| 1. |
- Betancourt, Lazaro Hiram, et al.
(author)
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Improved survival prognostication of node-positive malignant melanoma patients utilizing shotgun proteomics guided by histopathological characterization and genomic data
- 2019
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In: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 9:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Metastatic melanoma is one of the most common deadly cancers, and robust biomarkers are still needed, e.g. to predict survival and treatment efficiency. Here, protein expression analysis of one hundred eleven melanoma lymph node metastases using high resolution mass spectrometry is coupled with in-depth histopathology analysis, clinical data and genomics profiles. This broad view of protein expression allowed to identify novel candidate protein markers that improved prediction of survival in melanoma patients. Some of the prognostic proteins have not been reported in the context of melanoma before, and few of them exhibit unexpected relationship to survival, which likely reflects the limitations of current knowledge on melanoma and shows the potential of proteomics in clinical cancer research.
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| 2. |
- Betancourt, Lazaro Hiram, et al.
(author)
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The hidden story of heterogeneous B-raf V600E mutation quantitative protein expression in metastatic melanoma—association with clinical outcome and tumor phenotypes
- 2019
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In: Cancers. - : MDPI AG. - 2072-6694. ; 11:12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- In comparison to other human cancer types, malignant melanoma exhibits the greatest amount of heterogeneity. After DNA-based detection of the BRAF V600E mutation in melanoma patients, targeted inhibitor treatment is the current recommendation. This approach, however, does not take the abundance of the therapeutic target, i.e., the B-raf V600E protein, into consideration. As shown by immunohistochemistry, the protein expression profiles of metastatic melanomas clearly reveal the existence of inter-and intra-tumor variability. Nevertheless, the technique is only semi-quantitative. To quantitate the mutant protein there is a fundamental need for more precise techniques that are aimed at defining the currently non-existent link between the levels of the target protein and subsequent drug efficacy. Using cutting-edge mass spectrometry combined with DNA and mRNA sequencing, the mutated B-raf protein within metastatic tumors was quantitated for the first time. B-raf V600E protein analysis revealed a subjacent layer of heterogeneity for mutation-positive metastatic melanomas. These were characterized into two distinct groups with different tumor morphologies, protein profiles and patient clinical outcomes. This study provides evidence that a higher level of expression in the mutated protein is associated with a more aggressive tumor progression. Our study design, comprised of surgical isolation of tumors, histopathological characterization, tissue biobanking, and protein analysis, may enable the eventual delineation of patient responders/non-responders and subsequent therapy for malignant melanoma.
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| 3. |
- Engert, Andreas, et al.
(author)
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The European Hematology Association Roadmap for European Hematology Research : a consensus document
- 2016
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In: Haematologica. - Pavia, Italy : Ferrata Storti Foundation (Haematologica). - 0390-6078 .- 1592-8721. ; 101:2, s. 115-208
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The European Hematology Association (EHA) Roadmap for European Hematology Research highlights major achievements in diagnosis and treatment of blood disorders and identifies the greatest unmet clinical and scientific needs in those areas to enable better funded, more focused European hematology research. Initiated by the EHA, around 300 experts contributed to the consensus document, which will help European policy makers, research funders, research organizations, researchers, and patient groups make better informed decisions on hematology research. It also aims to raise public awareness of the burden of blood disorders on European society, which purely in economic terms is estimated at (sic)23 billion per year, a level of cost that is not matched in current European hematology research funding. In recent decades, hematology research has improved our fundamental understanding of the biology of blood disorders, and has improved diagnostics and treatments, sometimes in revolutionary ways. This progress highlights the potential of focused basic research programs such as this EHA Roadmap. The EHA Roadmap identifies nine 'sections' in hematology: normal hematopoiesis, malignant lymphoid and myeloid diseases, anemias and related diseases, platelet disorders, blood coagulation and hemostatic disorders, transfusion medicine, infections in hematology, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. These sections span 60 smaller groups of diseases or disorders. The EHA Roadmap identifies priorities and needs across the field of hematology, including those to develop targeted therapies based on genomic profiling and chemical biology, to eradicate minimal residual malignant disease, and to develop cellular immunotherapies, combination treatments, gene therapies, hematopoietic stem cell treatments, and treatments that are better tolerated by elderly patients.
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| 4. |
- Ferreira, Alexandra Gabriela, et al.
