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Clonal variation in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia at early and late relapse detected by analyses of phenotype and genotype.

To increase our knowledge of the clonal relationship of leukaemia relapse, the genotypes and phenotypes of ten children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) were examined at initial diagnosis and relapse. Seven patients were phenotyped as common ALL, two as mixed, and one as T-cell ALL (T-ALL). Comparative analyses of immunoglobulin (Ig) heavy and light chain as well as T-cell receptor beta-chain (T beta) sequences revealed clonal variations, i.e. appearance of a novel or an evoluted leukaemic cell clone in five patients coinciding with the loss of common acute lymphoblastic leukaemic antigen (CALLA) in four cases, irrespective of early or late relapse. Conversion of early B- to T-ALL or lymphoblastic to non-lymphoblastic leukaemia was not noted in any of the patients examined. Our results suggest that clonal variation is a frequent event in childhood ALL.

Antigens, Differentiation↗

Genetic heterogeneity in ductal carcinoma of the breast.

Genetic heterogeneity in breast cancer has been observed both by cytogenetic and loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analyses; however, the frequency with which genetically heterogeneous clones arise is unknown. In this study, a panel of 115 breast carcinomas was analyzed to determine the extent of clonal divergence in tumor foci at progressive stages of tumor evolution. Intraductal, infiltrating, and metastatic tumor components were microdissected from each tumor and tested for LOH at 20 microsatellite markers on seven chromosomal arms. Of these cases, 24 (21%) demonstrated genetically divergent clones during tumor progression. Clonal divergence, inferred from discordant LOH patterns, was observed most commonly between intraductal and infiltrating tumor (18 cases), but was also demonstrated between infiltrating and metastatic tumor (11 cases). Discordant LOH was observed with markers on one chromosomal arm in 16 cases, on two in 7 cases, and on four in 1 case, and was observed most commonly with markers on 17p, 17q, and 16q. More detailed microdissection of four cases provided evidence for a specific chronology of genetic alterations occurring during the progression of each tumor. The results indicate that the different tumor components observed microscopically in breast cancer specimens often represent genetically divergent clones.

Breast Neoplasms↗

Evolution of sexual asymmetry.

BACKGROUND: The clear dominance of two-gender sex in recent species is a notorious puzzle of evolutionary theory. It has at least two layers: besides the most fundamental and challenging question why sex exists at all, the other part of the problem is equally perplexing but much less studied. Why do most sexual organisms use a binary mating system? Even if sex confers an evolutionary advantage (through whatever genetic mechanism), why does it manifest that advantage in two, and exactly two, genders (or mating types)? Why not just one, and why not more than two? RESULTS: Assuming that sex carries an inherent fitness advantage over pure clonal multiplication, we attempt to give a feasible solution to the problem of the evolution of dimorphic sexual asymmetry as opposed to monomorphic symmetry by using a spatial (cellular automaton) model and its non-spatial (mean-field) approximation. Based on a comparison of the spatial model to the mean-field approximation we suggest that spatial population structure must have played a significant role in the evolution of mating types, due to the largely clonal (self-aggregated) spatial distribution of gamete types, which is plausible in aquatic habitats for physical reasons, and appears to facilitate the evolution of a binary mating system. CONCLUSIONS: Under broad ecological and genetic conditions the cellular automaton predicts selective removal from the population of supposedly primitive gametes that are able to mate with their own type, whereas the non-spatial model admits coexistence of the primitive type and the mating types. Thus we offer a basically ecological solution to a theoretical problem that earlier models based on random gamete encounters had failed to resolve.

Animals↗

Follicular lymphoma: a model of lymphoid tumor progression in man.

Human follicular lymphoma can be viewed as a malignancy in evolution. Since this disease is composed of a clonal population of B lymphocytes all expressing a given immunoglobulin light chain and heavy chain, it seems possible that the initial transforming event, the t(14; 18) chromosomal translocation, occurs in a cell already committed to the expression of a particular VH and VL gene. A panel of antibodies has been assembled which define a set of idiotypes expressed repeatedly by B-cell lymphomas. Nonetheless, VH gene usage in follicular lymphoma tumors appears to reflect the normal B-cell repertoire. Growth of follicular lymphoma appears to be partially under normal regulatory control. The expanding malignant B-cell clone grows in follicles with particular apposition to follicular dendritic cells and heavy infiltration with CD4+ T cells. Interaction with T cells can induce the proliferation of follicular lymphoma cells. This tumor eventually evolves into a diffuse large-cell lymphoma which is highly aggressive and lethal. It is now clear that the malignant progression occurs from a single cell within the expanding follicular lymphoma clone. A panel of monoclonal antibodies to cell surface molecules has been generated that inhibit proliferation of diffuse lymphoma cell lines, and some of the target molecules have been partially characterized. Therapeutic application of anti-idiotype monoclonal antibodies has shown a high degree of tumor responsiveness, but ultimately escape of idiotype-negative variant cells occurs. These variants arise as a result of extensive somatic point mutation in the VH and VL genes of follicular lymphoma. Active immunization can result in an immune response by patients directed against the idiotype expressed on their own B-cell tumors.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cell Communication↗

[Recent advances in the treatment of myelodysplastic syndromes].

