Item type: | Article | ||||
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Journal or Publication Title: | Nature Medicine | ||||
Publisher: | Nature | ||||
Place of Publication: | NEW YORK | ||||
Volume: | 24 | ||||
Number of Issue or Book Chapter: | 3 | ||||
Page Range: | pp. 282-291 | ||||
Date: | 2018 | ||||
Institutions: | Medicine > Lehrstuhl für Innere Medizin III (Hämatologie und Internistische Onkologie) | ||||
Identification Number: |
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Keywords: | ACUTE MYELOID-LEUKEMIA; INTERNAL TANDEM DUPLICATION; HOST-DISEASE; REGULATORY FACTOR; ACUTE GVHD; ALLO-SCT; TRANSPLANTATION; INTERLEUKIN-15; ACTIVATION; MAINTENANCE; | ||||
Dewey Decimal Classification: | 600 Technology > 610 Medical sciences Medicine | ||||
Status: | Published | ||||
Refereed: | Yes, this version has been refereed | ||||
Created at the University of Regensburg: | Yes | ||||
Item ID: | 47433 |
Abstract
Individuals with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) harboring an internal tandem duplication (ITD) in the gene encoding Fms-related tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) who relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) have a 1-year survival rate below 20%. We observed that sorafenib, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, increased IL-15 production by FLT3-ITD+ leukemia cells. This ...
Abstract
Individuals with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) harboring an internal tandem duplication (ITD) in the gene encoding Fms-related tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) who relapse after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (allo-HCT) have a 1-year survival rate below 20%. We observed that sorafenib, a multitargeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor, increased IL-15 production by FLT3-ITD+ leukemia cells. This synergized with the allogeneic CD8(+) T cell response, leading to long-term survival in six mouse models of FLT3-ITD+ AML. Sorafenib-related IL-15 production caused an increase in CD8(+) CD107a(+) IFN-gamma(+) T cells with features of longevity (high levels of Bcl-2 and reduced PD-1 levels), which eradicated leukemia in secondary recipients. Mechanistically, sorafenib reduced expression of the transcription factor ATF4, thereby blocking negative regulation of interferon regulatory factor 7 (IRF7) activation, which enhanced IL-15 transcription. Both IRF7 knockdown and ATF4 overexpression in leukemia cells antagonized sorafenib-induced IL-15 production in vitro. Human FLT3-ITD+ AML cells obtained from sorafenib responders following sorafenib therapy showed increased levels of IL-15, phosphorylated IRF7, and a transcriptionally active IRF7 chromatin state. The mitochondrial spare respiratory capacity and glycolytic capacity of CD8(+) T cells increased upon sorafenib treatment in sorafenib responders but not in nonresponders. Our findings indicate that the synergism of T cells and sorafenib is mediated via reduced ATF4 expression, causing activation of the IRF7-IL-15 axis in leukemia cells and thereby leading to metabolic reprogramming of leukemia-reactive T cells in humans. Therefore, sorafenib treatment has the potential to contribute to an immune-mediated cure of FLT3-ITD-mutant AML relapse, an otherwise fatal complication after allo-HCT.
Metadata last modified: 27 Aug 2021 08:42