No description available.

Chez la souris, la néphrogenèse débute par l'apparition du blastème metanéphrogène à 9.5 dpc. Une transition mésenchymo-épithéliale, comportant 5 étapes, débute a 11.5 dpc et aboutit au rein mature, composé de 3 structures : glomérules, tubules, et capillaires glomérulaires. Les étapes initiales du développement rénal peuvent être récapitulées en culture ex vivo; toutefois, l'organogenèse terminale et la maturation rénale sont incomplètes, et les structures rénales obtenues ex vivo ne sont pas fonctionnelles. Une étude du développement vasculaire in vivo au cours du développement rénal montre une angiogenèse (cellules Pecam-1 positives) et une vasculogenèse (cellules VEGFR-1 positives) précoces, dès 10.5 dpc. Une analyse quantitative par qRT-PCR confirme le rôle de Hif1α et VEGF dans la vasculogenèse rénale. En outre, la voie PGC1α, inductrice de VEGF indépendante de HIF, est activée en conditions hypoxiques. Pour améliorer le développement vasculaire rénal ex vivo, nous proposons un modèle de culture avec micro-perfusion rénale. L'étude morphologique par immunofluorescence des reins après culture micro-perfusée montre une survie tissulaire normale (TUNEL), et une intégrité anatomique (Néphrine, Cytokératine, WT1), en particulier vasculaire (Pecam-1). Une perfusion de vivo-morpholinos WT1 aboutit à une perte d'expression de WT1, confirmant le caractère fonctionnel de notre modèle. En conclusion, nous montrons le rôle précoce de l'angiogenèse et de la vasculogenèse au cours du développement rénal ; nous identifions le rôle de PGC1α dans la vasculogenèse rénale en conditions hypoxiques, et nous proposons une nouvelle technique de culture rénale ex vivo. / In mice, nephrogenesis starts with the formation of the metanephric mesenchyme, at e9.5 dpc. A mesenchymal epithelial transition, consisting of 5 steps, starts at e11.5 dpc, and leads to a mature kidney, composed of 3 main structures: glomeruli, tubules, and capillaries. The initial steps of renal development can be recapitulated ex vivo; however, terminal organogenesis and maturation are impaired, and the explants are not functional. A study of vascular development in vivo during renal development shows that angiogenesis (Pecam-1 positive cells) and vasculogenesis (VEGF-R1 positive cells) occur early, at e10.5 dpc. A quantitative analysis, by qRT-PCR, shows that Hif1α and VEGF play a major role in renal vasculogenesis. Moreover, the PGC1α signaling pathway, a HIF independent VEGF inductor, is activated under hypoxic conditions. To improve ex vivo vascular development, we propose a novel culture technique, with micro-perfusion of the explant. A morphologic analysis of the kidneys obtained by micro-perfused cultures shows no apoptosis (TUNEL), a conserved parenchymal structure (Nephrin, Cytokeratin, WT1), and a proper vascular development (Pecam-1). A micro-perfusion of WT1 vivo-morpholinos leads to a decrease in WT1 expression, thus validating our model. In conclusion, we showed the early role of angiogenesis and vasculogenesis in renal development, we analyzed PGC1α role in hypoxic kidney cultures, and we proposed a novel kidney culture model.