OBJECTIVES: Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of clonal hematologic disorder, which combine ineffective hematopoiesis and evolution to acute myeloid leukemia. Significant progress has been made in the understanding of the disease pathogenesis, diagnostics and classification. Promising new agents and innovative therapeutic strategies are currently used. In this article we will review these achievements and their impact on the treatment of MDS. CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND KEY POINTS: The pathogenesis of MDS involves abnormalities of the MDS clone itself such as abnormal apoptosis, signalling or epigenetic regulation and abnormalities of the microenvironment such as immune deregulation or increased angiogenesis, which represent potential therapeutic targets. There is currently no standard treatment for MDS and allogeneic stem cell transplantation remains the only curative strategy. However, besides conventional chemotherapy and growth factors, new agents including hypomethylating agents, antiangiogenic drugs, immune modulatory agents have proved effective. FUTURE PROSPECTS AND PROJECTS: The interesting results achieved with these new agents show that it is necessary to continue investigation in order to improve therapeutic strategies in MDS.

Angiogenesis Inhibitors↗

Selective context, rather than persister cycling alone, drives resistance fixation in Escherichia coli.

Whether persister cells contribute to the evolution of antibiotic resistance and, if so, under what selective conditions this occurs, remain unresolved. Here, we examined whether repeated persister cycling itself promotes resistance evolution and how persister-associated minor variants are retained, lost, or fixed under distinct selective contexts. We compared five Escherichia coli cellular states: mutation-induced cells (M), persister-Amp cycling cells (A), persister cycling cells without selection (R), stationary-phase cells (S), and NaCl-stored persisters (P), using state-resolved whole-genome sequencing and phenotypic assays. Persister cycling without selection, stationary-phase cells, and NaCl-stored persisters maintained baseline MICs and showed no detectable high-frequency variant fixation. In contrast, mutation-induced cells fixed efflux-regulatory mutations in marR, acrR, and acrB, increasing MIC to 32 μg/mL. Persister-Amp cycling cells showed an intermediate MIC increase to 16 μg/mL without detectable quality-filtered genetic fixation, distinguishing this state from mutation-induced resistance. The stfE/stfP prophage background further shaped adaptive routes under mutation-inducing conditions. Exploratory analysis revealed sub-threshold low-frequency variant signals during persister cycling, but lineage tracking showed that these variants were not stage-specifically fixed and were instead stochastically retained or lost. These findings support a model in which persister cycling can reveal low-frequency genetic heterogeneity, but fixed resistance evolution requires selection that promotes variant retention and clonal expansion. Thus, resistance fixation was governed primarily by selective context during regrowth rather than by the persister state itself.

Journal Article↗

Application of molecular typing methods to characterize nosocomial coagulase-negative staphylococci collected in a Greek hospital during a three-year period (1998-2000).

A total of 143 methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (MR-CNS) collected between 1998 and 2000 at the University Hospital of Patras, Greece, were characterized by antibiogram and genomic typing to define the clonal types endemic in this hospital and their evolution during the 3-year period. These isolates corresponded to 93 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis (MRSE) and 50 other MR-CNS, which were isolated from patients in different wards, exclusively from blood and catheter tips cultures. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of SmaI macrofragments and hybridization of ClaI digests with mecA and murE DNA probes were performed. The application of these methodologies demonstrated the existence, persistence and spread of MRSE, MR-Staphylococcus haemolyticus, and MR-Staphylococcus hominis clones in this hospital, whereas the SmaI/murE hybridization pattern was shown to be a valuable tool for the MRSE identification.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗

Pitfalls of bacterial pan-genome analysis approaches: a case study of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and two less clonal bacterial species.

