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Untargeted metabolomics identifies metabolic dysregulation of sphingolipids associated with aggressive chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and poor survival

Untargeted metabolomics identifies metabolic dysregulation of sphingolipids associated with aggressive chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and poor survival

Authors :
Flora Nguyen Van Long
Délya Valcourt‐Gendron
Patrick Caron
Michèle Rouleau
Lyne Villeneuve
David Simonyan
Trang Le
Roxanne Sergerie
Isabelle Laverdière
Katrina Vanura
Chantal Guillemette
Source :
Clinical and Translational Medicine, Vol 13, Iss 12, Pp n/a-n/a (2023)
Publication Year :
2023
Publisher :
Wiley, 2023.

Abstract

Abstract Background Metabolic dependencies of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) cells may represent new personalized treatment approaches in patients harbouring unfavourable features. Methods Here, we used untargeted metabolomics and lipidomics analyses to isolate metabolomic features associated with aggressive CLL and poor survival outcomes. We initially focused on profiles associated with overexpression of the adverse metabolic marker glycosyltransferase (UGT2B17) associated with poor survival and drug resistance. Results Leukaemic B‐cell metabolomes indicated a significant perturbation in lipids, predominantly bio‐active sphingolipids. Expression of numerous enzyme‐encoding genes of sphingolipid biosynthesis pathways was significantly associated with shorter patient survival. Targeted metabolomics further exposed higher circulating levels of glucosylceramides (C16:0 GluCer) in CLL patients relative to healthy donors and an aggressive cancer biology. In multivariate analyses, C16:0 GluCer and sphinganine were independent prognostic markers and were inversely linked to treatment‐free survival. These two sphingolipid species function as antagonistic mediators, with sphinganine being pro‐apoptotic and GluCer being pro‐proliferative, tested in leukemic B‐CLL cell models. Blocking GluCer synthesis using ceramide glucosyltransferase inhibitors induced cell death and reduced the proliferative phenotype, which further sensitized a leukaemic B‐cell model to the anti‐leukaemics fludarabine and ibrutinib in vitro. Conclusions Specific sphingolipids may serve as prognostic markers in CLL, and inhibiting enzymatic pathways involved in their biosynthesis has potential as a therapaeutic approach.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
20011326
Volume :
13
Issue :
12
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Clinical and Translational Medicine
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.66f26e0615f245ccb4677cb8f9903257
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.1002/ctm2.1442