Parmi les nombreuses perturbations participant à l'hétérogénéité bioclinique des leucémies aiguës myéloïdes (LAM), les anomalies d'épissage ont récemment pu être identifiées grâce au développement des techniques de microarray et du séquençage à haut débit. Après une revue bibliographique abordant les possible mécanismes et conséquences des perturbation de l'épissage dans les LAM, nous avons dans un deuxième article, analysé les patrons d'épissage associés à l'expression d'oncogènes connus pour interférer avec le splicéosome, l'ARN et la chromatine, ainsi qu'à la résistance aux principales drogues utilisées dans la prise en charge des LAM. Nos résultats identifient des signatures spécifiques et originales, de nombreux évènements concernant des gènes non dérégulés au plan transcriptionnel. Parmi ces perturbation nous avons, dans une troisième étude, évalué l'impact clinique d'une perturbation d'épissage de l'ARN messager de TET2. Les résultats montrent que l'exclusion de l'exon 2 de TET2 défini un facteur pronostic indépendant chez les malades traités par chimiothérapie intensive, en particulier chez les patients au caryotype normal. La dernière étude aborde l'impact des anomalies d‘épissage du transporteur ABCA3 identifiées dans les LAM. In vitro nous trouvons que l'exclusion de l'exon 19 d'ABCA3 favorise la résistance à la daunorubicine et au VP16. Paradoxalement, alors que la résistance liée à cette exclusion d'exon dépasse significativement celle liée à l'expression de la forme sauvage d'ABCA3, l'effet de l'isoforme sans exon 19 sur la rétention cellulaire de daunorubicine apparaît significativement inférieur à celui de l'ABCA3 sauvage. Au plan bioclinique, l'exclusion de l'exon 19 d'ABCA3 réduit les chances de rémission et défini un facteur pronostic indépendant chez les malades traités par chimiothérapie intensive, en particulier chez les patients au caryotype normal / Approximately one-third of expressed genes are misspliced in AML, opening the possibility that additional factors than splicing factor mutations might cause RNA missplicing in these diseases. We performed exon-array analysis and exon-specific PCR (ESPCR) to identify specific landscapes of exon expression that are associated with DEK and WT1 oncogene expression and the resistance of AML cells to AraC, doxorubicin or azacitidine. More than 70% of AEUs identified by exon-array were technically validated through ESPCR. In vitro, 1,130 to 5,868 exon events distinguished the 5 conditions from their respective controls while in vivo 6,560 and 9,378 events distinguished chemosensitive and chemoresistant AML, respectively, from normal bone marrow. Whatever the cause of this effect, 30 to 80% of mis-spliced mRNAs involved genes unmodified at the whole transcriptional level. These AEUs unmasked new functional pathways that are distinct from those generated by transcriptional deregulation. Having identified aberrant TET2 exon 2 and ABCA3 exon 19 expression in, we tested their prognostic impact In a discovery cohort (n=99), TET2 exon 2 skipping (TET2E2S) was found positively associated with a significant reduction in the cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR). Age, cytogenetics, and TET2E2S were independent prognostic factors for disease-free survival (DFS), and favorable effects on outcomes predominated in cytogenetic normal (CN)-AML and younger patients. Using the same cutoff in a validation cohort of 86 CN-AML patients, TET2E2Shigh patients exhibited a significantly lower CIR (p<10-4). TET2E2S and FLT3-ITD, but not age or NPM1 mutation status were independent prognostic factors for DFS and eventfree survival (EFS), while TET2E2S was the sole prognostic factor that we identified for overall survival (OS). In both the intermediate-1 and favorable ELN genetic categories, TET2E2S remained significantly associated with prolonged survival. Regarding ABCA3, we found that skipping of exon 19 (A3S19) triggered resistance to daunorubicine and VP16 in vitro. However such skipping did not significantly modify drug efflux, when compared with wild-type ABCA3. At the clinical level, A3S19 was found negatively correlated with response to IC, OS, DFS, and EFS, independently of age, cytogenetics, FLT3-ITD, and NPM1 mutation. AS19 improved the European LeukemiaNet Risk Classification of AML whereas it possessed no prognostic impact in patients unfit for IC

