Phase I study of GTI-2040, a ribonucleotide reductase antisense, with high dose cytarabine in patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia.

We hypothesized that GTI-2040, a 20-mer oligonucleotide complementary to the R2 subunit mRNA of ribonucleotide reductase, combined with high dose cytarabine (HiDAC) would result in enhanced cytotoxicity by favoring Ara-CTP DNA incorporation. In a phase I dose escalation trial, adults (≥ 60 years) with refractory or relapsed acute myeloid leukemia (AML) received daily HiDAC plus infusional GTI-2040. Using a novel assay, evidence of intracellular drug accumulation and target R2 down-regulation was observed.

FTY720 increases CD74 expression and sensitizes mantle cell lymphoma cells to milatuzumab-mediated cell death.

Mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is an aggressive B-cell malignancy with a short median survival despite multimodal therapy. FTY720, an immunosuppressive drug approved for the treatment of multiple sclerosis, promotes MCL cell death concurrent with down-modulation of phospho-Akt and cyclin D1 and subsequent cell-cycle arrest. However, the mechanism of FTY720-mediated MCL cell death remains to be fully clarified.

Linking tRNA localization with activation of nutritional stress responses.

Cells respond to nutrient deprivation a variety of ways. In addition to global downregulation of cap-dependent protein synthesis mediated by the GCN2 and mTORC1 signaling pathways, a catabolic process autophagy is upregulated to provide internal building blocks and energy needed to sustain viability. It has recently been shown that during nutrient deprivation tRNAs accumulate in the nucleus, but the functional role of this accumulation remains unknown.

Targeted delivery of antisense oligodeoxynucleotide by transferrin conjugated pH-sensitive lipopolyplex nanoparticles: a novel oligonucleotide-based therapeutic strategy in acute myeloid leukemia.

Therapeutic use of oligodeoxynucleotides (ODNs) that hybridize to and downregulate target mRNAs encoding proteins that contribute to malignant transformation has a sound rationale, but has had an overall limited clinical success in cancer due to insufficient intracellular delivery. Here we report a development of formulations capable of promoting targeted delivery and enhanced pharmacologic activity of ODNs in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines and patient primary cells. In this study, transferrin (Tf) conjugated pH-sensitive lipopolyplex nanoparticles (LPs) were prepared to deliver GTI-2040, an antisense ODN against the R2 subunit of ribonucleotide reductase that has been shown to contribute to chemoresistance in AML.

Phase I study of GTI-2040, an antisense to ribonucleotide reductase, in combination with high-dose cytarabine in patients with acute myeloid leukemia.

Purpose: Inhibition of ribonucleotide reductase reduces the availability of the endogenous pool of deoxycytidine and may increase cytarabine (AraC) cytotoxicity. We performed a phase I dose escalation trial of AraC combined with GTI-2040, a 20-mer antisense oligonucleotide shown in preclinical studies to decrease levels of the R2 subunit of ribonucleotide reductase, to determine the maximum tolerated dose in adults with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukemia.

Experimental Design: Twenty-three adults (ages 18-59 years) were enrolled in this dose escalation phase I trial, receiving high-dose AraC twice daily combined with infusional GTI-2040.

Bortezomib induces DNA hypomethylation and silenced gene transcription by interfering with Sp1/NF-kappaB-dependent DNA methyltransferase activity in acute myeloid leukemia.

Bortezomib reversibly inhibits 26S proteasomal degradation, interferes with NF-kappaB, and exhibits antitumor activity in human malignancies. Zinc finger protein Sp1 transactivates DNMT1 gene in mice and is functionally regulated through protein abundance, posttranslational modifications (ie, ubiquitination), or interaction with other transcription factors (ie, NF-kappaB). We hypothesize that inhibition of proteasomal degradation and Sp1/NF-kappaB-mediated transactivation may impair aberrant DNA methyltransferase activity.

Phase I study of decitabine alone or in combination with valproic acid in acute myeloid leukemia.

Purpose: To determine an optimal biologic dose (OBD) of decitabine as a single agent and then the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) of valproic acid (VA) combined with decitabine in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Patients And Methods: Twenty-five patients (median age, 70 years) were enrolled; 12 were untreated and 13 had relapsed AML. To determine an OBD (based on a gene re-expression end point), 14 patients received decitabine alone for 10 days.

Targeting AML1/ETO-histone deacetylase repressor complex: a novel mechanism for valproic acid-mediated gene expression and cellular differentiation in AML1/ETO-positive acute myeloid leukemia cells.

In t(8;21) acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the AML1/ETO fusion protein promotes leukemogenesis by recruiting class I histone deacetylase (HDAC)-containing repressor complex to the promoter of AML1 target genes. Valproic acid (VPA), a commonly used antiseizure and mood stabilizer drug, has been shown to cause growth arrest and induce differentiation of malignant cells via HDAC inhibition. VPA causes selective proteasomal degradation of HDAC2 but not other class I HDACs (i.

Interplay of RUNX1/MTG8 and DNA methyltransferase 1 in acute myeloid leukemia.

The translocation t(8;21)(q22;q22) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) results in the expression of the fusion protein RUNX1/MTG8, which in turn recruits histone deacetylases (HDAC) to silence RUNX1 target genes [e.g., interleukin-3 (IL-3)].