ALBERT

Description: Abstract 718 Introduction: The presence of donor white blood cells (WBC) in transfused blood products can induce alloimmunization, and reducing or eliminating this response may prove to be of clinical benefit. The use of a pathogen reduction method based on UV light illumination in the presence of riboflavin has been shown to induce changes in WBCs that result in a failure to bind to, or induce proliferation of allogeneic PBMCs in vitro. In addition, a study in rats has shown a reduction in alloimmunization in vivo using this treatment. Transfusion of cells illuminated with UV light at other doses without riboflavin has been shown to induce some degree of tolerance with a reduced antibody response to subsequent allogeneic transfusions. We sought to assess both the degree of alloimmunization in mice given pathogen reduced versus untreated allogeneic platelets, as well as determine if cells from mice given pathogen reduced platelets exhibited signs of tolerance ex vivo. Methods: Peripheral blood was collected from C57Bl/6 and Balb/cJ mice into CPDA-1, and platelet rich plasma (PRP) was prepared by gentle centrifugation. WBCs were isolated from the remainder of the blood and were added back to a portion of the PRP to generate either WBC-enriched or WBC-poor PRP. These products were either left untreated or pathogen reduced using the Mirasol pathogen reduction technology system, which uses a combination of riboflavin and UV illumination. These products were transfused via tail vein injection into Balb/cJ mice. Two weeks after transfusion the treated mice were sacrificed, and peripheral blood and spleens were collected. Serum levels of circulating alloantibodies were measured by flow cytometry. Splenocytes were cultured for 48 hours in the presence or absence of C57Bl/6 splenocytes, and levels of secreted cytokines were measured in culture supernatants using multiplexing techniques. Groups were compared using one-way ANOVA with Tukey's multiple comparison post-test, α=0.05. Results: Mice given allogeneic PRP transfusions had significantly elevated levels of alloantibodies compared with non-transfused control mice, whereas mice given syngeneic PRP or pathogen reduced PRP did not. Mice given either the WBC-enriched PRP or WBC-poor PRP generated alloantibodies, though higher levels of antibodies were observed with WBC-enriched PRP. Levels of IFN-γ, TNF-α, IL-10 and GM-CSF were significantly higher following secondary allogeneic challenge of cells from mice given untreated allogeneic PRP compared with those given no transfusion or syngeneic PRP, but not with those given pathogen reduced PRP. Levels of IL-1β, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, IL-12(p70), and IL-13 were significantly reduced following secondary allogeneic challenge of cells from mice given pathogen reduced allogeneic PRP compared with those given no transfusion or syngeneic PRP. Conclusions: Treatment of allogeneic PRP with riboflavin and UV light prior to transfusion blocks alloimmunization in mice. Furthermore, secondary cytokine responses to allogeneic cells ex vivo are reduced, in some cases bellow the levels observed in cells from mice without prior exposure, suggesting induction of tolerance. Disclosures: Marschner: CaridianBCT Biotechnologies: Employment. Goodrich:CaridianBCT Biotechnologies: Employment. Norris:CaridianBCT Biotechnologies: Consultancy, Research Funding.

Description: Abstract 2498 Diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) account for approximately 40% of lymphomas in adults, with the activated B-cell lymphoma (ABC) subtype being the least curable. ABC lymphoma cells display the phenotype of activated B-cells, which is induced by constitutive activation of the transcription factor Nuclear Factor-kappa B (NF-κB). NF-κB activation in ABC lymphoma can result from several different mutations or abnormal expression of proteins upstream of NF-κB nuclear translocation. No matter the mechanism of NF-κB constitutive activation, the resulting gene expression pattern confers an anti-apoptotic and pro-survival advantage to B-cells, hence driving the oncogenesis and supporting the survival of ABC lymphomas. Therefore, inhibiting NF-κB activity is an attractive strategy for the treatment of ABC lymphomas. Using a cell line with a reporter for NF-κB transcriptional activity in a high throughput screen of 180,000 compounds we discovered 12 compounds that inhibited NF-κB activation, suggesting these compounds negatively regulate NF-κB. Since ABC lines are generally more dependent on NF-κB signalling for cell survival than are the other types of B-cell lymphoma, the hits from the primary screen were tested in a secondary screen for the ability to selectively inhibit the growth of ABC lymphoma cells. Of the 12 hits, two compounds belonging to the same quinolone chemotype were found to selectively inhibit the growth of an ABC line compared to a non-ABC line and normal human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Three more structurally related quinolones were obtained to investigate a possible limited structure activity relationship for this class of molecules, designated here as Quinolone Inhibitors of NF-κB (QINs). QIN 1 was significantly more potent (Figure A and B) and selective (Figure B and C) relative to other QINs. The limited structure activity relationship suggests that two structural regions of the chemotype may be important for potency and for ABC selectivity, hence providing impetus to further investigate QINs as possible ABC lymphoma drugs. QIN1 is more potent in inhibiting the growth