@article{DirksHaaseCantaertetal.2022, author = {Dirks, Johannes and Haase, Gabriele and Cantaert, Tineke and Frey, Lea and Klaas, Moritz and Rickert, Christian H. and Girschick, Hermann and Meffre, Eric and Morbach, Henner}, title = {A novel AICDA splice-site mutation in two siblings with HIGM2 permits somatic hypermutation but abrogates mutational targeting}, series = {Journal of Clinical Immunology}, volume = {42}, journal = {Journal of Clinical Immunology}, number = {4}, doi = {10.1007/s10875-022-01233-5}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-324253}, pages = {771-782}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Hyper-IgM syndrome type 2 (HIGM2) is a B cell intrinsic primary immunodeficiency caused by mutations in AICDA encoding activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) which impair immunoglobulin class switch recombination (CSR) and somatic hypermutation (SHM). Whereas autosomal-recessive AID-deficiency (AR-AID) affects both CSR and SHM, the autosomal-dominant form (AD-AID) due to C-terminal heterozygous variants completely abolishes CSR but only partially affects SHM. AR-AID patients display enhanced germinal center (GC) reactions and autoimmune manifestations, which are not present in AD-AID, suggesting that SHM but not CSR regulates GC reactions and peripheral B cell tolerance. Herein, we describe two siblings with HIGM2 due to a novel homozygous AICDA mutation (c.428-1G > T) which disrupts the splice acceptor site of exon 4 and results in the sole expression of a truncated AID variant that lacks 10 highly conserved amino acids encoded by exon 4 (AID-ΔE4a). AID-ΔE4a patients suffered from defective CSR and enhanced GC reactions and were therefore indistinguishable from other AR-AID patients. However, the AID-ΔE4a variant only partially affected SHM as observed in AD-AID patients. In addition, AID-ΔE4a but not AD-AID patients revealed impaired targeting of mutational hotspot motives and distorted mutational patterns. Hence, qualitative defects in AID function and altered SHM rather than global decreased SHM activity may account for the disease phenotype in these patients.}, language = {en} } @article{BohnertTrellaPreissetal.2022, author = {Bohnert, Simone and Trella, Stefanie and Preiß, Ulrich and Heinsen, Helmut and Bohnert, Michael and Zwirner, Johann and Tremblay, Marie-{\`E}ve and Monoranu, Camelia-Maria and Ondruschka, Benjamin}, title = {Density of TMEM119-positive microglial cells in postmortem cerebrospinal fluid as a surrogate marker for assessing complex neuropathological processes in the CNS}, series = {International Journal of Legal Medicine}, volume = {136}, journal = {International Journal of Legal Medicine}, number = {6}, doi = {10.1007/s00414-022-02863-5}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-325009}, pages = {1841-1850}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Routine coronal paraffin-sections through the dorsal frontal and parieto-occipital cortex of a total of sixty cases with divergent causes of death were immunohistochemically (IHC) stained with an antibody against TMEM119. Samples of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the same cases were collected by suboccipital needle-puncture, subjected to centrifugation and processed as cytospin preparations stained with TMEM119. Both, cytospin preparations and sections were subjected to computer-assisted density measurements. The density of microglial TMEM119-positive cortical profiles correlated with that of cytospin results and with the density of TMEM119-positive microglial profiles in the medullary layer. There was no statistically significant correlation between the density of medullary TMEM119-positive profiles and the cytospin data. Cortical microglial cells were primarily encountered in supragranular layers I, II, and IIIa and in infragranular layers V and VI, the region of U-fibers and in circumscribed foci or spread in a diffuse manner and high density over the white matter. We have evidence that cortical microglia directly migrate into CSF without using the glympathic pathway. Microglia in the medullary layer shows a strong affinity to the adventitia of deep vessels in the myelin layer. Selected rapidly fatal cases including myocardial infarcts and drowning let us conclude that microglia in cortex and myelin layer can react rapidly and its reaction and migration is subject to pre-existing external and internal factors. Cytospin preparations proved to be a simple tool to analyze and assess complex changes in the CNS after rapid fatal damage. There is no statistically significant correlation between cytospin and postmortem interval. Therefore, the quantitative analyses of postmortem cytospins obviously reflect the neuropathology of the complete central nervous system. Cytospins provide forensic pathologists a rather simple and easy to perform method for the global assessment of CNS affliction.}, language = {en} } @article{ZamoGerhardHartmannOttetal.2022, author = {Zam{\`o}, Alberto and Gerhard-Hartmann, Elena and Ott, German and Anagnostopoulos, Ioannis and Scott, David W. and Rosenwald, Andreas and Rauert-Wunderlich, Hilka}, title = {Routine application of the Lymph2Cx assay for the subclassification of aggressive B-cell lymphoma: report of a prospective real-world series}, series = {Virchows Archiv}, volume = {481}, journal = {Virchows Archiv}, number = {6}, doi = {10.1007/s00428-022-03420-6}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-324686}, pages = {935-943}, year = {2022}, abstract = {The subclassification of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) into germinal center B-cell-like (GCB) and activated B-cell-like (ABC) subtypes has become mandatory in the 2017 update of the WHO classification of lymphoid neoplasms and will continue to be used in the WHO 5\(^{th}\) edition. The RNA-based Lymph2Cx assay has been validated as a reliable surrogate of high-throughput gene expression profiling assays for distinguishing between GCB and ABC DLBCL and provides reliable results from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) material. This test has been previously used in clinical trials, but experience from real-world routine application is rare. We routinely applied the Lymph2Cx assay to day-to-day diagnostics on a series of 147 aggressive B-cell lymphoma cases and correlated our results with the immunohistochemical subclassification using the Hans algorithm and fluorescence in situ hybridization findings using break-apart probes for MYC, BCL2, and BCL6. The routine use of the Lymph2Cx assay had a high technical success rate (94.6\%) with a low rate of failure due to poor material and/or RNA quality. The Lymph2Cx assay was discordant with the Hans algorithm in 18\% (23 of 128 cases). Discordant cases were mainly classified as GCB by the Hans algorithm and as ABC by Lymph2Cx (n = 11, 8.6\%). Only 5 cases (3.9\%) were classified as non-GCB by the Hans algorithm and as GCB by Lymph2Cx. Additionally, 5.5\% of cases (n = 7) were left unclassified by Lymph2Cx, whereas they were defined as GCB (n = 4) or non-GCB (n = 3) by the Hans algorithm. Our data support the routine applicability of the Lymph2Cx assay.