1 5404 127 REGENERATIVE INTESTINAL STEM CELLS INDUCED BY ACUTE AND CHRONIC INJURY: THE SAVING GRACE OF THE EPITHELIUM? THE INTESTINAL EPITHELIUM IS REPLENISHED EVERY 3-4 DAYS THROUGH AN ORDERLY PROCESS THAT MAINTAINS IMPORTANT SECRETORY AND ABSORPTIVE FUNCTIONS WHILE PRESERVING A CONTINUOUS MUCOSAL BARRIER. INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL CELLS (IECS) DERIVE FROM A STABLE POPULATION OF INTESTINAL STEM CELLS (ISCS) THAT RESIDE IN THE BASAL CRYPTS. WHEN INTESTINAL INJURY REACHES THE CRYPTS AND DAMAGES IECS, A MECHANISM TO REPLACE THEM IS NEEDED. RECENT RESEARCH HAS HIGHLIGHTED THE EXISTENCE OF DISTINCT POPULATIONS OF ACUTE AND CHRONIC DAMAGE-ASSOCIATED ISCS AND THEIR ROLES IN MAINTAINING HOMEOSTASIS IN SEVERAL INTESTINAL PERTURBATION MODELS. WHAT REMAINS UNKNOWN IS HOW THE DAMAGE-ASSOCIATED REGENERATIVE ISC POPULATION FUNCTIONS IN THE SETTING OF CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, AS OPPOSED TO ACUTE INJURY. WHAT LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES RESULT FROM PERSISTENT INFLAMMATION AND OTHER CELLULAR INSULTS TO THE ISC NICHE? WHAT PARTICULAR "REGENERATIVE" CELL TYPES PROVIDE THE MOST EFFICACIOUS RESTORATIVE PROPERTIES? WHICH DIFFERENTIATED IECS MAINTAIN THE ABILITY TO DE-DIFFERENTIATE AND RESTORE THE ISC NICHE? THIS REVIEW WILL COVER THE LATEST RESEARCH ON DAMAGE-ASSOCIATED REGENERATIVE ISCS AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS THAT DETERMINE ISC FATE, AS WELL AS PROVIDE OPINIONS ON FUTURE STUDIES THAT NEED TO BE UNDERTAKEN TO UNDERSTAND THE REPERCUSSIONS OF THE EMERGENCE OF THESE CELLS, THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO RELAPSES IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE, AND THEIR POTENTIAL USE IN THERAPEUTICS FOR CHRONIC INTESTINAL DISEASES. 2020 2 6327 31 THE ROLE OF CD4(+) RESIDENT MEMORY T CELLS IN LOCAL IMMUNITY IN THE MUCOSAL TISSUE - PROTECTION VERSUS PATHOLOGY. MEMORY T CELLS ARE CRUCIAL FOR BOTH LOCAL AND SYSTEMIC PROTECTION AGAINST PATHOGENS OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. THREE MAJOR SUBSETS OF MEMORY T CELLS; EFFECTOR MEMORY T (T(EM)) CELLS, CENTRAL MEMORY T (T(CM)) CELLS, AND TISSUE-RESIDENT MEMORY T (T(RM)) CELLS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED. THE MOST RECENTLY IDENTIFIED SUBSET, T(RM) CELLS, IS CHARACTERIZED BY THE EXPRESSION OF THE C-TYPE LECTIN CD69 AND/OR THE INTEGRIN CD103. T(RM) CELLS PERSIST LOCALLY AT SITES OF MUCOSAL TISSUE, SUCH AS THE LUNG, WHERE THEY PROVIDE FRONTLINE DEFENSE AGAINST VARIOUS PATHOGENS. IMPORTANTLY, HOWEVER, T(RM) CELLS ARE ALSO INVOLVED IN SHAPING THE PATHOLOGY OF INFLAMMATORY DISEASES. A NUMBER OF PIONEERING STUDIES REVEALED IMPORTANT ROLES OF CD8(+) T(RM) CELLS, PARTICULARLY THOSE IN THE LOCAL CONTROL OF VIRAL INFECTION. HOWEVER, THE PROTECTIVE FUNCTION AND PATHOGENIC ROLE OF CD4(+) T(RM) CELLS THAT RESIDE WITHIN THE MUCOSAL TISSUE REMAIN LARGELY UNKNOWN. IN THIS REVIEW, WE DISCUSS THE AMBIVALENT FEATURE OF CD4(+) T(RM) CELLS IN THE PROTECTIVE AND PATHOLOGICAL IMMUNE RESPONSES. WE ALSO REVIEW THE TRANSCRIPTIONAL AND EPIGENETIC CHARACTERISTICS OF CD4(+) T(RM) CELLS IN THE LUNG THAT HAVE BEEN ELUCIDATED BY RECENT TECHNICAL APPROACHES. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE FUNCTION OF CD4(+) T(RM) CELLS IS CRUCIAL FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF BOTH EFFECTIVE VACCINATION AGAINST PATHOGENS AND NEW THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES FOR INTRACTABLE INFLAMMATORY DISEASES, SUCH AS INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES AND CHRONIC ALLERGIC DISEASES. 