Joao Bosco Oliveira

Revised diagnostic criteria and classification for the autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS): report from the 2009 NIH International Workshop.

Lymphadenopathy in children for which no infectious or malignant cause can be ascertained constitutes a challenging diagnostic dilemma. Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is a human genetic disorder of lymphocyte apoptosis resulting in an accumulation of lymphocytes and childhood onset chronic lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, multilineage cytopenias, and an increased risk of B-cell lymphoma. In 1999, investigators at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggested criteria to establish the diagnosis of ALPS. Since then, with approximately 500 patients with ALPS studied worldwide, significant advances in our understanding of the disease have prompted the need for revisions to the existing diagnostic criteria and classification scheme. The rationale and recommendations outlined here stem from an international workshop held at NIH on September 21 and 22, 2009, attended by investigators from the United States, Europe, and Australia engaged in clinical and basic science research on ALPS and related disorders. It is hoped that harmonizing the diagnosis and classification of ALPS will foster collaborative research and better understanding of the pathogenesis of autoimmune cytopenias and B-cell lymphomas.

NRAS mutation causes a human autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome

The p21 RAS subfamily of small GTPases, including KRAS, HRAS, and NRAS, regulates cell proliferation, cytoskeletal organization, and other signaling networks, and is the most frequent target of activating mutations in cancer. Activating germline mutations of KRAS and HRAS cause severe developmental abnormalities leading to Noonan, cardio-facial-cutaneous, and Costello syndrome, but activating germline mutations of NRAS have not been reported. Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is the most common genetic disease of lymphocyte apoptosis and causes autoimmunity as well as excessive lymphocyte accumulation, particularly of CD4−, CD8− αβ T cells. Mutations in ALPS typically affect CD95 (Fas/APO-1)-mediated apoptosis, one of the extrinsic death pathways involving TNF receptor superfamily proteins, but certain ALPS individuals have no such mutations. We show here that the salient features of ALPS as well as a predisposition to hematological malignancies can be caused by a heterozygous germline Gly13Asp activating mutation of the NRAS oncogene that does not impair CD95-mediated apoptosis. The increase in active, GTP-bound NRAS augments RAF/MEK/ERK signaling, which markedly decreases the proapoptotic protein BIM and attenuates intrinsic, nonreceptor-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis. Thus, germline activating mutations in NRAS differ from other p21 Ras oncoproteins by causing selective immune abnormalities without general developmental defects. Our observations on the effects of NRAS activation indicate that RAS-inactivating drugs, such as farnesyltransferase inhibitors should be examined in human autoimmune and lymphocyte homeostasis disorders.

How I treat autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome

Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) represents a failure of apoptotic mechanisms to maintain lymphocyte homeostasis, permitting accumulation of lymphoid mass and persistence of autoreactive cells that often manifest in childhood with chronic nonmalignant lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, and recurring multilineage cytopenias. Cytopenias in these patients can be the result of splenic sequestration as well as autoimmune complications manifesting as autoimmune hemolytic anemia, immune-mediated thrombocytopenia, and autoimmune neutropenia. More than 300 families with hereditary ALPS have now been described; nearly 500 patients from these families have been studied and followed worldwide over the last 20 years by our colleagues and ourselves. Some of these patients with FAS mutations affecting the intracellular portion of the FAS protein also have an increased risk of B-cell lymphoma. The best approaches to diagnosis, follow-up, and management of ALPS, its associated cytopenias, and other complications resulting from infiltrative lymphoproliferation and autoimmunity are presented.

Anti-cytokine autoantibodies are associated with opportunistic infection in patients with thymic neoplasia

Patients with thymic malignancy have high rates of autoimmunity leading to a variety of autoimmune diseases, most commonly myasthenia gravis caused by anti-acetylcholine receptor autoantibodies. High rates of autoantibodies to cytokines have also been described, although prevalence, spectrum, and functionality of these anti-cytokine autoantibodies are poorly defined. To better understand the presence and function of anti-cytokine autoantibodies, we created a luciferase immunoprecipitation system panel to search for autoantibodies against 39 different cytokines and examined plasma from controls (n = 30) and patients with thymic neoplasia (n = 17). In this screen, our patients showed statistically elevated, but highly heterogeneous immunoreactivity against 16 of the 39 cytokines. Some patients showed autoantibodies to multiple cytokines. Functional testing proved that autoantibodies directed against interferon-α, interferon-β, interleukin-1α (IL-1α), IL-12p35, IL-12p40, and IL-17A had biologic blocking activity in vitro. All patients with opportunistic infection showed multiple anti-cytokine autoantibodies (range 3-11), suggesting that anti-cytokine autoantibodies may be important in the pathogenesis of opportunistic infections in patients with thymic malignancy. This study was registered at http://clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00001355.