}, language = {en} } @article{GschmackMonoranuMaroufetal.2022, author = {Gschmack, Eva and Monoranu, Camelia-Maria and Marouf, Hecham and Meyer, Sarah and Lessel, Lena and Idris, Raja and Berg, Daniela and Maetzler, Walter and Steigerwald, Frank and Volkmann, Jens and Gerlach, Manfred and Riederer, Peter and Koutsilieri, Eleni and Scheller, Carsten}, title = {Plasma autoantibodies to glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) react with brain areas according to Braak staging of Parkinson's disease}, series = {Journal of Neural Transmission}, volume = {129}, journal = {Journal of Neural Transmission}, number = {5-6}, doi = {10.1007/s00702-022-02495-4}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-325161}, pages = {545-555}, year = {2022}, abstract = {Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by a progredient degeneration of the brain, starting at deep subcortical areas such as the dorsal motor nucleus of the glossopharyngeal and vagal nerves (DM) (stage 1), followed by the coeruleus-subcoeruleus complex; (stage 2), the substantia nigra (SN) (stage 3), the anteromedial temporal mesocortex (MC) (stage 4), high-order sensory association areas and prefrontal fields (HC) (stage 5) and finally first-order sensory association areas, premotor areas, as well as primary sensory and motor field (FC) (stage 6). Autoimmunity might play a role in PD pathogenesis. Here we analyzed whether anti-brain autoantibodies differentially recognize different human brain areas and identified autoantigens that correlate with the above-described dissemination of PD pathology in the brain. Brain tissue was obtained from deceased individuals with no history of neurological or psychiatric disease and no neuropathological abnormalities. Tissue homogenates from different brain regions (DM, SN, MC, HC, FC) were subjected to SDS-PAGE and Western blot. Blots were incubated with plasma samples from 30 PD patients and 30 control subjects and stained with anti-IgG antibodies to detect anti-brain autoantibodies. Signals were quantified. Prominent autoantigens were identified by 2D-gel-coupled mass spectrometry sequencing. Anti-brain autoantibodies are frequent and occur both in healthy controls and individuals with PD. Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) was identified as a prominent autoantigen recognized in all plasma samples. GFAP immunoreactivity was highest in DM areas and lowest in FC areas with no significant differences in anti-GFAP autoantibody titers between healthy controls and individuals with PD. The anti-GFAP autoimmunoreactivity of different brain areas correlates with the dissemination of histopathological neurodegeneration in PD. We hypothesize that GFAP autoantibodies are physiological but might be involved as a cofactor in PD pathogenesis secondary to a leakage of the blood-brain barrier.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Hassler2023, author = {Haßler, Markus Sebastian}, title = {NFATc3 in der akuten GvHD}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-32368}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-323681}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Bei Leuk{\"a}mien, Lymphomen und dem Multiplen Myelom stellt die allogene h{\"a}matopoetische Stammzelltransplantation (allo-HCT) oft die letzte kurative Therapieoption dar. Spender-T-Zellen (v.a. CD8+-T-Zellen), die im Transplantat enthalten sind, erkennen nach Chemo-/Strahlentherapie verbliebene Reste des entarteten Empf{\"a}ngergewebes, eradizieren dieses und verhindern somit ein Tumorrezidiv (Graft-versus-Leuk{\"a}mie Reaktion/GvL). H{\"a}ufig attackieren Spender-T-Zellen (v.a. CD4+-Th1-Zellen) aber auch nicht-malignes Gewebe (z.B. Haut, Leber und Darm), was bis zum Tod des Patienten f{\"u}hren kann (Graft-versus-Host Disease/GvHD). Calcineurin-Inhibitoren wie Cyclosporin A (CsA) und Tacrolimus, die oft schon prophylaktisch verabreicht werden, verhindern {\"u}ber eine unselektive Inhibition aller Mitglieder der NFAT-Transkriptionsfaktorfamilie (Nuclear factor of activated T-cells) die Aktivierung der Spender-T-Zellen. Es folgt eine klinische Besserung der GvHD-Symptomatik, w{\"a}hrend jedoch der GvL-Effekt ebenfalls supprimiert wird. Bisherige Untersuchungen unserer Arbeitsgruppe am Mausmodell hatten gezeigt, dass die selektive Inhibition eines NFAT-Familienmitgliedes (NFATc1 oder NFATc2) in den Donor-T-Zellen zu einer signifikanten Besserung der aGvHD bei jedoch erhaltener GvL f{\"u}hrt. Es wurde nun der Einfluss des dritten, in Lymphozyten exprimierten NFAT-Mitglieds NFATc3 im Kontext der aGvHD untersucht. Zur Basisanalyse der neu kreierten Nfatc3fl/fl.Cd4cre- und Nfatc1fl/fl.Nfatc3fl/fl.Cd4cre-Mauslinien erfolgten durchflusszytometrische und Western-Blot-Analysen. Anschließend wurden In-vivo-Untersuchungen unter Verwendung eines etablierten major-mismatch-aGvHD-Modells (H-2b→H-2d) durchgef{\"u}hrt. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass durch eine NFATc3- (+/- NFATc1-) Defizienz direkt ex vivo die CD4+/CD8+-Ratio durch Abnahme der CD4+- hin zu den CD8+-T-Zellen verschoben wird. Auch zeigte sich in den entsprechenden Genotypen eine Abnahme der naiven- und daf{\"u}r vice versa eine Zunahme der Effektor-T-Zellen. In den wiederholt durchgef{\"u}hrten aGvHD-Versuchen zeigte sich in vivo als Korrelat der (ebenfalls erneut nachgewiesenen) Abnahme des CD4+/CD8+-Quotienten in den Zielorganen eine geringere Expansion der NFAT-defizienten als der wildtypischen T-Zellen. Leider spiegelte sich dies nicht in dem clinical score zur Quantifizierung der aGvHD-Symptomatik wider. Auch das K{\"o}rpergewicht der Versuchsgruppe nahm rapide ab. Urs{\"a}chlich hierf{\"u}r ist - als Korrelat zur direkt ex vivo nachgewiesenen Aktivierungsneigung - ein vermehrter Th1-Shift der NFATc3 (+/-NFATc1-) defizienten T-Zellen. Eine Inhibierung von NFATc3 - im Gegensatz zu NFATc1 und NFATc2 - ist demzufolge kein sinnvoller Ansatzpunkt f{\"u}r eine m{\"o}gliche, zielgerichtetere aGvHD-Therapie. Der positive Effekt der reduzierten Proliferationsneigung der NFATc3-defizienten Lymphozyten wird durch deren vermehrte Aktivierungsneigung mit erh{\"o}hter Sekretion von pro-inflammatorischen Zytokinen zunichte gemacht.}, subject = {Transplantat-Wirt-Reaktion}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Jaklin2023, author = {Jaklin, Tamara}, title = {Nachweis von PD-1 und PD-L1 in Plattenepithelkarzinomen des Larynx und Hypopharynx}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-31301}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-313019}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {In der modernen Tumortherapie sind Checkpoint-Inhibitoren ein fester Bestandteil. Die Oberfl{\"a}chenproteine PD-L1 und PD-1 stellen die Angriffspunkte dieser spezifischen Therapie dar. Die Datenlage hinsichtlich PD-L1 in HNSCC ist sehr heterogen. Diese Arbeit besch{\"a}ftigte sich daher mit der Expression von PD-L1 und PD-1 in einem Kollektiv von 118 Plattenepithelkarzinomen in Larynx und Hypopharynx und einer prognostischen Aussagekraft hinsichtlich mehrerer histopathologischer und epidemiologischer Faktoren. Außerdem wurde ein m{\"o}glicher Zusammenhang zwischen der Expression von PD-L1, PD-1 und CD5 als T-Zell-Marker in besagtem Kollektiv untersucht. Die IHC-F{\"a}rbungen wurden lichtmikroskopisch an tissue micro arrays untersucht. F{\"u}r die Auswertung von PD-L1 wurde der bereits etablierte Cologne-Score verwendet, welcher zum einen zun{\"a}chst erweitert und anschließend zwecks einer fundierten statistischen Auswertung erg{\"a}nzend modifiziert wurde. F{\"u}r CD5 und PD-1 wurden eigene Cut-Off-Werte generiert. 