparagine; aspartate; electron transport chain; hematopoietic stem cell; metabolism; mitochondria; purine; regeneration

DOI:  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.stem.2021.07.011
Am J Hematol. 2021 Aug 23.

Clinical and molecular predictors of fibrotic progression in essential thrombocythemia: a multicenter study involving 1,607 patients.

Giuseppe G Loscocco, Paola Guglielmelli, Naseema Gangat, Elena Rossi, Carmela Mannarelli, Silvia Betti, Chiara Maccari, Francesco Ramundo, Yamna Jadoon, Francesca Gesullo, Sara Ceglie, Chiara Paoli, Animesh Pardanani, Valerio De Stefano, Ayalew Tefferi, Alessandro M Vannucchi.

The current retrospective study involving a total of 1,607 patients was designed to identify clinical and molecular variables that were predictive of inferior myelofibrosis-free survival (MFS) in WHO-defined essential thrombocythemia (ET), utilizing three independent patient cohorts: University of Florence, Italy (n=718); Mayo Clinic, USA (n=479) and Policlinico Gemelli, Catholic University, Rome, Italy (n=410). The Florence patient cohort was first examined to identify independent risk factors for MFS, which included age >60 years (HR 2.5, 95% CI 1.3-4.9), male sex (2.1, 1.2-3.9), palpable splenomegaly (2.1, 1.2-3.9), CALR 1/1-like or MPL mutation (3.4, 1.9-6.1) and JAK2V617F variant allele frequency >35% (4.2, 1.6-10.8). Subsequently, an operational molecular risk category was developed and validated in the other two cohorts from Mayo Clinic and Rome: "high molecular risk" category included patients with JAK2V617F VAF >35%, CALR type 1/1-like or MPL mutations; all other driver mutation profiles were assigned to "low molecular risk" category. The former, compared to the latter molecular risk category, displayed significantly higher risk of fibrotic transformation: Florence cohort with respective fibrotic transformation risk rates of 8% vs 1.2% at 10 years and 33% vs 8% at 20 years (p<0.0001; HR 6.1; 95% CI 3.2-11.7); Mayo Cohort, 16% vs 7% at 10 years and 44% vs 25% at 20 years (p<0.001; HR 2.5; 95% CI 1.6-4.1); and Rome cohort 7.8% vs 4.6% at 10 years and 31.2% vs 7.1% at 20 years (p=0.007, HR 2.7; 95% CI 1.3-5.8). The present study provides practically useful risk signals for fibrotic transformation in ET and facilitates identification of patients who require close monitoring and appropriate counselling. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ajh.26332
Blood Adv. 2021 Aug 26. pii: bloodadvances.2020003235. [Epub ahead of print]

Treatment free remission in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia: recommendations of LALNET expert panel.

Carolina Pavlovsky, Virginia Abello Polo, Katia Borgia Barbosa Pagnano, Ana I Varela, Claudia Agudelo Lopez, Michele Bianchini, Carla Boquimpani, Renato Torrescasana Centrone, Monika Conchon, Nancy Delgado, Vaneuza Araújo Moreira Funke, Isabel Amanda Giere, Ingrid Luise Pinto, Luis Meillon-Garcia, Beatriz Moiraghi, Juan Ramon Navarro, Lilian Pilleux, Ana Ines Prado, Maria Soledad Undurraga, Jorge Cortes.

Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) have dramatically changed the survival of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients and treatment-free remission (TFR) has recently merged as a new goal of CML treatment. The aim of this work was to develop recommendations for TKI discontinuation in Latin America (LA), outside clinical trials. A working group of CML experts from LA discussed 22 questions regarding TFR and reached a consensus for TFR recommendations in the region. TFR is indicated in patients in first CP, with typical BCR-ABL transcripts, under TKI treatment for a minimum of 5 years, in sustained deep molecular response (DMR: MR4.5) for 2 years. Sustained DMR must be demonstrated on at least 4 IS qPCR tests, separated by at least 3 months, in the immediate prior 2 years. After 2nd line therapy, TFR is indicated in previously intolerant patients, not resistant. Molecular monitoring is recommended monthly the first 6 months, every 2-3 months from months 7 to 12, and every 3 months during the second year, indefinitely. Treatment should be reintroduced if loss of major molecular response. Monitoring of withdrawal syndrome, glucose levels, and lipid profile are recommended after discontinuation. After TKI reintroduction, molecular monitoring is indicated every 2-3 months until MR4.0 achievement, later every 3-6 months. For TFR attempt, is mandatory to have standardized, and reliable BCR-ABL PCR tests. These recommendations will be useful for safe discontinuation in the daily practice and will benefit patients who wish to stop treatment in emergent regions, in particular, with TKI related chronic adverse events.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1182/bloodadvances.2020003235
Lancet. 2021 Aug 20. pii: S0140-6736(21)01204-6. [Epub ahead of print]

Chronic myeloid leukaemia.

Jorge Cortes, Carolina Pavlovsky, Susanne Saußele.

Tyrosine-kinase inhibitors have changed the natural history of chronic myeloid leukaemia in such a way that patients with adequate access to these agents, who are properly managed, and who respond well to this treatment can expect a near-normal life expectancy. Achieving this goal requires an adequate understanding of the patient's treatment goals, careful monitoring for the achievement of optimal response hallmarks, implementation of proper interventions according to the attainment of such endpoints, adequate recognition and management of adverse events, and acknowledgment of the relevance of comorbidities. Treatment with tyrosine-kinase inhibitors, once considered lifelong, has become terminable for at least some patients, and promising new agents are emerging for those whose disease does not respond to any of the multiple therapeutic options currently available. If these advances reach all patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia, cure might eventually become a reality in most instances.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01204-6