Somatic KRAS mutations associated with a human nonmalignant syndrome of autoimmunity and abnormal leukocyte homeostasis.

Somatic gain-of-function mutations in members of the RAS subfamily of small guanosine triphosphatases are found in > 30% of all human cancers. We recently described a syndrome of chronic nonmalignant lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, and autoimmunity associated with a mutation in NRAS affecting hematopoietic cells, and initially we classified the disease as a variant of the autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome. Here, we demonstrate that somatic mutations in the related KRAS gene can also be associated with a nonmalignant syndrome of autoimmunity and breakdown of leukocyte homeostasis. The activating KRAS mutation impaired cytokine withdrawal-induced T-cell apoptosis through the suppression of the proapoptotic protein BCL-2 interacting mediator of cell death and facilitated proliferation through p27(kip1) down-regulation. These defects could be corrected in vitro by mitogen-activated protein kinase/extracellular signal-regulated kinase kinase 1 or phosphatidyl inositol-3 kinase inhibition. We suggest the use of the term RAS-associated autoimmune leukoproliferative disease to differentiate this disorder from autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome.

Autoimmunity in hyper-IgM syndrome.

IntroductionImmunodeficiency with hyper-IgM (HIGM) results from genetic defects in the CD40–CD40 ligand (CD40L) pathway or in the enzymes required for immunoglobulin class switch recombination and somatic hypermutation. HIGM can thus be associated with an impairment of both B-cell and T-cell activation.Results and discussionsThere are seven main subtypes of HIGM and the most frequent is X-linked HIGM, resulting from CD40L mutations. In addition to the susceptibility to recurrent and opportunistic infections, these patients are prone to autoimmune manifestations, especially hematologic abnormalities, arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Furthermore, organ-specific autoantibodies are commonly found in HIGM patients.ConclusionsThe mechanisms by which HIGM associates to autoimmunity are not completely elucidated but a defective development of regulatory T cells, the presence of IgM autoantibodies and an impaired peripheral B-cell tolerance checkpoint have been implicated. This article reviews the main subtypes of HIGM syndrome, the clinical autoimmune manifestations found in these patients, and the possible mechanisms that would explain this association.

Loss-of-function of the protein kinase C δ (PKCδ) causes a B-cell lymphoproliferative syndrome in humans

Defective lymphocyte apoptosis results in chronic lymphadenopathy and/or splenomegaly associated with autoimmune phenomena. The prototype for human apoptosis disorders is the autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS), which is caused by mutations in the FAS apoptotic pathway. Recently, patients with an ALPS-like disease called RAS-associated autoimmune leukoproliferative disorder, in which somatic mutations in NRAS or KRAS are found, also were described. Despite this progress, many patients with ALPS-like disease remain undefined genetically. We identified a homozygous, loss-of-function mutation in PRKCD (PKCδ) in a patient who presented with chronic lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, autoantibodies, elevated immunoglobulins and natural killer dysfunction associated with chronic, low-grade Epstein-Barr virus infection. This mutation markedly decreased protein expression and resulted in ex vivo B-cell hyperproliferation, a phenotype similar to that of the PKCδ knockout mouse. Lymph nodes showed intense follicular hyperplasia, also mirroring the mouse model. Immunophenotyping of circulating lymphocytes demonstrated expansion of CD5+CD20+ B cells. Knockdown of PKCδ in normal mononuclear cells recapitulated the B-cell hyperproliferative phenotype in vitro. Reconstitution of PKCδ in patient-derived EBV-transformed B-cell lines partially restored phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate-induced cell death. In summary, homozygous PRKCD mutation results in B-cell hyperproliferation and defective apoptosis with consequent lymphocyte accumulation and autoantibody production in humans, and disrupts natural killer cell function.

