Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation recovers insulin deficiency in type 1 diabetes mellitus associated with IPEX syndrome

Immune dysregulation, polyendocrinopathy, enteropathy, and X‐linked (IPEX) syndrome is an autoimmune disorder caused by the dysfunction of FOXP3, which leads to regulatory T‐(Treg) cell dysfunction and subsequently autoimmunity including type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1D). Presently, allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a potential curative therapy for IPEX syndrome, but not for T1D. Generally, after complete loss of pancreatic β‐cells, HSCT cannot improve the prognosis of T1D. Here, we report the case of a 16‐year‐old adolescent with late‐onset of FOXP3 R347H mutation associated IPEX syndrome with T1D, where insulin dependency was ameliorated following HSCT. This patient with insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus required insulin dosage of 1.28 U/kg/day for 1 month before HSCT. Although the results of glucose homeostasis before HSCT revealed impaired insulin secretion and low ΔC‐peptide immunoreactivity (CPR, 1.0 ng/mL), the patient withdrew insulin infusion and remained euglycemic at 15 months after HSCT, and had normal β‐cell function with improved ΔCPR (3.4 ng/mL) at 20 months after HSCT. The present case suggests that HSCT for T1D‐associated IPEX syndrome improves Treg deficiency and prevents elimination of β‐cells. We speculate that the period from the onset of T1D to HSCT could affect the therapeutic efficacy for T1D with IPEX, and early intervention with HSCT before or immediately after the onset of DM can rescue β‐cells and remit T1D completely. Our study elaborates not only the therapeutic strategy for T1D with IPEX, but also the pathogenic mechanism in general T1D.     

Genetic heterogeneity of uncharacterized childhood autoimmune diseases with lymphoproliferation

Autoimmune diseases in children are rare and can be difficult to diagnose.  Single causative genes have been identified for some pediatric autoimmune diseases. Such orphan diseases may not be diagnosed properly due to the variability of patients' phenotypes. Guidelines for the diagnostic process need to be developed. Fifteen patients with uncharacterized childhood autoimmune diseases with lymphoproliferation that had negative testing for autoimmune lymphoproliferative syndrome were subjected to whole‐exome sequencing to identify genes associated with these conditions. Five causative genes, CTLA4, STAT3, TNFAIP3, IKZF1, and PSTPIP1, were identified. These genes should be considered as candidates for uncharacterized childhood autoimmune diseases with lymphoproliferation.     

Droplet Digital PCR-Based Chimerism Analysis for Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases

Objective

In the current study, we aimed to accurately evaluate donor/recipient or male/female chimerism in samples from patients who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

Methods

We designed the droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) for SRY and RPP30 to detect the male/female chimerism. We also developed mutation-specific ddPCR for four primary immunodeficiency diseases.

Results

The accuracy of the male/female chimerism analysis using ddPCR was confirmed by comparing the results with those of conventional methods (fluorescence in situ hybridization and short tandem repeat-PCR) and evaluating dilution assays. In particular, we found that this method was useful for analyzing small samples. Thus, this method could be used with patient samples, especially to sorted leukocyte subpopulations, during the early post-transplant period. Four mutation-specific ddPCR accurately detected post-transplant chimerism.

Conclusion

ddPCR-based male/female chimerism analysis and mutation-specific ddPCR were useful for all HSCT, and these simple methods contribute to following the post-transplant chimerism, especially in disease-specific small leukocyte fractions.

     

Long-Term Efficacy and Safety of Hizentra® in Patients with Primary Immunodeficiency in Japan,Europe, and the United States: a Review of 7 Phase 3 Trials

Many patients with primary immunodeficiency (PID) require immunoglobulin G (IgG) replacement therapy, delivered as intravenous IgG (IVIG) or subcutaneous IgG (SCIG). We aim to identify trends in efficacy and safety that would not be evident in individual studies of small patient numbers. Seven open-label, Phase 3, prospective, multicenter studies of the efficacy and safety of Hizentra® (a SCIG), conducted in Japan, Europe, and the US were summarized. Overall, 125 unique patients received 15,013 weekly infusions during a total observation period of 250.9 patient-years. Mean weekly doses of Hizentra® were 83.22–221.3 mg/kg body weight; infusion rates per patient (total body rate) were 25.2–49.3 mL/h across studies. The rates of infections and serious bacterial infections were 3.10 and 0.03 events per patient/year, respectively. Annualized rates of days hospitalized due to infection, out of work/school, and prophylactic antibiotic use were 0.95, 5.14, and 36.78 per patient, respectively. For the equivalent monthly dose, weekly Hizentra® SCIG administration resulted in expectedly-increased serum IgG trough levels in patients switching from IVIG, and maintained levels in patients switching from previous SCIG. Adverse events (AEs) totaled 5039 (events/infusion 0.094–0.773), almost all of which were mild/moderate. Three thousand one hundred ninety-seven were considered treatment-related, the most common of which were injection site reactions (2919 events; 0.001–0.592 AEs per infusion). Systemic AEs were very uncommon. The results from these seven studies indicate that Hizentra® therapy was both efficacious and well tolerated during long-term treatment. This is particularly important in patients with PID, who may require lifelong IgG replacement therapy.     

Efficacy and Safety of IgPro20, a Subcutaneous Immunoglobulin,in Japanese Patients with Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases

Purpose

Intravenous (IVIG) and subcutaneous (SCIG) immunoglobulin infusions are widely used for the treatment of patients with primary immunodeficiency (PID) worldwide. This prospective, multicenter, open-label, single-arm Phase III study evaluated the efficacy, tolerability, and safety of IgPro20 (Hizentra®; L-proline–stabilized 20 % human SCIG) in adult and pediatric Japanese patients with PID.