48 \% der F{\"a}lle waren PD-L1+, die Spannweite im Literaturvergleich schwankt zwischen 30 - 90 \%. PD-1+ waren insgesamt 31\% der F{\"a}lle, auch hier zeigen sich deutliche Abweichungen zu den vorliegenden Publikationen. Hinsichtlich der prognostischen Aussagekraft konnte ein signifikanter Zusammenhang zwischen dem T-Stadium und der PD-L1-Expression aufgezeigt werden. Ob dies Einfluss auf m{\"o}gliche Behandlungsstrategien hat, bleibt Gegenstand weiterer Forschung. Auch im Literaturvergleich finden sich wiederholt signifikante prognostische Zusammenh{\"a}nge, jedoch beziehen sich diese auf differente Faktoren. Urs{\"a}chlich daf{\"u}r sind aller Wahrscheinlichkeit nach Diskrepanzen in der PD-L1-Expression sowie deren Schwankungen durch {\"a}ußere Einfl{\"u}sse und nicht standardisierte Testverfahren. Es zeigten sich weiterhin Korrelationen zwischen den Markern, welche sich abschließend nicht alle g{\"a}nzlich herleiten lassen. Zusammenfassend k{\"o}nnten einheitliche Testverfahren die Datenlage zu PD-L1 und PD-1 homogenisieren, auch m{\"o}gliche Vortherapien sollten dementsprechend ber{\"u}cksichtigt werden. Allerdings erscheint die prognostische Aussagekraft von PD-L1 und auch von PD-1 insgesamt aufgrund der inkonstanten Expression hochgradig eingeschr{\"a}nkt, sodass sich in Zukunft vermehrt auf andere Marker konzentriert werden sollte.}, subject = {Plattenepithelkarzinom}, language = {de} } @phdthesis{Marquardt2023, author = {Marquardt, Andr{\´e}}, title = {Machine-Learning-Based Identification of Tumor Entities, Tumor Subgroups, and Therapy Options}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-32954}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-329548}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Molecular genetic analyses, such as mutation analyses, are becoming increasingly important in the tumor field, especially in the context of therapy stratification. The identification of the underlying tumor entity is crucial, but can sometimes be difficult, for example in the case of metastases or the so-called Cancer of Unknown Primary (CUP) syndrome. In recent years, methylome and transcriptome utilizing machine learning (ML) approaches have been developed to enable fast and reliable tumor and tumor subtype identification. However, so far only methylome analysis have become widely used in routine diagnostics. The present work addresses the utility of publicly available RNA-sequencing data to determine the underlying tumor entity, possible subgroups, and potential therapy options. Identification of these by ML - in particular random forest (RF) models - was the first task. The results with test accuracies of up to 99\% provided new, previously unknown insights into the trained models and the corresponding entity prediction. Reducing the input data to the top 100 mRNA transcripts resulted in a minimal loss of prediction quality and could potentially enable application in clinical or real-world settings. By introducing the ratios of these top 100 genes to each other as a new database for RF models, a novel method was developed enabling the use of trained RF models on data from other sources. Further analysis of the transcriptomic differences of metastatic samples by visual clustering showed that there were no differences specific for the site of metastasis. Similarly, no distinct clusters were detectable when investigating primary tumors and metastases of cutaneous skin melanoma (SKCM). Subsequently, more than half of the validation datasets had a prediction accuracy of at least 80\%, with many datasets even achieving a prediction accuracy of - or close to - 100\%. To investigate the applicability of the used methods for subgroup identification, the TCGA-KIPAN dataset, consisting of the three major kidney cancer subgroups, was used. The results revealed a new, previously unknown subgroup consisting of all histopathological groups with clinically relevant characteristics, such as significantly different survival. Based on significant differences in gene expression, potential therapeutic options of the identified subgroup could be proposed. Concludingly, in exploring the potential applicability of RNA-sequencing data as a basis for therapy prediction, it was shown that this type of data is suitable to predict entities as well as subgroups with high accuracy. Clinical relevance was also demonstrated for a novel subgroup in renal cell carcinoma. The reduction of the number of genes required for entity prediction to 100 genes, enables panel sequencing and thus demonstrates potential applicability in a real-life setting.}, subject = {Maschinelles Lernen}, language = {en} } @article{StockMoeckelZanderetal.2023, author = {Stock, Benjamin and M{\"o}ckel, Sigrid and Zander, Christine and Heinsen, Helmut and Bohnert, Simone and Bohnert, Michael}, title = {„Black esophagus" - zwei Obduktionsf{\"a}lle mit infekti{\"o}ser Beteiligung}, series = {Rechtsmedizin}, volume = {33}, journal = {Rechtsmedizin}, number = {3}, issn = {0937-9819}, doi = {10.1007/s00194-022-00593-x}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-325022}, pages = {206-210}, year = {2023}, abstract = {„Black esophagus" oder „akute {\"O}sophagusnekrose" (A{\"O}N) ist eine seltene Erkrankung, die sich makroskopisch durch eine zirkumferente Schwarzverf{\"a}rbung der {\"O}sophagusmukosa mit abruptem Ende am gastro{\"o}sophagealen {\"U}bergang auszeichnet. Die genaue Pathogenese ist unbekannt; es werden multifaktorielle Einfl{\"u}sse wie z. B. S{\"a}urereflux, Isch{\"a}mie und verringerte Schutzmechanismen der Mukosa als m{\"o}gliche Ursachen diskutiert. Vorgestellt werden 2 Obduktionsf{\"a}lle, die typische Befunde einer A{\"O}N aufwiesen. Zus{\"a}tzlich hatten Fall 1 eine Candida-Infektion und Fall 2 eine Appendizitis, sodass eine infekti{\"o}se Genese in beiden F{\"a}llen eine Rolle gespielt haben k{\"o}nnte.}, subject = {Histopathologie}, language = {de} } @article{LoebLinsmeierHerbertetal.2023, author = {L{\"o}b, Sanja and Linsmeier, Eva and Herbert, Saskia-Laureen and Schlaiß, Tanja and Kiesel, Matthias and Wischhusen, J{\"o}rg and Salmen, Jessica and Kranke, Peter and Quenzer, Anne and Kurz, Florian and Weiss, Claire and Gerhard-Hartmann, Elena and W{\"o}ckel, Achim and Diessner, Joachim}, title = {Prognostic effect of HER2 evolution from primary breast cancer to breast cancer metastases}, series = {Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology}, volume = {149}, journal = {Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology}, number = {8}, doi = {10.1007/s00432-022-04486-0}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-324068}, pages = {5417-5428}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Purpose Therapeutic options for breast cancer (BC) treatment are constantly evolving. The Human Epidermal Growth Factor 2 (HER2)-low BC entity is a new subgroup, representing about 55\% of all BC patients. New antibody-drug conjugates demonstrated promising results for this BC subgroup. Currently, there is limited information about the conversion of HER2 subtypes between primary tumor and recurrent disease. Methods This retrospective study included women with BC at the University Medical Centre Wuerzburg from 1998 to 2021. Data were retrieved from patients' records. HER2 evolution from primary diagnosis to the first relapse and the development of secondary metastases was investigated. Results In the HR-positive subgroup without HER2 overexpression, HER2-low expression in primary BC was 56.7 vs. 14.6\% in the triple-negative subgroup (p < 0.000). In the cohort of the first relapse, HER2-low represented 64.1\% of HR-positive vs. 48.2\% of the triple-negative cohort (p = 0.03). In patients with secondary metastases, HER2-low was 75.6\% vs. 50\% in the triple negative subgroup (p = 0.10). The subgroup of HER2-positive breast cancer patients numerically increased in the course of disease; the HER2-negative overall cohort decreased. A loss of HER2 expression from primary BC to the first relapse correlated with a better OS (p = 0.018). No clinicopathological or therapeutic features could be identified as potential risk factors for HER2 conversion. Conclusion HER2 expression is rising during the progression of BC disease. In view of upcoming therapeutical options, the re-analysis of newly developed metastasis will become increasingly important.