Die „donor lymphocyte infusion“ (DLI) stellt eine wirksame Therapieoption für ein Rezidiv bei Patienten mit akuter myeloischer Leukämie (AML) nach allogener Stammzelltransplantation (SZT) dar. Jedoch ist die DLI oft mit einer „graft-versus-host disease” (GvHD) assoziiert, die auf einer proinflammatorischen, gegen den Empfänger gerichteten T-Zell-vermittelten Immunantwort beruht. Eine Strategie, den „graft-versus-leukemia” (GvL)-Effekt zu steigern und dabei das Risiko einer GvHD zu mindern, besteht in dem adoptiven Transfer hoch-avider CD8+ T-Zell-Klone, welche selektiv AML-assoziierte Antigene erkennen. Daher bestand das Ziel dieser Arbeit darin, eine neue Strategie zur Generierung hoch-avider CD8+ T-Zell-Klone, welche die Leukämie-assoziierten Antigene (LAAs) Wilms‘-Tumor-Antigen 1 (WT1), Proteinase 3 (PR3), Nucleophosmin 1 (NPM1) und Survivin als attraktive Ziele für spezifische Immuntherapien erkennen, zu entwickeln. Zunächst wurden mithilfe der innovativen Streptamer-Technologie die Frequenzen von CD8+ T-Zellen mit Reaktivität gegen WT1, PR3, NPM1 und Survivin im peripheren Blut von 10 gesunden HLA-A*02:01+ Spendern analysiert. Auf diese Weise konnten jedoch nur sehr geringe bis keine detektierbaren Frequenzen LAA-spezifischer CD8+ T-Lymphozyten nachgewiesen werden. Diese Beobachtungen führten zu dem Schluss, dass AML-Peptid-spezifische CD8+ T-Zellen im Gegensatz zu Virus-spezifischen T-Zellen aufgrund deutlich geringerer Frequenzen nicht direkt aus dem peripheren Blut isoliert werden können. Daher erfolgte die in vitro-Expansion der CD8+ T-Zellen mithilfe von autologen Monozyten-abgeleiteten dendritischen Zellen (MoDCs). DCs sind als professionelle Antigen-präsentierende Zellen in der Lage, Effektorzellen des adaptiven Immunsystems zu stimulieren sowie deren Expansion zu induzieren. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wurde ein geeignetes Protokoll für die Generierung von Fast-MoDCs etabliert. Diese zeichneten sich durch die ausgeprägte Expression kostimulatorischer und Antigen-präsentierender Moleküle, die Sekretion großer Mengen des proinflammatorischen Zytokins IL-12 sowie ein effizientes stimulatorisches Potenzial gegenüber CD4+ T-Zellen aus. Erneute Frequenzanalysen nach zweimaliger in vitro-Stimulation mit Peptid-beladenen Fast-MoDCs mittels ELISpot ergaben einen Anstieg der Frequenzen AML-Peptid-spezifischer CD8+ T-Zellen, insbesondere von WT1126-spezifischen CD8+ T-Zellen. Daraufhin erfolgte die Anreicherung der stimulierten CD8+ T-Zellen mit Spezifität für die vier untersuchten LAAs WT1, PR3, NPM1 und Survivin mittels Streptamer-Technologie. Dabei erzielte die Anreicherung WT1126-spezifischer CD8+ T-Lymphozyten deutlich höhere Reinheiten als die von CD8+ T-Zellen mit Reaktivität gegen die Peptide PR1169, NPM1283,mut A/D und Survivin95. Aus diesem Grund wurden die weiteren Untersuchungen auf WT1126 als das bisher vielversprechendste der untersuchten Peptide begrenzt. CD8+ T-Zellen von drei gesunden Spendern wurden mit bestrahlten T2-Zellen und Fast-MoDCs, welche mit dem HLA-A*02:01-restringierten Peptid WT1126 beladen waren, stimuliert. Anschließend erfolgte die Anreicherung WT1126-spezifischer CD8+ T-Zellen mittels Streptamer-Technologie. Bereits nach einmaliger Stimulation kam es zu einer deutlichen Anreicherung WT1126-spezifischer CD8+ T-Zellen, welche effektiv in der Lage waren, Peptid-beladene Zielzellen zu lysieren. Jedoch konnte nach zweimaliger Stimulation nochmals eine