of ABC lines than a known inhibitor of NF-κB activity, a commercially available selective IKK inhibitor (CAS 507475-17-4). Active IKK causes degradation of IκBα, the natural inhibitor of NF-κB, hence IKK inhibitors prevent NF-κB activation by preventing degradation of IκBα. In addition to being more potent, QIN1 retains similar ABC selectivity as the IKK inhibitor (Figure C). QIN1 and the IKK inhibitor both cause apoptosis at a similar rate and both cause G1 arrest in ABC lines at equi-toxic concentrations, initially suggesting similar mechanisms of action. Subsequently, QIN1was found to inhibit NF-κB in several different assays using the IKK inhibitor as a positive control. First, QIN1 inhibited the activation of a transcription based NF-κB reporter cell line in response to LPS, an NF-κB activator. Supporting these results, QIN1 inhibited cytokine release from human PBMCs stimulated with LPS. In addition, QIN1 prevented degradation of IκBα in response to NF-κB activating stimuli, further demonstrating the ability of QIN1 to inhibit NF-κB activity. Finally, QIN1 inhibited nuclear translocation of active NF-κB, thus preventing pro-survival gene expression. The QINs studied here all contain an alpha-beta unsaturated ketone, an electrophilic chemical moiety known to interact with cysteine thiols. Compounds containing similar electrophilic groups are known to bind a cysteine thiol in IKK, preventing its activity and hence inhibiting NF-κB activation. This suggests that this electrophilic moiety in QINs maybe responsible for the NF-κB inhibition observed in these cell lines. The presence of this electrophilic group is not necessarily detrimental to normal cells as we have shown with QIN1 in vitro (Figure A-C) and in vivo (large daily doses of QIN1 cause no observable toxicities in mice). Overall, our data indicate QIN1 inhibits IKK, a kinase immediately upstream of NF-κB nuclear translocation, allowing the majority of ABC lymphomas to be treated irrespective of the upstream mechanism of pathway activation. The selectivity for inhibition of ABC lymphoma cells by QIN1 and our in vitro data showing synergy with an inhibitor of B-cell receptor signalling, which also promotes ABC survival, provides the impetus for further preclinical development of QINs. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Description: Abstract 3867 Introduction: Despite their mature appearance, the B cells from chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) possess immature characteristics both functionally and biochemically. CLL B cells display known biochemical markers characteristic of cells early in the blood lineage, including ROR1, Wnt16, and LEF1. In addition, CLL B cells have higher levels of Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) and of the oxidant-induced transcription factor Nrf2 [NFE2L2], compared to normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). Intracellular ROS status has been suggested to be a marker of cancer stem/progenitor cells possibly due to their high expression of oncogenes. Downstream targets of Nrf2 include the Aldehyde dehydrogenase [ALDH] enzymes, which are believed to play a crucial role in stem cell biology because they protect the cells against oxidative stress caused by accumulation of aldehydes. Here, we use ALDH activity to visualize populations of CLL B cells that may have stem/progenitor properties. Materials and Methods: Isolated PBMC from normal donors and CLL patients with aggressive and indolent disease were stained for ALDH activity with an Aldefluor assay kit (StemCell Technologies). The ALDH inhibitor, diethylaminobenzaldehyde (DEAB), was used to confirm that the fluorescent activity was due to ALDH activity. At the end of the Aldefluor assay, the cells were stained for cell surface markers, CD19, CD5, CD38 and CD34. 50,000 total events were collected for FACS analysis. Normalized Mean Fluorescence Intensity (MFI) values were calculated by dividing each MFI value to average MFI value of normal CD19+ cells for each experiment. Data analyses were performed by FlowJo software and Prizm. P-values were calculated by One-Way ANOVA analysis with Post-Bonferroni's multiple comparison test. Results: We examine the level of ALDH expression and activity in CD19+ cells of healthy donors (n = 9), CLL samples that expressed unmutated IgVH and that were ZAP-70 positive (defined as “aggressive”, n = 14) or samples that expressed mutated IgVH and were ZAP-70 negative (defined as “indolent”, n=12). CLL B cells from patients with aggressive disease had significantly higher ALDH activities compared to normal B cells (p 〈 0.001) and indolent CLL B cells (p 〈 0.05) (Figure1). Indolent CLL B cells also have higher level of ALDH activities compared to normal B cells (p 〈 0.01) (Figure1). Treatment with the ALDH inhibitor, DEAB, suppressed the increased fluorescence observed in CLL B cells. In addition, ALDH high CLL B cells are CD34 negative. These data show that CLL B cells express a marker known to be associated with stem/progenitor cells, but these populations are different from CD34 positive hematopoietic stem cells. In addition, our data show that a stem/progenitor cell marker is associated with the pathogenesis of CLL. Disclosures: Kipps: Igenica: Equity Ownership, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Celgene: Consultancy, Research Funding; Abbot Industries: Research Funding; Pharmacyclics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Genentech: Research Funding; GSK: Research Funding; Gilead Sciences: Consultancy, Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding.

