T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an immature hematopoietic malignancy driven mainly by oncogenic activation of NOTCH1 signaling1. In this study we report the presence of loss-of-function mutations and deletions of EZH2 and SUZ12 genes, encoding critical components of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) complex2,3, in 25% of T-ALLs. To further study the role of the PRC2 complex in T-ALL, we used NOTCH1-induced animal models of the disease, as well as human T-ALL samples, and combined locus-specific and global analysis of NOTCH1-driven epigenetic changes. These studies demonstrated that activation of NOTCH1 specifically induces loss of the repressive mark lysine-27 tri-methylation of histone 3 (H3K27me3)4 by antagonizing the activity of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) complex. These studies demonstrate a tumor suppressor role for the PRC2 complex in human leukemia and suggest a hitherto unrecognized dynamic interplay between oncogenic NOTCH1 and PRC2 function for the regulation of gene expression and cell transformation.

T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive cancer that is frequently associated with activating mutations in NOTCH1 and dysregulation of MYC. Here, we performed 2 complementary screens to identify FDA-approved drugs and drug-like small molecules with activity against T-ALL. We developed a zebrafish system to screen small molecules for toxic activity toward MYC-overexpressing thymocytes and used a human T-ALL cell line to screen for small molecules that synergize with Notch inhibitors. We identified the antipsychotic drug perphenazine in both screens due to its ability to induce apoptosis in fish, mouse, and human T-ALL cells. Using ligand-affinity chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry, we identified protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) as a perphenazine target. T-ALL cell lines treated with perphenazine exhibited rapid dephosphorylation of multiple PP2A substrates and subsequent apoptosis. Moreover, shRNA knockdown of specific PP2A subunits attenuated perphenazine activity, indicating that PP2A mediates the drug's antileukemic activity. Finally, human T-ALLs treated with perphenazine exhibited suppressed cell growth and dephosphorylation of PP2A targets in vitro and in vivo. Our findings provide a mechanistic explanation for the recurring identification of phenothiazines as a class of drugs with anticancer effects. Furthermore, these data suggest that pharmacologic PP2A activation in T-ALL and other cancers driven by hyperphosphorylated PP2A substrates has therapeutic potential.

BackgroundNormal tissue homeostasis is maintained by dynamic interactions between epithelial cells and their microenvironment. Disrupting this homeostasis can induce aberrant cell proliferation, adhesion, function and migration that might promote malignant behavior. Indeed, aberrant stromal-epithelial interactions contribute to pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) spread and metastasis, and this raises the possibility that novel stroma-targeted therapies represent additional approaches for combating this malignant disease. The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of human stromal cells derived from adipose tissue (ADSC) on pancreatic tumor cell proliferation.Principal FindingsCo-culturing pancreatic tumor cells with ADSC and ADSC-conditioned medium sampled from different donors inhibited cancer cell viability and proliferation. ADSC-mediated inhibitory effect was further extended to other epithelial cancer-derived cell lines (liver, colon, prostate). ADSC conditioned medium induced cancer cell necrosis following G1-phase arrest, without evidence of apoptosis. In vivo, a single intra-tumoral injection of ADSC in a model of pancreatic adenocarcinoma induced a strong and long-lasting inhibition of tumor growth.ConclusionThese data indicate that ADSC strongly inhibit PDAC proliferation, both in vitro and in vivo and induce tumor cell death by altering cell cycle progression. Therefore, ADSC may constitute a potential cell-based therapeutic alternative for the treatment of PDAC for which no effective cure is available.

A CBFA2T3-GLIS2 fusion gene was identified in 31% of non–Down syndrome AMKL.

