DNA Cross-Bridging Shapes a Single Nucleus from a Set of Mitotic Chromosomes.

Eukaryotic cells store their chromosomes in a single nucleus. This is important to maintain genomic integrity, as chromosomes packaged into separate nuclei (micronuclei) are prone to massive DNA damage. During mitosis, higher eukaryotes disassemble their nucleus and release individualized chromosomes for segregation. How numerous chromosomes subsequently reform a single nucleus has remained unclear. Using image-based screening of human cells, we identified barrier-to-autointegration factor (BAF) as a key factor guiding membranes to form a single nucleus. Unexpectedly, nuclear assembly does not require BAF's association with inner nuclear membrane proteins but instead relies on BAF's ability to bridge distant DNA sites. Live-cell imaging and in vitro reconstitution showed that BAF enriches around the mitotic chromosome ensemble to induce a densely cross-bridged chromatin layer that is mechanically stiff and limits membranes to the surface. Our study reveals that BAF-mediated changes in chromosome mechanics underlie nuclear assembly with broad implications for proper genome function.

A targeted knockdown screen of genes coding for phosphoinositide modulators identifies PIP4K2A as required for acute myeloid leukemia cell proliferation and survival.

Given the importance of deregulated phosphoinositide (PI) signaling in leukemic hematopoiesis, genes coding for proteins that regulate PI metabolism may have significant and as yet unappreciated roles in leukemia. We performed a targeted knockdown (KD) screen of PI modulator genes in human acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells and identified candidates required to sustain proliferation or prevent apoptosis. One of these, the lipid kinase phosphatidylinositol-5-phosphate 4-kinase, type II, alpha (PIP4K2A) regulates cellular levels of phosphatidylinositol-5-phosphate (PtsIns5P) and phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdIns(4,5)P2). We found PIP4K2A to be essential for the clonogenic and leukemia-initiating potential of human AML cells, and for the clonogenic potential of murine MLL-AF9 AML cells. Importantly, PIP4K2A is also required for the clonogenic potential of primary human AML cells. Its KD results in accumulation of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors CDKN1A and CDKN1B, G1 cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Both CDKN1A accumulation and apoptosis were partially dependent on activation of the mTOR pathway. Critically, however, PIP4K2A KD in normal hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, both murine and human, did not adversely impact either clonogenic or multilineage differentiation potential, indicating a selective dependency that we suggest may be the consequence of the regulation of different transcriptional programs in normal versus malignant cells. Thus, PIP4K2A is a novel candidate therapeutic target in myeloid malignancy.

Pax5 loss imposes a reversible differentiation block in B-progenitor acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Loss-of-function mutations in hematopoietic transcription factors including PAX5 occur in most cases of B-progenitor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), a disease characterized by the accumulation of undifferentiated lymphoblasts. Although PAX5 mutation is a critical driver of B-ALL development in mice and humans, it remains unclear how its loss contributes to leukemogenesis and whether ongoing PAX5 deficiency is required for B-ALL maintenance. Here we used transgenic RNAi to reversibly suppress endogenous Pax5 expression in the hematopoietic compartment of mice, which cooperates with activated signal transducer and activator of transcription 5 (STAT5) to induce B-ALL. In this model, restoring endogenous Pax5 expression in established B-ALL triggers immunophenotypic maturation and durable disease remission by engaging a transcriptional program reminiscent of normal B-cell differentiation. Notably, even brief Pax5 restoration in B-ALL cells causes rapid cell cycle exit and disables their leukemia-initiating capacity. These and similar findings in human B-ALL cell lines establish that Pax5 hypomorphism promotes B-ALL self-renewal by impairing a differentiation program that can be re-engaged despite the presence of additional oncogenic lesions. Our results establish a causal relationship between the hallmark genetic and phenotypic features of B-ALL and suggest that engaging the latent differentiation potential of B-ALL cells may provide new therapeutic entry points.