Deficiency of Bruton's tyrosine kinase in B cell precursor leukemia cells.

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (BTK) deficiency results in a differentiation block at the pre-B cell stage. Likewise, acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells are typically arrested at early stages of B cell development. We therefore investigated BTK function in B cell precursor leukemia cells carrying a BCR-ABL1, E2A-PBX1, MLL-AF4, TEL-AML1, or TEL-PDGFRB gene rearrangement.

Mimicry of a constitutively active pre-B cell receptor in acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells.

Pre-B cells undergo apoptosis unless they are rescued by pre-B cell receptor-dependent survival signals. We previously showed that the BCR-ABL1 kinase that is expressed in pre-B lymphoblastic leukemia bypasses selection for pre-B cell receptor-dependent survival signals. Investigating possible interference of BCR-ABL1 with pre-B cell receptor signaling, we found that neither SYK nor SLP65 can be phosphorylated in response to pre-B cell receptor engagement.

Tracing the pre-B to immature B cell transition in human leukemia cells reveals a coordinated sequence of primary and secondary IGK gene rearrangement, IGK deletion, and IGL gene rearrangement.

The BCR-ABL1 kinase expressed in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) drives malignant transformation of pre-B cells and prevents further development. We studied whether inhibition of BCR-ABL1 kinase activity using STI571 can relieve this differentiation block. STI571 treatment of leukemia patients induced expression of the Ig L chain-associated transcription factors IRF4 and SPIB, up-regulation of RAG1 and RAG2, Ckappa and Clambda germline transcription, and rearrangement of Ig kappa L chain (IGK) and Ig lambda L chain (IGL) genes.

An adenoviral type 5 vector carrying a type 35 fiber as a vaccine vehicle: DC targeting, cross neutralization, and immunogenicity.

Substituting the coat proteins of adenoviral vector serotype 5 (Ad5) can alter vector tropism and circumvent vector neutralization. Here we report that an Ad5 vector carrying a part of the fiber molecule of human subgroup B adenovirus serotype 35 (Ad5.Fib35) transduces cultured human dendritic cells (DC) and circulating myeloid derived DC with approximately 10-fold greater efficiency than Ad5 in vitro.

Adenovirus types 5 and 35 seroprevalence in AIDS risk groups supports type 35 as a vaccine vector.

The seroprevalence of adenovirus types 5 (Ad5) and 35 (Ad35) was investigated in patients at risk of AIDS. The seroprevalence of Ad5 was higher than Ad35 in HIV-infected patients from The Netherlands (60% versus 7%) and sub-Saharan Africa (90% versus 20%). The seroprevalence was similar among HIV-infected and uninfected individuals, and remained constant during progression to AIDS.

Quantifying adenovirus-neutralizing antibodies by luciferase transgene detection: addressing preexisting immunity to vaccine and gene therapy vectors.

The presence of various levels of anti-adenovirus serotype 5 (Ad5)-neutralizing antibodies in humans is thought to contribute to the inconsistent clinical results obtained so far in diverse gene transfer and vaccination studies and might preclude universal dosing with recombinant Ad5. Prescreening of individuals eligible for Ad5 or alternative serotype treatment and subsequently tailoring the vector dose might aid in ensuring the consistency of clinical parameters. For this purpose, a qualified Ad neutralization assay is required.

Replication-deficient human adenovirus type 35 vectors for gene transfer and vaccination: efficient human cell infection and bypass of preexisting adenovirus immunity.

Replication-deficient human adenovirus type 5 (Ad5) can be produced to high titers in complementing cell lines, such as PER.C6, and is widely used as a vaccine and gene therapy vector. However, preexisting immunity against Ad5 hampers consistency of gene transfer, immunological responses, and vector-mediated toxicities.