Stromal cells engineered to express T cell factors induce robust CLL cell proliferation in vitro and in PDX co-transplantations allowing the identification of RAF inhibitors as anti-proliferative drug
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2024 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Leukemia |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | https://www.nature.com/articles/s41375-024-02284-w |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41375-024-02284-w |
| Keywords | stromal cells; T cell factors; CLL cell proliferation |
| Attached files | |
| Description | Several in vitro models have been developed to mimic chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) proliferation in immune niches; however, they typically do not induce robust proliferation. We prepared a novel model based on mimicking T-cell signals in vitro and in patient-derived xenografts (PDXs). Six supportive cell lines were prepared by engineering HS5 stromal cells with stable expression of human CD40L, IL4, IL21, and their combinations. Co-culture with HS5 expressing CD40L and IL4 in combination led to mild CLL cell proliferation (median 7% at day 7), while the HS5 expressing CD40L, IL4, and IL21 led to unprecedented proliferation rate (median 44%). The co-cultures mimicked the gene expression fingerprint of lymph node CLL cells (MYC, NF?B, and E2F signatures) and revealed novel vulnerabilities in CLL-T-cell-induced proliferation. Drug testing in co-cultures revealed for the first time that pan-RAF inhibitors fully block CLL proliferation. The co-culture model can be downscaled to five microliter volume for large drug screening purposes or upscaled to CLL PDXs by HS5-CD40L-IL4?±?IL21 co-transplantation. Co-transplanting NSG mice with purified CLL cells and HS5-CD40L-IL4 or HS5-CD40L-IL4-IL21 cells on collagen-based scaffold led to 47% or 82% engraftment efficacy, respectively, with ~20% of PDXs being clonally related to CLL, potentially overcoming the need to co-transplant autologous T-cells in PDXs. |
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