2021 3 1378 32 DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMS ARE KEPT ALIVE DURING ADULTHOOD BY STEM CELLS: THE AGING ASPECT. STEM CELLS ARE FUNDAMENTAL FOR LIFE-LONG PRESERVATION OF CELLULAR SOMATIC MAINTENANCE. TISSUE-BORNE STEM CELLS REPLENISH WORN-OUT CRITICAL ELEMENTS. PROVIDED THEY REMAIN FIT OVER LIFETIME, ENDURING STEM CELL ACTIVITIES AVERT THE EMERGENCE OF AGE-ASSOCIATED CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE DISEASES AND PATHOLOGIES. ALTHOUGH EXPERIMENTALLY STILL UNCLEAR, IT IS ASSUMED THAT STEM CELLS RESIDE IN PROTECTED NICHES. FRESHLY ISOLATED MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS EXHIBIT DONOR-SPECIFIC ABERRATIONS, WHICH CANNOT SOLELY BE ASCRIBED TO DIFFERENCES IN GENETIC BACKGROUND. BESIDES INEVITABLY ACCUMULATING INTRINSIC MODIFICATIONS, THE SYSTEMIC ENVIRONMENT ALSO IMPACTS ON BASIC PROPERTIES OF MESENCHYMAL STEM CELLS SUCH AS THEIR INHERENT MULTI-LINEAGE DIFFERENTIATION POTENTIAL. CHRONIC SYSTEMIC ABERRATIONS OVER TIME COMPRISE UNWHOLESOME INFLUENCES, IN PARTICULAR IN TERMS OF REGENERATION AND REPAIR WHEN STEM CELLS RECAPITULATE DISTINCT DEVELOPMENTAL PROGRAMS. DURING OR THEREAFTER, STEM CELLS CAN DIVERSIFY EITHER BECAUSE OF INSUFFICIENTLY SILENCING ACTIVATED BUILDING CYCLES, OR BY ACQUIRING EPIGENETIC DEVIATIONS. 2013 4 1290 30 DECODING THE GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC BASIS OF ASTHMA. ASTHMA IS A COMPLEX AND HETEROGENEOUS CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASE OF THE AIRWAYS. ALONGSIDE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS, ASTHMA SUSCEPTIBILITY IS STRONGLY INFLUENCED BY GENETICS. GIVEN ITS HIGH PREVALENCE AND OUR INCOMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY, ASTHMA IS FREQUENTLY STUDIED IN GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES (GWAS), WHICH HAVE IDENTIFIED THOUSANDS OF GENETIC VARIANTS ASSOCIATED WITH ASTHMA DEVELOPMENT. VIRTUALLY ALL THESE GENETIC VARIANTS RESIDE IN NON-CODING GENOMIC REGIONS, WHICH HAS OBSCURED THE FUNCTIONAL IMPACT OF ASTHMA-ASSOCIATED VARIANTS AND THEIR TRANSLATION INTO DISEASE-RELEVANT MECHANISMS. RECENT ADVANCES IN GENOMICS TECHNOLOGY AND EPIGENETICS NOW OFFER METHODS TO LINK GENETIC VARIANTS TO GENE REGULATORY ELEMENTS EMBEDDED WITHIN NON-CODING REGIONS, WHICH HAVE STARTED TO UNRAVEL THE MOLECULAR MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE COMPLEX (EPI)GENETICS OF ASTHMA. HERE, WE PROVIDE AN INTEGRATED OVERVIEW OF (EPI)GENETIC VARIANTS ASSOCIATED WITH ASTHMA, FOCUSING ON EFFORTS TO LINK THESE DISEASE ASSOCIATIONS TO BIOLOGICAL INSIGHT INTO ASTHMA PATHOPHYSIOLOGY USING STATE-OF-THE-ART GENOMICS METHODOLOGY. FINALLY, WE PROVIDE A PERSPECTIVE AS TO HOW DECODING THE GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC BASIS OF ASTHMA HAS THE POTENTIAL TO TRANSFORM CLINICAL MANAGEMENT OF ASTHMA AND TO PREDICT THE RISK OF ASTHMA DEVELOPMENT. 2023 5 5371 31 RECENT ADVANCES IN UNDERSTANDING THE GENETIC BASIS OF SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS. SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) IS A POLYGENIC CHRONIC AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE LEADING TO MULTIPLE ORGAN DAMAGE. A LARGE HERITABILITY OF UP TO 66% IS ESTIMATED IN SLE, WITH ROUGHLY 180 REPORTED SUSCEPTIBILITY LOCI THAT HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED MOSTLY BY GENOME-WIDE ASSOCIATION STUDIES (GWASS) AND ACCOUNT FOR APPROXIMATELY 30% OF GENETIC HERITABILITY. A VAST MAJORITY OF RISK VARIANTS RESIDE IN NON-CODING REGIONS, WHICH MAKES IT QUITE CHALLENGING TO INTERPRET THEIR FUNCTIONAL IMPLICATIONS IN THE SLE-AFFECTED IMMUNE SYSTEM, SUGGESTING THE IMPORTANCE OF UNDERSTANDING CELL TYPE-SPECIFIC EPIGENETIC REGULATION AROUND SLE GWAS VARIANTS. THE LATEST GENETIC STUDIES HAVE BEEN HIGHLY FRUITFUL AS SEVERAL DOZENS OF SLE LOCI WERE NEWLY DISCOVERED IN THE LAST FEW YEARS AND MANY LOCI HAVE COME TO BE UNDERSTOOD IN SYSTEMIC APPROACHES INTEGRATING GWAS SIGNALS WITH OTHER BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES. IN THIS REVIEW, WE SUMMARIZE SLE-ASSOCIATED GENETIC VARIANTS IN BOTH THE MAJOR HISTOCOMPATIBILITY COMPLEX (MHC) AND NON-MHC LOCI, EXAMINING POLYGENETIC RISK SCORES FOR SLE AND THEIR ASSOCIATIONS WITH CLINICAL FEATURES. FINALLY, VARIANT-DRIVEN PATHOGENETIC FUNCTIONS UNDERLYING GENETIC ASSOCIATIONS ARE DESCRIBED, COUPLED WITH DISCUSSION ABOUT CHALLENGES AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS IN GENETIC STUDIES ON SLE. 2022 6 6609 30 TYROSINE KINASE INHIBITORS IN PH+ CHRONIC MYELOID LEUKEMIA THERAPY: A REVIEW. CHRONIC MYELOID LEUKAEMIA (CML) IS A CLONAL MYELOPROLIFERATIVE HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL DISORDER. DEREGULATED BCRABL FUSION TYROSINE KINASE ACTIVITY IS THE MAIN CAUSE OF CML DISEASE PATHOGENESIS, MAKING BCRABL AN IDEAL TARGET FOR INHIBITION. CURRENT TYROSINE KINASE INHIBITORS (TKIS) DESIGNED TO INHIBIT BCRABL ONCOPROTEIN ACTIVITY, HAVE COMPLETELY TRANSFORMED THE PROGNOSIS OF CML. INTERRUPTION OF TKI TREATMENT LEADS TO MINIMAL RESIDUAL DISEASE RESIDE (MRD), THOUGHT TO RESIDE IN TKIINSENSITIVE LEUKAEMIA STEM CELLS WHICH REMAIN A POTENTIAL RESERVOIR FOR DISEASE RELAPSE. THIS HIGHLIGHTS THE NEED TO DEVELOP NEW THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES FOR CML EITHER AS SMALL MOLECULE MASTER TKIS OR PHYTOPHARMACEUTICALS DERIVED FROM NATURE TO ACHIEVE CHRONIC MOLECULAR REMISSION. THIS REVIEW OUTLINES THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES FOR CML INCLUDING COVERAGE OF RELEVANT MECHANISMS, WHETHER ABL DEPENDENT OR INDEPENDENT, AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR DEVELOPING RESISTANCE AGAINST TKIS. APPEARANCE OF MUTANT CLONES ALONG THE COURSE OF THERAPY EITHER PREEXISTING OR INDUCED DUE TO THERAPY IS STILL A CHALLENGE FOR THE CLINICIAN. A PROPOSED INVITRO MODEL OF GENERATING COLONY FORMING UNITS FROM CML STEM CELLS DERIVED FROM DIAGNOSTIC SAMPLES SEEMS TO BE ACHIEVABLE IN THE ERA OF HIGH THROUGHPUT TECHNOLOGY WHICH CAN TAKE CARE OF SINGLE CELL GENOMIC PROFILING. 2016 7 4178 20 MEMORY T-CELL HETEROGENEITY AND TERMINOLOGY. IMMUNOLOGICAL MEMORY AND EXHAUSTION ARE FUNDAMENTAL FEATURES OF ADAPTIVE IMMUNITY. RECENT ADVANCES REVEAL INCREASING HETEROGENEITY AND DIVERSITY AMONG CD8 T-CELL SUBSETS, RESULTING IN NEW SUBSETS TO ANNOTATE AND UNDERSTAND. HERE, WE REVIEW OUR CURRENT KNOWLEDGE OF DIFFERENTIATION AND MAINTENANCE OF MEMORY AND EXHAUSTED CD8 T CELLS, INCLUDING PHENOTYPIC CLASSIFICATION, DEVELOPMENTAL PATHS, TRANSCRIPTIONAL AND EPIGENETIC FEATURES, AND CELL INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSIC FACTORS. ADDITIONALLY, WE USE THIS OUTLINE TO DISCUSS THE NOMENCLATURE OF EFFECTOR, MEMORY, AND EXHAUSTED CD8 T CELLS. FINALLY, WE DISCUSS HOW NEW FINDINGS ABOUT THESE CELL TYPES MAY IMPACT THE THERAPEUTIC EFFICACY AND DEVELOPMENT OF IMMUNOTHERAPIES TARGETING EFFECTOR, MEMORY, AND/OR EXHAUSTED CD8 T CELLS IN CHRONIC INFECTIONS AND CANCER. 2021 8 2879 34 FUNDAMENTALS TO THERAPEUTICS: EPIGENETIC MODULATION OF CD8(+) T CELL EXHAUSTION IN THE TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT. IN THE SETTING OF CHRONIC ANTIGEN EXPOSURE IN THE TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT (TME), CYTOTOXIC CD8(+) T CELLS (CTLS) LOSE THEIR IMMUNE SURVEILLANCE CAPABILITIES AND ABILITY TO CLEAR TUMOR CELLS AS A RESULT OF THEIR DIFFERENTIATION INTO TERMINALLY EXHAUSTED CD8(+) T CELLS. IMMUNE CHECKPOINT BLOCKADE (ICB) THERAPIES REINVIGORATE EXHAUSTED CD8(+) T CELLS BY TARGETING SPECIFIC INHIBITORY RECEPTORS, THUS PROMOTING THEIR CYTOLYTIC ACTIVITY TOWARDS TUMOR CELLS. DESPITE EXCITING RESULTS WITH ICB THERAPIES, MANY PATIENTS WITH SOLID TUMORS STILL FAIL TO RESPOND TO SUCH THERAPIES AND PATIENTS WHO INITIALLY RESPOND CAN DEVELOP RESISTANCE. RECENTLY, THROUGH NEW SEQUENCING TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS THE ASSAY FOR TRANSPOSASE-ACCESSIBLE CHROMATIN WITH SEQUENCING (ATAC-SEQ), EPIGENETICS HAS BEEN APPRECIATED AS A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR THAT ENFORCES T CELL DIFFERENTIATION TOWARD EXHAUSTION IN THE TME. IMPORTANTLY, SPECIFIC EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS AND EPIGENETIC FACTORS HAVE BEEN FOUND TO CONTROL CD8(+) T CELL EXHAUSTION PHENOTYPES. IN THIS REVIEW, WE WILL EXPLAIN THE BACKGROUND OF T CELL DIFFERENTIATION AND VARIOUS EXHAUSTION STATES AND DISCUSS HOW EPIGENETICS PLAY AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THESE PROCESSES. THEN WE WILL OUTLINE SPECIFIC EPIGENETIC CHANGES AND CERTAIN EPIGENETIC AND TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS THAT ARE KNOWN TO CONTRIBUTE TO CD8(+) T CELL EXHAUSTION. WE WILL ALSO DISCUSS THE MOST RECENT METHODOLOGIES THAT ARE USED TO STUDY AND DISCOVER SUCH EPIGENETIC MODULATIONS. FINALLY, WE WILL EXPLAIN HOW EPIGENETIC REPROGRAMMING IS A PROMISING APPROACH THAT MIGHT FACILITATE THE DEVELOPMENT OF NOVEL EXHAUSTED T CELL-TARGETING IMMUNOTHERAPIES. 2022 9 2566 28 EPIGENETICS MECHANISMS IN RENAL DEVELOPMENT. APPRECIATION FOR THE ROLE OF EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS IN THE DIAGNOSIS AND TREATMENT OF DISEASES IS FAST GAINING ATTENTION. TREATMENT OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE STEMMING FROM DIABETES OR HYPERTENSION AS WELL AS WILMS TUMOR WILL ALL PROFIT FROM KNOWLEDGE OF THE CHANGES IN THE EPIGENOMIC LANDSCAPES. TO DO SO, IT IS ESSENTIAL TO CHARACTERIZE THE EPIGENOMIC MODIFIERS AND THEIR MODIFICATIONS UNDER NORMAL PHYSIOLOGICAL CONDITIONS. THE TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR PAX2 WAS IDENTIFIED AS A MAJOR EPIGENETIC PLAYER IN THE EARLY SPECIFICATION OF THE KIDNEY. NOTABLY, THE PROGENITORS OF ALL NEPHRONS THAT RESIDE IN THE CAP MESENCHYME DISPLAY A UNIQUE BIVALENT HISTONE SIGNATURE (EXPRESSING REPRESSIVE EPIGENETIC MARKS ALONGSIDE ACTIVATION MARKS) ON LINEAGE-SPECIFIC GENES. THESE CELLS ARE DEEMED POISED FOR DIFFERENTIATION AND COMMITMENT TO THE NEPHROGENIC LINEAGE. IN RESPONSE TO THE APPROPRIATE INDUCING SIGNAL, THESE GENES LOSE THEIR REPRESSIVE HISTONE MARKS, WHICH ALLOW FOR THEIR EXPRESSION IN NASCENT NEPHRON PRECURSORS. SUCH KNOWLEDGE OF THE EPIGENETIC LANDSCAPE AND THE RESULTANT CELL FATE OR BEHAVIOR IN THE DEVELOPING KIDNEY WILL GREATLY IMPROVE THE OVERALL SUCCESS IN DESIGNING REGENERATIVE STRATEGIES AND TISSUE REPROGRAMMING METHODOLOGIES FROM PLURIPOTENT CELLS. 2016 10 5620 36 SCHRODINGER'S T CELLS: MOLECULAR INSIGHTS INTO STEMNESS AND EXHAUSTION. T CELL STEMNESS AND EXHAUSTION COEXIST AS TWO KEY CONTRASTING PHENOMENA DURING CHRONIC ANTIGEN STIMULATION, SUCH AS INFECTION, TRANSPLANT, CANCER, AND AUTOIMMUNITY. T CELL EXHAUSTION REFERS TO THE PROGRESSIVE LOSS OF EFFECTOR FUNCTION CAUSED BY CHRONIC ANTIGEN EXPOSURE. EXHAUSTED T (T(EX)) CELLS HIGHLY EXPRESS MULTIPLE INHIBITORY RECEPTORS AND EXHIBIT SEVERE DEFECTS IN CELL PROLIFERATION AND CYTOKINE PRODUCTION. THE TERM T CELL STEMNESS DESCRIBES THE STEM CELL-LIKE BEHAVIORS OF T CELLS, INCLUDING SELF-RENEWAL, MULTIPOTENCY, AND FUNCTIONAL PERSISTENCE. IT IS WELL ACCEPTED THAT NAIVE AND SOME MEMORY T CELL SUBSETS HAVE STEM CELL-LIKE PROPERTIES. WHEN INVESTIGATING THE EXHAUSTIVE DIFFERENTIATION OF T CELLS IN CHRONIC INFECTION AND CANCER, RECENT STUDIES HIGHLIGHTED THE STEMNESS OF "PRECURSORS OF EXHAUSTED" T (T(PEX)) CELLS PRIOR TO THEIR TERMINAL DIFFERENTIATION TO T(EX) CELLS. CLINICALLY SUCCESSFUL CHECKPOINT BLOCKADES FOR CANCER TREATMENT APPEAR TO INVIGORATE ANTITUMOR T(PEX) CELLS BUT NOT T(EX) CELLS. HERE WE DISCUSS THE TRANSCRIPTIONAL AND EPIGENETIC REGULATIONS OF T CELL STEMNESS AND EXHAUSTION, WITH A FOCUS ON HOW SYSTEMS IMMUNOLOGY WAS AND WILL BE UTILIZED TO DEFINE THE MOLECULAR BASIS UNDERLYING THE TRANSITION OF T(PEX) TO T(EX) CELLS. WE SUGGEST A "STEPWISE MODEL" OF T CELL STEMNESS AND EXHAUSTION, IN WHICH LOSS OF STEMNESS AND EXHAUSTION PROGRESSION ARE GRADUAL MULTI-STEP PROCESSES. WE PROVIDE PERSPECTIVES ON THE RESEARCH NEEDED TO DEFINE T CELL STEMNESS AND EXHAUSTION IN THE TRANSPLANTATION SETTING, IN WHICH ALLOGENIC T CELLS ARE ALSO CHRONICALLY EXPOSED TO ALLOANTIGENS. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF T CELL STEMNESS AND EXHAUSTION WILL SHED LIGHT ON DEVELOPING NOVEL STRATEGIES FOR IMMUNOTHERAPIES. 2021 11 570 36 BCR-ABL INDEPENDENT MECHANISMS OF RESISTANCE IN CHRONIC MYELOID LEUKEMIA. NOT ALL CHRONIC MYELOID LEUKEMIA (CML) PATIENTS ARE CURED WITH TYROSINE KINASE INHIBITORS (TKIS), AND A PROPORTION OF THEM DEVELOP RESISTANCE. RECENTLY, CONTINUOUS BCR-ABL GENE EXPRESSION HAS BEEN FOUND IN RESISTANT CELLS WITH UNDETECTABLE BCR-ABL PROTEIN EXPRESSION, INDICATING THAT RESISTANCE MAY OCCUR THROUGH KINASE INDEPENDENT MECHANISMS, MAINLY DUE TO THE PERSISTENCE OF LEUKEMIA STEM CELLS (LSCS). LSCS RESIDE IN THE BONE MARROW NICHE IN A QUIESCENT STATE, AND ARE CHARACTERIZED BY A HIGH HETEROGENEITY IN GENETIC, EPIGENETIC, AND TRANSCRIPTIONAL MECHANISMS. NEW APPROACHES BASED ON SINGLE CELL GENOMICS HAVE OFFERED THE OPPORTUNITY TO IDENTIFY DISTINCT SUBPOPULATIONS OF LSCS AT DIAGNOSIS AND DURING TREATMENT. IN THE ONE HAND, TKIS ARE NOT ABLE TO EFFICIENTLY KILL CML-LSCS, BUT THEY MAY BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MODIFICATION OF SOME LSCS CHARACTERISTICS, THUS CONTRIBUTING TO HETEROGENEITY WITHIN THE TUMOR. IN THE OTHER HAND, THE BONE MARROW NICHE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN SURROUNDING STROMAL CELLS AND LSCS, RESULTING IN THE GENERATION OF SPECIFIC SIGNALS WHICH COULD FAVOR LSCS CELL CYCLE ARREST AND ALLOW THEM TO PERSIST DURING TREATMENT WITH TKIS. ADDITIONALLY, LSCS MAY THEMSELVES ALTER THE NICHE BY EXPRESSING VARIOUS COSTIMULATORY MOLECULES AND SECRETING SUPPRESSIVE CYTOKINES, ABLE TO TARGET METABOLIC PATHWAYS, CREATE AN ANTI-APOPTOTIC ENVIRONMENT, AND ALTER IMMUNE SYSTEM FUNCTIONS. ACCORDINGLY, THE PRODUCTION OF AN IMMUNOSUPPRESSANT MILIEU MAY FACILITATE TUMOR ESCAPE FROM IMMUNE SURVEILLANCE AND INDUCE CHEMO-RESISTANCE. IN THIS REVIEW WE WILL FOCUS ON BCR-ABL-INDEPENDENT MECHANISMS, ANALYZING ESPECIALLY THOSE WITH A POTENTIAL CLINICAL IMPACT IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CML PATIENTS. 2019 12 769 32 CD8 T CELL EXHAUSTION DURING CHRONIC VIRAL INFECTION AND CANCER. EXHAUSTED CD8 T (TEX) CELLS ARE A DISTINCT CELL LINEAGE THAT ARISE DURING CHRONIC INFECTIONS AND CANCERS IN ANIMAL MODELS AND HUMANS. TEX CELLS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY PROGRESSIVE LOSS OF EFFECTOR FUNCTIONS, HIGH AND SUSTAINED INHIBITORY RECEPTOR EXPRESSION, METABOLIC DYSREGULATION, POOR MEMORY RECALL AND HOMEOSTATIC SELF-RENEWAL, AND DISTINCT TRANSCRIPTIONAL AND EPIGENETIC PROGRAMS. THE ABILITY TO REINVIGORATE TEX CELLS THROUGH INHIBITORY RECEPTOR BLOCKADE, SUCH AS ALPHAPD-1, HIGHLIGHTS THE THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF TARGETING THIS POPULATION. EMERGING INSIGHTS INTO THE MECHANISMS OF EXHAUSTION ARE INFORMING IMMUNOTHERAPIES FOR CANCER AND CHRONIC INFECTIONS. HOWEVER, LIKE OTHER IMMUNE CELLS, TEX CELLS ARE HETEROGENEOUS AND INCLUDE PROGENITOR AND TERMINAL SUBSETS WITH UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS AND RESPONSES TO CHECKPOINT BLOCKADE. HERE, WE REVIEW OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF TEX CELL BIOLOGY, INCLUDING THE DEVELOPMENTAL PATHS, TRANSCRIPTIONAL AND EPIGENETIC FEATURES, AND CELL INTRINSIC AND EXTRINSIC FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO EXHAUSTION AND HOW THIS KNOWLEDGE MAY INFORM THERAPEUTIC TARGETING OF TEX CELLS IN CHRONIC INFECTIONS, AUTOIMMUNITY, AND CANCER. 