Somatic FAS mutations are common in patients with genetically undefined autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome

Autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is characterized by childhood onset of lymphadenopathy, hepatosplenomegaly, autoimmune cytopenias, elevated numbers of double-negative T (DNT) cells, and increased risk of lymphoma. Most cases of ALPS are associated with germline mutations of the FAS gene (type Ia), whereas some cases have been noted to have a somatic mutation of FAS primarily in their DNT cells. We sought to determine the proportion of patients with somatic FAS mutations among a group of our ALPS patients with no detectable germline mutation and to further characterize them. We found more than one-third (12 of 31) of the patients tested had somatic FAS mutations, primarily involving the intracellular domain of FAS resulting in loss of normal FAS signaling. Similar to ALPS type Ia patients, the somatic ALPS patients had increased DNT cell numbers and elevated levels of serum vitamin B(12), interleukin-10, and sFAS-L. These data support testing for somatic FAS mutations in DNT cells from ALPS patients with no detectable germline mutation and a similar clinical and laboratory phenotype to that of ALPS type Ia. These findings also highlight the potential role for somatic mutations in the pathogenesis of nonmalignant and/or autoimmune hematologic conditions in adults and children.

Using biomarkers to predict the presence of FAS mutations in patients with features of the autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome

To the Editor: The autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome (ALPS) is characterized by chronic lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly, autoimmune cytopenias, and expansion of T cell receptor (TCR) αβ+ CD3+CD4−CD8− (αβ-double-negative [DNT]) cells (see this article’s Table E1 in the Online Repository at www.jacionline.org). Approximately two thirds of the patients with ALPS symptoms are genetically characterized, and most have germline (ALPS Ia) or somatic (ALPS Ia-s) TNFRSF6 (FAS) mutations. A small number of patients have defects in genes encoding Fas ligand (ALPS Ib), caspase-10 (ALPS II), or neuroblatoma-RAS (NRAS) viral oncogene homolog (ALPS IV). In addition, a large group of patients with ALPS findings remain genetically uncharacterized (ALPS III), and yet another has an undefined ALPS-like syndrome (ALPS-phenotype; Table I).1,2 Given the clinical similarities among all these groups, we sought to develop a biomarkers-based algorithm to predict the presence or absence of FAS mutations in this setting. TABLE I Description of patients with ALPS and control groups included in the study To this end, we investigated 26 parameters including immunophenotyping, eosinophil and monocyte counts, serum or plasma vitamin B12 (B12), soluble FAS ligand (sFASL), immunoglobulins, and levels of 14 cytokines in 562 subjects classified into 6 categories (Tables I and E1). The number of measurements, medians, and first and third quartiles are presented in this article’s Tables E2 and E3 in the Online Repository at www.jacionline.org. A full description of the Methods can be found in the Online Repository at www.jacionline.org. Elevated αβ-DNT cells are a hallmark of ALPS, but their utility for predicting FAS mutations had not been previously evaluated. 3 Patients with ALPS Ia and Ia-s had a high percentage of αβ-DNT cells, with median values 5.1% and 7.7%, respectively, compared with 0.5% for control mutation-negative relatives (MNRs; P 4% found in 60% (90/152) of patients with type Ia and in the majority of patients with type Ia-s (7/9), but in only 13% (11/85) of patients with ALPS type III and ALPS-phenotype (Fig 1, A). This value was associated with a positive likelihood ratio (LR) of 5.0 and a posttest probability of 89.3% for harboring FAS mutations. Conversely, the presence of αβ-DNT cells in the 1% to 2% range decreased the posttest probability to 25%, with a LR of 0.19 (Fig 2, B and C; see this article’s Table E4 in the Online Repository at www.jacionline.org). FIG 1 Biomarkers in patients with ALPS and control groups. Dashed lines represent cut-off values used to calculate likelihood ratios. Bars denote median values. P values for the differences between groups were obtained by Mann-Whitney test and are shown above ... FIG 2 sFASL levels and combinations of biomarkers accurately predict FAS mutations. A, Scatter plot showing sFASL levels. Increasing (B) and decreasing (C) probabilities for having a FAS mutation according to the percentage of αβ-DNT cells, ... In line with previous reports, patients with ALPS, regardless of mutation status, had 16% made the diagnosis of ALPS very unlikely (LR = 0.17). Other described abnormalities including increased CD3+HLA-DR+ to CD3+CD25+ ratio and high