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Maier2023, author = {Maier, Claudia}, title = {Untersuchungen zu neuen potenziellen N-Glykosylierungsmotiven in t(14;18)-positiven und t(14;18)-negativen follikul{\"a}ren Lymphomen}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-33026}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-330261}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde das Vorkommen neu erworbener N-Glykosylierungsmotive in t(14;18)-positiven und -negativen FL der lokalisierten (FL I/II) und fortgeschrittenen Stadien (FL III/IV), sowie zum Zeitpunkt der Prim{\"a}rdiagnose und des Rezidivs untersucht. Dabei wurde der jeweilige Haupttumorklon mit Hilfe von „Next Generation Sequencing" und unter Verwendung des „LymphoTrack® Assays" in einer Serie von 68 kryoasservierten FL identifiziert 36 t(14;18)-negative und 32 t(14;18)-positive FL. Die Frequenz neu erworbener N-Glykosylierungsmotive unterschied sich signifikant zwischen t(14;18)-positiven und -negativen PD/R-FL III/IV, w{\"a}hrend man zwischen t(14;18)-positiven und -negativen PD/R-FL I/II keinen Unterschied beobachten konnte. Des Weiteren zeigten t(14;18)-negative PD/R-FL I-IV im Vergleich zu t(14;18)-positiven PD/R-FL I-IV signifikant h{\"a}ufiger einen Zugewinn neuer N-Glykosylierungsmotive in der FR3 Region des BCL2 Gens, sowie eine vermehrte Nutzung des IGHV4-34 Keimbahngens. Interessanterweise beschr{\"a}nkte sich die Nutzung des IGHV4-34 Gens auf PD-FL und konnte in R-FL nicht nachgewiesen werden. Da sowohl das Vorkommen neu erworbener N-Glykosylierungsmotive in FR3 als auch die Nutzung von IGHV4-34 im Zusammenhang mit Autoimmunerkrankungen beschrieben wurden, deuten unsere Ergebnisse darauf hin, dass die Subgruppe der t(14;18)-negativen FL im pathologischen Prozess der Onkogenese mehr auf die Stimulation durch (Auto)-Antigene als durch die Stimulation des B-Zell Rezeptors mit Lektinen (DC-SIGN) angewiesen sein k{\"o}nnte.}, subject = {Glykosylierung}, language = {de} } @article{SchulmeyerFaschingHaeberleetal.2023, author = {Schulmeyer, Carla E. and Fasching, Peter A. and H{\"a}berle, Lothar and Meyer, Julia and Schneider, Michael and Wachter, David and Ruebner, Matthias and P{\"o}schke, Patrik and Beckmann, Matthias W. and Hartmann, Arndt and Erber, Ramona and Gass, Paul}, title = {Expression of the immunohistochemical markers CK5, CD117, and EGFR in molecular subtypes of breast cancer correlated with prognosis}, series = {Diagnostics}, volume = {13}, journal = {Diagnostics}, number = {3}, issn = {2075-4418}, doi = {10.3390/diagnostics13030372}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304987}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Molecular-based subclassifications of breast cancer are important for identifying treatment options and stratifying the prognosis in breast cancer. This study aimed to assess the prognosis relative to disease-free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) and other subtypes, using a biomarker panel including cytokeratin 5 (CK5), cluster of differentiation 117 (CD117), and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR). This cohort-case study included histologically confirmed breast carcinomas as cohort arm. From a total of 894 patients, 572 patients with early breast cancer, sufficient clinical data, and archived tumor tissue were included. Using the immunohistochemical markers CK5, CD117, and EGFR, two subgroups were formed: one with all three biomarkers negative (TBN) and one with at least one of those three biomarkers positive (non-TBN). There were significant differences between the two biomarker subgroups (TBN versus non-TBN) in TNBC for DFS (p = 0.04) and OS (p = 0.02), with higher survival rates (DFS and OS) in the non-TBN subgroup. In this study, we found the non-TBN subgroup of TNBC lesions with at least one positive biomarker of CK5, CD117, and/or EGFR, to be associated with longer DFS and OS.}, language = {en} } @article{StefanakisBasslerWalczuchetal.2023, author = {Stefanakis, Mona and Bassler, Miriam C. and Walczuch, Tobias R. and Gerhard-Hartmann, Elena and Youssef, Almoatazbellah and Scherzad, Agmal and St{\"o}th, Manuel Bernd and Ostertag, Edwin and Hagen, Rudolf and Steinke, Maria R. and Hackenberg, Stephan and Brecht, Marc and Meyer, Till Jasper}, title = {The impact of tissue preparation on salivary gland tumors investigated by Fourier-transform infrared microspectroscopy}, series = {Journal of Clinical Medicine}, volume = {12}, journal = {Journal of Clinical Medicine}, number = {2}, issn = {2077-0383}, doi = {10.3390/jcm12020569}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-304887}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Due to the wide variety of benign and malignant salivary gland tumors, classification and malignant behavior determination based on histomorphological criteria can be difficult and sometimes impossible. Spectroscopical procedures can acquire molecular biological information without destroying the tissue within the measurement processes. Since several tissue preparation procedures exist, our study investigated the impact of these preparations on the chemical composition of healthy and tumorous salivary gland tissue by Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) microspectroscopy. Sequential tissue cross-sections were prepared from native, formalin-fixed and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue and analyzed. The FFPE cross-sections were dewaxed and remeasured. By using principal component analysis (PCA) combined with a discriminant analysis (DA), robust models for the distinction of sample preparations were built individually for each parotid tissue type. As a result, the PCA-DA model evaluation showed a high similarity between native and formalin-fixed tissues based on their chemical composition. Thus, formalin-fixed tissues are highly representative of the native samples and facilitate a transfer from scientific laboratory analysis into the clinical routine due to their robust nature. Furthermore, the dewaxing of the cross-sections entails the loss of molecular information. Our study successfully demonstrated how FTIR microspectroscopy can be used as a powerful tool within existing clinical workflows.}, language = {en} } @phdthesis{Majumder2023, author = {Majumder, Snigdha}, title = {Selective inhibition of NFAT in mouse and human T cells by CRISPR/Cas9 to ameliorate acute Graft-versus-Host Disease while preserving Graft-versus-Leukemia effect}, doi = {10.25972/OPUS-29325}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-293256}, school = {Universit{\"a}t W{\"u}rzburg}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT) is a curative therapy for the treatment of malignant and non-malignant bone marrow diseases. The major complication of this treatment is a highly inflammatory reaction known as Graft-versus-Host Disease (GvHD). Cyclosporin A (CsA) and tacrolimus are used to treat GvHD which limits inflammation but also interferes with the anticipated Graft-versus-Leukemia (GvL) effect. These drugs repress conventional T cells (Tcon) along with regulatory T cells (Treg), which are important for both limiting GvHD and supporting GvL. Both of these drugs inhibit calcineurin (CN), which dephosphorylates and activates the nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) family of transcription factors. Here, we make use of our