2019 13 944 24 CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA: FROM MOLECULAR PATHOGENESIS TO NOVEL THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES. CHRONIC LYMPHOCYTIC LEUKEMIA IS A WELL-DEFINED LYMPHOID NEOPLASM WITH VERY HETEROGENEOUS BIOLOGICAL AND CLINICAL BEHAVIOR. THE LAST DECADE HAS BEEN REMARKABLY FRUITFUL IN NOVEL FINDINGS ELUCIDATING MULTIPLE ASPECTS OF THE PATHOGENESIS OF THE DISEASE INCLUDING MECHANISMS OF GENETIC SUSCEPTIBILITY, INSIGHTS INTO THE RELEVANCE OF IMMUNOGENETIC FACTORS DRIVING THE DISEASE, PROFILING OF GENOMIC ALTERATIONS, EPIGENETIC SUBTYPES, GLOBAL EPIGENOMIC TUMOR CELL REPROGRAMMING, MODULATION OF TUMOR CELL AND MICROENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONS, AND DYNAMICS OF CLONAL EVOLUTION FROM EARLY STEPS IN MONOCLONAL B CELL LYMPHOCYTOSIS TO PROGRESSION AND TRANSFORMATION INTO DIFFUSE LARGE B-CELL LYMPHOMA. ALL THIS KNOWLEDGE HAS OFFERED NEW PERSPECTIVES THAT ARE BEING EXPLOITED THERAPEUTICALLY WITH NOVEL TARGET AGENTS AND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES. IN THIS REVIEW WE PROVIDE AN OVERVIEW OF THESE NOVEL ADVANCES AND HIGHLIGHT QUESTIONS AND PERSPECTIVES THAT NEED FURTHER PROGRESS TO TRANSLATE INTO THE CLINICS THE BIOLOGICAL KNOWLEDGE AND IMPROVE THE OUTCOME OF THE PATIENTS. 2020 14 5806 28 STRATEGIES TO REINVIGORATE EXHAUSTED CD8(+) T CELLS IN TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT. CD8(+) T CELL EXHAUSTION IS A STABLE DYSFUNCTIONAL STATE DRIVEN BY CHRONIC ANTIGEN STIMULATION IN THE TUMOR MICROENVIRONMENT (TME). DIFFERENTIATION OF EXHAUSTED CD8(+) T CELLS (CD8(+) TEXS) IS ACCOMPANIED BY EXTENSIVE TRANSCRIPTIONAL, EPIGENETIC AND METABOLIC REPROGRAMMING. CD8(+) TEXS ARE MAINLY CHARACTERIZED BY IMPAIRED PROLIFERATIVE AND CYTOTOXIC CAPACITY AS WELL AS THE INCREASED EXPRESSION OF MULTIPLE CO-INHIBITORY RECEPTORS. PRECLINICAL TUMOR STUDIES AND CLINICAL COHORTS HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT T CELL EXHAUSTION IS FIRMLY ASSOCIATED WITH POOR CLINICAL OUTCOMES IN A VARIETY OF CANCERS. MORE IMPORTANTLY, CD8(+) TEXS ARE REGARDED AS THE MAIN RESPONDER TO IMMUNE CHECKPOINT BLOCKADE (ICB). HOWEVER, TO DATE, A LARGE NUMBER OF CANCER PATIENTS HAVE FAILED TO ACHIEVE DURABLE RESPONSES AFTER ICB. THEREFORE, IMPROVING CD8(+) TEXS MAY BE A BREAKTHROUGH POINT TO REVERSE THE CURRENT DILEMMA OF CANCER IMMUNOTHERAPY AND ELIMINATE CANCERS. STRATEGIES TO REINVIGORATE CD8(+) TEXS IN TME MAINLY INCLUDE ICB, TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR-BASED THERAPY, EPIGENETIC THERAPY, METABOLISM-BASED THERAPY AND CYTOKINE THERAPY, WHICH TARGET ON DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF EXHAUSTION PROGRESSION. EACH OF THEM HAS ITS ADVANTAGES AND APPLICATION SCOPE. IN THIS REVIEW, WE MAINLY FOCUS ON THE MAJOR ADVANCES OF CURRENT STRATEGIES TO REINVIGORATE CD8(+) TEXS IN TME. WE SUMMARIZE THEIR EFFICACY AND MECHANISMS, IDENTIFY THE PROMISING MONOTHERAPY AND COMBINED THERAPY AND PROPOSE SUGGESTIONS TO ENHANCE THE TREATMENT EFFICACY TO SIGNIFICANTLY BOOST ANTI-TUMOR IMMUNITY AND ACHIEVE BETTER CLINICAL OUTCOMES. 2023 15 1867 22 EMERGING GENE-EDITING MODALITIES FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS. OSTEOARTHRITIS (OA) IS A PATHOLOGICAL DEGENERATIVE CONDITION OF THE JOINTS THAT IS WIDELY PREVALENT WORLDWIDE, RESULTING IN SIGNIFICANT PAIN, DISABILITY, AND IMPAIRED QUALITY OF LIFE. THE DIVERSE ETIOLOGY AND PATHOGENESIS OF OA CAN EXPLAIN THE PAUCITY OF VIABLE PREVENTIVE AND DISEASE-MODIFYING STRATEGIES TO COUNTER IT. ADVANCES IN GENOME-EDITING TECHNIQUES MAY IMPROVE DISEASE-MODIFYING SOLUTIONS BY ADDRESSING INHERITED PREDISPOSING RISK FACTORS AND THE ACTIVITY OF INFLAMMATORY MODULATORS. RECENT PROGRESS ON TECHNOLOGIES SUCH AS CRISPR/CAS9 AND CELL-BASED GENOME-EDITING THERAPIES TARGETING THE GENETIC AND EPIGENETIC ALTERNATIONS IN OA OFFER PROMISING AVENUES FOR EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALIZED THERAPIES. THE PURPOSE OF THIS LITERATURE REVIEW WAS TO CONCISELY SUMMARIZE THE GENOME-EDITING OPTIONS AGAINST CHRONIC DEGENERATIVE JOINT CONDITIONS SUCH AS OA WITH A FOCUS ON THE MORE RECENTLY EMERGING MODALITIES, ESPECIALLY CRISPR/CAS9. FUTURE ADVANCEMENTS IN NOVEL GENOME-EDITING THERAPIES MAY IMPROVE THE EFFICACY OF SUCH TARGETED TREATMENTS. 