Description: Abstract 1786 The Wnt/beta-catenin pathway is highly active in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and confers an anti-apoptotic effect in vitro and possibly also in vivo. As such, inhibition of this pathway represents a potential therapeutic target. Here we report preclinical studies using agelastatin A (AgA), a naturally occurring alkaloid extracted from the marine sponges Agelas dendromorpha and Cymbastella sp. We tested AgA using SW480 cells transfected with a beta-catenin dependent reporter gene expression system. Using this assay, we found that AgA is a potent Wnt signaling inhibitor with IC50 of 12nM. AgA also inhibits the expression of reporter genes in HEK293 cells cotransfected with either Wnt1 or mutated (dominant-active) beta-catenin, suggesting that its mechanism of action is independent of the beta-catenin degradation complex. Moreover, real time-PCR results show that Lef1, a classic Wnt/beta-catenin target gene highly expressed in CLL, is down-regulated in primary CLL cells incubated with AgA at nanomolar concentrations. AgA, but not structurally related compounds agelastatin C and agelastatin D, selectively induces apoptosis in CLL B-cells (mean IC50 = 56nM) compared with peripheral blood mononuclear cells from healthy volunteers (mean IC50 = 250nM). Interestingly, AgA induces apoptosis at nanomolar concentrations even in samples from CLL patients who had no clinical response to fludarabine, samples with 17p deletion or TP53 gene mutations, and samples in which p53 deficiency was determined by in vitro chemoresistance and absence of inducible p21, CD95, and DR5 after irradiation (Figure 1). In addition, AgA induces apoptosis on CLL cells that are maintained in co-culture conditions with stromal cells, which typically increases leukemia cell viability. This suggests that AgA is capable of disrupting pro-survival signals derived from the microenvironment, including Wnt mediated activation. In conclusion, AgA has potent activity against CLL cells in vitro. Our studies show that AgA inhibits Wnt/beta-catenin signaling at nanomolar concentrations, induces apoptosis in CLL cells independently of p53, and is able to disrupt pro-survival signaling derived from stromal cell support. AgA warrants further studies and clinical development for the treatment of CLL and potentially other malignancies associated with Wnt/beta-catenin signaling. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Description: The interleukin (IL)–22R1 chain of the heterodimeric IL-22 receptor is not expressed on normal leukocytes, but this receptor is expressed on T cells from anaplastic lymphoma kinase–positive (ALK+) anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL) patients. To investigate the consequences of aberrant expression of this receptor on lymphocytes, we generated transgenic mice that express IL-22R1 on lymphocytes. The health of these animals progressively deteriorated at 8 to 12 weeks of age, as they displayed respiratory distress, rough coat and sluggish movement, and subsequent lethality due to multiorgan inflammation. The IL-22R1 transgenic animals developed neutrophilia that correlated with increased levels of circulating IL-17 and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. In addition, these mice had increased serum IL-22 levels, suggesting that T cells expressing IL-22R1 generate IL-22 in a positive autoregulatory loop. As a result of the mouse model findings, we analyzed circulating cytokine levels in ALK+ALCL patients and detected elevated levels of IL-22, IL-17, and IL-8 in untreated patient samples. Importantly, IL-22 and IL-17 were undetectable in all patients who were in complete remission after chemotherapy. This study documents a previously unknown role of IL-22R1 in inflammation and identifies the involvement of IL-22R1/IL-22 in ALK+ALCL.