A brain organoid/ALL coculture model reveals the AP-1 pathway as critically associated with CNS involvement of BCP-ALL

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Philip Gebing - , Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (Author)
  • Stefanos Loizou - , Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (Author)
  • Sebastian Hänsch - , Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (Author)
  • Julian Schliehe-Diecks - , Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (Author)
  • Lea Spory - , University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel (Author)
  • Pawel Stachura - , Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (Author)
  • Vera H. Jepsen - , Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (Author)
  • Melina Vogt - , Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (Author)
  • Aleksandra A. Pandyra - , Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, University of Bonn, German Center for Infection Research, Partner Site Bonn-Cologne (Author)
  • Herui Wang - , National Cancer Institute (NCI) (Author)
  • Zhengping Zhuang - , National Cancer Institute (NCI) (Author)
  • Johannes Zimmermann - , Kiel University, Friedrich Schiller University Jena (Author)
  • Martin Schrappe - , University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel (Author)
  • Gunnar Cario - , University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel (Author)
  • Ameera Alsadeq - , Ulm University (Author)
  • Denis M. Schewe - , Department of Paediatrics (Author)
  • Arndt Borkhardt - , Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) partner site Essen / Düsseldorf (Author)
  • Lennart Lenk - , University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein Campus Kiel (Author)
  • Ute Fischer - , Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) partner site Essen / Düsseldorf (Author)
  • Sanil Bhatia - , Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, German Cancer Consortium (DKTK) partner site Essen / Düsseldorf (Author)

Abstract

Central nervous system (CNS) involvement remains a clinical hurdle in treating childhood B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL). The disease mechanisms of CNS leukemia are primarily investigated using 2-dimensional cell culture and mouse models. Given the variations in cellular identity and architecture between the human and murine CNS, it becomes imperative to seek complementary models to study CNS leukemia. Here, we present a first-of-its-kind 3-dimensional coculture model combining human brain organoids and BCP-ALL cells. We noticed significantly higher engraftment of BCP-ALL cell lines and patient-derived xenograft (PDX) cells in cerebral organoids than non-ALL cells. To validate translatability between organoid coculture and in vivo murine models, we confirmed that targeting CNS leukemia-relevant pathways such as CD79a/Igα or C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 4-stromal cell-derived factor 1 reduced the invasion of BCP-ALL cells into organoids. RNA sequencing and functional validations of organoid-invading leukemia cells compared with the noninvaded fraction revealed significant upregulation of activator protein 1 (AP-1) transcription factor-complex members in organoid-invading cells. Moreover, we detected a significant enrichment of AP-1 pathway genes in PDX ALL cells recovered from the CNS compared with spleen blasts of mice that had received transplantation with TCF3::PBX1+ PDX cells, substantiating the role of AP-1 signaling in CNS disease. Accordingly, we found significantly higher levels of the AP-1 gene, jun protooncogene, in patients initially diagnosed as CNS-positive BCP-ALL compared with CNSnegative cases as well as CNS-relapse vs non-CNS-relapse cases in a cohort of 100 patients with BCP-ALL. Our results suggest CNS organoids as a novel model to investigate CNS involvement and identify the AP-1 pathway as a critical driver of CNS disease in BCP-ALL.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4997-5011
Number of pages15
JournalBlood advances
Volume8
Issue number19
Publication statusPublished - 8 Oct 2024
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 39008716

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Library keywords