RNF43 is an E3 ligase that suppresses the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and is frequently mutated in microsatellite-unstable colorectal carcinoma. To investigate the pathogenetic role of RNF43 in the serrated pathway, we conducted mutation analysis of RNF43 in several types of colorectal neoplasms. RNF43 mutation was found in 2 of 20 (10%) sessile serrated adenomas, 10 of 36 (28%) traditional serrated adenomas, 7 of 37 (19%) traditional serrated adenomas with cytologic dysplasia, and 9 of 31 (29%) BRAF-mutated/microsatellite-stable colorectal carcinomas; however, no mutation was found in 30 tubulovillous/villous adenomas. All mutations were located upstream of the ring finger domain of RNF43 without clustering, which is distinct from the pattern described for microsatellite-unstable colorectal carcinoma. RNF43 mutation was closely associated with BRAF mutation but inversely associated with KRAS mutation in traditional serrated adenoma with or without cytologic dysplasia (P=0.018 and 0.045, respectively). The finding of RNF43 mutation in sessile serrated adenoma and traditional serrated adenoma, but not in tubulovillous/villous adenoma, indicated that RNF43 mutation is an early and specific molecular aberration in the serrated pathway. The frequency of RNF43 mutation was significantly higher in traditional serrated adenoma with or without cytologic dysplasia and BRAF-mutated/microsatellite-stable colorectal carcinoma than sessile serrated adenoma. The unique molecular spectrum of these tumors suggests a stepwise neoplastic progression from sessile serrated adenoma to traditional serrated adenoma and BRAF-mutated/microsatellite-stable colorectal carcinoma, which should be recognized as the traditional serrated pathway to distinguish from the sessile serrated pathway.

Apart from the phenotypical difference, our HHV8-positive neoplasms were not distinct from the HHV8-negative group. Literature review of 256 cases, including our cases, revealed that HHV8-positive cases were associated more frequently with HIV and EBV infection, with rare MYC rearrangement, and a poorer prognosis than HHV8-negative cases. We propose to name the HHV8-positive cases as 'classical' or 'type I PEL' and the HHV8-negative cases as 'type II PEL', stressing the similarities and the distinctive features between these two groups.

The mechanisms or host factors involved in septic thrombus or vegetation formation in Staphylococcus aureus-induced infective endocarditis (IE) are unclear. Using an experimental endocarditis rat model, here we demonstrated that S. aureus HG001-induced vegetation was composed of bacterial floes encased in aggregated platelets and surrounded by neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). In vitro data demonstrated that platelets contribute to both biofilm and NET formation. Prophylactic administration of DNase I significantly reduced the size of vegetation induced by methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA) strains, even though MRSA and MSSA isolates express different biofilm phenotypes and NET-induction abilities in the presence of platelets. Moreover, delivery of both DNase I and daptomycin prophylactically and therapeutically produced synergistic effects by reducing vegetation size and bacterial numbers on damaged valve tissues in MRSA-induced IE. Together, these data suggest that NETs contribute to vegetation formation in S. aureus endocarditis and DNase I has the potential to control S. aureus-induced IE in the clinic.

NPLCDD is an indolent disease, in most cases associated with MALT lymphoma or autoimmune disease.

Plant homeodomain finger gene 6 (PHF6) encodes a 365-amino-acid protein containing 2 plant homology domain fingers. Germline mutations of human PHF6 cause Börjeson-Forssman-Lehmann syndrome, a congenital neurodevelopmental disorder. Loss-of-function mutations of PHF6 are detected in patients with acute leukemia, mainly of T-cell lineage and in a small proportion of myeloid lineage. The functions of PHF6 in physiological hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis remain incompletely defined. To address this question, we generated a conditional Phf6 knockout mouse model and investigated the impact of Phf6 loss on the hematopoietic system. We found that Phf6 knockout mice at 8 weeks of age had reduced numbers of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells in the peripheral blood compared with the wild-type littermates. There were decreased granulocyte-monocytic progenitors but increased Lin–c-Kit+Sca-1+ cells in the marrow of young Phf6 knockout mice. Functional studies, including competitive repopulation unit and serial transplantation assays, revealed an enhanced reconstitution and self-renewal capacity in Phf6 knockout hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Aged Phf6 knockout mice had myelodysplasia-like presentations, including decreased platelet counts, megakaryocyte dysplasia, and enlarged spleen related to extramedullary hematopoiesis. Moreover, we found that Phf6 loss lowered the threshold of NOTCH1-induced leukemic transformation at least partially through increased leukemia-initiating cells. Transcriptome analysis on the restrictive rare HSC subpopulations revealed upregulated cell cycling and oncogenic functions, with alteration of key gene expression in those pathways. In summary, our studies show the in vivo crucial roles of Phf6 in physiological and malignant hematopoiesis.