Cd4cre.Cas9+ mice and developed a highly efficient non-viral CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing method by gRNA-only nucleofection. Utilizing this technique, we demonstrated that unstimulated mouse T cells upon NFATc1 or NFATc2 ablation ameliorated GvHD in a major mismatch mouse model. However, in vitro pre-stimulated mouse T cells could not achieve long-term protection from GvHD upon NFAT single-deficiency. This highlights the necessity of gene editing and transferring unstimulated human T cells during allo-HCT. Indeed, we established a highly efficient ribonucleoprotein (RNP)-mediated CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing for NFATC1 and/or NFATC2 in pre-stimulated as well as unstimulated primary human T cells. In contrast to mouse T cells, not NFATC1 but NFATC2 deficiency in human T cells predominantly affected proinflammatory cytokine production. However, either NFAT single-knockout kept cytotoxicity of human CD3+ T cells untouched against tumor cells in vitro. Furthermore, mouse and human Treg were unaffected upon the loss of a single NFAT member. Lastly, NFATC1 or NFATC2-deficient anti-CD19 CAR T cells, generated with our non-viral 'one-step nucleofection' method validated our observations in mouse and human T cells. Proinflammatory cytokine production was majorly dependent on NFATC2 expression, whereas, in vitro cytotoxicity against CD19+ tumor cells was undisturbed in the absence of either of the NFAT members. Our findings emphasize that NFAT single-deficiency in donor T cells is superior to CN-inhibitors as therapy during allo-HCT to prevent GvHD while preserving GvL in patients.}, subject = {CRISPR/Cas-Methode}, language = {en} } @article{MarquardtHartrampfKollmannsbergeretal.2023, author = {Marquardt, Andr{\´e} and Hartrampf, Philipp and Kollmannsberger, Philip and Solimando, Antonio G. and Meierjohann, Svenja and K{\"u}bler, Hubert and Bargou, Ralf and Schilling, Bastian and Serfling, Sebastian E. and Buck, Andreas and Werner, Rudolf A. and Lapa, Constantin and Krebs, Markus}, title = {Predicting microenvironment in CXCR4- and FAP-positive solid tumors — a pan-cancer machine learning workflow for theranostic target structures}, series = {Cancers}, volume = {15}, journal = {Cancers}, number = {2}, issn = {2072-6694}, doi = {10.3390/cancers15020392}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-305036}, year = {2023}, abstract = {(1) Background: C-X-C Motif Chemokine Receptor 4 (CXCR4) and Fibroblast Activation Protein Alpha (FAP) are promising theranostic targets. However, it is unclear whether CXCR4 and FAP positivity mark distinct microenvironments, especially in solid tumors. (2) Methods: Using Random Forest (RF) analysis, we searched for entity-independent mRNA and microRNA signatures related to CXCR4 and FAP overexpression in our pan-cancer cohort from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database — representing n = 9242 specimens from 29 tumor entities. CXCR4- and FAP-positive samples were assessed via StringDB cluster analysis, EnrichR, Metascape, and Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA). Findings were validated via correlation analyses in n = 1541 tumor samples. TIMER2.0 analyzed the association of CXCR4 / FAP expression and infiltration levels of immune-related cells. (3) Results: We identified entity-independent CXCR4 and FAP gene signatures representative for the majority of solid cancers. While CXCR4 positivity marked an immune-related microenvironment, FAP overexpression highlighted an angiogenesis-associated niche. TIMER2.0 analysis confirmed characteristic infiltration levels of CD8+ cells for CXCR4-positive tumors and endothelial cells for FAP-positive tumors. (4) Conclusions: CXCR4- and FAP-directed PET imaging could provide a non-invasive decision aid for entity-agnostic treatment of microenvironment in solid malignancies. Moreover, this machine learning workflow can easily be transferred towards other theranostic targets.}, language = {en} } @article{FeldheimKesslerFeldheimetal.2023, author = {Feldheim, Jonas and Kessler, Almuth F. and Feldheim, Julia J. and Schmitt, Dominik and Oster, Christoph and Lazaridis, Lazaros and Glas, Martin and Ernestus, Ralf-Ingo and Monoranu, Camelia M. and L{\"o}hr, Mario and Hagemann, Carsten}, title = {BRMS1 in gliomas — an expression analysis}, series = {Cancers}, volume = {15}, journal = {Cancers}, number = {11}, issn = {2072-6694}, doi = {10.3390/cancers15112907}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-319225}, year = {2023}, abstract = {The metastatic suppressor BRMS1 interacts with critical steps of the metastatic cascade in many cancer entities. As gliomas rarely metastasize, BRMS1 has mainly been neglected in glioma research. However, its interaction partners, such as NFκB, VEGF, or MMPs, are old acquaintances in neurooncology. The steps regulated by BRMS1, such as invasion, migration, and apoptosis, are commonly dysregulated in gliomas. Therefore, BRMS1 shows potential as a regulator of glioma behavior. By bioinformatic analysis, in addition to our cohort of 118 specimens, we determined BRMS1 mRNA and protein expression as well as its correlation with the clinical course in astrocytomas IDH mutant, CNS WHO grade 2/3, and glioblastoma IDH wild-type, CNS WHO grade 4. Interestingly, we found BRMS1 protein expression to be significantly decreased in the aforementioned gliomas, while BRMS1 mRNA appeared to be overexpressed throughout. This dysregulation was independent of patients' characteristics or survival. The protein and mRNA expression differences cannot be finally explained at this stage. However, they suggest a post-transcriptional dysregulation that has been previously described in other cancer entities. Our analyses present the first data on BRMS1 expression in gliomas that can provide a starting point for further investigations.}, language = {en} } @article{NicklEckGoedertetal.2023, author = {Nickl, Vera and Eck, Juliana and Goedert, Nicolas and H{\"u}bner, Julian and Nerreter, Thomas and Hagemann, Carsten and Ernestus, Ralf-Ingo and Schulz, Tim and Nickl, Robert Carl and Keßler, Almuth Friederike and L{\"o}hr, Mario and Rosenwald, Andreas and Breun, Maria and Monoranu, Camelia Maria}, title = {Characterization and optimization of the tumor microenvironment in patient-derived organotypic slices and organoid models of glioblastoma}, series = {Cancers}, volume = {15}, journal = {Cancers}, number = {10}, issn = {2072-6694}, doi = {10.3390/cancers15102698}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-319249}, year = {2023}, abstract = {While glioblastoma (GBM) is still challenging to treat, novel immunotherapeutic approaches have shown promising effects in preclinical settings. However, their clinical breakthrough is hampered by complex interactions of GBM with the tumor microenvironment (TME). Here, we present an analysis of TME composition in a patient-derived organoid model (PDO) as well as in organotypic slice cultures (OSC). To obtain a more realistic model for immunotherapeutic testing, we introduce an enhanced PDO model. We manufactured PDOs and OSCs from fresh tissue of GBM patients and analyzed the TME. Enhanced PDOs (ePDOs) were obtained via co-culture with PBMCs (peripheral blood mononuclear cells) and compared to normal PDOs (nPDOs) and PT (primary tissue). At first, we showed that TME was not sustained in PDOs after a short time of culture. In contrast, TME was largely maintained in OSCs. Unfortunately, OSCs can only be cultured for up to 9 days. Thus, we enhanced the TME in PDOs by co-culturing PDOs and PBMCs from healthy donors. These cellular TME patterns could be preserved until day 21. The ePDO approach could mirror the interaction of GBM, TME and immunotherapeutic agents and may consequently represent a realistic model for individual immunotherapeutic drug testing in the future.