Project description:VEXAS syndrome, an autoinflammatory syndrome due to a Ubiquitin Like Modifier Activating Enzyme 1 (UBA1) somatic mutation, has a high thrombotic burden. We report a case of a 69-year-old male that was diagnosed with VEXAS syndrome who developed venous thromboembolism (VTE). Review of literature of existing VEXAS syndrome cases showed a high thrombotic burden, with the reported incidence of VTE (36.4%) being markedly higher than arterial thrombosis (1.6%), with deep vein thrombosis being more common than pulmonary embolism. Somatic mutation in the UBA1 gene results in decreased ubiquitylation which is a key driver in the development of thrombosis in VEXAS syndrome, due to chronic inflammation and cytokine release from abnormal crosstalk between the intrinsic effector mechanism of innate immune cells, platelets and endothelium resulting in dysregulated haemostasis and endothelial dysfunction. Targeting endothelial dysfunction and reducing inflammatory milieu causing hypercoagulability with immunosuppressants and immunomodulatory agents, together with anticoagulation may be the strategy to prevent recurrent thrombotic events.
Project description:UBA1 is an E1 enzyme essential for initiating ubiquitylation. We have identified 25 patients with somatic mutations in UBA1 that alter protein isoform expression in myeloid cells. We studied the transcriptional profiles of whole blood, and sorted cell populations from VEXAS patients.
Project description:Recently, a novel disorder coined VEXAS (vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic) syndrome was identified in patients with adult-onset inflammatory syndromes, often accompanied by myelodysplastic syndrome1. All patients had myeloid lineage-restricted somatic mutations in UBA1 affecting the Met41 residue of the protein and resulting in decreased cellular ubiquitylation activity and hyperinflammation. We here describe the clinical disease course of two VEXAS syndrome patients with somatic UBA1 mutations of which one with a mild phenotype characterized by recurrent rash and symmetric polyarthritis, and another who was initially diagnosed with idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease and developed macrophage activation syndrome as a complication of the VEXAS syndrome. The latter patients was treated with anti-IL6 therapy (siltuximab) leading to a resolution of systemic symptoms and reduction of transfusion requirements.
Project description:Background and methods: VEXAS (vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic) syndrome has been recently recognized as an adult-onset autoinflammatory syndrome due to somatic mutations affecting Ubiquitin Like Modifier Activating Enzyme 1 (UBA1) gene. Following-up studies have been mostly limited to case reports; transcriptome of especially hematopoiesis in VEXAS syndrome has not been well characterized. Results: We performed whole transcriptome sequencing of single bone marrow cells (BMMNCs) and enriched Lineage-CD34+ hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) from nine patients included in the original VEXAS cohort. We profiled inflammation and hematopoietic differentiation in these patients, and found activation of inflammatory gene programs particularly in marrow myeloid cells; HSPCs showed a preferred myeloid dominance. Patients had profound abnormalities in gene expression involved in pathways of inflammation, cell cycling and activation, and protein synthesis. We defined single bone marrow cells with expressed UBA1 mutations, and characterized gene expression of mutant myeloid cells as compared to that of wild-type, and observed upregulation of inflammatory pathways and immune activation; increased cell cycling might contribute to clonal dominance of UBA1 mutant cells. We were also able to profile other somatic mutations (DNMT3A) in two patients who had concurrent DNMT3A mutations at a high frequency. With coupled single cell T/B-cell receptor (TCR/BCR) sequencing, we characterized TCR and BCR repertoire in four patients, two of whom had B cell lymphocytosis. Cell-cell interaction analysis revealed enhanced interactions of myeloid cells with HSPCs, and interferons interaction with their receptors were frequent. We also performed bulk RNA sequencing of several leukemic cell lines with UBA1 knockdown, and observed upregulation of inflammatory pathways in these UBA1 knockdown cell lines. Conclusion: Our study discloses transcriptome signatures of hematopoietic cells in VEXAS syndrome, providing a broad perspective into potential pathogenesis of this novel disease.
