Bioactive IL7-diphtheria fusion toxin secreted by mammalian cells

A number of targeted cytotoxic agents have been developed that selectively kill malignant or otherwise pathological cells. These engineered proteins consist of a potent cytotoxic element connected to a ligand domain that binds to specific molecules on the surface of the target cell. Several of these agents have shown promise in clinical trials and one is currently administered to patients. A significant technical obstacle that has impeded the development of some of these toxins is the difficulty of preparing certain recombinant proteins in properly folded forms. These fusion proteins have generally been produced in bacteria requiring them to be denatured and renatured in vitro. For some proteins this is an efficient process whereas for others it is not. We describe here a system to produce fusion toxins rapidly and efficiently by engineering mammalian cells to secrete them as properly folded molecules which can be purified in native form from cell culture medium. We have used this system to produce highly active preparations of DAB(389)-IL7, a molecule consisting of the catalytic and transmembrane domains of diphtheria toxin fused to interleukin 7. This system is generalizable and can be used to produce and evaluate rapidly fusion toxins incorporating novel or uncharacterized ligands.     

Proteomic Helicobacter pylori biomarkers discriminative of low-grade gastric MALT lymphoma and duodenal ulcer

To date no reliable diagnostic method exists to predict, among the very large and clinically heterogeneous group of Helicobacter pylori‐infected patients, the extremely small group at risk for developing low‐grade gastric MALT lymphoma (LG‐MALT). Search of proteomic biomarkers holds promise for the classification of the H. pylori strains with regard to this severe clinical outcome. In the present study 69 H. pylori strains isolated from patients with two different H. pylori‐associated diseases, duodenal ulcer (DU, n=29) and LG‐MALT (n=40) were used. Protein expression patterns of the strains were analyzed by using the high‐throughput methodology SELDI. Selected proteins were purified by means of chromatographic and electrophoretic methods in view of further sequencing by LC‐MS/MS. Univariate analysis (Mann–Whitney test) of the protein expression patterns generated nine significant biomarkers that can discriminate between H. pylori strains from patients with DU and LG‐MALT. These biomarkers are of low molecular weight, ranging from 6 to 26.6 kDa. Among them, two are overexpressed in LG‐MALT strains and seven – in DU strains. Two biomarker proteins, one overexpressed in LG‐MALT strains (13.2 kDa) and another one – overexpressed in DU strains (26.6 kDa), were purified to homogeneity and identified by using LC‐MS/MS as a 50S ribosomal protein L7/L12 and a urease subunit, respectively. These biomarkers can be included in novel protein arrays for the differential diagnosis of H. pylori‐associated clinical outcomes.     

铁死亡的机制及其在淋巴瘤中的研究进展

淋巴瘤是常见的血液系统恶性肿瘤，对人类健康造成极大的威胁。目前淋巴瘤的治疗方法包括化疗、分子靶向治疗、造血干细胞移植等，但耐药和复发难治仍是待解决的问题。铁死亡是新发现的一种细胞死亡模式，与铁依赖性的脂质过氧化损伤相关。靶向铁死亡为抑制淋巴瘤进展提供了新思路。本文从铁死亡的起始信号、中间事件、效应阶段、防御机制来阐述铁死亡的机制并回顾了铁死亡在淋巴瘤中的研究进展，为铁死亡在淋巴瘤治疗方法的应用方面提供新的思路。     

Btk/JAK3双靶点共价抑制剂的设计、合成及其活性研究

布鲁顿式酪氨酸激酶(Btk)和两面神激酶3(JAK3)均是自身免疫性疾病和血液系统恶性肿瘤的潜力靶标.以4-氯吡咯并嘧啶为原料,经7步反应合成了一系列7H-吡咯并[2,3-d]嘧啶-4-胺衍生物,其结构经1HNMR、13CNMR和MS(ESI)分析证实.体外依次考察了所得化合物分别对Btk和JAK3激酶的活性、以及对部...     

Histamine H4 Receptor Agonism Induces Antitumor Effects in Human T-Cell Lymphoma

The discovery of the human histamine H4 receptor (H4R) has contributed to our understanding of the role of histamine in numerous physiological and pathological conditions, including tumor development and progression. The lymph nodes of patients with malignant lymphomas have shown to contain high levels of histamine, however, less is known regarding the expression and function of the H4R in T-cell lymphoma (TCL). In this work we demonstrate the expression of H4R isoforms (mRNA and protein) in three human aggressive TCL (OCI-Ly12, Karpas 299, and HuT78). Histamine and specific H4R agonists (VUF8430 and JNJ28610244) significantly reduced cell viability in a dose-dependent manner (p < 0.05). The combined treatment with the H4R antagonist (JNJ7777120, 10 µM) reversed the effects of the H4R ligands. Importantly, we screened a drug repurposing library of 433 FDA-approved compounds (1 μM) in combination with histamine (10 μM) in Hut78 cells. Histamine produced a favorable antitumor effect with 18 of these compounds, including the histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat. Apoptosis, proliferation, and oxidative stress studies confirmed the antitumoral effects of the combination. We conclude that the H4R is expressed in TCL, and it is involved in histamine-mediated responses.     

Targeting the DNA Damage Response to Increase Anthracycline-Based Chemotherapy Cytotoxicity in T-Cell Lymphoma

Mature T-cell lymphomas (MTCLs) represent a heterogeneous group of aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas comprising different entities. Anthracycline-based regimens are considered the standard of care in the front-line treatment. However, responses to these approaches have been neither adequate nor durable, and new treatment strategies are urgently needed to improve survival. Genomic instability is a common feature of cancer cells and can be caused by aberrations in the DNA damage response (DDR) and DNA repair mechanisms. Consistently, molecules involved in DDR are being targeted to successfully sensitize cancer cells to chemotherapy. Recent studies showed that some hematological malignancies display constitutive DNA damage and intrinsic DDR activation, but these features have not been investigated yet in MTCLs. In this study, we employed a panel of malignant T cell lines, and we report for the first time the characterization of intrinsic DNA damage and basal DDR activation in preclinical models in T-cell lymphoma. Moreover, we report the efficacy of targeting the apical kinase ATM using the inhibitor AZD0156, in combination with standard chemotherapy to promote apoptotic cell death. These findings suggest that DDR is an attractive pathway to be pharmacologically targeted when developing novel therapies and improving MTCL patients’ outcomes.     

小麦主要过敏原CM16线性B细胞表位的预测及初步鉴定

目的：探究小麦主要过敏原α-淀粉酶/胰蛋白酶抑制剂CM16的线性B细胞表位。方法：通过提取小麦蛋白粗提物,进行体外模拟胃肠道消化,发现小麦过敏原中具有消化抗性的α-淀粉酶/胰蛋白酶抑制剂CM16的片段;进一步通过生物信息学方法分析CM16的一级氨基酸序列、二级结构,并通过同源建模确定CM16的三级结构。结果：利用生物信息学法预测出CM16的4 条线性B细胞表位后,结合质谱得到的抗消化肽段信息进行比对分析,发现其中2 条肽段存在部分重合,也证明了生物信息学分析鉴定过敏原线性B细胞表位方法的可行性和应用性。结论：通过生物信息学预测小麦过敏原CM16线性B细胞表位有助于进一步认识小麦过敏原,对小麦过敏原的识别和检测具有重要的参考和借鉴作用。