Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has exhibited dramatic anti-tumor efficacy in clinical trials. In this study, we reported the transcriptome profiles of bone marrow cells in four B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) patients before and after CD19-specific CAR-T therapy. CD19-CAR-T therapy remarkably reduced the number of leukemia cells, and three patients achieved bone marrow remission (minimal residual disease negative). The efficacy of CD19-CAR-T therapy on B-ALL was positively correlated with the abundance of CAR and immune cell subpopulations, e.g., CD8 T cells and natural killer (NK) cells, in the bone marrow. Additionally, CD19-CAR-T therapy mainly influenced the expression of genes linked to cell cycle and immune response pathways, including the NK cell mediated cytotoxicity and NOD-like receptor signaling pathways. The regulatory network analyses revealed that microRNAs (e.g., miR-148a-3p and miR-375), acting as oncogenes or tumor suppressors, could regulate the crosstalk between the genes encoding transcription factors (TFs; e.g., JUN and FOS) and histones (e.g., HIST1H4A and HIST2H4A) involved in CD19-CAR-T therapy. Furthermore, many long non-coding RNAs showed a high degree of co-expression with TFs or histones (e.g., FOS and HIST1H4B) and were associated with immune processes. These transcriptome analyses provided important clues for further understanding the gene expression and related mechanisms underlying the efficacy of CAR-T immunotherapy.
Adult ; Antigens, CD19 ; metabolism ; Bone Marrow ; metabolism ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; Female ; Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic ; Gene Regulatory Networks ; Humans ; Immunotherapy, Adoptive ; Male ; MicroRNAs ; genetics ; metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; genetics ; immunology ; therapy ; RNA, Long Noncoding ; genetics ; metabolism ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell ; Transcription Factors ; metabolism ; Transcriptome ; genetics

Biomarkers ; metabolism ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; metabolism ; Cytomegalovirus Retinitis ; immunology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Polymerase Chain Reaction ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; immunology ; metabolism ; virology

Fatal Outcome ; Humans ; Inflammation ; immunology ; metabolism ; mortality ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; immunology ; metabolism ; mortality ; Male ; Middle Aged

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) is a recombinant immunoreceptor combining an antibody-derived targeting fragment with signaling domains capable of activating cells, which endows T cells with the ability to recognize tumor-associated surface antigens independent of the expression of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) molecules. Recent early-phase clinical trials of CAR-modified T (CAR-T) cells for relapsed or refractory B cell malignancies have demonstrated promising results (that is, anti-CD19 CAR-T in B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL)). Given this success, broadening the clinical experience of CAR-T cell therapy beyond hematological malignancies has been actively investigated. Here we discuss the basic design of CAR and review the clinical results from the studies of CAR-T cells in B cell leukemia and lymphoma, and several solid tumors. We additionally discuss the major challenges in the further development and strategies for increasing anti-tumor activity and safety, as well as for successful commercial translation.
Animals ; Humans ; Immunity, Cellular ; Immunotherapy ; Precursor B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; immunology ; pathology ; therapy ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell ; immunology ; Recombinant Fusion Proteins ; immunology ; T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; transplantation

No abstract available.
Antibodies, Monoclonal, Murine-Derived/therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols/therapeutic use ; B-Cell-Specific Activator Protein/metabolism ; Bone Marrow/metabolism/*pathology ; Cyclophosphamide/therapeutic use ; Doxorubicin/therapeutic use ; Endoscopy, Digestive System ; Female ; Gene Rearrangement, gamma-Chain T-Cell Antigen Receptor ; Genetic Loci ; Humans ; Liver/metabolism/pathology ; Lymphocytes/cytology/immunology ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse/complications/*diagnosis/drug therapy ; Lymphoma, T-Cell, Peripheral/complications/*diagnosis/drug therapy ; Middle Aged ; Prednisone/therapeutic use ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell, gamma-delta/genetics ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Vincristine/therapeutic use

B-cell lymphoma and leukemia are the most common subtypes of malignant lymphomas. Relapse and refractory to multiple therapy are the main reasons of treatment failure. As the classical anti-tumor methods, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and palliative therapy have cured lots of cancer patients. However, each year many patients still died of different kinds of hard-to-treat cancers. Although the ratio of complete remission of B-cell lymphoma/leukemia patients particularly with CD20 positive mature B cell malignancies has been largely increased after the application of Rituximab in clinic, nearly 20%-40% patients still died due to relapse and refractory to the treatment. During last five years, the development of chimeric antigen receptor-T (CAR-T) cells, especially CD19 CAR-T cells, which can recognize CD19 specifically expressed on B cells and have been demonstrated to be significantly effective to relapsed and refractory B cell lymphoma/leukemia in clinical trials, has gradually attracted extensively concerning from researchers and clinicians. Many medical institutions all over the world (besides in China) have registered the clinical trials for B-cell lymphoma/leukemia patients by use of CAR-T cells. In this review, we summarize the developmental history, the main ongoing clinical trials and proved potential adverse affects of CD19 CAR-T cells for the treatment of patients with B-cell lymphoma/leukemia.
Cell- and Tissue-Based Therapy ; Humans ; Lymphoma, B-Cell ; therapy ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell ; immunology ; therapeutic use ; Remission Induction ; Translational Medical Research

OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical significance of peripheral blood regulatory T cell (Treg) population in patients with extranodal NK/T cell lymphoma, nasal type (ENKL).

METHODSThe peripheral blood CD4+CD25+ Treg cell population was detected by flow cytometry in 41 newly diagnosed ENKL patients between March 2009 and December 2012.

