Topics overview: The mechanisms of peripheral sensory neuronal function, Medulloblastoma subtypes identified through integrative clustering, The new function of FUT8, Inhibition of B Cell Receptor Signaling by Ibrutinib, Age-dependent dysfunction of bone and hematopoietic regeneration.
1. Mechanisms and Therapeutic Relevance of Neuro-immune Communication
Active research at the frontiers of immunology and neuroscience has identified multiple points of interaction and communication between the immune system and the nervous system. Immune cell activation stimulates neuronal circuits that regulate innate and adaptive immunity. Molecular mechanistic insights into the inflammatory reflex and other neuro-immune interactions have greatly advanced our understanding of immunity and identified new therapeutic possibilities in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Recent successful clinical trials using bioelectronic devices that modulate the inflammatory reflex to significantly ameliorate rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease provide a path for using electrons as a therapeutic modality for targeting molecular mechanisms of immunity. Here, Sangeeta S. Chavan at Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset, USA and his colleagues review mechanisms of peripheral sensory neuronal function in response to immune challenges, the neural regulation of immunity and inflammation, and the therapeutic implications of those mechanistic insights.
Read more, please click http://www.cell.com/immunity/fulltext/S1074-7613(17)30236-4
2. Intertumoral Heterogeneity within Medulloblastoma Subgroups
While molecular subgrouping has revolutionized medulloblastoma classification, the extent of heterogeneity within subgroups is unknown. Similarity network fusion (SNF) applied to genome-wide DNA methylation and gene expression data across 763 primary samples identifies very homogeneous clusters of patients, supporting the presence of medulloblastoma subtypes. After integration of somatic copy-number alterations, and clinical features specific to each cluster, Florence M.G. Cavalli at The Arthur and Sonia Labatt Brain Tumour Research Centre in Toronto, Canada and his colleagues identify 12 different subtypes of medulloblastoma. Integrative analysis using SNF further delineates group 3 from group 4 medulloblastoma, which is not as readily apparent through analyses of individual data types. Two clear subtypes of infants with Sonic Hedgehog medulloblastoma with disparate outcomes and biology are identified. Medulloblastoma subtypes identified through integrative clustering have important implications for stratification of future clinical trials, the authors suggest.
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3. A Systems Biology Approach Identifies FUT8 as a Driver of Melanoma Metastasis
Association of aberrant glycosylation with melanoma progression is based mainly on analyses of cell lines. Here Praveen Agrawal at New York University School of Medicine in New York, USA and his colleagues present a systems-based study of glycomic changes and corresponding enzymes associated with melanoma metastasis in patient samples. Upregulation of core fucosylation (FUT8) and downregulation of α-1,2 fucosylation (FUT1, FUT2) were identified as features of metastatic melanoma. Using both in vitro and in vivo studies, they demonstrate FUT8 is a driver of melanoma metastasis which, when silenced, suppresses invasion and tumor dissemination. Glycoprotein targets of FUT8 were enriched in cell migration proteins including the adhesion molecule L1CAM. Core fucosylation impacted L1CAM cleavage and the ability of L1CAM to support melanoma invasion. FUT8 and its targets represent therapeutic targets in melanoma metastasis, the authors suggest.
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4. Inhibition of B Cell Receptor Signaling by Ibrutinib in Primary CNS Lymphoma
Primary CNS lymphoma (PCNSL) harbors mutations that reinforce B cell receptor (BCR) signaling. Ibrutinib, a Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitor, targets BCR signaling and is particularly active in lymphomas with mutations altering the BCR subunit CD79B and MYD88. Michail S. Lionakis at National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, USA and his colleagues performed a proof-of-concept phase Ib study of ibrutinib monotherapy followed by ibrutinib plus chemotherapy (DA-TEDDi-R). In 18 PCNSL patients, 94% showed tumor reductions with ibrutinib alone, including patients having PCNSL with CD79B and/or MYD88 mutations, and 86% of evaluable patients achieved complete remission with DA-TEDDi-R. Increased aspergillosis was observed with ibrutinib monotherapy and DA-TEDDi-R. Aspergillosis was linked to BTK-dependent fungal immunity in a murine model. PCNSL is highly dependent on BCR signaling, and ibrutinib appears to enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy.
Read more, please click http://www.cell.com/cancer-cell/fulltext/S1535-6108(17)30167-8
5. Adipocyte Accumulation in the Bone Marrow during Obesity and Aging Impairs Stem Cell-Based Hematopoietic and Bone Regeneration
Aging and obesity induce ectopic adipocyte accumulation in bone marrow cavities. This process is thought to impair osteogenic and hematopoietic regeneration. Here Thomas H. Ambrosi at German Institute of Human Nutrition in Nuthetal, Germany and his colleagues specify the cellular identities of the adipogenic and osteogenic lineages of the bone. While aging impairs the osteogenic lineage, high-fat diet feeding activates expansion of the adipogenic lineage, an effect that is significantly enhanced in aged animals. They further describe a mesenchymal sub-population with stem cell-like characteristics that gives rise to both lineages and, at the same time, acts as a principal component of the hematopoietic niche by promoting competitive repopulation following lethal irradiation. Conversely, bone-resident cells committed to the adipocytic lineage inhibit hematopoiesis and bone healing, potentially by producing excessive amounts of Dipeptidyl peptidase-4, a protease that is a target of diabetes therapies. These studies delineate the molecular identity of the bone-resident adipocytic lineage, and they establish its involvement in age-dependent dysfunction of bone and hematopoietic regeneration.
Read more, please click http://www.cell.com/cell-stem-cell/fulltext/S1934-5909(17)30042-5
