{"title":"Microbial mimics supersize the pathogenic self-response.","authors":"Jesusa Capera, Michael L Dustin","doi":"10.1172/JCI184046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI184046","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microbial mimicry, the process in which a microbial antigen elicits an immune response and breaks tolerance to a structurally related self-antigen, has long been proposed as a mechanism in autoimmunity. In this issue of the JCI, Dolton et al. extend this paradigm by demonstrating that a naturally processed peptide from Klebsiella oxytoca acts as a superagonist for autoreactive T cells in type 1 diabetes (T1D). Reframing microbial mimics as superagonists that are thousands of times better at binding disease-associated autoreactive T cell receptors than self-peptides serves to narrow the search space for relevant sequences in the vast microbial proteome. Moreover, the identified superagonists have implications for the intervention and personalized monitoring of T1D that may carry over to other autoimmune diseases with microbial mimicry.</p>","PeriodicalId":15469,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical Investigation","volume":"134 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11405029/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142288355","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Reversible cold-induced lens opacity in a hibernator reveals a molecular target for treating cataracts.","authors":"Hao Yang, Xiyuan Ping, Jiayue Zhou, Hailaiti Ailifeire, Jing Wu, Francisco M Nadal-Nicolás, Kiyoharu J Miyagishima, Jing Bao, Yuxin Huang, Yilei Cui, Xin Xing, Shiqiang Wang, Ke Yao, Wei Li, Xingchao Shentu","doi":"10.1172/JCI169666","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI169666","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Maintaining protein homeostasis (proteostasis) requires precise control of protein folding and degradation. Failure to properly respond to stresses disrupts proteostasis, which is a hallmark of many diseases, including cataracts. Hibernators are natural cold-stress adaptors; however, little is known about how they keep a balanced proteome under conditions of drastic temperature shift. Intriguingly, we identified a reversible lens opacity phenotype in ground squirrels (GSs) associated with their hibernation-rewarming process. To understand this \"cataract-reversing\" phenomenon, we first established induced lens epithelial cells differentiated from GS-derived induced pluripotent stem cells, which helped us explore the molecular mechanism preventing the accumulation of protein aggregates in GS lenses. We discovered that the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) played a vital role in minimizing the aggregation of the lens protein αA-crystallin (CRYAA) during rewarming. Such function was, for the first time to our knowledge, associated with an E3 ubiquitin ligase, RNF114, which appears to be one of the key mechanisms mediating the turnover and homeostasis of lens proteins. Leveraging this knowledge gained from hibernators, we engineered a deliverable RNF114 complex and successfully reduced lens opacity in rats with cold-induced cataracts and zebrafish with oxidative stress-related cataracts. These data provide new insights into the critical role of the UPS in maintaining proteostasis in cold and possibly other forms of stresses. The newly identified E3 ubiquitin ligase RNF114, related to CRYAA, offers a promising avenue for treating cataracts with protein aggregates.</p>","PeriodicalId":15469,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical Investigation","volume":"134 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11405036/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142288358","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Teatime: epigallocatechin gallate targets fibroblast-epithelial cell crosstalk to combat lung fibrosis.","authors":"Olivier Burgy, Melanie Königshoff","doi":"10.1172/JCI183970","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI183970","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) is a polyphenol plant metabolite abundant in tea that has demonstrated antifibrotic properties in the lung. In this issue of the JCI, Cohen, Brumwell, and colleagues interrogated the mechanistic action of EGCG by investigating lung biopsies of patients with mild interstitial lung disease (ILD) who had undergone EGCG treatment. EGCG targeted the WNT inhibitor SFRP2, which was enriched in fibrotic fibroblasts and acted as a TGF-β target, with