SUMMARY: Pan-genome analysis is a fundamental tool for studying bacterial genome evolution; however, the variety in methods used to define and measure the pan-genome poses challenges to the interpretation and reliability of results. Using Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a clonally evolving bacterium with a small accessory genome, as a model system, we systematically evaluated sources of variability in pan-genome estimates. Our analysis revealed that differences in assembly type (short-read versus hybrid), annotation pipeline, and pan-genome software, significantly impact predictions of core and accessory genome size. Extending our analysis to two additional bacterial species, Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, we observed consistent tool-dependent biases but species-specific patterns in pan-genome variability. Our findings highlight the importance of integrating nucleotide- and protein-level analyses to improve the reliability and reproducibility of pan-genome studies across diverse bacterial populations. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: Panqc is freely available under an MIT license at https://github.com/maxgmarin/panqc.

Genome, Bacterial↗

Increasing prevalence of antimicrobial resistance among isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae from the PROTEKT surveillance study, and compatative in vitro activity of the ketolide, telithromycin.

The prevalence of resistance to a range of antimicrobials was determined for isolates of Streptococcus pneumoniae examined in the PROTEKT (Prospective Resistant Organism Tracking and Epidemiology for the Ketolide Telithromycin) surveillance study (1999-2000) using NCCLS testing methods and interpretative criteria. Of 3362 pneumococcal isolates collected from 69 centres in 25 countries, 22.1% overall were resistant to penicillin G, with the highest rates of resistance found among isolates from Asia (53.4%), France (46.2%) and Spain (42.1%). Erythromycin A resistance occurred in 31.1% of isolates overall with the highest rates found in Asia (79.6%), France (57.6%), Hungary (55.6%) and Italy (42.9%). Marked geographical differences in the prevalence of both penicillin G (the Netherlands 0%; South Korea 71.5%) and erythromycin A (Sweden 4.7%; South Korea 87.6%) resistance were observed. Asia was characterized by the highest prevalence of resistance, overall, with only eight of 19 antimicrobials (co-amoxiclav, linezolid, vancomycin, teicoplanin, quinupristin/dalfopristin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin and telithromycin) retaining high activity against isolates of S. pneumoniae from this region. Notable rates of resistance to clarithromycin, azithromycin, co-trimoxazole and tetracycline were observed in the majority of countries submitting isolates of S. pneumoniae to the PROTEKT surveillance study. Fluoroquinolone resistance was low (1%), overall, although 14.3% of 70 isolates from Hong Kong were resistant to levofloxacin and moxifloxacin, all but one of these isolates belonging to a single clone of the 23F serotype. Although, at present, apparently limited to pockets of clonal spread, continued vigilance with regard to the evolution of fluoroquinolone resistance is indicated. Telithromycin (MIC(90) 0.12 mg/L; 99.9% of isolates susceptible) and lin- ezolid (MIC(90) 2 mg/L; 100% of isolates susceptible) were the two most active oral agents tested, both compounds retaining activity against isolates of fluoroquinolone-resistant S. pneumoniae. The results of the PROTEKT surveillance study 1999-2000 emphasize the widespread evolution of resistance to a variety of antimicrobials amongst isolates of S. pneumoniae and demonstrate the potential of telithromycin as a therapeutic option for the treatment of community-acquired respiratory tract infections caused by this organism.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗

Do mitochondria recombine in humans?

Until very recently, mitochondria were thought to be clonally inherited through the maternal line in most higher animals. However, three papers published in 2000 claimed population-genetic evidence of recombination in human mitochondrial DNA. Here I review the current state of the debate. I review the evidence for the two main pathways by which recombination might occur: through paternal leakage and via a mitochondrial DNA sequence in the nuclear genome. There is no strong evidence for either pathway, although paternal leakage seems a definite possibility. However, the population-genetic evidence, although not conclusive, is strongly suggestive of recombination in mitochondrial DNA. The implications of non-clonality for our understanding of human and mitochondrial evolution are discussed.

Animals↗

Absence of p16 and p27 gene rearrangements and mutations in de novo myelodysplastic syndromes.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) represent a group of clonal hematopoietic disorders characterized by dyshemopoiesis and frequent evolution to acute leukemia. Tumor suppressor gene inactivation may be involved in MDS pathogenesis. The two families of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors (CDKIs) (INK4 family of p15, p16, p18 and p19 and CIP/KIP family of p21, p27 and p57) that negatively regulate cell cycle progression are known tumor suppressor genes. To determine whether genetic alterations of p16 and p27 genes play an important role in MDS pathogenesis, we examined DNA from 51 patients classified as 17 refractory anemias (RA), four refractory anemias with ringed sideroblasts (RARS), 19 refractory anemias with an excess of blasts (RAEB), 5 refractory anemias with excess of blasts in transformation (RAEB-t) and 6 chronic myelomonocytic leukemias (CMML). Southern blot analysis detected no homozygous deletions of p16 and p27. Polymerase chain reaction-single-strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) and sequencing did not reveal point mutations for both genes with the exception of two allelic polymorphisms, namely a C --> G transition at 447 bp of p16exon3 and a T --> A transition at 791 bp of p27exon1 genes. Our results suggest that mutations of p16 and p27 genes resulting in abnormal p16 and p27 proteins do not represent a mechanism of gene inactivation involved in the pathogenesis of MDS.