RESULTSThe proportion of CD4+CD25+ Treg cell population increased in ENKL patients compared to healthy donors [(9.64±4.96)% vs(7.31±3.02)%, P<0.05], and decreased significantly after treatment [(5.18±2.19)%, P<0.01]. Patients when got response had significantly lower proportion of Treg cells [(8.79±4.15)%] as compared with those without response [(14.57±6.73)%, P<0.05]. The proportion of Treg population was positively related to the serum lactate dehydrogenass level.

CONCLUSIONThe proportion of peripheral blood Treg cells may be helpful for predicting prognosis and therapeutic efficacy in ENKL patients.

CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; immunology ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; Flow Cytometry ; Humans ; Interleukin-2 Receptor alpha Subunit ; immunology ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; diagnosis ; immunology ; Prognosis

Bioengineered T cells, which are the genetically manipulated T cells to express chimeric antigen receptor T Cell (CAR T) against leukemia-associated specific antigens, were applied to treat acute and chronic lymphocytic leukemia with CAR T. CAR T cells combined with cell-surface binding site and anti-CD19 chimeric antigen receptor can treat diseases through T cells transfection. CAR T cells can recognize the CD19 antigen on B cells with specific cell-surface loci. CAR T cells can proliferate by 1000 times and differentiate in vivo by the CD19 antigen stimulation, therefore, kill the acute and chronic lymphocytic leukemia cells effectively. This article briefly reviews the CAR T cells and the effect of CAR T cells on acute and chronic lymphoblastic leukemia.
Animals ; Antigens, CD19 ; B-Lymphocytes ; Humans ; Immunotherapy, Adoptive ; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma ; immunology ; therapy ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell ; immunology ; T-Lymphocytes

This study was aimed to investigate the therapy and prognostic factors of angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma (AITL). The clinical data of 23 patients with AITL were collected and the clinical features, laboratorial data, survival and prognostic factor were retrospectively analyzed. The results indicated that the median age of the patients was 62 years. Out of them 21 (91.3%) patients were with intermediate high and high risk according to the international prognostic index (IPI), 14 (60.9%) patients had extranodal disease and 5 (21.7%) patients had autoimmune disease. The overall response rate(ORR) for the whole group was 68.2%, the estimated 3-year and 5-year survival rates were 38.3% and 28.7% respectively. High-dose chemotherapy combined with auto-HSCT improved the outcome of young patients. Immunosuppressive therapy were used in replace/refractory patients. Age more than 65 years, IPI score, LDH level, the number of lymph node involvement, short-term effect, fibrinogen level, β2-MG level and bone marrow involvement were prognostic factors with statistical significance. Cox multivariate analysis showed that the level of LDH, β2-MG and bone marrow involevment were independent prognostic factors, IPI, PIT and mPIT were useful for stratified patients into different prognostic risk groups. It is concluded that AITL is aggressive disease occurred in older patients, and autoimmune dysfunction with infectibility, often appears in AITL patients with poor prognosis. The young patients can be benefited from initial intensive chemotherapy. High-dose chemotherapy combined with auto-HSCT may be a better choice for those patients. Immunosuppressive therapy can be used in replase/refractory patients.
Humans ; Lymphoma, T-Cell ; diagnosis ; immunology ; Prognosis ; Retrospective Studies

OBJECTIVETo detect the changes of naive T cell level of thymic recent output at different stages of treatment in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), thereby to evaluate the relationship of thymic recent output function with prognosis and the impact of chemotherapy on the potential of immunological recovery.

METHODSThe levels of T-cell receptor rearrangement excision circles (TREC) in DNA of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMNC) from 30 DLBCL patients were monitored before, during, until 3 months and 6 months after chemotherapy by real-time PCR (TaqMan), and TREC-level was detected according to the number of CD3 positive(CD3(+)) cells. Twelve normal individuals who matched in age were served as controls.

RESULTSThere was a dramatic reduction of TREC values in all DLBCL patients among which TREC values in germinal center B-cell-like-DLBCL (GCB-DLBCL) were higher than those in non-GCB-DLBCL, as compared with TREC values of normal individual in peripheral blood. The mean values of TREC were 0.91 ± 0.15/1000 PBMNCs and (1.22 ± 0.69)/1000 CD3(+) cells in GCB-DLBCL, (0.43 ± 0.29)/1000 PBMNCs and (0.64 ± 0.44)/1000 CD3(+) cells in non-GCB-DLBCL before chemotherapy. TREC values were significantly associated with lower international prognostic index (IPI) grade (r = -0.441, P = 0.015). TREC-level in DLBCL patients was further decreased after chemotherapy, and reached to the lowest level after the 6th cycle of chemotherapy, and during the corresponding period, the mean values of TREC were (0.63 ± 0.34)/1000 PBMNCs and (0.89 ± 0.65)/1000 CD3(+)cells in GCB-DLBCL, (0.19 ± 0.11)/1000 PBMNCs and (0.27 ± 0.25)/1000 CD3(+) cells in non-GCB-DLBCL. TREC-level began to rise obviously 3 months after the last cycle of chemotherapy in most of the DLBCL patients, and came close to normal level in five cases of patients 6 months after the last cycle of chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONSThymic recent output function was impaired severely in DLBCL patients. There was an important relationship between thymic recent output function before chemotherapy and prognosis, and chemotherapy had influenced the potential of immunological recovery.

Adult ; Aged ; Case-Control Studies ; Female ; Gene Rearrangement, T-Lymphocyte ; Germinal Center ; immunology ; Humans ; Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse ; drug therapy ; immunology ; pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Receptors, Antigen, T-Cell ; immunology ; Thymus Gland ; immunology ; Young Adult