}, language = {en} } @article{BoeckMaurusGerhardHartmannetal.2023, author = {B{\"o}ck, Julia and Maurus, Katja and Gerhard-Hartmann, Elena and Br{\"a}ndlein, Stephanie and Kurz, Katrin S. and Ott, German and Anagnostopoulos, Ioannis and Rosenwald, Andreas and Zam{\`o}, Alberto}, title = {Targeted panel sequencing in the routine diagnosis of mature T- and NK-cell lymphomas}, series = {Frontiers in Oncology}, volume = {13}, journal = {Frontiers in Oncology}, issn = {2234-943X}, doi = {10.3389/fonc.2023.1231601}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-326478}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Diagnosing any of the more than 30 types of T-cell lymphomas is considered a challenging task for many pathologists and currently requires morphological expertise as well as the integration of clinical data, immunophenotype, flow cytometry and clonality analyses. Even considering all available information, some margin of doubt might remain using the current diagnostic procedures. In recent times, the genetic landscape of most T-cell lymphomas has been elucidated, showing a number of diagnostically relevant mutations. In addition, recent data indicate that some of these genetic alterations might bear prognostic and predictive value. Extensive genetic analyses, such as whole exome or large panel sequencing are still expensive and time consuming, therefore limiting their application in routine diagnostic. We therefore devoted our effort to develop a lean approach for genetic analysis of T-cell lymphomas, focusing on maximum efficiency rather than exhaustively covering all possible targets. Here we report the results generated with our small amplicon-based panel that could be used routinely on paraffin-embedded and even decalcified samples, on a single sample basis in parallel with other NGS-panels used in our routine diagnostic lab, in a relatively short time and with limited costs. We tested 128 available samples from two German reference centers as part of our routine work up (among which 116 T-cell lymphomas), which is the largest routine diagnostic series reported to date. Our results showed that this assay had a very high rate of technical success (97\%) and could detect mutations in the majority (79\%) of tested T-cell lymphoma samples.}, language = {en} } @article{KressJessenHufnageletal.2023, author = {Kreß, Julia Katharina Charlotte and Jessen, Christina and Hufnagel, Anita and Schmitz, Werner and Da Xavier Silva, Thamara Nishida and Ferreira Dos Santos, Anc{\´e}ly and Mosteo, Laura and Goding, Colin R. and Friedmann Angeli, Jos{\´e} Pedro and Meierjohann, Svenja}, title = {The integrated stress response effector ATF4 is an obligatory metabolic activator of NRF2}, series = {Cell Reports}, volume = {42}, journal = {Cell Reports}, number = {7}, doi = {10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112724}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-350312}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Highlights • The integrated stress response leads to a general ATF4-dependent activation of NRF2 • ATF4 causes a CHAC1-dependent GSH depletion, resulting in NRF2 stabilization • An elevation of NRF2 transcript levels fosters this effect • NRF2 supports the ISR/ATF4 pathway by improving cystine and antioxidant supply Summary The redox regulator NRF2 becomes activated upon oxidative and electrophilic stress and orchestrates a response program associated with redox regulation, metabolism, tumor therapy resistance, and immune suppression. Here, we describe an unrecognized link between the integrated stress response (ISR) and NRF2 mediated by the ISR effector ATF4. The ISR is commonly activated after starvation or ER stress and plays a central role in tissue homeostasis and cancer plasticity. ATF4 increases NRF2 transcription and induces the glutathione-degrading enzyme CHAC1, which we now show to be critically important for maintaining NRF2 activation. In-depth analyses reveal that NRF2 supports ATF4-induced cells by increasing cystine uptake via the glutamate-cystine antiporter xCT. In addition, NRF2 upregulates genes mediating thioredoxin usage and regeneration, thus balancing the glutathione decrease. In conclusion, we demonstrate that the NRF2 response serves as second layer of the ISR, an observation highly relevant for the understanding of cellular resilience in health and disease.}, language = {en} } @article{BasslerKnoblichGerhardHartmannetal.2023, author = {Bassler, Miriam C. and Knoblich, Mona and Gerhard-Hartmann, Elena and Mukherjee, Ashutosh and Youssef, Almoatazbellah and Hagen, Rudolf and Haug, Lukas and Goncalves, Miguel and Scherzad, Agmal and St{\"o}th, Manuel and Ostertag, Edwin and Steinke, Maria and Brecht, Marc and Hackenberg, Stephan and Meyer, Till Jasper}, title = {Differentiation of salivary gland and salivary gland tumor tissue via Raman imaging combined with multivariate data analysis}, series = {Diagnostics}, volume = {14}, journal = {Diagnostics}, number = {1}, issn = {2075-4418}, doi = {10.3390/diagnostics14010092}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-355558}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Salivary gland tumors (SGTs) are a relevant, highly diverse subgroup of head and neck tumors whose entity determination can be difficult. Confocal Raman imaging in combination with multivariate data analysis may possibly support their correct classification. For the analysis of the translational potential of Raman imaging in SGT determination, a multi-stage evaluation process is necessary. By measuring a sample set of Warthin tumor, pleomorphic adenoma and non-tumor salivary gland tissue, Raman data were obtained and a thorough Raman band analysis was performed. This evaluation revealed highly overlapping Raman patterns with only minor spectral differences. Consequently, a principal component analysis (PCA) was calculated and further combined with a discriminant analysis (DA) to enable the best possible distinction. The PCA-DA model was characterized by accuracy, sensitivity, selectivity and precision values above 90\% and validated by predicting model-unknown Raman spectra, of which 93\% were classified correctly. Thus, we state our PCA-DA to be suitable for parotid tumor and non-salivary salivary gland tissue discrimination and prediction. For evaluation of the translational potential, further validation steps are necessary.