deutliche Steigerung in Reinheit und Ausbeute erzielt werden. Die angereicherten Zellen wurden als Effektor-Gedächtnis-T-Zellen charakterisiert. Ausgehend von den Streptamer-isolierten CD8+ T-Zellen eines Spenders erfolgte die Generierung WT1126-spezifischer CD8+ T-Zell-Klone. Im Rahmen der Klonierung wurden 32 WT1126-spezifische CD8+ T-Zell-Klone generiert. Drei vielversprechende Klone wurden genauer hinsichtlich ihrer funktionellen Eigenschaften charakterisiert. Diese exprimierten hoch-avide T-Zell-Rezeptoren und zeigten einen heterogenen Phänotyp von zentralen Gedächtnis-T-Zellen hin zu terminal differenzierten Effektor-Gedächtnis-T-Zellen. Zudem führten sie zu einer effizienten Lyse der HLA-A*02:01+ und WT1+ Zelllinien T2 und SET-2. Darüber hinaus wurde demonstriert, dass die untersuchten Klone auch HLA-A*02:01- und WT1-exprimierende primäre Blasten von AML-Patienten effektiv lysieren. Diese Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Streptamer-basierte Anreicherung stimulierter Tumorpeptid-spezifischer CD8+ T-Zellen vor anschließender Klonierung eine geeignete Strategie für die Generierung hoch-avider CD8+ T-Zell-Klone mit anti-tumoraler Aktivität darstellt. So generierte CD8+ T-Zell-Klone mit Reaktivität gegen AML-assoziierte Antigene können für die Entwicklung neuer immuntherapeutischer Strategien zur Therapie eines Rezidivs bei AML-Patienten nach allogener SZT verwendet werden.

Glioblastomas are among the most devastating of human cancers with a median survival of only 9-12 months. This type of brain tumor is incurable, largely due its remarkable proliferative capacity and resistance to current treatments. High levels of the Wilms' Tumor 1 (WTI) gene have been identified in glioblastomas, suggesting an oncogenic function. Moreover, known WT1 target genes have been implicated in resistance to radiation. To determine the role of WT1 in radiation resistance, two glioblastoma cell lines expressing WT1 were treated with siRNAs to silence this gene. Confirmation of WT1 knockdown was achieved through real-time PCR and Western blot. After treatment with siRNA, cells were irradiated, and cell survival was assessed using a luminescent ATP assay and clonogenic survival assay. We demonstrate that treatment with WT1 siRNA increased the radiation sensitivity in both cell lines. These findings suggest that WT1 functions to protect glioblastoma cells from radiation-induced death.

Experiments were performed to test sequence and structural specific interactions of proteins with a conserved RNA modification enzyme, which is known as Ime4 in yeast and Mettl3 in mammals. Ime4 methylates N6-adenosine bases on mRNA molecules. The goal of this project is to gain direct insights into how novel proteins interact with Ime4 to form the methyltranferase (MTase) complex and to identify proteins that are essential for Ime4 activity. It has been recognized that there are two proteins that interact within the Ime4 complex, which are known as Mum2 (a cytoplasmic protein essential for meiotic DNA replication within yeast) and Slz1 (a transcription factor). We hypothesize that the N-terminal domain of Ime4 is the location of binding of the aforementioned proteins in this complex. Similarly, we tested whether the human ortholog of Ime4 (Mettl3) forms an analogous complex that includes an ortholog of Mum2, known as WTAP, and its binding partner WT1. The major approaches include in vivo genetic assays in yeast to test protein-protein interactions and the use of recombinant DNA technology to construct fusion genes/deletions. The results demonstrate that Mum2 interacts with a specific, non-conserved region in the Ime4 N-terminal domain. Furthermore, we discovered a new binding partner, Ygl036w, which also interacts with Ime4. Currently, several experiments are being carried out with the Mettl3 complex and its hypothesized protein binding partners to assess the interactions of this complex.

