Donor Lymphocyte Infusion for Relapsed Hematological Malignancies after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation: Prognostic Relevance of the Initial CD3(+) T Cell Dose.

AbstractThe impact of donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI) initial cell dose on its outcome is known in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia but limited in patients with other hematological malignancies. In this retrospective study, we evaluated the effect of initial DLI CD3+ cell dose on graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and overall survival after DLI given for relapse of any hematological malignancies after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) with high- or reduced-intensity conditioning. The cohort included 225 patients. Initial DLI CD3+ cell dose per kilogram of recipient body weight was ≤1 × 107 (n = 84; group A), >1.0 to <10 × 107 (n = 58; group B), and ≥10 × 107 (n = 66; group C). The initial cell dose was unknown for the remaining 17 patients. Cumulative incidence rates of GVHD at 12 months after DLI were 21%, 45%, and 55% for groups A, B, and C, respectively. Multivariate analysis showed that initial DLI CD3+ cell ≥10 × 107 dose per kilogram is associated with an increased risk of GVHD after DLI (P = .03). Moreover, an initial DLI CD3+ cell dose of 10 × 107 or higher did not decrease the risk of relapse and did not improve overall survival. Thus, these results support the use of less than 10 × 107 CD3+ cell per kilogram as the initial cell dose of DLI for treatment of persistent or recurrent hematological malignancy after HCT

Mechanisms of confluence-dependent expression of CD26 in colon cancer cell lines

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>CD26 (dipeptidyl peptidase IV, DPPIV) is a 110 kDa surface glycoprotein expressed in most normal tissues, and is a potential novel therapeutic target for selected cancers. Our work evaluates the mechanism involved in confluence-dependent CD26 expression in colon cancer.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Colon adenocarcinoma cells were grown to confluence, and expression of CD26 and transcription factors implicated in its regulation was confirmed by immunofluorescence and Western blotting. Real-time PCR was also performed to evaluate CD26 upregulation at the transcriptional level. The influence of c-Myc on CD26 expression during different growth conditions was further evaluated following transient transfection of a c-Myc-expressing plasmid and a c-Myc specific siRNA.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that the colon cancer cell lines HCT-116 and HCT-15 exhibited a confluence-dependent increase in CD26 mRNA and protein, associated with decreased expression of c-Myc, increased USF-1 and Cdx 2 levels, and unchanged HNF-1α expression. Meanwhile, ectopic expression of c-Myc in both cell lines led to decreased CD26 expression. In contrast, transfection of a siRNA targeted to Cdx2 resulted in decreased CD26 level. Importantly, culturing of cells in serum-depleted media, but not acidic conditions, upregulated CD26. While HIF-1α level also increased when cells were cultured in serum-depleted media, its expression was required but not sufficient for CD26 upregulation.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>CD26 mRNA and protein levels increase in a confluence-dependent manner in colon carcinoma cell lines, with c-Myc acting as a repressor and Cdx2 acting as an enhancer of CD26 expression. The enhanced expression of CD26 in serum-depleted media and a requirement for HIF-1α suggest a role for nutrients or growth factors in the regulation of CD26 protein expression.</p

Proteomic characterization reveals that MMP-3 correlates with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome following allogeneic hematopoietic cell and lung transplantation

Improved diagnostic methods are needed for bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS), a serious complication after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and lung transplantation. For proteins candidate discovery, we compared plasma pools from HCT transplantation recipients with: BOS at onset (n=12), pulmonary infection (n=16), chronic graft-versus-host disease without pulmonary involvement (n=15), and no chronic complications post-HCT (n=15). Pools were labeled with different tags [isobaric Tags for Relative and Absolute Quantification (iTRAQ)], and two software tools identified differentially expressed proteins (≥1.5-fold change). Candidate proteins were further selected using a six-step computational biology approach. The diagnostic value of the lead candidate, matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3), was evaluated by ELISA in plasma of a verification cohort (n=112) with and without BOS following HCT (n=76) or lung transplantation (n=36). MMP-3 plasma concentrations differed significantly between patients with and without BOS (AUC=0.77). Thus, MMP-3 represents a potential non-invasive blood test for diagnosis of BOS

R-Allyl Nickel(II) Complexes with Chelating N-Heterocyclic Carbenes: Synthesis, Structural Characterization, and Catalytic Activity

