Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cells cycle between lymph node (LN) and peripheral blood (PB) and display major shifts in Bcl-2 family members between those compartments. Specifically, Bcl-XL and Mcl-1, which are not targeted by the Bcl-2 inhibitor venetoclax, are increased in the LN. Since ibrutinib forces CLL cells out of the LN, we hypothesized that ibrutinib may thereby affect expression of Bcl-XL and Mcl-1 and sensitize CLL cells to venetoclax. We investigated expression of Bcl-2 family members in patients under ibrutinib or venetoclax treatment combined with dissecting functional interactions of Bcl-2 family members in an in vitro model for venetoclax resistance. In the PB, recent LN emigrants had higher Bcl-XL and Mcl-1 expression than cells immigrating back to the LN. Under ibrutinib treatment, this distinction collapsed, and significantly, the pre-treatment profile reappeared in patients who relapsed on ibrutinib. In response to venetoclax however, Bcl-2 members displayed an early increase, underlining the different modes of action of these two drugs. Profiling by BH3 mimetics was performed in CLL cells fully resistant to venetoclax due to CD40-mediated induction of Bcl-XL, Mcl-1 and Bfl-1. Several dual or triple combinations of BH3 mimetics were highly synergistic in restoring killing of CLL cells. Lastly, we demonstrated that pro-apoptotic Bim interacts with anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 members in a sequential manner: Bcl-2>Bcl-XL>Mcl-1>Bfl-1. Combined, the data indicate that Bcl-XL is more important in venetoclax resistance than Mcl-1 and provide biological rationale for potential synergy between ibrutinib and venetoclax.

DNA damaging agents cause a variety of lesions, of which DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are the most genotoxic. Unbiased approaches aimed at investigating the relationship between the number of DSBs and outcome of the DNA damage response have been challenging due to the random nature in which damage is induced by classical DNA damaging agents. Here, we describe a CRISPR/Cas9-based system that permits us to efficiently introduce DSBs at defined sites in the genome. Using this system, we show that a guide RNA targeting only a single site in the human genome can trigger a checkpoint response that is potent enough to delay cell cycle progression. Abrogation of this checkpoint leads to DNA breaks in mitosis which gives rise to aneuploid progeny.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are a major component of the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and are associated with a poor prognostic factor in several cancers. TAMs promote tumor growth by facilitating immunosuppression, angiogenesis, and inflammation, and can promote tumor recurrence post-therapeutic intervention. Major TAM-targeted therapies include depletion, reprogramming, as well as disrupting the balance of macrophage recruitment and their effector functions. However, intervention-targeting macrophages have been challenging, since TAM populations are highly plastic and adaptation or resistance to these approaches often arise. Defining a roadmap of macrophage dynamics in the TIME related to tissue and tumor type could represent exploitable vulnerabilities related to their altered functions in cancer malignancy. Here, we review multiple macrophage-targeting strategies in brain, liver, and lung cancers, which all emerge in tissues rich in resident macrophages. We discuss the successes and failures of these therapeutic approaches as well as the potential of personalized macrophage-targeting treatments in combination therapies.