}, language = {en} } @article{MadrahimovMutsenkoNatanovetal.2023, author = {Madrahimov, Nodir and Mutsenko, Vitalii and Natanov, Ruslan and Radaković, Dejan and Klapproth, Andr{\´e} and Hassan, Mohamed and Rosenfeldt, Mathias and Kleefeldt, Florian and Aleksic, Ivan and Erg{\"u}n, S{\"u}leyman and Otto, Christoph and Leyh, Rainer G. and Bening, Constanze}, title = {Multiorgan recovery in a cadaver body using mild hypothermic ECMO treatment in a murine model}, series = {Intensive Care Medicine Experimental}, volume = {11}, journal = {Intensive Care Medicine Experimental}, doi = {10.1186/s40635-023-00534-2}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357381}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Background Transplant candidates on the waiting list are increasingly challenged by the lack of organs. Most of the organs can only be kept viable within very limited timeframes (e.g., mere 4-6 h for heart and lungs exposed to refrigeration temperatures ex vivo). Donation after circulatory death (DCD) using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can significantly enlarge the donor pool, organ yield per donor, and shelf life. Nevertheless, clinical attempts to recover organs for transplantation after uncontrolled DCD are extremely complex and hardly reproducible. Therefore, as a preliminary strategy to fulfill this task, experimental protocols using feasible animal models are highly warranted. The primary aim of the study was to develop a model of ECMO-based cadaver organ recovery in mice. Our model mimics uncontrolled organ donation after an "out-of-hospital" sudden unexpected death with subsequent "in-hospital" cadaver management post-mortem. The secondary aim was to assess blood gas parameters, cardiac activity as well as overall organ state. The study protocol included post-mortem heparin-streptokinase administration 10 min after confirmed death induced by cervical dislocation under full anesthesia. After cannulation, veno-arterial ECMO (V-A ECMO) was started 1 h after death and continued for 2 h under mild hypothermic conditions followed by organ harvest. Pressure- and flow-controlled oxygenated blood-based reperfusion of a cadaver body was accompanied by blood gas analysis (BGA), electrocardiography, and histological evaluation of ischemia-reperfusion injury. For the first time, we designed and implemented, a not yet reported, miniaturized murine hemodialysis circuit for the treatment of severe hyperkalemia and metabolic acidosis post-mortem. Results BGA parameters confirmed profound ischemia typical for cadavers and incompatible with normal physiology, including extremely low blood pH, profound negative base excess, and enormously high levels of lactate. Two hours after ECMO implantation, blood pH values of a cadaver body restored from < 6.5 to 7.3 ± 0.05, pCO2 was lowered from > 130 to 41.7 ± 10.5 mmHg, sO2, base excess, and HCO3 were all elevated from below detection thresholds to 99.5 ± 0.6\%, - 4 ± 6.2 and 22.0 ± 6.0 mmol/L, respectively (Student T test, p < 0.05). A substantial decrease in hyperlactatemia (from > 20 to 10.5 ± 1.7 mmol/L) and hyperkalemia (from > 9 to 6.9 ± 1.0 mmol/L) was observed when hemodialysis was implemented. On balance, the first signs of regained heart activity appeared on average 10 min after ECMO initiation without cardioplegia or any inotropic and vasopressor support. This was followed by restoration of myocardial contractility with a heart rate of up to 200 beats per minute (bpm) as detected by an electrocardiogram (ECG). Histological examinations revealed no evidence of heart injury 3 h post-mortem, whereas shock-specific morphological changes relevant to acute death and consequent cardiac/circulatory arrest were observed in the lungs, liver, and kidney of both control and ECMO-treated cadaver mice. Conclusions Thus, our model represents a promising approach to facilitate studying perspectives of cadaveric multiorgan recovery for transplantation. Moreover, it opens new possibilities for cadaver organ treatment to extend and potentiate donation and, hence, contribute to solving the organ shortage dilemma.}, language = {en} } @article{HungKasperkowitzKurzetal.2023, author = {Hung, Sophia and Kasperkowitz, Amelie and Kurz, Florian and Dreher, Liane and Diessner, Joachim and Ibrahim, Eslam S. and Schwarz, Stefan and Ohlsen, Knut and Hertlein, Tobias}, title = {Next-generation humanized NSG-SGM3 mice are highly susceptible to Staphylococcus aureus infection}, series = {Frontiers in Immunology}, volume = {14}, journal = {Frontiers in Immunology}, doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2023.1127709}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-306966}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Humanized hemato-lymphoid system mice, or humanized mice, emerged in recent years as a promising model to study the course of infection of human-adapted or human-specific pathogens. Though Staphylococcus aureus infects and colonizes a variety of species, it has nonetheless become one of the most successful human pathogens of our time with a wide armory of human-adapted virulence factors. Humanized mice showed increased vulnerability to S. aureus compared to wild type mice in a variety of clinically relevant disease models. Most of these studies employed humanized NSG (NOD-scid IL2Rgnull) mice which are widely used in the scientific community, but show poor human myeloid cell reconstitution. Since this immune cell compartment plays a decisive role in the defense of the human immune system against S. aureus, we asked whether next-generation humanized mice, like NSG-SGM3 (NOD-scid IL2Rgnull-3/GM/SF) with improved myeloid reconstitution, would prove to be more resistant to infection. To our surprise, we found the contrary when we infected humanized NSG-SGM3 (huSGM3) mice with S. aureus: although they had stronger human immune cell engraftment than humanized NSG mice, particularly in the myeloid compartment, they displayed even more pronounced vulnerability to S. aureus infection. HuSGM3 mice had overall higher numbers of human T cells, B cells, neutrophils and monocytes in the blood and the spleen. This was accompanied by elevated levels of pro-inflammatory human cytokines in the blood of huSGM3 mice. We further identified that the impaired survival of huSGM3 mice was not linked to higher bacterial burden nor to differences in the murine immune cell repertoire. Conversely, we could demonstrate a correlation of the rate of humanization and the severity of infection. Collectively, this study suggests a detrimental effect of the human immune system in humanized mice upon encounter with S. aureus which might help to guide future therapy approaches and analysis of virulence mechanisms.}, language = {en} } @article{MurtiFenderGlatzleetal.2023, author = {Murti, Krisna and Fender, Hendrik and Glatzle, Carolin and Wismer, Rhoda and Sampere-Birlanga, Salvador and Wild, Vanessa and Muhammad, Khalid and Rosenwald, Andreas and Serfling, Edgar and Avots, Andris}, title = {Calcineurin-independent NFATc1 signaling is essential for survival of Burkitt lymphoma cells}, series = {Frontiers in Oncology}, volume = {13}, journal = {Frontiers in Oncology}, doi = {10.3389/fonc.2023.1205788}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-323103}, year = {2023}, abstract = {In Burkitt lymphoma (BL), a tumor of germinal center B cells, the pro-apoptotic properties of MYC are controlled by tonic B cell receptor (BCR) signals. Since BL cells do not exhibit constitutive NF-κB activity, we hypothesized that anti-apoptotic NFATc1 proteins provide a major transcriptional survival signal in BL. Here we show that post-transcriptional mechanisms are responsible for the calcineurin (CN) independent constitutive nuclear over-expression of NFATc1 in BL and Eµ-MYC - induced B cell lymphomas (BCL). Conditional inactivation of the Nfatc1 gene in B cells of Eµ-MYC mice leads to apoptosis of BCL cells in vivo and ex vivo. Inhibition of BCR/SYK/BTK/PI3K signals in BL cells results in cytosolic re-location of NFATc1 and apoptosis. Therefore, NFATc1 activity is an integrated part of tonic BCR signaling and an alternative target for therapeutic intervention in BL.