The project has been developed along 2 lines: in vivo and in silico studies.
For the in vivo studies we first generated three animal models with a targeted deletion of the catalytically active form of CYLD in B lymphocytes. Since abnormal accumulation of CD19+/CD5+ B lymphocytes is the hallmark of CLL, we targeted deletion of the protein in these cells, using the well-established Cre-LoxP system. Generation of B cells is a multi-step, tightly controlled process, which leads to the development of mature fully functional B cells. Using different targeting strategies, we generated two mice lines that lack expression of the catalytically active form of CYLD starting from different B cell maturation stages. In the third animal model, we combined ablation of the catalytically active form of CYLD with a widely-used model of CLL in mice, with the aim to evaluate whether ablation of CYLD activity on B cells would influence CLL progression.
Extensive characterization of the generated mouse lines indicated that the mice had an unexpected, but extremely interesting phenotype. Mice lacking expression of the catalytically active form of CYLD in B cells from the initial stages of the maturation process exhibited a striking defect in the maturation of B cells. These mice had virtually no B cells in their peripheral blood, and the populations of fully mature B cells in the bone marrow and the spleen were severely depleted. Macroscopic analysis of the spleen, indicated that the spleen of the transgenic animals was markedly smaller, both in terms of size and cellularity, whereas histopathological examination of the spleen indicated that the microarchitecture and the organization of the organ were deeply affected. From a functional standpoint, mice lacking expression of the catalytically active form of CYLD could not successfully mount an immune response following immunization with commonly used prototype immunogens, thus indicating that these mice were severely immune-compromised. The transgenic mice in which ablation of the catalytically active form of CYLD was combined with a genetic model of CLL also displayed a substantial reduction of the mature B cell compartment. The few mature B cells remaining in these animals did not appear to be more prone to switch to a CLL-like phenotype.
For the in silico studies we succeeded in securing access to a database containing RNA sequencing data from purified B cells of approximately 300 CLL patients. These data are being analyzed to establish CYLD expression patterns and concomitant alterations of the associated signaling pathways. Our preliminary data indicates a downregulation in the expression of CYLD in CLL patients. The extreme depletion of mature B cells in transgenic animals not expressing the catalytically active form of CYLD in B cells has precluded efficient separation of mature B cells, rendering RNA sequencing and further in silico analysis impossible to perform.
The transgenic animal models generated could evolve into immunocompromised models with wide use in disease modeling and drug testing. The results of the study were selected for oral presentation at the 2017 American Society for Hematology (ASH) annual conference, probably the most prestigious conferences of the field with over 30000 attendees.