(author)
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Restoring tumor immunogenicity with dendritic cell reprogramming
- 2022
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In: Cancer immunology research. - 2326-6074. ; 10:12 suppl
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Conference paper (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Immunotherapy is revolutionizing cancer treatment, but success is limited to a fraction of patients. Tumor immunosurveillance and immunotherapy relies on presentation of tumor-associated antigens by conventional dendritic cells type 1 (cDC1). However, tumors develop mechanisms to avoid immune recognition such as downregulation of antigen presentation and exclusion of cDC1. We have previously demonstrated that enforced expression of the transcription factors PU.1, IRF8 and BATF3 (PIB) imposes the lineage conversion of fibroblasts to cDC1 by direct cell reprogramming. Here, we hypothesize that PIB reprograms cancer cells directly into functional tumor-antigen presenting cells (tumor-APCs) with enhanced immunogenicity. First, we show that enforced expression of PIB in a wide range of murine and human cancer cells from different origins is sufficient to induce surface expression of hematopoietic and DC-lineage specific markers (CD45 and Clec9a). Moreover, reprogramming restored the expression of antigen presentation complexes (MHC-I and MHC-II) and activated the expression of the co-stimulatory molecules CD40, CD80 and CD86, required for productive T cell activation. Transcriptomic analysis using mRNA-sequencing showed that PIB imposes a global cDC1 gene signature and an antigen presentation program in tumor cells as early as day 3 of reprogramming, overriding the original cancer cell program. Furthermore, Assay for Transposase-Accessible Chromatin (ATAC) sequencing analysis revealed that PIB-mediated cDC1 reprogramming elicited rapid epigenetic remodeling followed by gradual rewiring of transcriptional program and stabilization of cDC1 identity. Functionally, tumor-APCs present endogenous antigens on MHC-I, prime naïve CD8+ T and become prone to CD8+ T cell mediated killing. Tumor-APCs secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-12) and chemoattractants (CXCL10), uptake and process exogenous antigens, phagocyte dead cells, and cross-present exogenous antigens to activate naïve T-cells. In addition, reprogrammed tumor cells harboring TP53, KRAS and PTEN mutations downregulated proliferation and showed impaired tumorigenicity in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, we show that intra-tumoral injection of reprogrammed tumor-APCs elicited tumour growth control in vivo alongside increasing infiltration of CD8+ T and NK cells in B16-OVA tumors. Finally, we showed that our approach can be employed to convert primary cancer cells derived from melanoma, lung, breast, pancreatic, urothelial, and head and neck carcinomas as well as cancer associated fibroblasts. In summary, we provide evidence for the direct reprogramming of tumor cells into immunogenic cDC1-like cells, with restored antigen presentation capacity and the ability to reinstate anti-tumor immunity. Our approach elicits the immune system against cancer and counteract major tumor evasion mechanisms including tumor heterogeneity and impaired antigen presentation, laying the foundation for developing immunotherapeutic strategies based on the cellular reprogramming of human cancer cells.
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| 5. |
- Karlsson, Göran, et al.
(author)
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The Tetraspanin CD9 Affords High-Purity Capture of All Murine Hematopoietic Stem Cells
- 2013
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In: Cell Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 2211-1247. ; 4:4, s. 642-648
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Prospective isolation is critical for understanding the cellular and molecular aspects of stem cell heterogeneity. Here, we identify the cell surface antigen CD9 as a positive marker that provides a simple alternative for hematopoietic stem cell isolation at high purity. Crucially, CD9 affords the capture of all hematopoietic stem cells in murine bone marrow in the absence of contaminating populations that lack authentic stem cell function. Using CD9 as a tool to subdivide hematopoietic stem-cell-containing populations, we provide evidence for heterogeneity at the cellular, functional, and molecular levels.
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| 6. |
- Koide, Shuhei, et al.
(author)
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CD244 expression represents functional decline of murine hematopoietic stem cells after in vitro culture
- 2022
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In: iScience. - : Elsevier BV. - 2589-0042. ; 25:1
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Isolation of long-term hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) is possible by utilizing flow cytometry with multiple cell surface markers. However, those cell surface phenotypes do not represent functional HSCs after in vitro culture. Here we show that cultured HSCs express mast cell-related genes including Cd244. After in vitro culture, phenotypic HSCs were divided into CD244- and CD244+ subpopulations, and only CD244- cells that have low mast cell gene expression and maintain HSC-related genes sustain reconstitution potential. The result was same when HSCs were cultured in an efficient expansion medium containing polyvinyl alcohol. Chemically induced endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress signal increased the CD244+ subpopulation, whereas ER stress suppression using a molecular chaperone, TUDCA, decreased CD244+ population, which was correlated to improved reconstitution output. These data suggest CD244 is a potent marker to exclude non-functional HSCs after in vitro culture thereby useful to elucidate mechanism of functional decline of HSCs during ex vivo treatment.