paracrine effects leading to pathologic basal metaplasia of alveolar epithelial type 2 cells. This study emphasizes the epithelial-mesenchymal trophic unit as a central signaling hub in lung fibrosis. Understanding and simultaneous targeting of interlinked signaling pathways, such as TGF-β and WNT, paves the road for future treatment options for pulmonary fibrosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":15469,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical Investigation","volume":"134 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11405033/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142288361","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Paul Deschamps, Margaux Wacheux, Axel Gosseye, Margot Morabito, Arnaud Pagès, Anne-Marie Lyne, Alexia Alfaro, Philippe Rameau, Aygun Imanci, Rabie Chelbi, Valentine Marchand, Aline Renneville, Mrinal M Patnaik, Valerie Lapierre, Bouchra Badaoui, Orianne Wagner-Ballon, Céline Berthon, Thorsten Braun, Christophe Willekens, Raphael Itzykson, Pierre Fenaux, Sylvain Thépot, Gabriel Etienne, Emilie Elvira-Matelot, Francoise Porteu, Nathalie Droin, Leïla Perié, Lucie Laplane, Eric Solary, Dorothée Selimoglu-Buet
{"title":"CXCL8 secreted by immature granulocytes inhibits WT hematopoiesis in chronic myelomonocytic leukemia.","authors":"Paul Deschamps, Margaux Wacheux, Axel Gosseye, Margot Morabito, Arnaud Pagès, Anne-Marie Lyne, Alexia Alfaro, Philippe Rameau, Aygun Imanci, Rabie Chelbi, Valentine Marchand, Aline Renneville, Mrinal M Patnaik, Valerie Lapierre, Bouchra Badaoui, Orianne Wagner-Ballon, Céline Berthon, Thorsten Braun, Christophe Willekens, Raphael Itzykson, Pierre Fenaux, Sylvain Thépot, Gabriel Etienne, Emilie Elvira-Matelot, Francoise Porteu, Nathalie Droin, Leïla Perié, Lucie Laplane, Eric Solary, Dorothée Selimoglu-Buet","doi":"10.1172/JCI180738","DOIUrl":"10.1172/JCI180738","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) is a severe myeloid malignancy with limited therapeutic options. Single-cell analysis of clonal architecture demonstrates early clonal dominance with few residual WT hematopoietic stem cells. Circulating myeloid cells of the leukemic clone and the cytokines they produce generate a deleterious inflammatory climate. Our hypothesis is that therapeutic control of the inflammatory component in CMML could contribute to stepping down disease progression. The present study explored the contribution of immature granulocytes (iGRANs) to CMML progression. iGRANs were detected and quantified in the peripheral blood of patients by spectral and conventional flow cytometry. Their accumulation was a potent and independent poor prognostic factor. These cells belong to the leukemic clone and behaved as myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Bulk and single-cell RNA-Seq revealed a proinflammatory status of iGRAN that secreted multiple cytokines of which CXCL8 was at the highest level. This cytokine inhibited the proliferation of WT but not CMML hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) in which CXCL8 receptors were downregulated. CXCL8 receptor inhibitors and CXCL8 blockade restored WT HSPC proliferation, suggesting that relieving CXCL8 selective pressure on WT HSPCs is a potential strategy to slow CMML progression and restore some healthy hematopoiesis.</p>","PeriodicalId":15469,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical Investigation","volume":"134 22","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11563679/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142638904","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Garry Dolton, Anna Bulek, Aaron Wall, Hannah Thomas, Jade R Hopkins, Cristina Rius, Sarah Ae Galloway, Thomas Whalley, Li Rong Tan, Théo Morin, Nader Omidvar, Anna Fuller, Katie Topley, Md Samiul Hasan, Shikha Jain, Nirupa D'Souza, Thomas Hodges-Hoyland, Owen B Spiller, Deborah Kronenberg-Versteeg, Barbara Szomolay, Hugo A van den Berg, Lucy C Jones, Mark Peakman, David K Cole, Pierre J Rizkallah, Andrew K Sewell
