Publications by authors named "J Morscio"

The oncogenic Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) can drive tumorigenesis with disrupted host immunity, causing malignancies including post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLDs). PTLD can also arise in the absence of EBV, but the biological differences underlying EBV(+) and EBV(-) B cell PTLD and the associated host-EBV-tumor interactions remain poorly understood. Here, we reveal the core differences between EBV(+) and EBV(-) PTLD, characterized by increased expression of genes related to immune processes or DNA interactions, respectively, and the augmented ability of EBV(+) PTLD B cells to modulate the tumor microenvironment through elaboration of monocyte-attracting cytokines/chemokines.

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Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive B cell lymphoma with poor long-term overall survival. Currently, MCL research and development of potential cures is hampered by the lack of good in vivo models. MCL is characterized by recurrent translocations of CCND1 or CCND2, resulting in overexpression of the cell cycle regulators cyclin D1 or D2, respectively.

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Article Synopsis
  • BCL-2 is a key target for treating early T-cell progenitor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ETP-ALL), but resistance to therapies like ABT-199 is a major issue.
  • In vivo studies show that LOUCY cells treated with ABT-199 led to residual disease predominantly in the spleen, suggesting this organ’s microenvironment plays a crucial role in resistance.
  • The research indicates that cells from the spleen exhibit reduced BCL-2 dependence and altered differentiation, which may contribute to their survival despite BCL-2 inhibition, highlighting the need for further exploration of the splenic environment in leukemia treatment.
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T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) and T-cell acute lymphoblastic lymphoma (T-LBL) are aggressive hematological malignancies that are currently treated with high-dose chemotherapy. Over the last several years, the search toward novel and less-toxic therapeutic strategies for T-ALL/T-LBL patients has largely focused on the identification of cell-intrinsic properties of the tumor cell. However, non-cell-autonomous activation of specific oncogenic pathways might also offer opportunities that could be exploited at the therapeutic level.

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