This Conference Presentation, “LLL promotes engraftment of human umbilical cord blood-derived hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells,” was recorded for the Photonics West 2021 Digital Forum.
<p>Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an autoimmune hemorrhage disorder. The first-line treatment of this disorder is corticosteroids, followed by thrombopoietin (TPO) receptor agonists such as Nplate, and/or splenectomy. Yet, the extended usage of corticosteroids or the expensive Nplate, coupled with the implications of splenectomy, raises concerns due to the array of associated side effects and an escalated vulnerability to subsequent complications. The current investigation shows that while anti-platelet antibodies and ITP plasmas hinder megakaryocyte differentiation and maturation and impair proplatelet and platelet formation in ex vivo culture of umbilical cord human CD34+ stem cells (cHSCs), low-level laser (LLL) treatment or photobiomodulation (PBM) effectively mitigates these detrimental impacts. PBM reinstated megakaryocyte differentiation and maturation, bolstering proplatelet and platelet formation in the presence of auto-platelet antibodies or ITP plasmas. The mitigating effects of PBM appear to pivot on its capacity to uphold cellular mitochondrial functionality and rectify the mitochondrial impairments engendered by anti-platelet antibodies or ITP plasmas. These findings underscore the potential of PBM as a safe and cost-efficient alternative for the management of a specific subset of ITP patients.</p>
The aim of this study was to detect the alterations in histone methylation and acetylation in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Global histone H3/H4 acetylation and H3K4/H3K9 methylation were detected by the EpiQuik™ global histone H3/H4 acetylation and H3K4/H3K9 methylation assay kits. The mRNA expression of selected chromatin modifier genes was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Our results found that the global histone H3/H4 hypoacetylation in the CD19+ B cells of patients with CLL (P=0.028 and P=0.03, respectively) and the global histone H3K9 methylation in patients with CLL were significantly increased compared with controls (P=0.02), while there was no significant difference in the global histone H3K4 methylation between the two groups. The level of SIRT1 and EZH2 mRNA expression was upregulated in patients with CLL (P=0.03 and P=0.02, respectively), which increased significantly with progression from Binet stage A to stage C (P=0.015 and P=0.01, respectively) and Rai good to high risk stage (P=0.007 and P=0.008, respectively). The level of HDAC1 and HDAC7 mRNA expression was significantly increased (P=0.02 and P=0.008, respectively) and HDAC2 and P300 mRNA expression was reduced in patients with CLL (P=0.002 and P=0.001, respectively). In conclusion, it is observed that the aberrant histone modification plays an important role in the pathogenesis of CLL.
Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is an immune-mediated acquired bleeding disorder characterized by abnormally low platelet counts. We reported here the ability of low-level light treatment (LLLT) to alleviate ITP in mice. The treatment is based on noninvasive whole body illumination 30 min a day for a few consecutive days by near infrared light (830 nm) transmitted by an array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). LLLT significantly lifted the nadir of platelet counts and restored tail bleeding time when applied to two passive ITP models induced by anti-CD41 antibody. The anti-platelet antibody hindered megakaryocyte differentiation from the progenitors, impaired proplatelet and platelet formation, and induced apoptosis of platelets. These adverse effects of anti-CD41 antibody were all mitigated by LLLT to varying degrees, owing to its ability to enhance mitochondrial biogenesis and activity in megakaryocytes and preserve mitochondrial functions in platelets in the presence of the antibody. The observations argue not only for contribution of mitochondrial stress to the pathology of ITP, but also clinical potentials of LLLT as a safe, simple, and cost-effective modality of ITP.
