In patients non-proliferative disseminated tumour cells (DTCs) can persist in the bone marrow (BM) while other organs (i.e. lung) present growing metastasis. This suggested that the BM might be a metastasis “restrictive soil” by encoding dormancy-inducing cues in DTCs. Here we show in a HNSCC model that strong and specific TGFβ2 signalling in the BM activates p38α/β, inducing a [ERK/p38]low signalling ratio. This results in induction of DEC2/SHARP1 and p27, downregulation of CDK4 and dormancy of malignant DTCs. TGFβ2-induced dormancy required TGFβ-receptor-I, TGFβ-receptor-III and SMAD1/5 activation to induce p27. In lungs, a metastasis “permissive soil” with low TGFβ2 levels, DTC dormancy was short lived and followed by metastatic growth. Importantly, systemic inhibition of TGFβ-receptor-I or p38α/β activities awakened dormant DTCs fueling multi-organ metastasis. Our work reveals a “seed and soil” mechanism where TGFβ2 and TGFβRIII signalling through p38α/β regulates DTC dormancy and defines restrictive (BM) and -permissive (lung) microenvironments for HNSCC metastasis.

The ability of human gd T cells from healthy donors to kill pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) in vitro and in vivo in immunocompromised mice requires the addition of gd T-cell-stimulating antigens. In this study, we demonstrate that gd T cells isolated from patients with PDAC tumor infiltrates lyse pancreatic tumor cells after selective stimulation with phosphorylated antigens. We determined the absolute numbers of gd T-cell subsets in patient whole blood and applied a real-time cell analyzer to measure their cytotoxic effector function over prolonged time periods. Because phosphorylated antigens did not optimally enhance gd T-cell cytotoxicity, we designed bispecific antibodies that bind CD3 or Vg9 on gd T cells and Her2/neu (ERBB2) expressed by pancreatic tumor cells. Both antibodies enhanced gd T-cell cytotoxicity with the Her2/Vg9 antibody also selectively enhancing release of granzyme B and perforin. Supporting these observations, adoptive transfer of gd T cells with the Her2/Vg9 antibody reduced growth of pancreatic tumors grafted into SCID-Beige immunocompromised mice. Taken together, our results show how bispecific antibodies that selectively recruit gd T cells to tumor antigens expressed by cancer cells illustrate the tractable use of endogenous gd T cells for immunotherapy.

Key Points• Mer mediates quiescence and chemotherapy resistance in a CNS coculture model and causes CNS infiltration in immunodeficient mice.• Mer expression correlates with CNS positivity upon initial diagnosis in t(1;19)-positive pediatric ALL patients.Patients with t(1;19)-positive acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) are prone to central nervous system (CNS) relapses, and expression of the TAM (Tyro3, Axl, and Mer) receptor Mer is upregulated in these leukemias. We examined the functional role of Mer in the CNS in preclinical models and performed correlative studies in 64 t(1;19)-positive and 93 control pediatric ALL patients. ALL cells were analyzed in coculture with human glioma cells and normal rat astrocytes: CNS coculture caused quiescence and protection from methotrexate toxicity in Mer high ALL cell lines, which was antagonized by short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown of Mer. Mer expression was upregulated, prosurvival Akt and mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling were activated, and secretion of the Mer ligand Galectin-3 was stimulated. Mer high t(1;19) primary cells caused CNS involvement to a larger extent in murine xenografts than in their Mer low counterparts.Leukemic cells from Mer high xenografts showed enhanced survival in coculture.Treatment of Mer high patient cells with the Mer-specific inhibitor UNC-569 in vivo delayed leukemia onset, reduced CNS infiltration, and prolonged survival of mice. Finally, a correlation between high Mer expression and CNS positivity upon initial diagnosis was observed in t(1;19) patients. Our data provide evidence that Mer is associated with survival in the CNS in t(1;19)-positive ALL, suggesting a role as a diagnostic marker and therapeutic target. (Blood. 2015;125(5):820-830) Introduction TAM (Tyro3, Axl, and Mer) receptors have been advocated as therapeutic targets in human cancers including leukemia. 1-3 The TAM receptor family consists of Tyro3, Axl, and Mer 4 which all have been found to have transforming properties. [5][6][7] Mer expression has been shown on macrophages, natural killer (NK) cells, dendritic cells, megakaryocytes, and platelets, 8 but it is not known to be present on normal T and B lymphocytes at any stage of differentiation. Aberrant Mer expression was detected in not only acute myeloid leukemia (AML), 9 but also lymphocytic malignancies as T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL).10 Studies overexpressing Mer in fibroblasts found that it can induce extracellular signalregulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK), p38, nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB) and enhance cell survival via phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT. 2,11 Linger et al 12 reported that Mer is overexpressed on pre-B-cell ALL (B-ALL) cells of pediatric patients with t(1;19)(q23;p13) translocation. Furthermore, inhibition of Mer by RNA interference (RNAi) reduced survival and chemoresistance of pre-B-ALL cell lines and prolonged survival of xenografts.12 Pediatric ALL with t(1;19)(q23;p13) translocation is found in about 3% to 5% of ALL patients and has ...

These findings indicate that AS101 may be a promising antitumour drug for CTCL.

P38α/β has been described as a tumor-suppressor controlling cell cycle checkpoints and senescence in epithelial malignancies. However, p38α/β also regulates other cellular processes. Here, we describe a role of p38α/β as a regulator of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) proliferation and survival in experimental ALL models. We also report first evidence that p38α/β phosphorylation is associated with the occurrence of relapses in TEL-AML1-positive leukemia. First, in vitro experiments show that p38α/β signaling is induced in a cyclical manner upon initiation of proliferation and remains activated during log-phase of cell growth. Next, we provide evidence that growth-permissive signals in the bone marrow activate p38α/β in a novel avian ALL model, in which therapeutic targeting can be tested. We further demonstrate that p38α/β inhibition by small molecules can suppress leukemic expansion and prolong survival of mice bearing ALL cell lines and primary cells. Knockdown of p38α strongly delays leukemogenesis in mice xenografted with cell lines. Finally, we show that in xenografted TEL-AML1 patients, ex vivo p38α/β phosphorylation is associated with an inferior long-term relapse-free survival. We propose p38α/β as a mediator of proliferation and survival in ALL and show first preclinical evidence for p38α/β inhibition as an adjunct approach to conventional therapies.