Citations

Pick’s disease (PiD) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder defined by dementia, frontotemporal lobe atrophy, and 3-repeat tau inclusions. To elucidate PiD pathobiology, we performed the first bulk transcriptomics study on PiD using short- and long-read sequencing on the parietal cortex of 28 PiD and 15 control samples. We identified several significantly differentially expressed genes, with CCL2 displaying the strongest association with 3-repeat tau pathology and increased burden in PiD compared to those in 4-repeat tau progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) cases. Investigation of co-expressed genes and pathways suggested the involvement of mRNA processing, mitochondrial function, and immune processes in disease pathobiology. Long-read RNA sequencing on a subset of samples (eight PiD and four control) proposed novel, potentially disease-associated transcripts for AZGP1 , CD44 , HSD11B2 , and WIF1 , predicted to result in truncated proteins. In conclusion, we observed transcriptomic changes in the parietal cortex of patients with PiD that may inform into clinically relevant biomarkers and therapeutic strategies.

ABSTRACT Knowledge of Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum ( TPA ) outer membrane protein (OMP) sequence variability is essential for understanding spirochete proliferation within endemic populations as well as design of a globally effective syphilis vaccine. Our group has identified extracellular loops (ECLs) of TPA BamA (TP0326) and members of the FadL family (TP0548, TP0856, TP0858, TP0859, and TP0865) as potential components of a multivalent vaccine cocktail. As part of a consortium to explore TPA strain diversity, we mapped the variability of BamA and FadL orthologs in 186 TPA strains from Malawi, China and Colombia onto predicted 3D structures. The 186 genomes fell into eight subclades (five Nichols-, three SS14-lineage) with substantial geographic restriction. Single nucleotide variants accounted for the large majority of proteoforms, with variability notably higher within the Nichols-lineage strains. Most mutations were in regions of the proteins predicted to be extracellular and harboring B cell epitopes. We observed a striking difference in the degree of variability between the six OMPs, suggesting that these proteins are following divergent evolutionary paths. Concatenation of OMP sequences recapitulated the phylogenetic structure of the TPA strains, effectively segregating within clades and largely clustering by subclades. Lastly, we noted that BamA and FadL candidate ECL vaccinogens previously shown to elicit antibodies that kill treponemes during in vitro cultivation are well conserved. Taken as a whole, our study establishes a structural-phylogenetic approach for analyzing the forces shaping the host-pathogen interface in syphilis within endemic populations while informing selection of vaccine targets. IMPORTANCE Syphilis remains a major global health concern, reinforcing the need for a safe and effective vaccine. Understanding the variability of TPA OMPs is essential for tracking pathogen evolution and informing vaccine design. Here, we analyzed the variability of six TPA OMPs in 186 strains from Malawi, China, and Colombia, identifying protein-specific evolutionary patterns. Most mutations were localized in extracellular regions and, notably, appeared to correlate with the phylogenetic structure of TPA . Despite OMP heterogeneity, several candidate vaccinogens remained highly conserved, reinforcing their potential as globally effective vaccine targets. Our study establishes a structural-phylogenetic framework for dissecting the forces shaping the host-spirochete interface within endemic populations and provides a foundation for designing a globally effective syphilis vaccine.

ABSTRACT Contezolid has activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a common cause of orthopedic infection. In a rat model of foreign body osteomyelitis, 1.3 log 10 cfu/g bone and 0.5 log 10 cfu/k-wire reduction in MRSA was found in tibiae ( P = 0.0186) and K-wires, respectively, of contezolid-treated compared to untreated rats. No MRSA was recovered from animals receiving rifampin alone or in combination with contezolid or vancomycin. There was no emergence of resistance to contezolid, vancomycin, or rifampin.

