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Panting RG, Kotecha RS, Cheung LC. The critical role of the bone marrow stromal microenvironment for the development of drug screening platforms in leukemia. Exp Hematol 2024; 133:104212. [PMID: 38552942 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2024.104212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/22/2024] [Indexed: 04/13/2024]
Abstract
Extensive research over the past 50 years has resulted in significant improvements in survival for patients diagnosed with leukemia. Despite this, a subgroup of patients harboring high-risk genetic alterations still suffer from poor outcomes. There is a desperate need for new treatments to improve survival, yet consistent failure exists in the translation of in vitro drug development to clinical application. Preclinical screening conventionally utilizes tumor cell monocultures to assess drug activity; however, emerging research has acknowledged the vital role of the tumor microenvironment in treatment resistance and disease relapse. Current co-culture drug screening methods frequently employ fibroblasts as the designated stromal cell component. Alternative stromal cell types that are known to contribute to chemoresistance are often absent in preclinical evaluations of drug efficacy. This review highlights mechanisms of chemoresistance by a range of different stromal constituents present in the bone marrow microenvironment. Utilizing an array of stromal cell types at the early stages of drug screening may enhance the translation of in vitro drug development to clinical use. Ultimately, we highlight the need to consider the bone marrow microenvironment in drug screening platforms for leukemia to develop superior therapies for the treatment of high-risk patients with poor prognostic outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhiannon G Panting
- Leukaemia Translational Research Laboratory, Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Rishi S Kotecha
- Leukaemia Translational Research Laboratory, Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; School of Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Department of Clinical Haematology, Oncology, Blood and Marrow Transplantation, Perth Children's Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Laurence C Cheung
- Leukaemia Translational Research Laboratory, Telethon Kids Cancer Centre, Telethon Kids Institute, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Curtin Medical School, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
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Aslan NA, Avcı E, Şenol H, Güler N. GDF11 level and its effect on prognosis in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. J Investig Med 2024; 72:341-348. [PMID: 38415361 DOI: 10.1177/10815589241238218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/29/2024]
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematologic malignancy characterized by the proliferation of CD34 positive self-renewing malignant hematopoietic stem cells. Previous studies have shown that the transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ) pathway plays a role in AML pathogenesis, especially by affecting the microenvironment. Growth differentiation factor 11 (GDF11) is a member of the TGFβ superfamily, involved in embryological development and known as rejuvenating factor. In this study, our aim was to determine the serum GDF11 level in patients with AML, to compare it with the control group, to determine its relationship with follistatin, vimentin, and E-cadherin levels, and to determine whether GDF11 influences AML prognosis. Serum GDF11, vimentin, follistatin, and E-cadherin levels of newly diagnosed or relapsed/refractory AML patients and age- and gender-matched control group were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Serum GDF11 level was higher in the patient group (263.87 ± 126.54 ng/L) compared to the control group (211.54 ± 61.47 ng/L; p = 0.035). GDF11 level did not change according to age, gender, hemoglobin level, and bone marrow blast rate. No correlation was found between GDF11 level, response rates, and survival status of the patients. A positive correlation was detected between GDF11, E-cadherin, and vimentin levels. As a conclusion, increased serum GDF11 levels in AML patients may be linked to the regeneration ability of leukemic stem cells. There is a need for studies investigating GDF11 expression in myeloblasts.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Esin Avcı
- Pamukkale University School of Medicine, Denizli, Turkey
| | - Hande Şenol
- Pamukkale University School of Medicine, Denizli, Turkey
| | - Nil Güler
- Pamukkale University School of Medicine, Denizli, Turkey
