Christine Karlsson

RNAi screen identifies MAPK14 as a druggable suppressor of human hematopoietic stem cell expansion

We report on a forward RNAi screen in primary human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, using pooled lentiviral shRNA libraries deconvoluted by next generation sequencing. We identify MAPK14/p38α as a modulator of ex vivo stem cell proliferation and show that pharmacologic inhibition of p38 dramatically enhances the stem cell activity of cultured umbilical cord blood derived hematopoietic cells. p38 inhibitors should thus be considered in strategies aiming at expanding stem cells for clinical benefit.

Antibodies targeting human IL1RAP (IL1R3) show therapeutic effects in xenograft models of acute myeloid leukemia

Significance Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a hematologic malignancy with poor survival. Current treatment with chemotherapy does not target the leukemic cells specifically and is associated with severe side effects. Here we demonstrate that antibodies directed at the cell surface molecule IL-1 receptor accessory protein (IL1RAP), expressed on immature AML cells, show strong antileukemic effects in mice transplanted with human AML cells and that the mechanism behind the cell killing is through recruitment of effector cells. Using antibodies against IL1RAP also capable of blocking IL-1 signaling, we show that the proliferation of human AML cells can be inhibited, providing a second mode of action of IL1RAP antibodies. These results provide critical evidence in support of a rapid clinical development of an antibody-based anti-IL1RAP therapy in AML. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is associated with a poor survival rate, and there is an urgent need for novel and more efficient therapies, ideally targeting AML stem cells that are essential for maintaining the disease. The interleukin 1 receptor accessory protein (IL1RAP; IL1R3) is expressed on candidate leukemic stem cells in the majority of AML patients, but not on normal hematopoietic stem cells. We show here that monoclonal antibodies targeting IL1RAP have strong antileukemic effects in xenograft models of human AML. We demonstrate that effector-cell–mediated killing is essential for the observed therapeutic effects and that natural killer cells constitute a critical human effector cell type. Because IL-1 signaling is important for the growth of AML cells, we generated an IL1RAP-targeting antibody capable of blocking IL-1 signaling and show that this antibody suppresses the proliferation of primary human AML cells. Hence, IL1RAP can be efficiently targeted with an anti-IL1RAP antibody capable of both achieving antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and blocking of IL-1 signaling as modes of action. Collectively, these results provide important evidence in support of IL1RAP as a target for antibody-based treatment of AML.

Forward RNAi screens in primary human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells.

The mechanisms regulating key fate decisions such as self-renewal and differentiation in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) remain poorly understood. We report here a screening strategy developed to assess modulators of human hematopoiesis using a lentiviral short hairpin RNA (shRNA) library transduced into cord blood-derived stem/progenitor cells. To screen for modifiers of self-renewal/differentiation, we used the limited persistence of HSPCs under ex vivo culture conditions as a baseline for functional selection of shRNAs conferring enhanced maintenance or expansion of the stem/progenitor potential. This approach enables complex, pooled screens in large numbers of cells. Functional selection identified novel specific gene targets (exostoses 1) or shRNA constructs capable of altering human hematopoietic progenitor differentiation or stem cell expansion, respectively, thereby demonstrating the potential of this forward screening approach in primary human stem cell populations.

The Tetraspanin CD9 Affords High-Purity Capture of All Murine Hematopoietic Stem Cells

Prospective isolation is critical for understanding the cellular and molecular aspects of stem cell heterogeneity. Here, we identify the cell surface antigen CD9 as a positive marker that provides a simple alternative for hematopoietic stem cell isolation at high purity. Crucially, CD9 affords the capture of all hematopoietic stem cells in murine bone marrow in the absence of contaminating populations that lack authentic stem cell function. Using CD9 as a tool to subdivide hematopoietic stem-cell-containing populations, we provide evidence for heterogeneity at the cellular, functional, and molecular levels.

Single-cell molecular analysis defines therapy response and immunophenotype of stem cell subpopulations in CML.

Understanding leukemia heterogeneity is critical for the development of curative treatments as the failure to eliminate therapy-persistent leukemic stem cells (LSCs) may result in disease relapse. Here we have combined high-throughput immunophenotypic screens with large-scale single-cell gene expression analysis to define the heterogeneity within the LSC population in chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) patients at diagnosis and following conventional tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) treatment. Our results reveal substantial heterogeneity within the putative LSC population in CML at diagnosis and demonstrate differences in response to subsequent TKI treatment between distinct subpopulations. Importantly, LSC subpopulations with myeloid and proliferative molecular signatures are proportionally reduced at a higher extent in response to TKI therapy compared with subfractions displaying primitive and quiescent signatures. Additionally, cell surface expression of the CML stem cell markers CD25, CD26, and IL1RAP is high in all subpopulations at diagnosis but downregulated and unevenly distributed across subpopulations in response to TKI treatment. The most TKI-insensitive cells of the LSC compartment can be captured within the CD45RA- fraction and further defined as positive for CD26 in combination with an aberrant lack of cKIT expression. Together, our results expose a considerable heterogeneity of the CML stem cell population and propose a Lin-CD34+CD38-/lowCD45RA-cKIT-CD26+ population as a potential therapeutic target for improved therapy response.

