Therapy-induced senescence upregulates antigen presentation machinery and triggers anti-tumor immunity in Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive hematological malignancy often curable only by using intensive chemotherapy. Nonetheless, resistance/early relapses are frequent, underscoring the need to investigate the molecular events occurring shortly after chemotherapy. Therapy-induced senescence (TIS) is a fail-safe tumor suppressive mechanism that may elicit immune-mediated responses contributing to senescent cell clearance. Yet, TIS functional role in AML eradication and immune surveillance early post-chemotherapy remains ill-defined. By combining transcriptional and cellular-based evaluation of senescence markers in AML patient samples, we found upregulation of senescence-associated genes and interferon gene categories with concomitant induction of HLA class I and class II molecules, pointing to a causal link between TIS and leukemia immunogenicity. Consistently, senescence-competent AML samples activated autologous CD4+ and CD8+ T cells and improved leukemia recognition by both T-cell subsets. Lastly, the anti-leukemic activity of Immune Checkpoint Blockades (ICBs) was enhanced upon senescence engagement in AML. Altogether, our results identify senescence as a potent immune-related anti-leukemic mechanism that may rapidly translate into innovative senescence-based strategies to prevent AML relapse

Diffusione del virus B1ScV sul mirtillo gigante americano

Nel 2004 è stata segnalata per la prima volta in Europa la presenza di Blueberry scorch virus (BlScV) su mirtillo gigante americano, Vaccinium corymbosum (Ericaceae) in Piemonte. Nel 2009 focolai di infezione sono stati trovati anche in Trentino su una nuova specie ospite, V. ashei, oltre che su cultivar di V. corymbosum. Nel corso delle indagini sono stati individuati quattro impianti infetti in Piemonte e tre in Trentino. La caratterizzazione dei diversi isolati ha evidenziato due distinte epidemie in Italia: l’isolato piemontese è assimilabile a ceppi provenienti dalle coste orientali di Canada e Usa, mentre l’isolato trentino è quasi identico a un ceppo proveniente dallo Stato di Washington sulla costa occidentale degli Usa. Nell’area di origine BlScV è trasmesso in modo non persistente dall’afide Ericaphis scammelli (Homoptera: Aphididae). Sopralluoghi condotti nel 2005-2010 negli impianti piemontesi colpiti dalla virosi hanno permesso di rilevare la presenza di E. scammelli con livelli di infestazione variabili in relazione alla località e all’annata. Tuttavia nelle prove di trasmissione, effettuate sia trasferendo gli afidi da piante infette a piante sane sia esponendo in campo piante sane, E. scammelli è risultato un vettore di BlScV poco efficiente

Natural enemies of Tuta absoluta in the Mediterranean basin, Europe and South America

The tomato leafminer Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) represents a global threat to commercial tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) production, both in open field and greenhouse. Native to South America, it spread over the Mediterranean Basin, Europe, Africa and part of Asia in only 12 years, and currently it is reported in over 80 countries. Biological control is one of the options for its control and a large number of natural enemies has been reported in association with the pest, both in the areas of origin and of introduction. The egg parasitoid Trichogramma pretiosum, in South America, and the mirid predators Macrolophus pygmaeus and Nesidiocoris tenuis, in Europe and the Mediterranean basin, are used as commercial biocontrol agents. Even if several natural enemies might be promising candidates for biocontrol, their potential role in quantitative pest reduction has been seldom established under practical tomato production conditions. Since climatic suitability indices predict a high probability for continued invasion by T. absoluta, mainly in China and the USA, there is an urgent need for new control options. In order to minimise the use of broad spectrum insecticides, biocontrol techniques should be considered. As tomato is produced seasonally, augmentative biocontrol seems to be the most effective control option, but pest reduction might be optimised by adding conservation biocontrol, and by combining biocontrol within IPM programmes. Here, an overview of predators and parasitoids of T. absoluta in South American and Euro-Mediterranean regions, and their biological control efficacy under laboratory, semi-field and field conditions is provided