}, language = {en} } @article{LisowskiHartrampfHasenaueretal.2023, author = {Lisowski, Dominik and Hartrampf, Philipp E. and Hasenauer, Natalie and Nickl, Vera and Monoranu, Camelia-Maria and Tamihardja, J{\"o}rg}, title = {Complete loss of E-cadherin expression in a rare case of metastatic malignant meningioma: a case report}, series = {BMC Neurology}, volume = {23}, journal = {BMC Neurology}, doi = {10.1186/s12883-023-03450-w}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-357996}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Background Hematogenous tumor spread of malignant meningiomas occurs very rarely but is associated with very poor prognosis. Case presentation We report an unusual case of a patient with a malignant meningioma who developed multiple metastases in bones, lungs and liver after initial complete resection of the primary tumor. After partial hepatic resection, specimens were histologically analyzed, and a complete loss of E-cadherin adhesion molecules was found. No oncogenic target mutations were found. The patient received a combination of conventional radiotherapy and peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT). Due to aggressive tumor behavior and rapid spread of metastases, the patient deceased after initiation of treatment. Conclusions E-cadherin downregulation is associated with a higher probability of tumor invasion and distant metastasis formation in malignant meningioma. Up to now, the efficacy of systemic therapy, including PRRT, is very limited in malignant meningioma patients.}, language = {en} } @article{SealSchwabChiarollaetal.2023, author = {Seal, Rishav and Schwab, Lara S. U. and Chiarolla, Cristina M. and Hundhausen, Nadine and Klose, Georg Heinrich and Reu-Hofer, Simone and Rosenwald, Andreas and Wiest, Johannes and Berberich-Siebelt, Friederike}, title = {Delayed and limited administration of the JAKinib tofacitinib mitigates chronic DSS-induced colitis}, series = {Frontiers in Immunology}, volume = {14}, journal = {Frontiers in Immunology}, doi = {10.3389/fimmu.2023.1179311}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-317815}, year = {2023}, abstract = {In inflammatory bowel disease, dysregulated T cells express pro-inflammatory cytokines. Using a chronic azoxymethane (AOM)/dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis model resembling ulcerative colitis, we evaluated whether and when treatment with the Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor tofacitinib could be curative. Comparing the treatment with two and three cycles of tofacitinib medication in drinking water - intermittently with DSS induction - revealed that two cycles were not only sufficient but also superior over the 3-x regimen. The two cycles of the 2-x protocol paralleled the second and third cycles of the longer protocol. T cells were less able to express interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and the serum levels of IFN-γ, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-17, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) were significantly reduced in sera, while those of IL-10 and IL-22 increased under the 2-x protocol. Likewise, the frequency and effector phenotype of regulatory T cells (Tregs) increased. This was accompanied by normal weight gain, controlled clinical scores, and restored stool consistency. The general and histologic appearance of the colons revealed healing and tissue intactness. Importantly, two phases of tofacitinib medication completely prevented AOM-incited pseudopolyps and the hyper-proliferation of epithelia, which was in contrast to the 3-x regimen. This implies that the initial IBD-induced cytokine expression is not necessarily harmful as long as inflammatory signaling can later be suppressed and that time-restricted treatment allows for anti-inflammatory and tissue-healing cytokine activities.}, language = {en} } @article{BreunFlockFeldheimetal.2023, author = {Breun, Maria and Flock, Katharina and Feldheim, Jonas and Nattmann, Anja and Monoranu, Camelia M. and Herrmann, Pia and Ernestus, Ralf-Ingo and L{\"o}hr, Mario and Hagemann, Carsten and Stein, Ulrike}, title = {Metastasis associated in colorectal cancer 1 (MACC1) mRNA expression is enhanced in sporadic vestibular schwannoma and correlates to deafness}, series = {Cancers}, volume = {15}, journal = {Cancers}, number = {16}, issn = {2072-6694}, doi = {10.3390/cancers15164089}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-362543}, year = {2023}, abstract = {Vestibular schwannoma (VS) are benign cranial nerve sheath tumors of the vestibulocochlear nerve. Their incidence is mostly sporadic, but they can also be associated with NF2-related schwannomatosis (NF2), a hereditary tumor syndrome. Metastasis associated in colon cancer 1 (MACC1) is known to contribute to angiogenesis, cell growth, invasiveness, cell motility and metastasis of solid malignant cancers. In addition, MACC1 may be associated with nonsyndromic hearing impairment. Therefore, we evaluated whether MACC1 may be involved in the pathogenesis of VS. Sporadic VS, recurrent sporadic VS, NF2-associated VS, recurrent NF2-associated VS and healthy vestibular nerves were analyzed for MACC1 mRNA and protein expression by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. MACC1 expression levels were correlated with the patients' clinical course and symptoms. MACC1 mRNA expression was significantly higher in sporadic VS compared to NF2-associated VS (p \< 0.001). The latter expressed similar MACC1 concentrations as healthy vestibular nerves. Recurrent tumors resembled the MACC1 expression of the primary tumors. MACC1 mRNA expression was significantly correlated with deafness in sporadic VS patients (p = 0.034). Therefore, MACC1 might be a new molecular marker involved in VS pathogenesis.}, language = {en} } @article{MeinertJessenHufnageletal.2024, author = {Meinert, Madlen and Jessen, Christina and Hufnagel, Anita and Kreß, Julia Katharina Charlotte and Burnworth, Mychal and D{\"a}ubler, Theo and Gallasch, Till and Da Xavier Silva, Thamara Nishida and Dos Santos, Anc{\´e}ly Ferreira and Ade, Carsten Patrick and Schmitz, Werner and Kneitz, Susanne and Friedmann Angeli, Jos{\´e} Pedro and Meierjohann, Svenja}, title = {Thiol starvation triggers melanoma state switching in an ATF4 and NRF2-dependent manner}, series = {Redox Biology}, volume = {70}, journal = {Redox Biology}, doi = {10.1016/j.redox.2023.103011}, url = {http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-350328}, year = {2024}, abstract = {The cystine/glutamate antiporter xCT is an important source of cysteine for cancer cells. Once taken up, cystine is reduced to cysteine and serves as a building block for the synthesis of glutathione, which efficiently protects cells from oxidative damage and prevents ferroptosis. As melanomas are particularly exposed to several sources of oxidative stress, we investigated the biological role of cysteine and glutathione supply by xCT in melanoma. xCT activity was abolished by genetic depletion in the Tyr::CreER; Braf\(^{CA}\); Pten\(^{lox/+}\) melanoma model and by acute cystine withdrawal in melanoma cell lines. Both interventions profoundly impacted melanoma glutathione levels, but they were surprisingly well tolerated by murine melanomas in vivo and by most human melanoma cell lines in vitro. RNA sequencing of human melanoma cells revealed a strong adaptive upregulation of NRF2 and ATF4 pathways, which orchestrated the compensatory upregulation of genes involved in antioxidant defence and de novo cysteine biosynthesis. In addition, the joint activation of ATF4 and NRF2 triggered a phenotypic switch characterized by a reduction of differentiation genes and induction of pro-invasive features, which was also observed after erastin treatment or the inhibition of glutathione synthesis. NRF2 alone was capable of inducing the phenotypic switch in a transient manner. Together, our data show that cystine or glutathione levels regulate the phenotypic plasticity of melanoma cells by elevating ATF4 and NRF2.}, language = {en} }