The Kullaberg peninsula – a glimpse of the Proterozoic evolution of SW Fennoscandia

Abstract The Kullaberg peninsula in NW Skåne renders km-long, continuous exposures of the Proterozoic crystalline basement. We report ion microprobe (SIMS) U–Pb zircon ages for six key lithologies at Kullaberg that constrain the geological history of SW Fennoscandia for a considerable time period. Igneous zircon in three varieties of gneiss granite yield ages of 1694±7 Ma, 1693±7 Ma and 1663±14 Ma, in the same age range as orthogneisses further north in the same crustal segment. Partial melting, manifested by formation of pegmatite dykes and veins, occurred at 1473±6 Ma. Emplacement of mafic dykes, today seen as a large number of north-trending amphibolite sheets across the Kullaberg peninsula, is dated at 961±6 Ma. The dykes, which fall in the same age range as the Blekinge-Dalarna dolerites (978–945 Ma) predate an event of amphibolite facies deformation, which presumably relates to exhumation of the crust following shortly after the Sveconorwegian compressional stage. A pegmatite was emplaced at 934±6 Ma after the crust had been exhumed through the ductile-brittle boundary.

Identification of the chemokine CCL28 as a growth and survival factor for human hematopoietic stem- and progenitor cells.

In an attempt to discover novel growth factors for hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), we have assessed cytokine responses of cord blood (CB)-derived CD34(+) cells in a high-content growth factor screen. We identify the immunoregulatory chemokine (C-C motif) ligand 28 (CCL28) as a novel growth factor that directly stimulates proliferation of primitive hematopoietic cells from different ontogenetic origins. CCL28 enhances the functional progenitor cell content of cultured cells by stimulating cell cycling and induces gene expression changes associated with survival. Importantly, addition of CCL28 to cultures of purified putative hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) significantly increases the ability of the cells to long-term repopulate immunodeficient mice compared with equivalent input numbers of fresh cells. Together, our findings identify CCL28 as a potent growth-promoting factor with the ability to support the in vitro and in vivo functional properties of cultured human hematopoietic cells.

RNA interference screening to detect targetable molecules in hematopoietic stem cells.

Purpose of reviewThe molecular principles regulating hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) remain incompletely defined. In this review, we will discuss how RNA interference (RNAi) screening has emerged as a new and powerful tool to molecularly dissect various functional aspects of both normal and malignant HSCs, and how this may ultimately enable the discovery of novel therapeutic targets for clinical applications. Recent findingsAdvances in RNAi technology and the creation of short hairpin RNA retroviral and lentiviral vector-libraries have provided tools to perform broad forward genetic screens in primary mammalian hematopoietic cells. Recent studies have identified novel fate determinants in murine HSCs as well as potential targets for ex-vivo expansion of human HSCs. RNAi screens have further unraveled tumor suppressor genes associated with hematopoietic neoplasms as well as candidate therapeutic targets in leukemic cells. SummaryRNAi screening is a feasible tool to discover novel molecules that regulate both normal and malignant HSCs, thus increasing our general understanding of the physiology and pathophysiology of hematopoiesis. Moreover, RNAi technology holds great promise for the discovery of specific targets for therapeutic interventions.

Modeling chronic myeloid leukemia in immunodeficient mice reveals expansion of aberrant mast cells and accumulation of pre-B cells

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm that, if not treated, will progress into blast crisis (BC) of either myeloid or B lymphoid phenotype. The BCR-ABL1 fusion gene, encoding a constitutively active tyrosine kinase, is thought to be sufficient to cause chronic phase (CP) CML, whereas additional genetic lesions are needed for progression into CML BC. To generate a humanized CML model, we retrovirally expressed BCR-ABL1 in the cord blood CD34+ cells and transplanted these into NOD-SCID (non-obese diabetic/severe-combined immunodeficient) interleukin-2-receptor γ-deficient mice. In primary mice, BCR-ABL1 expression induced an inflammatory-like state in the bone marrow and spleen, and mast cells were the only myeloid lineage specifically expanded by BCR-ABL1. Upon secondary transplantation, the pronounced inflammatory phenotype was lost and mainly human mast cells and macrophages were found in the bone marrow. Moreover, a striking block at the pre-B-cell stage was observed in primary mice, resulting in an accumulation of pre-B cells. A similar block in B-cell differentiation could be confirmed in primary cells from CML patients. Hence, this humanized mouse model of CML reveals previously unexplored features of CP CML and should be useful for further studies to understand the disease pathogenesis of CML.

Forward RNAi screens in human stem cells.

Identifying the genes and pathways that regulate self-renewal and differentiation in somatic stem cells is a central goal in stem cell and cancer biology. Here, we describe a method for RNAi-based screens in primary human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. These cells are suitable targets for complex, selection-based screens using pooled lentiviral shRNA libraries. The screening approach is a promising new tool to dissect regulatory mechanisms in hematopoietic and somatic stem cells, in general, and may be particularly useful to identify gene targets and modifiers that can be further exploited in strategies for ex vivo stem cell expansion.