A seven-gene expression panel distinguishing clonal expansions of pre-leukemic and chronic lymphocytic leukemia B cells from normal B lymphocytes.

Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is a clonal disease of B lymphocytes manifesting as an absolute lymphocytosis in the blood. However, not all lymphocytoses are leukemic. In addition, first-degree relatives of CLL patients have an ~15 % chance of developing a precursor condition to CLL termed monoclonal B cell lymphocytosis (MBL), and distinguishing CLL and MBL B lymphocytes from normal B cell expansions can be a challenge.

Functional dissection of HOXD cluster genes in regulation of neuroblastoma cell proliferation and differentiation.

Retinoic acid (RA) can induce growth arrest and neuronal differentiation of neuroblastoma cells and has been used in clinic for treatment of neuroblastoma. It has been reported that RA induces the expression of several HOXD genes in human neuroblastoma cell lines, but their roles in RA action are largely unknown. The HOXD cluster contains nine genes (HOXD1, HOXD3, HOXD4, and HOXD8-13) that are positioned sequentially from 3' to 5', with HOXD1 at the 3' end and HOXD13 the 5' end.

NF-κB2 mutation targets survival, proliferation and differentiation pathways in the pathogenesis of plasma cell tumors.

Background: Abnormal NF-κB2 activation has been implicated in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells. However, a causal role for aberrant NF-κB2 signaling in the development of plasma cell tumors has not been established. Also unclear is the molecular mechanism that drives the tumorigenic process.

HOXC9 links cell-cycle exit and neuronal differentiation and is a prognostic marker in neuroblastoma.

Differentiation status in neuroblastoma strongly affects clinical outcomes and inducing differentiation is a treatment strategy in this disease. However, the molecular mechanisms that control neuroblastoma differentiation are not well understood. Here, we show that high-level HOXC9 expression is associated with neuroblastoma differentiation and is prognostic for better survival in neuroblastoma patients.

Administration of human umbilical cord blood cells produces interleukin-10 (IL-10) in IL-10 deficient mice without immunosuppression.

Recent studies from our laboratory have shown that intravenous administration of human umbilical cord blood (HUCB) mononuclear cells to mice improved blood glucose levels, survival, atherosclerosis and prostate cancer. In this study, we examined the effect of HUCB cells on the production of IL-10 levels in IL-10 knockout mice. It has been proposed that administration of IL-10 may be beneficial in the treatment of inflammatory bowl disease.

Surface expression of Bcl-2 in chronic lymphocytic leukemia and other B-cell leukemias and lymphomas without a breakpoint t(14;18).

Since its discovery in follicular lymphoma cells at the breakpoint t(14;18), Bcl-2 has been studied extensively in many basic and clinical science settings. Bcl-2 can locate as an integral mitochondrial membrane component, where its primary role is to block apoptosis by maintaining membrane integrity. Here we show that Bcl-2 also can position on the outer cell surface membrane of B cells from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL) and certain other leukemias that do not classically possess the chromosomal breakpoint t(14;18).

Evidence of Borrelia autoimmunity-induced component of Lyme carditis and arthritis.

We investigated the possibility that manifestations of Lyme disease in certain hosts, such as arthritis and carditis, may be autoimmunity mediated due to molecular mimicry between the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi and self-components. We first compared amino acid sequences of Streptococcus pyogenes M protein, a known inducer of antibodies that are cross-reactive with myosin, and B. burgdorferi and found significant homologies with OspA protein.

and Analysis of IL-10 in the NZB Leukemic Model.

Background: The B-1 malignancy, CLL has been associated with a failure to undergo apoptosis and increased endogenous IL-10 production. This study was undertaken to identify IL-10 effects in the NZB murine model of CLL.

Materials And Methods: Antisense IL-10 was employed in vitro and in vivo to decrease IL-10 protein.

RNA interference of IL-10 in leukemic B-1 cells.

RNA interference, or RNAi, is designed to work by Watson-Crick base pairing and to result in a posttranscriptional block in protein synthesis. Antiapoptotic proteins are a major focus of cancer therapy and make attractive targets for RNAi. An IL-10 RNAi sequence was designed in accordance with Tuschl rules and was modeled to a hairpin configuration.