White adipose tissue (WAT) is a heterogeneous tissue, found in various locations throughout the body, containing mature adipocytes and the stroma‐vascular fraction (SVF). The SVF includes a large proportion of immune hematopoietic cells, among which, mast cells that contribute to diet‐induced obesity. In this study, we asked whether mast cells present in mice adipose tissue could derive from hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC) identified in the tissue. We therefore performed both in vitro and in vivo experiments dedicated to monitoring the progeny of WAT‐derived HSPC. The entire study was conducted in parallel with bone marrow‐derived cells, considered the gold standard for hematopoietic‐lineage studies. Here, we demonstrate that adipose‐derived HSPC contain a precursor‐cell population committed to the mast cell lineage, and able to efficiently home to peripheral organs such as intestine and skin, where it acquires properties of functional tissue mast cells. Additionally, WAT contains a significant mast cell progenitor population, suggesting that the entire mast cell lineage process take place in WAT. Considering the quantitative importance of WAT in the adult organism and the increasing roles recently assigned to mast cells in physiopathology, WAT may represent an important source of mast cells in physiological and pathological situations. STEM CELLS 2010;28:2065–2072

Despite their initial efficient response to induction chemotherapy, relapse remains frequent in patients with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), an aggressive malignancy of immature T-cell progenitors. We previously reported sustained calcineurin (Cn) activation in human lymphoid malignancies, and showed that Cn inhibitors have antileukemic effects in mouse models of T-ALL. It was unclear, however, from these studies whether these effects resulted from Cn inhibition in leukemic cells themselves or were an indirect consequence of impaired Cn function in the supportive tumor microenvironment. We thus generated a Notch (intracellular Notch 1, ICN1)-induced T-ALL mouse model, in which conditional Cn genetic deletion is restricted to leukemic cells. Ex vivo, Cn deletion altered the adhesive interactions between leukemic cells and their supportive stroma, leukemic cell survival, proliferation, migration and clonogenic potential. In vivo, Cn activation was found to be critical for leukemia initiating/propagating cell activity as demonstrated by the failure of Cn-deficient leukemic cells to transplant the disease to syngeneic recipient mice. Importantly, combination of vincristine treatment with Cre-mediated Cn ablation cooperated to induce long-term remission of ICN1-induced T-ALL. These findings indicate that Cn is a promising target in T-ALL relapse prevention, and call for clinical trials incorporating Cn inhibitors during consolidation therapy.

Leukemia-initiating/repopulating cells (LICs), also named leukemic stem cells, are responsible for propagating human acute leukemia. Although they have been characterized in various leukemias, their role in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is unclear. To identify and characterize LICs in T-ALL (T-LIC), we fractionated peripheral blood cell populations from patient samples by flow cytometry into three cell fractions by using two markers: CD34 (a marker of immature cells and LICs) and CD7 (a marker of early T-cell differentiation). We tested these populations in both in vitro culture assays and in vivo for growth and leukemia development in immune-deficient mice. We found LIC activity in CD7 þ cells only as CD34 þ CD7 À cells contained normal human progenitors and hematopoietic stem cells that differentiated into T, B lymphoid and myeloid cells. In contrast, CD34 þ CD7 þ cells were enriched in LICs, when compared with CD34þ cells also proliferated more upon NOTCH activation than CD34 À CD7 þ cells and were sensitive to dexamethasone and NOTCH inhibitors. These data show that CD34 and CD7 expression in human T-ALL samples help in discriminating heterogeneous cell populations endowed with different LIC activity, proliferation capacity and responses to drugs.

Treatment of cancer using radiation can be significantly compromised by the development of severe acute and late damage to normal tissue. Treatments that either reduce the risk and severity of damage or that facilitate the healing of radiation injuries are being developed, including autologous adipose tissue grafts to repair tissue defects or involutional disorders that result from tumor resection. Adipose tissue is specialized in energy storage and contains different cell types, including preadipocytes, which could be used for autologous transplantation. It has long been considered a poorly proliferative connective tissue; however, the acute effects of ionizing radiation on adipose tissue have not been investigated. Therefore, the aim of this study was to characterize the alterations induced in adipose tissue by total body irradiation. A severe decrease in proliferating cells, as well as a significant increase in apoptotic cells, was observed in vivo in inguinal fat pads following irradiation. Additionally, irradiation altered the hematopoietic population. Decreases in the proliferation and differentiation capacities of non-hematopoietic progenitors were also observed following irradiation. Together, these data demonstrate that subcutaneous adipose tissue is very sensitive to irradiation, leading to a profound alteration of its developmental potential. This damage could also alter the reconstructive properties of adipose tissue and , therefore , calls into question its use in autologous fat transfer following radiotherapy.