MCL1 regulates AML cells metabolism via direct interaction with HK2. Metabolic signature at onset predicts overall survival in AMLs' patients.

We characterize the metabolic background in distinct Acute Myeloid Leukemias (AMLs), by comparing the metabolism of primary AML blasts isolated at diagnosis with that of normal hematopoietic maturing progenitors, using the Seahorse XF Agilent. Leukemic cells feature lower spare respiratory (SRC) and glycolytic capacities as compared to hematopoietic precursors (i.e.

Ascorbate Plus Buformin in AML: A Metabolic Targeted Treatment.

In the present study, we characterized the metabolic background of different Acute Myeloid Leukemias' (AMLs) cells and described a heterogeneous and highly flexible energetic metabolism. Using the Seahorse XF Agilent, we compared the metabolism of normal hematopoietic progenitors with that of primary AML blasts and five different AML cell lines. We assessed the efficacy and mechanism of action of the association of high doses of ascorbate, a powerful oxidant, with the metabolic inhibitor buformin, which inhibits mitochondrial complex I and completely shuts down mitochondrial contributions in ATP production.

NPM1 Mutated, BCR-ABL1 Positive Myeloid Neoplasms: Review of the Literature.

Breakpoint cluster region - Abelson (BCR-ABL1) chimeric protein and mutated Nucleophosmin (NPM1) are often present in hematological cancers, but they rarely coexist in the same disease. Both anomalies are considered founder mutations that inhibit differentiation and apoptosis, but BCR-ABL1 could act as a secondary mutation conferring a proliferative advantage to a pre-neoplastic clone. The 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) classification lists the provisional acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with BCR-ABL1, which must be diagnosed differentially from the rare blast phase (BP) onset of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), mainly because of the different therapeutic approach in the use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI).

PML/RARa Interferes with NRF2 Transcriptional Activity Increasing the Sensitivity to Ascorbate of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Cells.

NRF2 (NF-E2 p45-related factor 2) orchestrates cellular adaptive responses to stress. Its quantity and subcellular location is controlled through a complex network and its activity increases during redox perturbation, inflammation, growth factor stimulation, and energy fluxes. Even before all-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) treatment era it was a common experience that acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cells are highly sensitive to first line chemotherapy.

PML/RARA inhibits expression of HSP90 and its target AKT.

Essential for cell survival, the 90 kD Heat Shock Proteins (HSP90) are molecular chaperons required for conformational stabilization and trafficking of numerous client proteins. Functional HSP90 is required for the stability of AKT, a serine-threonine kinase phosphorylated in response to growth factor stimulation. AKT plays a crucial regulatory role in differentiation, cell cycle, transcription, translation, metabolism and apoptosis.

High-dose ascorbate and arsenic trioxide selectively kill acute myeloid leukemia and acute promyelocytic leukemia blasts in vitro.

The use of high-dose ascorbate (ASC) for the treatment of human cancer has been attempted several decades ago and has been recently revived by several in vitro and in vivo studies in solid tumors. We tested the cytotoxic effects of ASC, alone or in combination with arsenic trioxide (ATO) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Leukemic cell lines and primary blasts from AML and APL patients were treated with graded concentrations of ASC, alone or in association with standard concentration (1 μM) of ATO.

PML/RARa inhibits PTEN expression in hematopoietic cells by competing with PU.1 transcriptional activity.

Acute promyelocitic leukemia (APL) is characterized by the pathognomonic presence in leukemic blasts of the hybrid protein PML/RARA, that acts as a transcriptional repressor impairing the expression of genes that are critical to myeloid differentiation. Here, we show that primary blasts from APL patients express lower levels of the oncosuppressor protein PTEN, as compared to blast cells from other AML subtypes or normal bone marrow, and demonstrate that PML-RARA directly inhibits PTEN expression. We show that All-Trans Retinoic Acid (ATRA) triggers in APL cells an active chromatin status at the core regulatory region of the PTEN promoter, that allows the binding of the myeloid-regulating transcription factor PU.

A case of SRSF2 mutation in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is characterized by extremely variable clinical course indicating substantial differences in the biology of the disease. Molecular characterization provides new insights useful for treatment decision making. We report on a patient diagnosed with CLL, whose disease was characterized by episodes of rapid progression and disease stabilization, and in which a SRSF2 gene mutation was identified in the absence of other commonly known mutations of CLL.

Development of a high-resolution melting curve analysis screening test for SRSF2 splicing factor gene mutations in myelodysplastic syndromes.

Somatic mutations of the spliceosome machinery have been recently identified by whole genome analysis in hematologic diseases, such as myelodysplastic syndrome, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, myeloproliferative neoplasms, acute myeloid leukemia, and advanced forms of mastocytosis, and also in nonhematologic conditions. SRSF2 is a member of the serine/arginine-rich family pre-mRNA splicing factors that plays a role in mRNA export from the nucleus and translation. We describe a high-resolution melting (HRM) curve analysis to screen for SRSF2 hotspot mutations in a fast, sensitive, and reliable way.

The Management of Membranous Glomerulopathy in Allogeneic Stem Cells Transplantation: Updated Literature.

Background: membranous glomerulopathy (MG) is an immunomediated disorder which accounts for the most common cause of nephrotic syndrome (NS) following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

Objective And Methods: to provide an update on the issue by reviewing pertinent literature on the MEDLINE database.

Results: sixty-nine post allogenic HSCT patients (42 male) with MG were identified.

The prevention of oral mucositis in patients with blood cancers: current concepts and emerging landscapes.

Background: The prevention of oral mucositis (OM) in the management of hematological malignancies continues to represent an unmet clinical need. Addressing this issue has major clinical implications as OM can also greatly impair patient's quality of life.

Objectives: To review currently available measures and investigational agents to prevent OM in hematological patients.

Spontaneous apoptosis and proliferation detected by BCL-2 and CD71 proteins are important progression indicators within ZAP-70 negative chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

In chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), inhibition of spontaneous apoptosis determines a worse prognosis and increasing evidences show that disease progression relies also upon cycling CLL cells. We investigated bcl-2, as measure of apoptosis, and CD71, as measure of proliferation, by flow cytometry in 265 patients with CLL. Combining bcl-2 with CD71 values, we defined three subgroups: (1) bcl2 - CD71-; (2) bcl2 + CD71+; and (3) bcl2 + CD71- or bcl2- CD71+.

PYRROLO[1,2-b][1,2,5]BENZOTHIADIAZEPINES (PBTDs) induce apoptosis in K562 cells.

Background: The objective of this study was to gain insight into the molecular mechanism of induced cell death (apoptosis) by PYRROLO [1,2-b][1,2,5]BENZOTHIADIAZEPINES (PBTDs) series compounds, using human (K562) cells as a model.

Methods: We focused our attention on some members of the PBTDs family to test their potential apoptotic activity in K562 cells. Important apoptotic activity was demonstrated, as evidenced by the concentration and percentage of cell death quantified by measuring PI-uptake by flow cytometry, and DNA fragmentation analyzed by agarose gel electrophoresis, generating a characteristic ladder pattern of discontinuous DNA fragments.

Possibility of long-term remission in patients with advanced hematologic malignancies after reduced intensity conditioning regimen (RIC) and allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

High-dose chemotherapy and radiation used as a preparative regimen for allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) produces a considerable morbidity and mortality. An alternative strategy, developed to reduce transplant-related toxicity and to induce graft versus malignancy effect in the presence of full hematopoietic engraftment, includes the application of RIC that provide sufficient immunosuppression. We studied the efficacy and toxicity of RIC followed by allogeneic SCT in elderly patients or with relative contraindications to conventional SCT.