Treatment with the apoptosis inhibitor Asunercept reduces clone sizes in patients with lower risk Myelodysplastic Neoplasms

In low-risk Myelodysplastic Neoplasms (MDS), increased activity of apoptosis-promoting factors such as tumor necrosis factor (TNFα) and pro-apoptotic Fas ligand (CD95L) have been described as possible pathomechanisms leading to impaired erythropoiesis. Asunercept (APG101) is a novel therapeutic fusion protein blocking CD95, which has previously shown partial efficacy in reducing transfusion requirement in a clinical phase I trial for low-risk MDS patients (NCT01736436; 2012-11-26). In the current study we aimed to evaluate the effect of Asunercept therapy on the clonal bone marrow composition to identify potential biomarkers to predict response. Bone marrow samples of n = 12 low-risk MDS patients from the above referenced clinical trial were analyzed by serial deep whole exome sequencing in a total of n = 58 time points. We could distinguish a mean of 3.5 molecularly defined subclones per patient (range 2-6). We observed a molecular response defined as reductions of dominant clone sizes by a variant allele frequency (VAF) decrease of at least 10% (mean 20%, range: 10.5-39.2%) in dependency of Asunercept treatment in 9 of 12 (75%) patients. Most of this decline in clonal populations was observed after completion of 12 weeks treatment. Particularly early and pronounced reductions of clone sizes were found in subclones driven by mutations in genes involved in regulation of methylation (n = 1 DNMT3A, n = 1 IDH2, n = 1 TET2). Our results suggest that APG101 could be efficacious in reducing clone sizes of mutated hematopoietic cells in the bone marrow of Myelodysplastic Neoplasms, which warrants further investigation.

Identification and functional analysis of a serine protease inhibitor using machine learning strategy

In the intricate realm of animal biology, a multitude of vital processes heavily rely on precisely orchestrated proteinase cascades, but the potential for havoc makes proteinase inhibitors indispensable, with serine proteinase inhibitors (serpins) at the forefront, serving as custodians of homeostasis and participating in various critical biological processes. Importantly, there are still many unexplored facets of serpin functionality. In this study, we focused on the serpin family proteins from Marsupenaeus japonicus, utilizing a fine-tuned pretrained protein language model. This approach led to the identification and evolutionary validation of 28 serpins, one of which, referred to as Mjserpin-1, was both computationally and experimentally demonstrated to show potential as an antiviral and apoptosis inhibitor. Our research unveils exciting prospects for the fusion of state-of-the-art artificial intelligence and rich bioinformatics, holding the promise of significant discoveries that could pave the way for future therapeutic advancements.

An apoptosis inhibitor suppresses microglial and astrocytic activation after cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury

OBJECTIVE

Microglial hyperactivation and apoptosis were observed following myocardial infarction and ischemia reperfusion (I/R) injury. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that the apoptosis inhibitor, Z-VAD, attenuates microglial and astrocytic hyperactivation and brain inflammation in rats with cardiac I/R injury.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Rats were subjected to either sham or cardiac I/R operation (30 min-ischemia followed by 120-min reperfusion), rats in the cardiac I/R group were given either normal saline solution or Z-VAD at 3.3 mg/kg via intravenous injection 15 min prior to cardiac ischemia. Left ventricular ejection fraction (% LVEF) was determined during the cardiac I/R protocol. The brain tissues were removed and used to determine brain apoptosis, brain inflammation, microglial and astrocyte morphology.

RESULTS

Cardiac dysfunction was observed in rats with cardiac I/R injury as indicated by decreased %LVEF. In the brain, we found brain apoptosis, brain inflammation, microglia hyperactivation, and reactive astrogliosis occurred following cardiac I/R injury. Pretreatment with Z-VAD effectively increased %LVEF, reduced brain apoptosis, attenuated brain inflammation by decreasing IL-1β mRNA levels, suppressed microglial and astrocytic hyperactivation and proliferation after cardiac I/R injury.

CONCLUSION

Z-VAD exerts neuroprotective effects against cardiac I/R injury not only targeting apoptosis but also microglial and astrocyte activation.