2020 16 3895 35 LANDSCAPES AND MECHANISMS OF CD8(+) T CELL EXHAUSTION IN GASTROINTESTINAL CANCER. CD8(+) T CELLS, A CYTOTOXIC T LYMPHOCYTE, ARE A KEY COMPONENT OF THE TUMOR IMMUNE SYSTEM, BUT THEY ENTER A HYPOREACTIVE T CELL STATE IN LONG-TERM CHRONIC INFLAMMATION, AND HOW TO RESCUE THIS DEPLETED STATE IS A KEY DIRECTION OF RESEARCH. CURRENT STUDIES ON CD8(+) T CELL EXHAUSTION HAVE FOUND THAT THE MECHANISMS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR HETEROGENEITY AND DIFFERENTIAL KINETICS MAY BE CLOSELY RELATED TO TRANSCRIPTION FACTORS AND EPIGENETIC REGULATION, WHICH MAY SERVE AS BIOMARKERS AND POTENTIAL IMMUNOTHERAPEUTIC TARGETS TO GUIDE TREATMENT. ALTHOUGH THE IMPORTANCE OF T CELL EXHAUSTION IN TUMOR IMMUNOTHERAPY CANNOT BE OVERSTATED, STUDIES HAVE POINTED OUT THAT GASTRIC CANCER TISSUES HAVE A BETTER ANTI-TUMOR T CELL COMPOSITION COMPARED TO OTHER CANCER TISSUES, WHICH MAY INDICATE THAT GASTROINTESTINAL CANCERS HAVE MORE PROMISING PROSPECTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRECISION-TARGETED IMMUNOTHERAPY. THEREFORE, THE PRESENT STUDY WILL FOCUS ON THE MECHANISMS INVOLVED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF CD8(+) T CELL EXHAUSTION, AND THEN REVIEW THE LANDSCAPES AND MECHANISMS OF T CELL EXHAUSTION IN GASTROINTESTINAL CANCER AS WELL AS CLINICAL APPLICATIONS, WHICH WILL PROVIDE A CLEAR VISION FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF FUTURE IMMUNOTHERAPIES. 2023 17 3288 24 HIERARCHICAL TRANSCRIPTIONAL NETWORK GOVERNING HETEROGENEOUS T CELL EXHAUSTION AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR IMMUNE CHECKPOINT BLOCKADE. THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF IMMUNE CHECKPOINT BLOCKADE (ICB) IS TO PROTECT TUMOR-INFILTRATING T CELLS FROM BEING EXHAUSTED. DESPITE THE REMARKABLE SUCCESS ACHIEVED BY ICB TREATMENT, ONLY A SMALL GROUP OF PATIENTS BENEFIT FROM IT. CHARACTERIZED BY A HYPOFUNCTIONAL STATE WITH THE EXPRESSION OF MULTIPLE INHIBITORY RECEPTORS, EXHAUSTED T (TEX) CELLS ARE A MAJOR OBSTACLE IN IMPROVING ICB. T CELL EXHAUSTION IS A PROGRESSIVE PROCESS WHICH ADAPTS TO PERSISTENT ANTIGEN STIMULATION IN CHRONIC INFECTIONS AND CANCERS. IN THIS REVIEW, WE ELUCIDATE THE HETEROGENEITY OF TEX CELLS AND OFFER NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE HIERARCHICAL TRANSCRIPTIONAL REGULATION OF T CELL EXHAUSTION. FACTORS AND SIGNALING PATHWAYS THAT INDUCE AND PROMOTE EXHAUSTION ARE ALSO SUMMARIZED. MOREOVER, WE REVIEW THE EPIGENETIC AND METABOLIC ALTERATIONS OF TEX CELLS AND DISCUSS HOW PD-1 SIGNALING AFFECTS THE BALANCE BETWEEN T CELL ACTIVATION AND EXHAUSTION, AIMING TO PROVIDE MORE THERAPEUTIC TARGETS FOR APPLICATIONS OF COMBINATIONAL IMMUNOTHERAPIES. 2023 18 5896 31 T CELLS IN HEALTH AND DISEASE. T CELLS ARE CRUCIAL FOR IMMUNE FUNCTIONS TO MAINTAIN HEALTH AND PREVENT DISEASE. T CELL DEVELOPMENT OCCURS IN A STEPWISE PROCESS IN THE THYMUS AND MAINLY GENERATES CD4(+) AND CD8(+) T CELL SUBSETS. UPON ANTIGEN STIMULATION, NAIVE T CELLS DIFFERENTIATE INTO CD4(+) HELPER AND CD8(+) CYTOTOXIC EFFECTOR AND MEMORY CELLS, MEDIATING DIRECT KILLING, DIVERSE IMMUNE REGULATORY FUNCTION, AND LONG-TERM PROTECTION. IN RESPONSE TO ACUTE AND CHRONIC INFECTIONS AND TUMORS, T CELLS ADOPT DISTINCT DIFFERENTIATION TRAJECTORIES AND DEVELOP INTO A RANGE OF HETEROGENEOUS POPULATIONS WITH VARIOUS PHENOTYPE, DIFFERENTIATION POTENTIAL, AND FUNCTIONALITY UNDER PRECISE AND ELABORATE REGULATIONS OF TRANSCRIPTIONAL AND EPIGENETIC PROGRAMS. ABNORMAL T-CELL IMMUNITY CAN INITIATE AND PROMOTE THE PATHOGENESIS OF AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES. IN THIS REVIEW, WE SUMMARIZE THE CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF T CELL DEVELOPMENT, CD4(+) AND CD8(+) T