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Melinda A Biernacki,
Yu-tzu Tai,
Guang Lan Zhang,
Anselmo Alonso,
Wandi Zhang,
Rao Prabhala, Li Zhang,
Nikhil Munshi,
Donna Neuberg,
Robert J Soiffer,
Jerome Ritz,
Edwin P Alyea,
Vladimir Brusic,
Kenneth C Anderson,
Catherine J Wu
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ABSTRACT: Targets of curative donor-derived graft-versus-myeloma (GVM) responses after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) remain poorly defined, partly because immunity against minor histocompatibility Ags (mHAgs) complicates the elucidation of multiple myeloma (MM)-specific targets. We hypothesized that syngeneic HSCT would facilitate the identification of GVM-associated Ags because donor immune responses in this setting should exclusively target unique tumor Ags in the absence of donor-host genetic disparities. Therefore, in the present study, we investigated the development of tumor immunity in an HLA-A0201(+) MM patient who achieved durable remission after myeloablative syngeneic HSCT. Using high-density protein microarrays to screen post-HSCT plasma, we identified 6 Ags that elicited high-titer (1:5000-1:10 000) Abs that correlated with clinical tumor regression. Two Ags (DAPK2 and PIM1) had enriched expression in primary MM tissues. Both elicited Ab responses in other MM patients after chemotherapy or HSCT (11 and 6 of 32 patients for DAPK2 and PIM1, respectively). The index patient also developed specific CD8(+) T-cell responses to HLA-A2-restricted peptides derived from DAPK2 and PIM1. Peptide-specific T cells recognized HLA-A2(+) MM-derived cell lines and primary MM tumor cells. Coordinated T- and B-cell immunity develops against MM-associated Ags after syngeneic HSCT. DAPK1 and PIM1 are promising target Ags for MM-directed immunotherapy.
Blood 01/2012; 119(13):3142-50. · 9.90 Impact Factor
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Lili Wang,
Michael S Lawrence,
Youzhong Wan,
Petar Stojanov,
Carrie Sougnez,
Kristen Stevenson,
Lillian Werner,
Andrey Sivachenko,
David S DeLuca, Li Zhang, [......],
Stacey Gabriel,
Nir Hacohen,
Robin Reed,
Matthew Meyerson,
Todd R Golub,
Eric S Lander,
Donna Neuberg,
Jennifer R Brown,
Gad Getz,
Catherine J Wu
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ABSTRACT: The somatic genetic basis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a common and clinically heterogeneous leukemia occurring in adults, remains poorly understood.
We obtained DNA samples from leukemia cells in 91 patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia and performed massively parallel sequencing of 88 whole exomes and whole genomes, together with sequencing of matched germline DNA, to characterize the spectrum of somatic mutations in this disease.
Nine genes that are mutated at significant frequencies were identified, including four with established roles in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (TP53 in 15% of patients, ATM in 9%, MYD88 in 10%, and NOTCH1 in 4%) and five with unestablished roles (SF3B1, ZMYM3, MAPK1, FBXW7, and DDX3X). SF3B1, which functions at the catalytic core of the spliceosome, was the second most frequently mutated gene (with mutations occurring in 15% of patients). SF3B1 mutations occurred primarily in tumors with deletions in chromosome 11q, which are associated with a poor prognosis in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. We further discovered that tumor samples with mutations in SF3B1 had alterations in pre-messenger RNA (mRNA) splicing.
Our study defines the landscape of somatic mutations in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and highlights pre-mRNA splicing as a critical cellular process contributing to chronic lymphocytic leukemia.
New England Journal of Medicine 12/2011; 365(26):2497-506. · 53.30 Impact Factor
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Yun Lin, Li Zhang,
Ann X Cai,
Mark Lee,
Wandi Zhang,
Donna Neuberg,
Christine M Canning,
Robert J Soiffer,
Edwin P Alyea,
Jerome Ritz,
Nir Hacohen,
Terry K Means,
Catherine J Wu
[show abstract]
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ABSTRACT: Donor lymphocyte infusion (DLI), whereby donor mononuclear cells are infused into patients, is one of the few effective immunotherapeutic strategies that generate long-lasting tumor remissions. We previously demonstrated that chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) patients treated with DLI develop high-titer plasma antibodies specific for CML-associated antigens, the majority of which have been reported to bind nucleic acids These observations led us to predict that circulating antibody-antigen complexes in DLI-responsive patients carry nucleic acids that can engage innate immune sensors. Consistent with this, we report here that post-DLI plasma from 5 CML patients that responded to DLI treatment induced massive upregulation of MIP-1α, IP-10, and IFN-α in normal blood mononuclear cells. Importantly, this was not observed with plasma obtained before DLI and from DLI nonresponders and imatinib-treated patients. This endogenous immunostimulatory activity required nucleic acid and protein for its adjuvant effect and activated antigen-presenting cells through the RNA and DNA sensors TLR8 and TLR9. Presence of the immunoglobulin Fc receptor CD32 enhanced cellular responses, suggesting that immunoglobulins associate with this activity. Finally, a TLR-induced expression signature was detectable in post-DLI but not pre-DLI blood, consistent with an active circulating TLR8/9-stimulating factor. We have therefore demonstrated that effective tumor immunity correlates with the presence of endogenous nucleic acid-immunoglobulin complexes in patient plasma, thus providing a putative mechanism for the induction of potent antigen-specific immunity against malignant cells.
The Journal of clinical investigation 03/2011; 121(4):1574-84. · 15.39 Impact Factor