Project description:Vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic (VEXAS) syndrome is an inflammatory disorder caused by somatic UBA1 variants, which are sometimes associated with hematological disorders, including myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). VEXAS syndrome often overlaps with rheumatic diseases, including relapsing polychondritis. Here, we describe a case of VEXAS syndrome with auricular chondritis and exceptional multiple myeloma (MM). An 83-year-old man was diagnosed with MM, which was treated once by lenalidomide hydrate obtaining a partial response, but the patient did not desire further aggressive therapy. Although the treatment was effective, progressive macrocytic anemia and inflammation of both the ears emerged over the following 2 months. The histological examination of the auricle skin revealed that the perichondrial area was infiltrated by inflammatory cells, leading to the diagnosis of auricular chondritis. He was treated with oral prednisolone 40 mg/day, and his symptoms rapidly resolved. The re-evaluation of the histopathological bone marrow findings revealed vacuoles in the myeloid precursor cells without myelodysplasia-related changes. Sanger sequencing of UBA1 was performed using genomic DNA from peripheral blood leukocytes and revealed a somatic variant (c.122T>C:p.Met41Thr) consistent with VEXAS syndrome. This demonstrates that patients with chondritis can have complications with MM despite the absence of underlying MDS. A strong association exists between UBA1 variants and the risk of MDS; however, it remains elusive whether somatic UBA1 variants contribute to the development of plasma cell dyscrasia without MDS. Hence, we discuss the possible relationship between auricular chondritis and MM on a background of VEXAS syndrome.
Project description:Objective The aim of this paper is to present the AutoInflammatory Disease Alliance (AIDA) international Registry dedicated to Vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, Autoinflammatory, Somatic (VEXAS) syndrome, describing its design, construction, and modalities of dissemination. Methods This Registry is a clinical, physician-driven, population- and electronic-based instrument designed for the retrospective and prospective collection of real-life data. Data gathering is based on the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) tool and is intended to obtain real-world evidence for daily patients' management. The Registry may potentially communicate with other on-line tools dedicated to VEXAS syndrome, thus enhancing international collaboration and data sharing for research purposes. The Registry is practical enough to be easily modified to meet future needs regarding VEXAS syndrome. Results To date (April 22nd, 2022), 113 Centers from 23 Countries in 4 continents have been involved; 324 users (114 Principal Investigators, 205 Site Investigators, 2 Lead Investigators, and 3 data managers) are currently able to access the registry for data entry (or data sharing) and collection. The Registry includes 4,952 fields organized into 18 instruments designed to fully describe patient's details about demographics, clinical manifestations, symptoms, histologic details about skin and bone marrow biopsies and aspirate, laboratory features, complications, comorbidities, therapies, and healthcare access. Conclusion This international Registry for patients with VEXAS syndrome will allow the achievement of a comprehensive knowledge about this new disease, with the final goal to obtain real-world evidence for daily clinical practice, especially in relation to the comprehension of this disease about the natural history and the possible therapeutic approaches. This Project can be found on https://clinicaltrials.gov NCT05200715.
Project description:5-azacytidine (5-aza) is a hypomethylating agent approved for the treatment of high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). It is assumed to act by demethylating tumor suppressor genes and via direct cytotoxic effects on malignant cells. In vitro treatment with hypomethylating agents has profound effects on the expression of killer-cell immunoglobulin-like (KIR) receptors on natural killer (NK) cells, as these receptors are epigenetically regulated via methylation of the promoters. Here we investigated the influence of 5-aza on the NK-cell repertoire during cytokine-induced proliferation in vitro and homeostatic proliferation in vivo in patients with high-risk MDS. In vitro treatment of NK cells from both healthy donors and MDS patients with low doses of 5-aza led to a significant increase in expression of multiple KIRs, but only in cells that had undergone several rounds of cell division. Proliferating 5-aza exposed NK cells exhibited increased IFN-? production and degranulation towards tumor target cells. MDS patients had lower proportions of educated KIR-expressing NK cells than healthy controls but after systemic treatment with 5-aza, an increased proportion of Ki-67+ NK cells expressed multiple KIRs suggesting uptake of 5-aza in cycling cells in vivo. Hence, these results suggest that systemic treatment with 5-aza may shape the NK cell repertoire, in particular during homeostatic proliferation, thereby boosting NK cell-mediated recognition of malignant cells.