{"title":"HLA A*24:02-restricted T cell receptors cross-recognize bacterial and preproinsulin peptides in type 1 diabetes.","authors":"Garry Dolton, Anna Bulek, Aaron Wall, Hannah Thomas, Jade R Hopkins, Cristina Rius, Sarah Ae Galloway, Thomas Whalley, Li Rong Tan, Théo Morin, Nader Omidvar, Anna Fuller, Katie Topley, Md Samiul Hasan, Shikha Jain, Nirupa D'Souza, Thomas Hodges-Hoyland, Owen B Spiller, Deborah Kronenberg-Versteeg, Barbara Szomolay, Hugo A van den Berg, Lucy C Jones, Mark Peakman, David K Cole, Pierre J Rizkallah, Andrew K Sewell","doi":"10.1172/JCI164535","DOIUrl":"10.1172/JCI164535","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>CD8+ T cells destroy insulin-producing pancreatic β cells in type 1 diabetes through HLA class I-restricted presentation of self-antigens. Combinatorial peptide library screening was used to produce a preferred peptide recognition landscape for a patient-derived T cell receptor (TCR) that recognized the preproinsulin-derived (PPI-derived) peptide sequence LWMRLLPLL in the context of disease risk allele HLA A*24:02. Data were used to generate a strong superagonist peptide, enabling production of an autoimmune HLA A*24:02-peptide-TCR structure by crystal seeding. TCR binding to the PPI epitope was strongly focused on peptide residues Arg4 and Leu5, with more flexibility at other positions, allowing the TCR to strongly engage many peptides derived from pathogenic bacteria. We confirmed an epitope from Klebsiella that was recognized by PPI-reactive T cells from 3 of 3 HLA A*24:02+ patients. Remarkably, the same epitope selected T cells from 7 of 8 HLA A*24+ healthy donors that cross-reacted with PPI, leading to recognition and killing of HLA A*24:02+ cells expressing PPI. These data provide a mechanism by which molecular mimicry between pathogen and self-antigens could have resulted in the breaking of self-tolerance to initiate disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":15469,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical Investigation","volume":"134 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11405051/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142288353","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Konrad Hoeft, Lars Koch, Susanne Ziegler, Ling Zhang, Steffen Luetke, Maria C Tanzer, Debashish Mohanta, David Schumacher, Felix Schreibing, Qingqing Long, Hyojin Kim, Barbara M Klinkhammer, Carla Schikarski, Sidrah Maryam, Mathijs Baens, Juliane Hermann, Sarah Krieg, Fabian Peisker, Laura De Laporte, Gideon Jl Schaefer, Sylvia Menzel, Joachim Jankowski, Benjamin D Humphreys, Adam Wahida, Rebekka K Schneider, Matthias Versele, Peter Boor, Matthias Mann, Gerhard Sengle, Sikander Hayat, Rafael Kramann
{"title":"ADAMTS12 promotes fibrosis by restructuring extracellular matrix to enable activation of injury-responsive fibroblasts.","authors":"Konrad Hoeft, Lars Koch, Susanne Ziegler, Ling Zhang, Steffen Luetke, Maria C Tanzer, Debashish Mohanta, David Schumacher, Felix Schreibing, Qingqing Long, Hyojin Kim, Barbara M Klinkhammer, Carla Schikarski, Sidrah Maryam, Mathijs Baens, Juliane Hermann, Sarah Krieg, Fabian Peisker, Laura De Laporte, Gideon Jl Schaefer, Sylvia Menzel, Joachim Jankowski, Benjamin D Humphreys, Adam Wahida, Rebekka K Schneider, Matthias Versele, Peter Boor, Matthias Mann, Gerhard Sengle, Sikander Hayat, Rafael Kramann","doi":"10.1172/JCI170246","DOIUrl":"10.1172/JCI170246","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fibrosis represents the uncontrolled replacement of parenchymal tissue with extracellular matrix (ECM) produced by myofibroblasts. While genetic fate-tracing and single-cell RNA-Seq technologies have helped elucidate fibroblast heterogeneity and ontogeny beyond fibroblast to myofibroblast differentiation, newly identified fibroblast populations remain ill defined, with respect to both the molecular cues driving their differentiation and their subsequent role in fibrosis. Using an unbiased approach, we identified the metalloprotease ADAMTS12 as a fibroblast-specific gene that is strongly upregulated during active fibrogenesis in humans and mice. Functional in vivo KO studies in mice confirmed that Adamts12 was critical during fibrogenesis in both heart and kidney. Mechanistically, using a combination of spatial transcriptomics and expression of catalytically active or inactive ADAMTS12, we demonstrated that the active protease of ADAMTS12 shaped ECM composition and cleaved hemicentin 1 (HMCN1) to enable the activation and migration of a distinct injury-responsive fibroblast subset defined by aberrant high JAK/STAT signaling.</p>","PeriodicalId":15469,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical Investigation","volume":"134 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11405035/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142288340","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nima Sharifi, Robert Diaz, Hui-Ming Lin, Evan Roberts, Lisa G Horvath, Andrew Martin, Martin R Stockler, Sonia Yip, Vinod V Subhash, Neil Portman, Ian D Davis, Christopher J Sweeney