CELL CLASSIFICATION, AND DIFFERENTIATION IN PHYSIOLOGICAL SETTINGS. WE FURTHER ELABORATE THE HETEROGENEITY, DIFFERENTIATION, FUNCTIONALITY, AND REGULATION NETWORK OF CD4(+) AND CD8(+) T CELLS IN INFECTIOUS DISEASE, CHRONIC INFECTION AND TUMOR, AND AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE, HIGHLIGHTING THE EXHAUSTED CD8(+) T CELL DIFFERENTIATION TRAJECTORY, CD4(+) T CELL HELPER FUNCTION, T CELL CONTRIBUTIONS TO IMMUNOTHERAPY AND AUTOIMMUNE PATHOGENESIS. WE ALSO DISCUSS THE DEVELOPMENT AND FUNCTION OF GAMMADELTA T CELLS IN TISSUE SURVEILLANCE, INFECTION, AND TUMOR IMMUNITY. FINALLY, WE SUMMARIZED CURRENT T-CELL-BASED IMMUNOTHERAPIES IN BOTH CANCER AND AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES, WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THEIR CLINICAL APPLICATIONS. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF T CELL IMMUNITY PROVIDES INSIGHT INTO DEVELOPING NOVEL PROPHYLACTIC AND THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES IN HUMAN DISEASES. 2023 19 4958 25 PATHOGENESIS OF HUMAN SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS: A CELLULAR PERSPECTIVE. SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS (SLE) IS A CHRONIC AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE AFFECTING MULTIPLE ORGANS. A COMPLEX INTERACTION OF GENETICS, ENVIRONMENT, AND HORMONES LEADS TO IMMUNE DYSREGULATION AND BREAKDOWN OF TOLERANCE TO SELF-ANTIGENS, RESULTING IN AUTOANTIBODY PRODUCTION, INFLAMMATION, AND DESTRUCTION OF END-ORGANS. EMERGING EVIDENCE ON THE ROLE OF THESE FACTORS HAS INCREASED OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THIS COMPLEX DISEASE, GUIDING THERAPEUTIC STRATEGIES AND IDENTIFYING PUTATIVE BIOMARKERS. RECENT FINDINGS INCLUDE THE CHARACTERIZATION OF GENETIC/EPIGENETIC FACTORS LINKED TO SLE, AS WELL AS CELLULAR EFFECTORS. NOVEL OBSERVATIONS HAVE PROVIDED AN IMPROVED UNDERSTANDING OF THE CONTRIBUTION OF TISSUE-SPECIFIC FACTORS AND ASSOCIATED DAMAGE, T AND B LYMPHOCYTES, AS WELL AS INNATE IMMUNE CELL SUBSETS AND THEIR CORRESPONDING ABNORMALITIES. THE INTRICATE WEB OF INVOLVED FACTORS AND PATHWAYS DICTATES THE ADOPTION OF TAILORED THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES TO CONQUER THIS DISEASE. 2017 20 6319 32 THE ROAD LESS TAKEN: LESS APPRECIATED PATHWAYS FOR MANIPULATING CD8(+) T CELL EXHAUSTION. EXHAUSTED CD8(+) T (TEX) CELLS ARE A DISTINCT CELL POPULATION THAT ARISE DURING PERSISTENT ANTIGEN EXPOSURE IN THE CONTEXT OF CHRONIC INFECTIONS AND CANCERS. ALTHOUGH CHARACTERIZED BY PROGRESSIVE LOSS OF EFFECTOR FUNCTIONS, HIGH AND SUSTAINED INHIBITORY RECEPTOR EXPRESSION AND DISTINCT TRANSCRIPTIONAL AND EPIGENETIC PROGRAMS, TEX CELLS ARE HETEROGENEOUS. AMONG THESE, A SELF-RENEWING TCF-1(+) TEX POPULATION, HAVING UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS AND THE ABILITY TO RESPOND TO IMMUNE-CHECKPOINT BLOCKADE, GIVES RISE TO TCF-1(-) TERMINALLY TEX CELLS. THESE TCF-1(+) CELLS HAVE STEM CELL-LIKE PROPERTIES SIMILAR TO MEMORY T CELL POPULATIONS, BUT THE SIGNALS THAT REGULATE THE DEVELOPMENTAL PATHWAYS AND RELATIONSHIPS AMONG EXHAUSTED CELL POPULATIONS ARE STILL UNCLEAR. HERE, WE REVIEW OUR CURRENT UNDERSTANDING OF TEX CELL BIOLOGY, AND DISCUSS SOME LESS APPRECIATED MOLECULES AND PATHWAYS AFFECTING T CELL EXHAUSTION. WE HIGHLIGHT TWO CO-STIMULATORY RECEPTORS, CD226 AND CD137, AND THEIR ROLE IN INDUCING OR RESTRAINING T CELL EXHAUSTION, AS WELL AS SIGNALING PATHWAYS THAT MAY BE AMENABLE TO PHARMACOLOGICAL INHIBITION WITH A FOCUS ON PHOSPHOINOSITIDE-3 KINASE AND IL-2 PARTIAL AGONISTS. FINALLY, WE DISCUSS NOVEL METHODS THAT MAY INCREASE TCF-1(+) POPULATIONS AND THEREFORE IMPROVE IMMUNOTHERAPY RESPONSIVENESS. UNDERSTANDING FEATURES OF AND PATHWAYS TO EXHAUSTION HAS IMPORTANT IMPLICATIONS FOR THE SUCCESS OF IMMUNOTHERAPY, INCLUDING CHECKPOINT BLOCKADE AND ADOPTIVE T-CELL TRANSFER THERAPIES. 2022