number of B cells had no additional diagnostic utility.4 We also evaluated serum B12 levels in patients with ALPS and found very elevated median levels in ALPS Ia and Ia-s (2259 ng/L; 1653 ng/L) compared with control MNRs (474 ng/L; P 1500 ng/L was 4.0, with a posttest probability of 87%. In contrast, having B12 levels <1000 ng/L diminished the posttest probability to 35% (Fig 2, B and C; Table E4). Analysis of plasma cytokines revealed 2 additional biomarkers for ALPS: IL-18 and TNF-α. Median plasma IL-18 levels were elevated in patients with ALPS Ia and Ia-s compared with control MNRs (1041 pg/mL, 1526 pg/mL, and 208 pg/mL, respectively; P < .0001). Patients with ALPS III and ALPS-phenotype had median values of 521 pg/mL and 702 pg/mL, respectively (P < .001 compared with MNRs; Fig 1, D). Furthermore, IL-18 <500 pg/mL was rarely seen in patients with ALPS and FAS mutations (7/56), with an associated negative LR of 0.19. TNF-α levels were higher in all ALPS groups with median values of 5 pg/mL for ALPS Ia (P < .0001), 9 pg/mL for ALPS Ia-s (P < .05), 8 pg/mL for ALPS III (P < .0001), and 7 pg/mL for ALPS-phenotype (P < .0001) compared with 1.3 pg/mL for MNRs (Fig 1, E). As previously reported, IL-10 was markedly elevated in ALPS Ia and Ia-s compared with MNRs (P 40 pg/mL, contrasting with 26% (10/38) of patients with ALPS III and ALPS-phenotype. For levels of IL-10 >40 ng/mL, the positive LR was 3.8, with a posttest probability of 85% for having a FAS mutation. Notably, only 20% (29/141) of patients with ALPS Ia and no patients with ALPS Ia-s had IL-10 values <20 pg/mL, giving a negative LR of 0.31 and a posttest probability of 33% for FAS mutations (Fig 2, B and C; Table E4). A recent report documented high levels of sFASL in patients with ALPS.7We expanded these findings analyzing more than 200 patients and controls. Ninety-seven percent of patients with ALPS Ia (136/140) and all patients with ALPS Ia-s had plasma sFASL >200 pg/mL, with median values of 1114 pg/mL and 1329 pg/mL, respectively, compared with control MNR levels of 104 pg/mL (P <.0001 for both groups). Only modest elevations of sFASL were seen in patients with ALPS III and ALPS-phenotype, as well as healthy mutation-positive relatives, with median values of 208 pg/mL, 174 pg/mL, and 207 pg/mL, respectively (Fig 2, A). These findings make sFASL the most sensitive biomarker to rule out a FAS mutation, with values <200 pg/mL associated with a negative LR of 0.05 and a posttest probability of 7.7% (Fig 2, C; Table E4). Soluble FASL also showed a strong positive correlation with IL-10 (r = 0.8;P < .0001) and a moderate correlation with αβ-DNTcells (r = 0.6; P < .0001) and B12 levels (r = 0.69; P < .0001; see this article’s Fig E1, A, in the Online Repository at www.jacionline.org). The area under the ROC curve for sFASL, αβ-DNT cells, B12, and IL-10 levels were calculated to evaluate how well they discriminate patients with a FAS mutation from those without (Fig E1, B). The area under the curve for sFASL was 0.9 (defines an excellent test) and for αβ-DNT cells was 0.81. B12 and IL-10 exhibited areas significantly less than sFASL (P < .05), with values of 0.76 and 0.77. We next evaluated whether combinations of αβ-DNT cells, B12, IL-10, IL-18, and sFASL would have increased power to predict or exclude FAS mutations in patients suspected of ALPS (Fig 2, B; Table E4). The combination of αβ-DNT cells >4% with B12 >1500 ng/L or IL-10 >40 pg/mL or IL-18 >500 ng/mL or sFASL >300 pg/mL was associated with >95% probability of having a FAS mutation. Conversely, having αβ-DNT cells <2% in combination with IL-10 <20 pg/mL or B12 <1000 ng/L or IL-18 <500 ng/mL decreased the probability of a FAS mutation to less than 10% (Fig 2, C; Table E4). Finally, finding αβ-DNT cells <2% and sFASL <200 pg/mL resulted in <2% probability for a FAS mutation. In conclusion, the biomarkers described should aid in the selection of patients with findings of ALPS for further diagnostic workup. In addition, the presence of a combination of markers strongly suggestive of a FAS mutation in the setting of a negative genetic test should prompt a search for somatic mutations in sorted αβ-DNT cells.

Laboratory evaluation of primary immunodeficiencies

Primary immunodeficiencies are congenital disorders caused by defects in different elements of the immune system. Affected patients usually present clinically with recurrent infections, severe infections, or both, as well as autoimmune phenomena that are associated with many of these disorders. Early diagnosis is essential for referral to specialized care centers and the prompt initiation of appropriate therapy. In this article the authors describe a general approach for the investigation of the most common primary immunodeficiencies, outlining the typical clinical symptoms and most appropriate laboratory investigations.