Methods

Patients received three IVIG infusions at 3–4-week intervals followed by a dose-equivalent switch to weekly SCIG infusions. A 12-week wash-in/wash-out period was followed by a 12-week SCIG efficacy period. The primary efficacy endpoint was the comparison of total serum IgG trough levels during the IVIG and SCIG efficacy periods by calculating the geometric mean ratio (GMR).

Results

The GMR of IgG trough levels on SCIG versus IVIG was 1.09 (2-sided 90 % confidence interval: 1.06–1.13). No serious bacterial infections were reported. Eleven patients (52.4 %) had infectious episodes with an overall rate of 2.98 infections/patient/year; 7 patients (33.3 %) missed school/work/daycare due to infection (3.48 days/patient/year). Sixteen patients (76.2 %) were treated with antibiotics for an adverse event (AE; 47.6 %) or prophylaxis (23.8 %), resulting in 167.42 days/patient/year of antibiotic use. During SCIG treatment, 24 patients (96.0 %) had 269 AEs (0.461 AEs per/infusion) including local reactions as the most common AE (20 patients, 80.0 %). Local tolerability of IgPro20 was assessed as “very good” or “good” after 85.4 % of SCIG infusions. One patient (4.0 %) experienced a serious AE of moderate severity (bacterial infection) that was considered unrelated to study medication.

Conclusion

IgPro20 was effective and well tolerated in Japanese patients with PID.     

Expression of L-selectin (CD62L) discriminates Th1- and Th2-like cytokine-producing memory CD4+ T cells.

Human memory (CD45RO+) CD4+ T cells can be distinguished into two subpopulations on the basis of expression of the lymph node homing receptor, L-selectin (CD62L). In a prior study we showed that human L-selectin-positive memory T-helper (Th) cells promote the maturation of IgG- and IgA-producing cells by naive B cells. To further elucidate the contribution of memory CD4+ T cells to B-cell differentiation, human memory CD4+ T cells with or without L-selectin expression were evaluated for production of cytokines that participate in regulation of immunoglobulin production. It was found that L-selectin-positive human memory CD4+ T cells produce mainly interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-5, whereas L-selectin-negative CD4+ T cells produce mainly interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma). This profile of cytokine expression coincides with the profile that distinguishes Th1 and Th2 subsets. In contrast to the murine system, IL-10 production was similarly contributed by human L-selectin-positive and -negative memory CD4+ T-cell subpopulations. These results suggest that the human L-selectin-negative and -positive subpopulations of human memory CD4+ T cells contain Th1-like and Th2-like cytokine-producing cells, respectively.     

X-连锁淋巴细胞异常增生症一例及其家系基因和蛋白表达研究

目的 探讨1例中国X-连锁淋巴细胞异常增生症(XLP)患儿及其家系的临床特征、基因突变和外周血单个核细胞(PBMC)SAP蛋白表达.方法 患儿男,6岁,于5岁时发现右腰部肿物,活检提示为伯基特淋巴瘤.其胞兄及表兄均于1岁左右因重症传染性单核细胞增多症夭折.据临床表现、家族史、免疫学特征拟诊为XLP.提取患儿及部分亲属基因组DNA,采用PCR法扩增SH2D1A基因,PCR产物直接进行双向序列测定,采用流式细胞仪检测PBMC中SAP蛋白表达.结果 患儿在缓解期EBV-DNA检测为536.9拷贝/ml(＞500拷贝/ml为EBV阳性),其SH2D1A基因第2外显子462位核苷酸发生无义突变,碱基C突变为T,形成TGA终止密码子(Arg55X),患儿母亲、姨母及外祖母为该突变携带者.患儿PBMC中SAP蛋白表达水平明显下降,而携带者SAP蛋白表达未见异常.结论 通过临床及实验室检查,确诊1例XLP患儿及家系.男性重症EBV感染,甚或无EB病毒感染证据,但具有家族史的淋巴瘤患儿应考虑XLP.SAP蛋白流式细胞仪检测为快速、准确的诊断手段.

Abstract：

Objective X-linked lymphopmliferative disease(XLP),a genetic disorder characterized by immunodeficiency to Epstein-Barr virus(EBV)infection,has been linked to mutations in the SH2D1 A gene.XLP patient displays EBV associated fulminant infectious mononucleosis or hemophagocytie lymphohistocytosis,hypogammaglobulinemia or malignant lymphoma.Here we report the clinical features.gene mutation and SAP expression on PBMCs of a Chinese patient with XLP and potential carriers.Method A 6 years old male patient and his maternal relatives were enrolled in this study.The patient was found to have with a renal Burkitt lymphoma on the right waist at 5 years of age by accident.His elder brother and a maternally related cousin botIl died of multiple systemic organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS)due to fulminant infectious mononucleosis(FIM)at the age of one year.The patient and his maternal relatives were subjected to detection of SAP expression on the PBMCs by flow cytometry and gene mutation analysis of SH2D1A by using PCR based on genomic DNA.Result The patient exhibited 536.9copy/ml level of circulating EBV-DNA during remission.Sequence analysis showed that the patient harbored a nonsense mutation in exon 2(C462T),resulting in a premature stop codon(Arg55X).His mother and some of the matemal relatives were proved to be carriers of this mutation.SAP expression from the patient was significantly reduced as compared to normal individual and the carriers.Conclusion We identified a Chinese XLP ease genetically.Assessment of SAP expression on PBMCs by flow cytometry seemed to be an effective rapid diagnostic method for this disease.Absence of EBV infeetion does not diminish the possibility of XLP.