Establishment of CD34 + hematopoietic stem cell-derived xenograft model of hyperleukocytic acute myeloid leukemia

Abstract

Background

Hyperleukocytic acute myeloid leukemia (HLL) is marked by high early mortality and presents significant therapeutic challenges. Research on HLL is still in its infancy, and comprehensive development of patient-derived xenograft (PDX) models, especially CD34 + hematopoietic stem cell-derived models, remains limited.

Methods

We evaluated the establishment of the HLL model through blood examinations, smear analysis, bone marrow biopsy, flow cytometry, and mutation analysis. Correlation between survival times in mice and patients was assessed using linear regression.

Results

In the HLL PDX mouse model, leukocyte counts could reach up to 37.35^10⁹/L, and immunophenotyping revealed the presence of hCD45+, hCD15+, and hCD33 + cells in both peripheral blood (PB) and bone marrow (BM) following inoculation with PB-derived cells for the establishment of the HLL PDX model. Similar results were observed with cells derived from the patient’s BM. In the CD34 + hematopoietic stem cell-derived xenograft model, extensive infiltration of CD34 + cells into the BM, liver, and spleen was observed. Additionally, human WT1 and NRAS mutations were identified in the liver, spleen, and BM of the mice. A comparative analysis of multiple experiments revealed that shorter survival times were observed in mice receiving a higher irradiation dose of 2.5 Gy and a greater number of cells derived from PB. Additionally, shorter survival times were observed in model mice injected with cells carrying NRAS, DNMT3A, FLT3, or NPM1 gene mutations. Correlation analysis indicated that the survival times of the mice were significantly associated with the survival status of the patients.

Conclusions

We successfully established a CD34 + hematopoietic stem cell-derived xenograft model of HLL, providing a valuable tool for mechanistic research, drug screening, individualized therapy, and precision medicine.

Trial registration

Not application.