The use of multiplex platforms for absolute and relative protein quantification of clinical material

Abstract When introducing multiplex platforms to measure protein content in precious clinical material there is an increased risk of cross reactivity, loss of sensitivity as well as accuracy. In this paper, four multiplex platforms and one singleplex platform were compared by running pre- and post-treatment plasma samples from CML patients. We found a variation of absolute protein concentrations between platforms. For some of the analytes and platforms, relative differences between pre- and post-treatment samples correlated. We conclude that absolute concentrations measured by different platforms should be compared with caution and comparing relative differences could be more accurate.Peer reviewe

Plasma proteomics in CML patients before and after initiation of tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy reveals induced Th1 immunity and loss of angiogenic stimuli

Background and aims: The simultaneous measurement of many proteins is now possible using multiplex assays. In this pilot study we investigated a total of 124 proteins in plasma from chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients with the purpose of identifying proteins that are differently expressed at diagnosis and after tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment initiation. Methods: Samples were taken from 14 CML patients at diagnosis and after three months of TKI treatment (imatinib or dasatinib). Samples were analyzed by Mesoscale Discovery, Myriad RBM MAP technology and Olink Proseek. Results: Multiple plasma proteins were differentially expressed before and after initiation of TKI therapy. Protein patterns demonstrated a possible shift towards Th1-immunity and reduced angiogenic stimuli. Further, some plasma proteins were identified that can be of potential interest to study further for biologic, prognostic or therapeutic significance such as E-selectin, uPAR, growth hormone and carbonic anhydrase IX. Conclusions: Plasma proteomics seems feasible and useful in CML patients, both for studying patterns of protein expression and for identifying single proteins differentially expressed before and after treatment. Plasma proteomics may be useful to map disease activity and biological processes. Hence, plasma proteomics can be used to understand drug mechanisms and treatment responses in CML. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Increased Level of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells, Programmed Death Receptor Ligand 1/Programmed Death Receptor 1, and Soluble CD25 in Sokal High Risk Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Peer reviewe

Increased Level of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells, Programmed Death Receptor Ligand 1/Programmed Death Receptor 1, and Soluble CD25 in Sokal High Risk Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Peer reviewe

Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells and Other Immune Escape Mechanisms in Chronic Leukemia

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized by the Philadelphia chromosome, a minute chromosome that leads to the creation of the fusion gene BCR/ABL and the transcription of the fusion protein BCR/ABL in transformed cells. The constitutively active tyrosine kinase BCR/ABL confers enhanced proliferation and survival on leukemic cells. CML has in only a few decades gone from being a disease with very bad prognosis to being a disease that can be effectively treated with oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). TKIs are drugs inhibiting BCR/ABL as well as other tyrosine kinases. In this thesis, the focus has been on the immune system of CML patients, on immune escape mechanisms present in untreated patients and on how these are affected by TKI therapy. We have found that newly diagnosed, untreated CML patients exert different kinds of immune escape mechanisms. Patients belonging to the Sokal high-risk group had higher levels of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) as well as high levels of the programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1)-expressing cytotoxic T cells compared to control subjects. Moreover, CML patients had higher levels of myeloid cells expressing the ligand for PD-1, PD-L1. CML patients as well as patients with B cell malignacies had high levels of soluble CD25 in blood plasma. In B cell malignacies, sCD25 was found to be released from T regulatory cells (Tregs). Treatment with the TKIs imatinib or dasatinib decreased the levels of MDSCs in peripheral blood. Tregs on the other hand increased during TKI therapy. The immunostimulatory molecule CD40 as well as NK cells increased during therapy, indicating an immunostimulatory effect of TKIs. When evaluating immune responses, multiplex techniques for quantification of proteins such as cytokines and chemokines are becoming increasingly popular. With these techniques a lot of information can be gained from a small sample volume and complex networks can be more easily studied than when using for example the singleplex ELISA. When comparing different multiplex platforms we found that the absolute protein concentration measured by one platform rarely correlated with the absolute concentration measured by another platform. However, relative quantification was better correlated

Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells and Other Immune Escape Mechanisms in Chronic Leukemia

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized by the Philadelphia chromosome, a minute chromosome that leads to the creation of the fusion gene BCR/ABL and the transcription of the fusion protein BCR/ABL in transformed cells. The constitutively active tyrosine kinase BCR/ABL confers enhanced proliferation and survival on leukemic cells. CML has in only a few decades gone from being a disease with very bad prognosis to being a disease that can be effectively treated with oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). TKIs are drugs inhibiting BCR/ABL as well as other tyrosine kinases. In this thesis, the focus has been on the immune system of CML patients, on immune escape mechanisms present in untreated patients and on how these are affected by TKI therapy. We have found that newly diagnosed, untreated CML patients exert different kinds of immune escape mechanisms. Patients belonging to the Sokal high-risk group had higher levels of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) as well as high levels of the programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1)-expressing cytotoxic T cells compared to control subjects. Moreover, CML patients had higher levels of myeloid cells expressing the ligand for PD-1, PD-L1. CML patients as well as patients with B cell malignacies had high levels of soluble CD25 in blood plasma. In B cell malignacies, sCD25 was found to be released from T regulatory cells (Tregs). Treatment with the TKIs imatinib or dasatinib decreased the levels of MDSCs in peripheral blood. Tregs on the other hand increased during TKI therapy. The immunostimulatory molecule CD40 as well as NK cells increased during therapy, indicating an immunostimulatory effect of TKIs. When evaluating immune responses, multiplex techniques for quantification of proteins such as cytokines and chemokines are becoming increasingly popular. With these techniques a lot of information can be gained from a small sample volume and complex networks can be more easily studied than when using for example the singleplex ELISA. When comparing different multiplex platforms we found that the absolute protein concentration measured by one platform rarely correlated with the absolute concentration measured by another platform. However, relative quantification was better correlated

Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells and Other Immune Escape Mechanisms in Chronic Leukemia

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized by the Philadelphia chromosome, a minute chromosome that leads to the creation of the fusion gene BCR/ABL and the transcription of the fusion protein BCR/ABL in transformed cells. The constitutively active tyrosine kinase BCR/ABL confers enhanced proliferation and survival on leukemic cells. CML has in only a few decades gone from being a disease with very bad prognosis to being a disease that can be effectively treated with oral tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). TKIs are drugs inhibiting BCR/ABL as well as other tyrosine kinases. In this thesis, the focus has been on the immune system of CML patients, on immune escape mechanisms present in untreated patients and on how these are affected by TKI therapy. We have found that newly diagnosed, untreated CML patients exert different kinds of immune escape mechanisms. Patients belonging to the Sokal high-risk group had higher levels of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) as well as high levels of the programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1)-expressing cytotoxic T cells compared to control subjects. Moreover, CML patients had higher levels of myeloid cells expressing the ligand for PD-1, PD-L1. CML patients as well as patients with B cell malignacies had high levels of soluble CD25 in blood plasma. In B cell malignacies, sCD25 was found to be released from T regulatory cells (Tregs). Treatment with the TKIs imatinib or dasatinib decreased the levels of MDSCs in peripheral blood. Tregs on the other hand increased during TKI therapy. The immunostimulatory molecule CD40 as well as NK cells increased during therapy, indicating an immunostimulatory effect of TKIs. When evaluating immune responses, multiplex techniques for quantification of proteins such as cytokines and chemokines are becoming increasingly popular. With these techniques a lot of information can be gained from a small sample volume and complex networks can be more easily studied than when using for example the singleplex ELISA. When comparing different multiplex platforms we found that the absolute protein concentration measured by one platform rarely correlated with the absolute concentration measured by another platform. However, relative quantification was better correlated

Increased Level of Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells, Programmed Death Receptor Ligand 1/Programmed Death Receptor 1, and Soluble CD25 in Sokal High Risk Chronic Myeloid Leukemia

Immunotherapy (eg interferon α) in combination with tyrosine kinase inhibitors is currently in clinical trials for treatment of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Cancer patients commonly have problems with so called immune escape mechanisms that may hamper immunotherapy. Hence, to study the function of the immune system in CML is of interest. In the present paper we have identified immune escape mechanisms in CML with focus on those that directly hamper T cells since these cells are important to control tumor progression. CML patient samples were investigated for the presence of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), expression of programmed death receptor ligand 1/programmed death receptor 1 (PD-L1/PD-1), arginase 1 and soluble CD25. MDSC levels were increased in samples from Sokal high risk patients (p<0,05) and the cells were present on both CD34 negative and CD34 positive cell populations. Furthermore, expression of the MDSC-associated molecule arginase 1, known to inhibit T cells, was increased in the patients (p = 0,0079). Myeloid cells upregulated PD-L1 (p<0,05) and the receptor PD-1 was present on T cells. However, PD-L1 blockade did not increase T cell proliferation but upregulated IL-2 secretion. Finally, soluble CD25 was increased in high risk patients (p<0,0001). In conclusion T cells in CML patients may be under the control of different immune escape mechanisms that could hamper the use of immunotherapy in these patients. These escape mechanisms should be monitored in trials to understand their importance and how to overcome the immune suppression

The Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors Imatinib and Dasatinib Reduce Myeloid Suppressor Cells and Release Effector Lymphocyte Responses

Immune escape mechanisms promote tumor progression and are hurdles of cancer immunotherapy. Removing immunosuppressive cells before treatment can enhance efficacy. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) may be of interest to combine with immunotherapy, as it has been shown that the inhibitor sunitinib reduces myeloid suppressor cells in patients with renal cell carcinoma and dasatinib promotes expansion of natural killer-like lymphocytes in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). In this study, the capacity of dasatinib and imatinib to reduce myeloid suppressor cells and to induce immunomodulation in vivo was investigated ex vivo. Samples from CML patients treated with imatinib (n = 18) or dasatinib (n = 14) within a Nordic clinical trial (clinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00852566) were investigated for the presence of CD11b(+)CD14(-)CD33(+) myeloid cells and inhibitorymolecules (arginase I, myeloperoxidase, IL10) as well as the presence of natural killer cells, T cells (naive/memory), and stimulatory cytokines (IL12, IFN gamma, MIG, IP10). Both imatinib and dasatinib decreased the presence of CD11b(+)CD14(-)CD33(+) myeloid cells as well as the inhibitory molecules and the remaining myeloid suppressor cells had an increased CD40 expression. Monocytes also increased CD40 after therapy. Moreover, increased levels of CD40, IL12, natural killer cells, and experienced T cells were noted after TKI initiation. The presence of experienced T cells was correlated to a higher IFNg and MIG plasma concentration. Taken together, the results demonstrate that both imatinib and dasatinib tilted the immunosuppressive CML tumor milieu towards promoting immune stimulation. Hence, imatinib and dasatinib may be of interest to combine with cancer immunotherapy

Programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) expression on T cells.

<p>(A) The percentage of PD-1 positive cytotoxic T cells (CD3+CD8+) in HCs (n = 21), LR (n = 7) and HR (n = 11) as determined by flow cytometry. (B) The PD-1 MFI is shown for cytotoxic T cells. (C) The percentage of PD-1 positive T helper cells (CD3+CD8−) in HCs (n = 21), LR (n = 7) and HR (n = 11) patients was determined by flow cytometry. (D) The PD-1 MFI for helper T cells. Statistically significant differences between groups are indicated as P-value in the figure.</p