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Eskandari E, Negri GL, Tan S, MacAldaz ME, Ding S, Long J, Nielsen K, Spencer SE, Morin GB, Eaves CJ. Dependence of human cell survival and proliferation on the CASP3 prodomain. Cell Death Discov 2024; 10:63. [PMID: 38321033 PMCID: PMC10847432 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-024-01826-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Mechanisms that regulate cell survival and proliferation are important for both the development and homeostasis of normal tissue, and as well as for the emergence and expansion of malignant cell populations. Caspase-3 (CASP3) has long been recognized for its proteolytic role in orchestrating cell death-initiated pathways and related processes; however, whether CASP3 has other functions in mammalian cells that do not depend on its known catalytic activity have remained unknown. To investigate this possibility, we examined the biological and molecular consequences of reducing CASP3 levels in normal and transformed human cells using lentiviral-mediated short hairpin-based knockdown experiments in combination with approaches designed to test the potential rescue capability of different components of the CASP3 protein. The results showed that a ≥50% reduction in CASP3 levels rapidly and consistently arrested cell cycle progression and survival in all cell types tested. Mass spectrometry-based proteomic analyses and more specific flow cytometric measurements strongly implicated CASP3 as playing an essential role in regulating intracellular protein aggregate clearance. Intriguingly, the rescue experiments utilizing different forms of the CASP3 protein showed its prosurvival function and effective removal of protein aggregates did not require its well-known catalytic capability, and pinpointed the N-terminal prodomain of CASP3 as the exclusive component needed in a diversity of human cell types. These findings identify a new mechanism that regulates human cell survival and proliferation and thus expands the complexity of how these processes can be controlled. The graphical abstract illustrates the critical role of CASP3 for sustained proliferation and survival of human cells through the clearance of protein aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ebrahim Eskandari
- Terry Fox Laboratory, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Gian Luca Negri
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Susanna Tan
- Terry Fox Laboratory, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Margarita E MacAldaz
- Terry Fox Laboratory, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Shengsen Ding
- Terry Fox Laboratory, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Justin Long
- Terry Fox Laboratory, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Karina Nielsen
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Sandra E Spencer
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Gregg B Morin
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
- Canada's Michael Smith Genome Sciences Centre, BC Cancer Research Institute, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada
| | - Connie J Eaves
- Terry Fox Laboratory, British Columbia Cancer Research Institute, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- Department of Medical Genetics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
- School of Biomedical Engineering, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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Williams MTS, Guzman ML. Cancer microenvironment and pharmacological interventions. Br J Pharmacol 2024; 181:213-215. [PMID: 38148105 DOI: 10.1111/bph.16279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mark T S Williams
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK
| | - Monica L Guzman
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York, USA
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Salminen A. The role of immunosuppressive myofibroblasts in the aging process and age-related diseases. J Mol Med (Berl) 2023; 101:1169-1189. [PMID: 37606688 PMCID: PMC10560181 DOI: 10.1007/s00109-023-02360-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
Tissue-resident fibroblasts are mesenchymal cells which control the structural integrity of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Fibroblasts possess a remarkable plasticity to allow them to adapt to the changes in the microenvironment and thus maintain tissue homeostasis. Several stresses, also those associated with the aging process, convert quiescent fibroblasts into myofibroblasts which not only display fibrogenic properties but also act as immune regulators cooperating both with tissue-resident immune cells and those immune cells recruited into affected tissues. TGF-β cytokine and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are major inducers of myofibroblast differentiation in pathological conditions either from quiescent fibroblasts or via transdifferentiation from certain other cell types, e.g., macrophages, adipocytes, pericytes, and endothelial cells. Intriguingly, TGF-β and ROS are also important signaling mediators between immunosuppressive cells, such as MDSCs, Tregs, and M2 macrophages. It seems that in pathological states, myofibroblasts are able to interact with the immunosuppressive network. There is clear evidence that a low-grade chronic inflammatory state in aging tissues is counteracted by activation of compensatory immunosuppression. Interestingly, common enhancers of the aging process, such as oxidative stress, loss of DNA integrity, and inflammatory insults, are inducers of myofibroblasts, whereas anti-aging treatments with metformin and rapamycin suppress the differentiation of myofibroblasts and thus prevent age-related tissue fibrosis. I will examine the reciprocal interactions between myofibroblasts and immunosuppressive cells within aging tissues. It seems that the differentiation of myofibroblasts with age-related harmful stresses enhances the activity of the immunosuppressive network which promotes tissue fibrosis and degeneration in elderly individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antero Salminen
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Clinical Medicine, University of Eastern Finland, P.O. Box 1627, 70211, Kuopio, Finland.
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