The Wilms’ tumor gene 1 (WT1) was first reported as a tumor suppressor gene in Wilms’ tumor. However, later studies have shown the oncogenic properties of WT1 in a variety of tumors. It was recently proposed that WT1 was a chameleon gene, due to its dual functions in tumorigenesis. We aimed to investigate the clinical significance of WT1 as biomarker in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) and to elucidate the function of WT1 as an oncogene in squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck (SCCHN). In AML, it was suggested that WT1 expression was an applicable marker of minimal residual disease (MRD). In adult patients with AML, we found a good correlation between WT1 expression levels normalized to two control genes, β-actin and ABL. Outcome could be predicted by a reduction in WT1 expression in bone marrow (≥ 1-log) detected less than 1 month after diagnosis, when β-actin was used as control. Also, irrespective of the control gene used, outcome could be predicted by a reduction in WT1 expression in peripheral blood (≥ 2-log) detected between 1 and 6 months after treatment initiation. Previous studies in RCC demonstrated that WT1 acted as a tumor suppressor. Thus, we tested whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) or mutations in WT1 might be associated with WT1 expression and clinical outcome in patients with ccRCC. We performed sequencing analysis on 10 exons of the WT1 gene in a total of 182 patient samples, and we identified six different SNPs in the WT1 gene. We found that at least one or two copies of the minor allele were present in 61% of ccRCC tumor samples. However, no correlation was observed between WT1 SNP genotypes and RNA expression levels. Moreover, none of the previously reported WT1 mutations were found in ccRCC. Nevertheless, we found that a favorable outcome was associated the homozygous minor allele for WT1 SNP. We then further investigated whether WT1 methylation was related to WT1 expression and its clinical significance. Methylation array and pyrosequencing analyses showed that the WT1 promoter region CpG site, cg22975913, was the most frequently hypermethylated CpG site. We found a trend that showed nearly significant correlation between WT1 mRNA levels and hypermethylation in the 5’-untranslated region. Hypermethylation in the WT1 CpG site, cg22975913, was found to be associated with patient age and a worse prognosis. One previous study reported that WT1 was overexpressed in SCCHN. That finding suggested that WT1 might play a role in oncogenesis. We found that both WT1 and p63 could promote cell proliferation. A positive correlation between WT1 and p63 expression was observed, and we identified p63 as a WT1 target gene. Furthermore, several known WT1 and p63 target genes were affected by knocking down WT1. Also, co-immunoprecipitation analyses demonstrated a protein interaction between WT1 and p53. In summary, WT1 gene expression can provide useful information for MRD detection during treatment of patients with AML. In RCC, our results suggested that the prognostic impact of WT1 SNPs was limited to the subgroup of patients that were homozygous for the minor allele, and that WT1 promoter hypermethylation could be used as a prognostic biomarker. In SCCHN, WT1 and p63 acted as oncogenes by affecting multiple genes involved in cancer cell growth.

The notochord is the defining structure of all chordates. A semi-­‐flexible elongated tube of cells, it forms along the central axis of the embryo and provides axial support during development. It also acts as a signalling centre during early embryogenesis, controlling the patterning of a number of tissues and establishing the early body axis of the embryo. In vertebrates, the function of the notochord expands beyond early development. It creates morphogenic gradients for the patterned formation of the vertebral bodies and, in adults, the remnants of the notochord form the nucleus pulposus, a gel-­‐like structure with an integral role in the distribution of vertebral pressure in the intervertebral disc. Little is known about how the notochord copes with damage during embryogenesis, but degeneration of the nucleus pulposus can lead to debilitating spinal disorders. In this thesis, I use a zebrafish model system to present new data that describes the cellular behaviours associated with how the notochord copes with external damage and how this damage can influence the future development of the vertebrae. I have uncovered a novel damage response in the notochord of zebrafish larvae and characterised the morphogenetic changes involved in the process using transgenic fluorescent lines. I have explored the damage in the context of the Wilms’ Tumour 1 (Wt1) gene, a vertebrate-­‐conserved transcription factor, which has recently been associated with several regenerative responses, and discovered that one of its zebrafish orthologues, wt1b, becomes upregulated in the notochord damage response. I have used fluorescent confocal imaging and immunohistochemistry to present new evidence that shows that upon injury, the outer notochord sheath cells upregulate the expression of wt1b. Additionally, I have used time-­‐lapse microscopy to show that damage to the notochord induces novel morphological changes in the injured organ, which include the loss of cellularity of the inner vacuolated cells and the movement of the wt1b-­‐positive outer sheath cells into the injured lumen. Long-­‐term imaging experiments have also demonstrated the capacity of the notochord to heal the damage over time, which ultimately leads to the formation of an extra, smaller vertebra in the wounded area. Skeletal staining of these fish has revealed a previously unknown putative cartilage switch at the site of damage, which leads to the formation of the new vertebral body. This finding has been supported by the microarray analysis of the injured area, which shows the unexpected de-­‐novo expression of cartilage markers at the site of damage The work in this thesis identifies for the first time an endogenous repair mechanism in the notochord of zebrafish larvae and describes the cellular, genetic and molecular processes cotrolling this novel wt1b-­‐associated damage response.