{"title":"Survival of men with metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer and adrenal-permissive HSD3B1 inheritance.","authors":"Nima Sharifi, Robert Diaz, Hui-Ming Lin, Evan Roberts, Lisa G Horvath, Andrew Martin, Martin R Stockler, Sonia Yip, Vinod V Subhash, Neil Portman, Ian D Davis, Christopher J Sweeney","doi":"10.1172/JCI183583","DOIUrl":"10.1172/JCI183583","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>BACKGROUNDMetastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) is androgen dependent, and its treatment includes androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) with gonadal testosterone suppression. Since 2014, overall survival (OS) has been prolonged with addition of other systemic therapies, such as adrenal androgen synthesis blockers, potent androgen receptor blockers, or docetaxel, to ADT. HSD3B1 encodes the rate-limiting enzyme for nongonadal androgen synthesis, 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-1, and has a common adrenal-permissive missense-encoding variant that confers increased synthesis of potent androgens from nongonadal precursor steroids and poorer prostate cancer outcomes.METHODSOur prespecified hypothesis was that poor outcome associated with inheritance of the adrenal-permissive HSD3B1 allele with ADT alone is reversed in patients with low-volume (LV) mHSPC with up-front ADT plus addition of androgen receptor (AR) antagonists to inhibit the effect of adrenal androgens. HSD3B1 genotype was obtained in 287 patients with LV disease treated with ADT + AR antagonist only in the phase III Enzalutamide in First Line Androgen Deprivation Therapy for Metastatic Prostate Cancer (ENZAMET) trial and was associated with clinical outcomes.RESULTSPatients who inherited the adrenal-permissive HSD3B1 allele had more favorable 5-year clinical progression-free survival and OS when treated with ADT plus enzalutamide or ADT plus nonsteroidal antiandrogen compared with their counterparts who did not have adrenal-permissive HSD3B1 inheritance. HSD3B1 was also associated with OS after accounting for known clinical variables. Patients with both genotypes benefited from early enzalutamide.CONCLUSIONThese data demonstrated an inherited physiologic driver of prostate cancer mortality is associated with clinical outcomes and is potentially pharmacologically reversible.FUNDINGNational Cancer Institute, NIH; Department of Defense; Prostate Cancer Foundation, Australian National Health and Medical Research Council.</p>","PeriodicalId":15469,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical Investigation","volume":"134 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11405037/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142288360","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The impact of sex on HIV immunopathogenesis and therapeutic interventions.","authors":"Erin Mihealsick, Anna Word, Eileen P Scully","doi":"10.1172/JCI180075","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI180075","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Globally, the majority of people living with HIV are women or girls, but they have been a minority of participants in clinical trials and observational studies of HIV. Despite this underrepresentation, differences in the pathogenesis of HIV have been observed between men and women, with contributions from both gender- and sex-based factors. These include differences in the risk of HIV acquisition, in viral load set point and immune activation in responses to viremia, and differences in HIV reservoir maintenance. These differences obligate adequate study in both males and females in order to optimize treatments, but also provide a powerful leverage point for delineating the mechanisms of HIV pathogenesis. The shifts in exposure to sex steroid hormones across a lifespan introduce additional complexity, which again can be used to focus on either genetic or hormonal influences as the driver of an outcome. In this Review, we discuss consistent and reproducible differences by sex across the spectrum of HIV, from acquisition through pathogenesis, treatment, and cure, and explore potential mechanisms and gaps in knowledge.