Abstract Background: Effective treatments (Tx) are needed for MTAP-del cancers (10-15% of all cancers). BMS-986504 (formerly MRTX1719) is a potential first-in-class MTA-cooperative protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) inhibitor that selectively binds to the PRMT5-MTA complex, a synthetic lethal target in MTAP-del but not MTAP-wild-type cells. In the first-in-human phase 1/2 CA240-0007 study, BMS-986504 was well tolerated and showed clinical activity in heavily pretreated pts across multiple advanced solid tumors with homozygous MTAP-del. Here, we report results of exploratory PD analyses of PRMT5 inhibition with BMS-986504 in CA240-0007. Methods: Pts with advanced, unresectable or metastatic solid tumors with homozygous MTAP-del received BMS-986504 (50 to 800 mg) in 3-wk cycles. Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) and intron retention are known PD BMs of PRMT5 inhibition. Therefore, PD effects of BMS-986504 were assessed via changes in plasma and tumor SDMA levels (mass spec and IHC), intron retention, and gene expression (RNASeq) based on samples collected at baseline (BL) and cycle 2 day 1 (C2D1). Additional analyses correlating efficacy outcomes with PD results and select mutations at BL were performed in clinically evaluable pts as of 19-SEP-24. Results: Robust PD modulation of the PRMT5 pathway was observed with BMS-986504. Among pts with matched samples (n = 63), median plasma SDMA levels were reduced by 56% from BL (122.6 ng/mL) to C2D1 (53.8 ng/mL). There were dose-dependent reductions in median plasma SDMA with the greatest reductions at 400 mg QD (59.7% [n = 20]), 400 mg BID (61.9% [n = 9]) and 600 mg QD (59.1% [n = 14]). These PD effects were corroborated in the tumor. Median tumor SDMA levels decreased from an HScore of 285 at BL to 0 at C2D1. Consistent with the SDMA decreases, increased intron retention was observed in 9/11 pts with matched samples. BMS-986504 led to downregulation of several gene pathways including DNA repair and mitotic spindle formation, and MYC and E2F targets, as assessed by RNASeq. There was no significant change in expression of MAT2A, PRMT5, or other PRMT genes, suggesting a lack of compensation for PRMT5 inhibition through these genes. Responses were observed with BMS-986504 across EGFR, KRAS, and TP53 mutation subgroups. Additional correlative analyses among BMs and efficacy outcomes will be presented. Conclusions: BMS-986504 demonstrated robust PD effects across multiple doses and solid tumors which is consistent with the proposed mechanism of action. There was a trend of increasing plasma SDMA reduction across doses, with the greatest reductions observed at 400 mg QD and above. Together these results support further investigation of BMS-986504 at 400 mg QD and higher doses as a potential first-in-class synthetic lethal Tx option in pts with advanced solid tumors with MTAP-del. Citation Format: Jordi Rodón, Tyler Simpson, Ben George, Pasi A. Jänne, Kathryn C. Arbour, Konstantinos Leventakos, Kyriakos P. Papadopoulos, Melissa L. Johnson, Alexander I. Spira, Cesar A. Perez, Hani M. Babiker, Richard Zuniga, Candace L. Haddox, Tapsi Kumar, Yidi Qin, Wen-Chi Chou, Peter Olson, Kenna Anderes, Alice Wozniak, Curtis Chin, Ming Lei, Jason T. Henry. Pharmacodynamic (PD) and exploratory biomarker (BM) analysis of the PRMT5 inhibitor BMS-986504 in patients (pts) with advanced solid tumors with homozygous MTAP deletion (MTAP-del) [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 2 (Late-Breaking, Clinical Trial, and Invited Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_2):Abstract nr CT079.