Base Sequence↗

Clonal heterogeneity in sporadic melanomas as revealed by loss-of-heterozygosity analysis.

The major obstacle preventing effective treatment of melanoma is the biological heterogeneity of tumor cells. This study was performed to determine clonal genetic heterogeneity within primary melanoma and the evolution of these heterogeneous sub-clones during disease progression. DNA samples were obtained from 44 morphologically distinct areas identified within 10 primary tumors and from 15 metastases in the same patients. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) analyses were performed using 17 microsatellite markers that mapped to chromosomes 6q, 9p, 10q and 18q, the most frequently deleted in melanoma. Of 10 primary tumors, 8 were revealed to have intratumoral genetic heterogeneity in terms of LOH of the 4 chromosome arms examined, 7 containing at least 2 different sub-clones harboring LOH of different chromosome areas, while the remaining one tumor showed prominent intratumoral genetic heterogeneity consisting of at least 6 genetically distinct sub-clones. LOH of 6q was detected only in a sub-set of multiple microdissected samples in most of the primary tumors, but was most frequently detected in metastases, suggesting that loss of this chromosome arm occurred late and played an important part in metastatic progression. Comparison of LOH between sub-clones within primary tumors and within metastases showed the divergence of metastatic clones from dominant populations within the primary tumor in 5 patients, whereas in the remaining three patients parent sub-clones were not identified, or constituted only a minor sub-population within the primary tumors. These results, showing considerable genetic heterogeneity in sporadic melanoma, have profound implications for the choice of future therapeutic strategies.

Adult↗

Blast cells in acute myeloblastic leukemia: a model.

A model of the evolution of acute myeloblastic leukemia (AML) as a clonal hemopathy is presented and reviewed in light of the available data on the behavior of leukemic blast-stem cell colonies. The model postulates that determination of a pluripotent stem cell of a leukemic clone occurs abruptly with intermediate stem cell classes being rare. Transformations occurring in committed myelopoietic progenitors are not self-maintaining. Leukemic clones in AML originate by genetic transformation to a lineage independent of myelopoietic differentiation. The biological behavior of AML clones changes with time as a result, in the short term, of environmental changes, and in the long term, of genetic changes. Sensitivity of leukemic blast colonies to adriamycin and Ara-C, although variable from patient to patient, is relatively stable for one clone during a major portion of the course of the disease.

Animals↗

Conservation of Y-linked genes during human evolution revealed by comparative sequencing in chimpanzee.

The human Y chromosome, transmitted clonally through males, contains far fewer genes than the sexually recombining autosome from which it evolved. The enormity of this evolutionary decline has led to predictions that the Y chromosome will be completely bereft of functional genes within ten million years. Although recent evidence of gene conversion within massive Y-linked palindromes runs counter to this hypothesis, most unique Y-linked genes are not situated in palindromes and have no gene conversion partners. The 'impending demise' hypothesis thus rests on understanding the degree of conservation of these genes. Here we find, by systematically comparing the DNA sequences of unique, Y-linked genes in chimpanzee and human, which diverged about six million years ago, evidence that in the human lineage, all such genes were conserved through purifying selection. In the chimpanzee lineage, by contrast, several genes have sustained inactivating mutations. Gene decay in the chimpanzee lineage might be a consequence of positive selection focused elsewhere on the Y chromosome and driven by sperm competition.

Animals↗

Evidence for sequence selection within the non-structural 5A gene of hepatitis C virus type 1b during unsuccessful treatment with interferon-alpha.

Resistance of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) to interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) therapy in patients with hepatitis C may be genetically controlled by an IFN sensitivity-determining region (ISDR) within the non-structural 5A (NS5A) gene. To assess whether HCV 1b strains carrying a 'resistant' type of ISDR are selected during unsuccessful IFN therapy, we analysed the evolution of the NS5A quasispecies, as detected by the clonal frequency analysis technique, and of the ISDR sequence by nucleotide sequence determination, in 11 patients showing no virological response during two consecutive cycles of IFN-alpha therapy. IFN-resistant patients had a homogeneous ISDR quasispecies with sequences identical to those described as 'resistant-' or 'intermediate-' type ISDR. After retreatment with IFN, further selection towards a homogeneous viral population was observed and 10 out of 11 patients had only one variant of HCV with no or just one single amino acid mutation within the ISDR sequence. Treatment and retreatment with IFN was associated in our non-responder patients with evolution of the ISDR quasispecies towards a rather homogeneous viral population carrying a conserved or minimally mutated ISDR motif, supporting the idea that this motif may be relevant for IFN resistance in HCV 1b-infected individuals.