</p>","PeriodicalId":15469,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical Investigation","volume":"134 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11405047/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142288362","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"UnTWISTing intestinal fibrosis: single-cell transcriptomics deciphers fibroblast heterogeneity, uncovers molecular pathways, and identifies therapeutic targets.","authors":"Giovanni Santacroce, Antonio Di Sabatino","doi":"10.1172/JCI184112","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI184112","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Intestinal fibrosis is a severe complication of Crohn's disease, often requiring surgical intervention. Despite extensive research efforts, an effective treatment to prevent or reverse intestinal fibrosis remains elusive. In this issue of the JCI, Zhang, Wang, and colleagues employed single-cell RNA sequencing to uncover mechanisms of the fibrotic process. They identified a key fibroblast subset of TWIST1+FAP+ cells that interacts with CXCL9+ macrophages. TWIST1 emerged as a central regulator of the fibrotic microenvironment, representing a promising therapeutic target for effectively treating intestinal fibrosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":15469,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical Investigation","volume":"134 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11405030/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142288363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Daniel Westaby, Juan M Jiménez-Vacas, Ines Figueiredo, Jan Rekowski, Claire Pettinger, Bora Gurel, Arian Lundberg, Denisa Bogdan, Lorenzo Buroni, Antje Neeb, Ana Padilha, Joe Taylor, Wanting Zeng, Souvik Das, Emily Hobern, Ruth Riisnaes, Mateus Crespo, Susana Miranda, Ana Ferreira, Brian P Hanratty, Daniel Nava Rodrigues, Claudia Bertan, George Seed, Maria de Los Dolores Fenor de La Maza, Christina Guo, Juliet Carmichael, Rafael Grochot, Khobe Chandran, Anastasia Stavridi, Andreas Varkaris, Nataly Stylianou, Brett G Hollier, Nina Tunariu, Steven P Balk, Suzanne Carreira, Wei Yuan, Peter S Nelson, Eva Corey, Michael Haffner, Johann de Bono, Adam Sharp
{"title":"BCL2 expression is enriched in advanced prostate cancer with features of lineage plasticity.","authors":"Daniel Westaby, Juan M Jiménez-Vacas, Ines Figueiredo, Jan Rekowski, Claire Pettinger, Bora Gurel, Arian Lundberg, Denisa Bogdan, Lorenzo Buroni, Antje Neeb, Ana Padilha, Joe Taylor, Wanting Zeng, Souvik Das, Emily Hobern, Ruth Riisnaes, Mateus Crespo, Susana Miranda, Ana Ferreira, Brian P Hanratty, Daniel Nava Rodrigues, Claudia Bertan, George Seed, Maria de Los Dolores Fenor de La Maza, Christina Guo, Juliet Carmichael, Rafael Grochot, Khobe Chandran, Anastasia Stavridi, Andreas Varkaris, Nataly Stylianou, Brett G Hollier, Nina Tunariu, Steven P Balk, Suzanne Carreira, Wei Yuan, Peter S Nelson, Eva Corey, Michael Haffner, Johann de Bono, Adam Sharp","doi":"10.1172/JCI179998","DOIUrl":"10.1172/JCI179998","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The widespread use of potent androgen receptor signaling inhibitors (ARSIs) has led to an increasing emergence of AR-independent castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), typically driven by loss of AR expression, lineage plasticity, and transformation to prostate cancers (PCs) that exhibit phenotypes of neuroendocrine or basal-like cells. The anti-apoptotic protein BCL2 is upregulated in neuroendocrine cancers and may be a therapeutic target for this aggressive PC disease subset. There is an unmet clinical need, therefore, to clinically characterize BCL2 expression in metastatic CRPC (mCRPC), determine its association with AR expression, uncover its mechanisms of regulation, and evaluate BCL2 as a therapeutic target and/or biomarker with clinical utility. Here, using multiple PC biopsy cohorts and models, we demonstrate that BCL2 expression is enriched in AR-negative mCRPC, associating with shorter overall survival and resistance to ARSIs. Moreover, high BCL2 expression associates with lineage plasticity features and neuroendocrine marker positivity. We provide evidence that BCL2 expression is regulated by DNA methylation, associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transition, and increased by the neuronal transcription factor ASCL1. Finally, BCL2 inhibition had antitumor activity in some, but not all, BCL2-positive PC models, highlighting the need for combination strategies to enhance tumor cell apoptosis and enrich response.</p>","PeriodicalId":15469,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Clinical Investigation","volume":"134 18","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":13.3,"publicationDate":"2024-09-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11405043/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142288341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}