Genomic characterization of pediatric B-lymphoblastic lymphoma and B-lymphoblastic leukemia using formalin-fixed tissues
PEDIATRIC BLOOD & CANCER
Authors: Meyer, Julia A.; Zhou, Delu; Mason, Clinton C.; Downie, Jonathan M.; Rodic, Vladimir; Abromowitch, Minnie; Wistinghausen, Birte; Termuhlen, Amanda M.; Angiolillo, Anne L.; Perkins, Sherrie L.; Lones, Mark A.; Barnette, Phillip; Schiffman, Joshua D.; Miles, Rodney R.
Abstract
BackgroundRecurrent genomic changes in B-lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) identified by genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) microarray analysis provide important prognostic information, but gene copy number analysis of its rare lymphoma counterpart, B-lymphoblastic lymphoma (B-LBL), is limited by the low incidence and lack of fresh tissue for genomic testing. ProcedureWe used molecular inversion probe (MIP) technology to analyze and compare copy number alterations (CNAs) in archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded pediatric B-LBL (n = 23) and B-ALL (n = 55). ResultsSimilar to B-ALL, CDKN2A/B deletions were the most common alteration identified in 6/23 (26%) B-LBL cases. Eleven of 23 (48%) B-LBL patients were hyperdiploid, but none showed triple trisomies (chromosomes 4, 10, and 17) characteristic of B-ALL. IKZF1 and PAX5 deletions were observed in 13 and 17% of B-LBL, respectively, which was similar to the reported frequency in B-ALL. Immunoglobulin light chain lambda (IGL) locus deletions consistent with normal light chain rearrangement were observed in 5/23 (22%) B-LBL cases, compared with only 1% in B-ALL samples. None of the B-LBL cases showed abnormal, isolated VPREB1 deletion adjacent to IGL locus, which we identified in 25% of B-ALL. ConclusionsOur study demonstrates that the copy number profile of B-LBL is distinct from B-ALL, suggesting possible differences in pathogenesis between these closely related diseases.
Cyclosporine enhances the sensitivity to lenalidomide in MDS/AML in vitro
EXPERIMENTAL HEMATOLOGY
Authors: He, Xiaofei; Dou, Aixia; Feng, Saran; Roman-Rivera, Ashley; Hawkins, Caleb; Lawley, Lauren; Zhang, Jiajia; Wunderlich, Mark; Mizukawa, Benjamin; Halene, Stephanie; Patel, Amisha; Fang, Jing
Abstract
Our previous study revealed that expression of G protein-coupled receptor 68 (GPR68) was upregulated in MDSL cells, a cell line representing myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), in response to lenalidomide (LEN), and mediated a calcium/calpain proapoptotic pathway. Isx, a GPR68 agonist, enhanced the sensitivity to LEN in MDSL cells. The fact that Isx is not a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved drug prompts us to look for alternative candidates that could enhance the sensitivity of LEN in MDS as well as other hematologic malignancies, such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In the study described here, we found that regulator of calcineurin 1 (RCAN1), an endogenous inhibitor of calcineurin (CaN), was upregulated in MDSL cells in response to LEN, possibly through degradation of IKZF1. Consistently, cyclosporin (Cys), a pharmacological inhibitor of CaN, inhibited the activity of CaN and induced apoptosis in MDSL cells, indicating that CaN provided a prosurvival signal in MDSL cells. In addition, Cys enhanced the cytotoxic effect of LEN in MDS/AML cell lines as well as primary bone marrow cells from MDS patients and AML patient-derived xenograft models. Intriguingly, pretreatment with LEN reversed the suppressive effect of Cys on T-cell activation. Our study suggests a novel mechanism of action of LEN in mediating cytotoxicity in MDS/AML via upregulation of RCAN1, thus inhibiting the CaN prosurvival pathway. Our study also suggests that Cys enhances the sensitivity to LEN in MDS/AML cells without compromising T-cell activation. (c) 2020 ISEH - Society for Hematology and Stem Cells. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)