BACKGROUND: Multi-drug resistance (MDR) remains to be a major obstacle toward successful chemotherapy of NHL patients. P-glycoprotein (P-gp), a classical protein associated with MDR, has been observed in peripheral blood CD56 + cells with high expression an d activity. While the CD56 expression has been shown to be associated with a highly aggressive clinical course and chemoresistance in Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL). OBJECTIVE: To investigate the role of peripheral blood CD56 + cells in predicting the MDR of NHL by determining the P-gp expression and function of the CD56 + cells. METHODS: The expression levels of MDR1 mRNA and MRP1 mRNA and the function of P-gp in the CD56 + cells were evaluated by RT-qPCR and flow cytometry respectively in 52 chemoresistant and 47 chemosensitive NHL patients and 48 healthy donors. RESULTS: In the chemoresistant group, the mRNA expression level of MDR1 elevated about 2∼ 8 fold (mean = 4.24 ± 0.17) in the purified CD56^+ cells, whereas there was only about 1∼ 2.5 fold (mean = 1.69 ± 0.41) elevated for the MRP1 gene. The mean fold change of MDR1 mRNA expression in the chemoresistant group significantly increased when compared with that in the chemosensitive patients (P < 0.001). The mean fluorescence intensities (MFI) in the total gated CD56^{ + } and Rho123 double positive cells in the chemoresistant patients statistically decreased compared with that in the healthy controls and the chemosensitive NHL patients (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Determining the P-gp expression and function of the peripheral blood CD56^{ + } cells may help predict the MDR of NHL, thus has profound guiding significance for NHL treatment.
BCR-ABL1 fusion proteins contain constitutively active tyrosine kinases that are potential candidates for targeted therapy with tyrosine kinase inhibitors such as imatinib in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). However, uncharacterized BCR-ABL1 fusion genes can be missed by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR)-based routine screening methods, causing adverse effect on drug selection and treatment outcome. In this study, we demonstrated that the next-generation sequencing (NGS) can be employed to overcome this obstacle. Through NGS, we identified a novel BCR-ABL1 fusion gene with breakpoints in the BCR intron 14 and the ABL1 intron 2, respectively, in a rare case of CML. Its mRNA with an e14a3 junction was then detected using customized RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing. Subsequently, the patient received targeted medicine imatinib initially at 400 mg/day, and later 300 mg/day due to intolerance reactions. With this personalized treatment, the patient's condition was significantly improved. Interestingly, this novel fusion gene encodes a fusion protein containing a compromised SH3 domain, which is usually intact in the majority of CML cases, suggesting that dysfunctional SH3 domain may be associated with altered drug response and unique clinicopathological manifestations observed in this patient. We identified a novel BCR-ABL1 fusion gene using NGS in a rare case of CML while routine laboratory procedures were challenged, demonstrating the power of NGS as a diagnostic tool for detecting novel genetic mutations. Moreover, our new finding regarding the novel fusion variant will provide useful insights to improve the spectrum of the genomic abnormalities recognizable by routine molecular screening.
The purpose of this paper is to assess the relationship between gene polymorphism in angiogenesis-related genes and radiation responses in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients. The genotypes of 180 NPC patients were analyzed by Sequenom MassARRAY. The response evaluation criteria in solid tumours were used for assessing efficacies, and the criteria of the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group or European Organization for Research & Treatment of Cancer were utilized for evaluating acute toxic reactions in response to radiation. Statistical methods included chi-square test, uni- and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Genotypic carriers of rs1800541 GT were at an elevated risk of developing grade 3+ oral mucositis, and a genetic variant of rs5333 was a predictor for a lower occurring risk of grade 2+ radiation-induced xerostomia. EDN1 rs1800541, rs2071942 and rs5370 variants were associated with a significantly higher risk of severe myelosuppression. SNPs in such angiogenesis-related genes as EDN1 rs1800541, rs2071942 & rs5370 and EDNRA rs5333 may serve as useful biomarkers for predicting the outcomes of NPC patients.
The chromosomal translocation t(7;11)(p15;p15) and the resulting nucleoporin 98-homeobox A9 (NUP98-HOXA9) gene fusion is rare but recurrent genetic abnormity in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The present study describes a case of AML plus maturation (‑M2) with multilineage dyspoiesis in a 30‑year‑old male in whom a 46,XY,t(7;11)(p15;p15) karyotype was detected through chromosome analysis. Subsequent molecular and sequencing analysis demonstrated a NUP98‑HOXA9 fusion gene with a type I fusion between NUP98 exon 12 and HOXA9 exon 1b, and mutations in neuroblastoma V‑Ras oncogene homolog and Wilms tumor 1. The patient achieved hematological complete remission (CR) following two courses of induction chemotherapy. However, the NUP98‑HOXA9 fusion gene remained detectable during the hematological CR period and following intensive consolidation chemotherapy. The disease relapsed 11 months after diagnosis, and the patient became refractory, with complications from an infection causing eventual mortality. The present case and literature review suggest that patients with AML and t(7;11) may have unique biological and clinical characteristics, and a poor prognosis.