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| 7. |
- Komorowska, Karolina, et al.
(author)
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Hepatic Leukemia Factor Maintains Quiescence of Hematopoietic Stem Cells and Protects the Stem Cell Pool during Regeneration
- 2017
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In: Cell Reports. - : Elsevier BV. - 2211-1247. ; 21:12, s. 3514-3523
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The transcription factor hepatic leukemia factor (HLF) is strongly expressed in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and is thought to influence both HSC self-renewal and leukemogenesis. However, the physiological role of HLF in hematopoiesis and HSC function is unclear. Here, we report that mice lacking Hlf are viable with essentially normal hematopoietic parameters, including an intact HSC pool during steady-state hematopoiesis. In contrast, when challenged through transplantation, Hlf-deficient HSCs showed an impaired ability to reconstitute hematopoiesis and became gradually exhausted upon serial transplantation. Transcriptional profiling of Hlf-deficient HSCs revealed changes associated with enhanced cellular activation, and cell-cycle analysis demonstrated a significant reduction of quiescent HSCs. Accordingly, toxic insults targeting dividing cells completely eradicated the HSC pool in Hlf-deficient mice. In summary, our findings point to HLF as a critical regulator of HSC quiescence and as an essential factor for maintaining the HSC pool during regeneration. Komorowska et al. report that the transcription factor HLF is required to maintain hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) function during regeneration. Moreover, Hlf-deficient HSCs are less quiescent. In accordance with this, toxic insults targeting dividing cells completely eradicate the HSC pool in Hlf-deficient mice.
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| 8. |
- Mansell, Els, et al.
(author)
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Mitochondrial Potentiation Ameliorates Age-Related Heterogeneity in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Function
- 2021
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In: Cell Stem Cell. - : Elsevier BV. - 1934-5909. ; 28:2, s. 6-256
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- HSC aging is clinically associated with risk of anemia, immune compromise, and malignancy. Mansell et al. show that mitochondrial activity is directly linked to age-related performance of HSCs and that its perturbation has direct consequences for HSC function, resulting in alleviation or prevention of hematopoietic aging.
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| 9. |
- Miharada, Kenichi, et al.
(author)
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Common signaling networks characterize leukemia-initiating cells in acute myeloid leukemia.
- 2012
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In: Cell Stem Cell. - : Elsevier BV. - 1934-5909. ; 10:2, s. 109-110
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Identification and characterization of leukemia-initiating cells (LICs) is important to understand leukemogenesis and develop novel therapies for leukemia. In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Gibbs et al. (2012) demonstrate that common active signaling pathways in LICs may be targeted to treat acute myeloid leukemia.
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| 10. |
- Miharada, Kenichi, et al.
(author)
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Cripto Regulates Hematopoietic Stem Cells as a Hypoxic-Niche-Related Factor through Cell Surface Receptor GRP78.
- 2011
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In: Cell Stem Cell. - : Elsevier BV. - 1934-5909. ; 9:4, s. 330-344
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are maintained in hypoxic niches in endosteal regions of bones. Here we demonstrate that Cripto and its receptor GRP78 are important regulators of HSCs in the niche. Flow cytometry analyses revealed two distinct subpopulations of CD34(-)KSL cells based on the expression of GRP78, and these populations showed different reconstitution potential in transplantation assays. GRP78(+)HSCs mainly reside in the endosteal area, are more hypoxic, and exhibit a lower mitochondrial potential, and their HSC capacity was maintained in vitro by Cripto through induction of higher glycolytic activity. Additionally, HIF-1α KO mice have decreased numbers of GRP78(+)HSCs and reduced expression of Cripto in the endosteal niche. Furthermore, blocking GRP78 induced a movement of HSCs from the endosteal to the central marrow area. These data suggest that Cripto/GRP78 signaling is an important pathway that regulates HSC quiescence and maintains HSCs in hypoxia as an intermediary of HIF-1α.
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