Adult↗

Detection of clonal Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg cells with identical somatically mutated and rearranged VH genes in different biopsies in relapsed Hodgkin's disease.

Hodgkin's disease (HD) represents a malignant lymphoma in which the putative malignant Hodgkin and Reed-Sternberg (H-RS) cells are rare and surrounded by abundant reactive cells. Single-cell analyses showed that H-RS cells regularly bear clonal Ig gene rearrangements. However, there is little information on the clinical evolution of HD in a given patient. In this study, we used the single-cell polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to identify H-RS cells with clonal Ig gene rearrangements in biopsy specimens of patients with relapsed HD. The obtained clonal variable region heavy-chain (VH) gene rearrangements were used to construct tumor-clone-specific oligonucleotides spanning the complementarity determining region (CDR) III and somatically mutated areas in the rearranged VH gene. A number of biopsies were obtained during a period of 3 years from two HD patients. H-RS cells with identical VH rearrangements were detected in two separate infiltrated lymph nodes from one patient with nodular sclerosis HD. In a second patient with mixed cellularity HD subtype, clonal VH rearrangements with identical sequences were detected in infiltrated spleen and two lymph node biopsies. Despite the high sensitivity of the PCR method used (one clonal cell in 10(5) mononuclear cells), residual H-RS cells were not found in peripheral blood, leukapheresis material, purified CD34(+) stem cells or bone marrow. The results show that different specimens from relapsed patients suffering from classical HD carry the same clonotypic IgH rearrangements with identical somatic mutations, demonstrating the persistence and the dissemination of a clonal tumor cell population. Thus, PCR assays with CDRIII-specific probes derived from clonal H-RS cells are of clinical importance in monitoring the dissemination of HD and tumor progression and could be useful for analysis of minimal residual disease after autologous stem cell transplantation.

Adult↗

Restrictions to RNA virus adaptation: an experimental approach.

Some basic properties of RNA viruses are their high mutation rate, their enormous population sizes and their short generation time. These properties allow RNA virus populations to quickly explore fitness landscapes. A great adaptability has been amply demonstrated in experimental, as well as in natural, populations of RNA viruses. However, at least from a theoretical point of view, a limit to the extent of viral adaptation may exist as a consequence of adaptive trade-offs arising during evolution in changing environmental conditions. Here, I review previously published results searching for such fitness trade-offs. The following scenario has been explored: the cost of host-range expansion, the cost of resistance to antiviral drugs, and the adaptation to different population densities. Despite the environmental conditions tested, results show a common pattern: whenever a virus adapt to a simple environmental situation it pays a cost in terms of adaptation to alternative situations. However, in those cases where the virus has been simultaneously adapted to different environmental conditions, this cost disappears or, at least, is greatly reduced. Finally, and as another factor imposing a limit to their speed of adaptation, I review results showing that clonal interference also plays an important role during viral evolution.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

The role of intracisternal A-type particles in the evolution of factor-independent murine hematopoietic cell lines.

Cocultivation of a clonal factor-dependent hematopoietic cell line (FDC-P1JL26) with an irradiated bone marrow stromal cell line (D2XRII) significantly increased the frequency of isolation of factor-independent subclones. Eight out of nine factor-independent subclonal lines showed expression of IL-3, GM-CSF or both cytokine mRNAs by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and seven of these expressed biologically active GM-CSF or IL-3. In three cell lines that synthesized biologically active IL-3 (FIJ1, FIJ4D and FIJ10D) insertion of an IAP sequence into the IL-3 gene was detected by PCR analysis and the insertions were confirmed by DNA sequence analysis of PCR or RT-PCR fragments. In the four cell lines in which no IL-3 expression was detected no IAP insertions were detected. Rearrangements of the GM-CSF gene were detected in three factor-independent cell lines and an insertion of an IAP into the GM-CSF gene was confirmed by DNA sequence analysis of PCR fragments. In contrast to results with IL-3, insertion of an IAP into the GM-CSF gene did not correlate with GM-CSF expression. In one cell line that contained an IAP insertion into the GM-CSF gene, no GM-CSF was detected by biological assay nor by RT-PCR. Retrotransposition of IAPs may be responsible for the emergence of factor-independent cells in our cocultivation system and other IAP insertions may prove to be responsible for the factor-independent phenotype seen in the non-autocrine factor-independent cell line, FI7CL2.

Animals↗