The N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) nickel complexes [(L)Ni(NHC)][BArF4] (ArF = 3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)- phenyl; L = allyl (1), methylallyl (2); NHC = 1-(2-picolyl)-3-methylimidazol-2-ylidene (a), 1-(2-picolyl)-3-isopropylimidazol-2-ylidene (b), 1-(2-picolyl)-3-n-butylimidazol-2-ylidene (c), 1-(2-picolyl)-3-phenylimidazol-2-ylidene (d), 1-(2-picolyl)-3- methylbenzoimidazol-2-ylidene (e), 1-(2-picolyl)-4,5-dichloro-3-methylimidazol-2-ylidene (f)) have been obtained in high yields and characterized by NMR spectroscopy. Furthermore, 1d was unambiguously characterized by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Complexes 1a−f/2a−f have shown catalytic activity toward dimerization and hydrosilylation of styrenes. In particular, 1a proved to be the most efficient catalyst in the dimerization of styrene derivatives in the absence of cocatalyst. Also, complexes 1a,d showed high selectivity and moderate to good yields in hydrosilylation reactions

Impact of Previously Unrecognized HLA Mismatches Using Ultrahigh Resolution Typing in Unrelated Donor Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation

PURPOSE: Ultrahigh resolution (UHR) HLA matching is reported to result in better outcomes following unrelated donor hematopoietic cell transplantation, improving survival and reducing post-transplant complications. However, most studies included relatively small numbers of patients. Here we report the findings from a large, multicenter validation study. METHODS: UHR HLA typing was available on 5,140 conventionally 10 out of 10 HLA-matched patients with malignant disease transplanted between 2008 and 2017. RESULTS: After UHR HLA typing, 82% of pairs remained 10 out of 10 UHR-matched; 12.3% of patients were 12 out of 12 UHR HLA-matched. Compared with 12 out of 12 UHR-matched patients, probabilities of grade 2-4 acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) were significantly increased with UHR mismatches (overall P = .0019) and in those patients who were HLA-DPB1 T-cell epitope permissively mismatched or nonpermissively mismatched (overall P = .0011). In the T-cell-depleted subset, the degree of UHR HLA mismatch was only associated with increased transplant-related mortality (TRM) (overall P = .0068). In the T-cell-replete subset, UHR HLA matching was associated with a lower probability of aGVHD (overall P = .0020); 12 out of 12 UHR matching was associated with reduced TRM risk when compared with HLA-DPB1 T-cell epitope permissively mismatched patients, whereas nonpermissive mismatching resulted in a greater risk (overall P = .0003). CONCLUSION: This study did not confirm that UHR 12 out of 12 HLA matching increases the probability of overall survival but does demonstrate that aGVHD risk, and in certain settings TRM, is lowest in UHR HLA-matched pairs and thus warrants consideration when multiple 10 out of 10 HLA-matched donors of equivalent age are available

Loss of the Orphan Nuclear Receptor SHP Is More Pronounced in Fibrolamellar Carcinoma than in Typical Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains a major problem in oncology. The molecular mechanisms which underlie its pathogenesis are poorly understood. Recently the Small Heterodimer Partner (SHP), an orphan nuclear receptor, was suggested to be involved as a tumor suppressor in hepatocellular carcinoma development. To date, there are no such studies regarding fibrolamellar carcinoma, a less common variant of HCC, which usually affects young people and displays distinct morphological features. The aim of our project was to evaluate the SHP levels in typical and fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma with respect to the levels of one of the cell cycle regulators, cyclin D1. We assessed the immunoreactivity levels of SHP and cyclin D1 in 48 typical hepatocellular carcinomas, 9 tumors representing the fibrolamellar variant, 29 non malignant liver tissues and 7 macroregenerative nodules. We detected significantly lower SHP immunoreactivity in hepatocellular carcinoma when compared to non malignant liver tissue. Moreover, we found that SHP immunoreactivity is reduced in fibrolamellar carcinoma when compared to typical hepatocellular carcinoma. We also found that SHP is more commonly lost in HCC which arises in the liver with steatosis. The comparison between the cyclin D1 and SHP expression revealed the negative correlation between these proteins in the high grade HCC. Our results indicate that the impact of loss of SHP protein may be even more pronounced in fibrolamellar carcinoma than in a typical form of HCC. Further investigation of mechanisms through which the loss of SHP function may influence HCC formation may provide important information in order to design more effective HCC therapy

Copper-Mediated Amidation of Heterocyclic and Aromatic C−H Bonds

A copper-mediated aerobic coupling reaction enables direct amidation of heterocycles or aromatics having weakly acidic C−H bonds with a variety of nitrogen nucleophiles. These reactions provide efficient access to many biologically important skeletons, including ones with the potential to serve as inhibitors of HMTs.Chemistry and Chemical Biolog