Background: Anaplasma phagocytophilum is an emerging tick-borne zoonotic pathogen that typically causes mild infections, which are often successfully managed in outpatient settings. Immunosuppression associated with splenectomy is a well-documented risk factor for severe infections from pathogens such as Babesia microti and encapsulated bacteria. However, splenectomy has not previously been identified as a risk factor for severe anaplasmosis. Case Presentation: This report describes a rare case of severe anaplasmosis complicated by multiorgan failure in a patient who had undergone splenectomy several decades earlier. The clinical course was notable for pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute kidney injury, rhabdomyolysis, atrial fibrillation, and possible myocarditis. Despite the severity of the presentation, prompt initiation of doxycycline led to recovery, albeit with a significantly prolonged hospital stay. Conclusions: Patients with splenectomy might be more likely to develop a serious form of Anaplasmosis infection such as multiorgan failure. Clinicians in tick-borne endemic areas should be aware that non-specific symptoms can indicate anaplasmosis.

Observational studies have demonstrated that aspirin and/or PTSG2 inhibitor (e.g., celecoxib) use, before or after colon cancer (CC) diagnosis, is associated with a lower risk of recurrence. However, a randomized trial of adjuvant celecoxib therapy in stage III CC did not show improved survival compared to placebo treatment. We therefore hypothesized that immune microenvironment features may identify patient subgroups with stronger survival benefits from anti-inflammatory celecoxib treatment. Drawing from an NCI-Intergroup trial (Cancer and Leukemia Group B [now Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology]/SWOG 80702) for patients with stage III resected CC that compared 3 versus 6 months of adjuvant fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin ± 3 years of celecoxib, we conducted tissue-based tumor microenvironment profiling on 1,098 resected tumors using a custom 9-plex, T-cell multiplex immunofluorescence assay coupled with digital image analysis and supervised machine learning. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to describe disease-free survival, based on T cell density, and log-rank testing was performed. Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine unadjusted and adjusted associations between T cell density and disease-free survival (DFS). Two-sided P values ≤0.05 were considered statistically significant. We found that higher CD3+ T cell density was associated with longer DFS with an adjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 0.69 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.52-0.91) for patients with densities in the highest tertile as compared the lowest tertile (P=0.01). T cell subset analysis showed that stromal regulatory T helper cells (HR 0.42 comparing highest to lowest tertile, CI 0.31-0.58, P<0.001) and stromal memory cytotoxic T cells (HR 0.55 comparing highest to lowest tertile, CI 0.42-0.74, P<0.001) were most strongly associated with longer DFS. Compared to the placebo group, adjuvant celecoxib use associated with improved DFS for patients with low but not high stromal CD3+ T cell density (adjusted HRs of 0.45 [CI 0.31-0.65] for lowest tertile and 1.13 [CI 0.73-1.74] for highest tertile; Pinteraction=0.01). This association was also seen when the analysis was restricted to microsatellite stable tumors (HR 0.50 [CI 0.32-0.80] for lowest density tertile and 1.50 [CI 0.87-2.59] for highest density tertile; Pinteraction=0.01). T cell subset analysis showed that DFS benefit for celecoxib use most strongly associated with stromal memory helper T cell density (HR 0.38 [CI 0.26-0.56] for lowest density tertile and 1.26 [CI 0.80-1.97] for highest density tertile; Pinteraction<0.001). Together, these results show that while higher T cell infiltration is associated with improved DFS, lower T cell infiltration is associated with improved DFS for patients treated with celecoxib. This unexpected finding may inform immunomodulatory treatment strategies for CC. Citation Format: Yasutoshi Takashima, Chao Ma, Qian Shi, Andressa Dias Costa, Tyler Twombly, Juha P. Väyrynen, Melissa Zhao, Ardaman Shergill, Pankaj Kumar, Felix Couture, Philip Kuebler, Smitha Krishnamurthi, Benjamin Tan, Eileen M. O'Reilly, Anthony F. Shields, Shuji Ogino, Charles S. Fuchs, Jeffrey A. Meyerhardt, Jonathan A. Nowak. Prognostic and predictive role of T cell infiltration in stage III colon cancer (CC) treated with celecoxib: CALGB/SWOG 80702 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 5858.