No description available.

Die Studie auf die diese Arbeit aufbaut untersuchte die Immunogenität einer Wilms-Tumorgenprodukt-1-(WT1)-Peptid-Vakzinierung bei Patienten mit einer WT1-exprimierenden akuten myeloischen Leukämie (AML) ohne weitere Behandlungsoption. Trotz dem initalen immunologischen, molekularen und vorläufigen Nachweis einer möglichen klinischen Effektivität bei AML-Patienten, konnte nur in wenigen Fällen eine längerfristige Wirksamkeit dokumentiert werden. Es ist bekannt, dass eine Krebs-Immuntherapie durch Immunevasions-Mechanismen des Tumors beeinträchtigt werden kann. Da Analysen zu Mutationen oder Verlust des WT1-Epitops oder Epitop-flankierender Sequenzen keine Auffälligkeiten zeigten, konnte eine reduzierte Präsentation oder Erkennung des Epitops ausgeschlossen werden. Aus diesem Grunde sollte diese Arbeit weitere mögliche Immunevasions-Mechanismen identifizieren. Als Grundlage wurden Tumor-assoziierte Effekte, immunmodulatorische Faktoren und funktionelle Einschränkungen der Immunzellen in den Mittelpunkt der Untersuchungen gestellt. Die ermittelten Daten zeigen, dass in unserem spezifischen Therapieansatz, der wiederholten Vakzinierung von AML-Patienten mit einem HLA-A201-restringierten WT1126–134 -Epitop in Kombination mit GM-CSF und KLH, eine eingeschränkte T-Zell-Funktionalität einen wesentlichen Grund für die beobachtete verminderte Therapieeffizienz darstellt. Immunresistenzmechanismen leukämischer Blasten spielen hierbei keine übergeordnete Rolle, individuelle Effekte können aber nicht ausgeschlossen werden. Ebenso scheint es, dass auch die Präsenz von immunregulatorischen Zellen wie Tregs oder MDSCs nicht durch die Vakzinierung manipuliert wird und dass diese keinen generellen Einfluss auf die Therapieeffizienz ausüben. / The foregoing study investigated the immunogenicity of Wilms’ tumor gene product 1 (WT1)-peptide vaccination in WT1-expressing acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients without curative treatment option. Despite the first immunologic, molecular, and preliminary evidence of potential clinical efficacy in AML patients, only in a few cases long-lasting responses could be documented. It is known that enduring efficacy of cancer vaccines may be limited due to immune escape mechanisms. On this account, we chose to work on three front lines: Investigations of immune modulatory counter-attack-mechanisms of the tumor, functional deficiencies of the T cell compartment and the presence of immune regulatory cells. The generated data demonstrates that in our specific setting, in which AML patients received consecutive vaccinations with HLA-A201-restricted WT1126–134 epitope together with GM-CSF and KLH, impaired vaccine efficacy is mainly attributed to restricted T cell functionality. Immune resistance mechanism exerted by leukemic blasts do not generally influence clinical outcome in our setting, neither do inert immunoregulative mechanisms like Treg or MDSC, respectively.