Document Type
Article
Publication Date
1-2023
Identifier
DOI: 10.1038/s41375-022-01746-3; PMCID: PMC9883157
Abstract
Infants with KMT2A-rearranged B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) have a dismal prognosis. Survival outcomes have remained static in recent decades despite treatment intensification and novel therapies are urgently required. KMT2A-rearranged infant ALL cells are characterized by an abundance of promoter hypermethylation and exhibit high BCL-2 expression, highlighting potential for therapeutic targeting. Here, we show that hypomethylating agents exhibit in vitro additivity when combined with most conventional chemotherapeutic agents. However, in a subset of samples an antagonistic effect was seen between several agents. This was most evident when hypomethylating agents were combined with methotrexate, with upregulation of ATP-binding cassette transporters identified as a potential mechanism. Single agent treatment with azacitidine and decitabine significantly prolonged in vivo survival in KMT2A-rearranged infant ALL xenografts. Treatment of KMT2A-rearranged infant ALL cell lines with azacitidine and decitabine led to differential genome-wide DNA methylation, changes in gene expression and thermal proteome profiling revealed the target protein-binding landscape of these agents. The selective BCL-2 inhibitor, venetoclax, exhibited in vitro additivity in combination with hypomethylating or conventional chemotherapeutic agents. The addition of venetoclax to azacitidine resulted in a significant in vivo survival advantage indicating the therapeutic potential of this combination to improve outcome for infants with KMT2A-rearranged ALL.
Journal Title
Leukemia : official journal of the Leukemia Society of America, Leukemia Research Fund, U.K
Volume
37
Issue
1
First Page
61
Last Page
71
MeSH Keywords
Humans; Infant; Azacitidine; Decitabine; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute
Keywords
Azacitidine; Decitabine; Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma; Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Recommended Citation
Cheung LC, Aya-Bonilla C, Cruickshank MN, et al. Preclinical efficacy of azacitidine and venetoclax for infant KMT2A-rearranged acute lymphoblastic leukemia reveals a new therapeutic strategy. Leukemia. 2023;37(1):61-71. doi:10.1038/s41375-022-01746-3
Comments
Grant support
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Publisher's Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41375-022-01746-3