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Increasing evidence supports the role of epigenetics in the development of autoimmune disorders and the possibility of using epigenetic modifying drugs in the context of MS has not yet been investigated. We have explored the effect of the hypomethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (DAC) in two murine models of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE). DAC treatment was associated with a significant amelioration of the clinical and histological hallmarks of EAE in both models. These effects were observed both in prophylactic and therapeutic regimens. The milder course of the disease was associated with a reduction in the number of spinal cord infiltrating lymphocytes and amelioration of the histopathological signs associated with EAE. In addition, increased transcript levels of anti-inflammatory cytokines and decreased mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory mediators were also observed. Finally, DAC treatment increased the percentage of circulating regulatory T cells by inducing Foxp3 expression via demethylation of a CpG island in Foxp3.

Normal hematopoietic progenitors and acute myelogenous leukemia cells show a differential requirement for the encoded product of c-myb proto-oncogene for proliferation. To determine whether c-myb is also differentially required for the proliferation of hematopoietic progenitors of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), mononuclear cells derived from both chronic phase and blast crisis were exposed to c-myb antisense oligodeoxynucleotides and assayed for colony-forming ability. Exposure of CML-BC cells from 12 patients to c-myb antisense oligodeoxynucleotides resulted in significant (p001) inhibition of leukemia colony formation (average inhibition 63%) and was accompanied by down-regulation of c-myb expression. Colonies derived from CML chronic phase progenitors were virtually unaffected in 10 cases, but down-regulation of c-myb expression was not detected. However, in studies conducted with CD34+ leukemia cells, a subset highly enriched for hematopoietic progenitors, colony formation was inhibited at both disease stages, whereas CFU-GM colony formation derived from normal CD34+ cells was not affected by exposure to c-myb antisense oligodeoxynucleotides. These data suggest that CML chronic phase and blast crisis progenitors are both sensitive to the inhibitory effects of c-myb antisense oligomers, and that the lack of inhibition in partially purified CML-chronic phase progenitors is probably due to inefficient penetration of oligodeoxynucleotides into the clonogenic cells. The preferential effect of c-myb antisense oligodeoxynucleotides on colonies arising from the compartment that includes CML-CD34+ progenitors likely reflects the expansion of a cell population with high proliferative potential and elevated c-myb mRNA levels.

The in vitro sensitivity of human chronic myeloid leukemia-blast crisis and chronic phase (CML-BC and CML-CP, respectively) cells as well as adherent cell-depleted, T lymphocyte-depleted normal bone marrow cells (A-T-NBMC) to various concentrations of mafosfamide (ASTA Z7654), was examined by colony formation assay in the presence of IL-3 and GM-CSF, to test the possibility of purging of BMC from CML cells. Colony formation by CML cells was inhibited more efficiently than by NBMC. After the incubation with 50 micrograms/ml or 100 micrograms/ml of mafosfamide, the growth of leukemic CFU-GM was totally abrogated in 2/11 or 9/11 cases of CML-BC and in 1/7 or 6/7 cases of CML-CP, respectively. At the same time the CFU-GM arising from normal BMC were not inhibited totally with 50 or 100 micrograms/ml of the drug in any of five experiments. CML cells were still unable to form secondary colonies, while normal BMC were capable of regrowth. The CD34+ cells isolated form CML-BC and CML-CP patients were also more susceptible to mafosfamide cytotoxicity in comparison to CD34+ cells derived from NBMC. To confirm the possibility of purging, CML-BC cells were mixed with NBMC (1:1) and incubated with mafosfamide. Finally, the growing colonies were examined for the presence of bcr/abl hybrid gene by reverse transcriptase-Taq polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and specific hybridization. The bcr/abl gene was not detected in the colonies growing after 100 micrograms/ml, and the signal was diminished after incubation with 50 micrograms/ml of mafosfamide, as compared to control. These results strongly suggest that high concentrations of mafosfamide may be useful for the purging of autologous BMC from CML cells.