RESUMO
The t(12;21) chromosomal translocation, targeting the gene encoding the RUNX1 transcription factor, is observed in 25% of pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and is an initiating event in the disease. To elucidate the mechanism by which RUNX1 disruption initiates leukemogenesis, we investigated its normal role in murine B-cell development. This study revealed 2 critical functions of Runx1: (1) to promote survival and development of progenitors specified to the B-cell lineage, a function that can be substituted by ectopic Bcl2 expression, and (2) to enable the developmental transition through the pre-B stage triggered by the pre-B-cell antigen receptor (pre-BCR). Gene expression analysis and genomewide Runx1 occupancy studies support the hypothesis that Runx1 reinforces the transcription factor network governing early B-cell survival and development and specifically regulates genes encoding members of the Lyn kinase subfamily (key integrators of interleukin-7 and pre-BCR signaling) and the stage-specific transcription factors SpiB and Aiolos (critical downstream effectors of pre-BCR signaling). Interrogation of expression databases of 257 ALL samples demonstrated the specific down-regulation of the SPIB and IKZF3 genes (the latter encoding AIOLOS) in t(12;21) ALL, providing novel insight into the mechanism by which the translocation blocks B-cell development and promotes leukemia.
Assuntos
Linfócitos B/citologia , Linfócitos B/imunologia , Subunidade alfa 2 de Fator de Ligação ao Core/metabolismo , Animais , Apoptose/genética , Sítios de Ligação , Diferenciação Celular/imunologia , Linhagem da Célula/genética , Linhagem da Célula/imunologia , Proliferação de Células , Sobrevivência Celular/genética , Sobrevivência Celular/imunologia , Cromossomos Humanos Par 12/genética , Cromossomos Humanos Par 21/genética , Subunidade alfa 2 de Fator de Ligação ao Core/deficiência , Elementos Facilitadores Genéticos/genética , Deleção de Genes , Regulação da Expressão Gênica no Desenvolvimento , Regulação Leucêmica da Expressão Gênica , Marcação de Genes , Genoma/genética , Humanos , Fator de Transcrição Ikaros , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Leucemia-Linfoma Linfoblástico de Células Precursoras B/genética , Ligação Proteica/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas c-bcl-2/metabolismo , Transativadores/genética , Transativadores/metabolismo , Translocação GenéticaRESUMO
The t(12;21) translocation, generating the TEL/AML1 fusion protein, is the most common genetic lesion in childhood cancer. Using a bone marrow transplantation model, we demonstrate that TEL/AML1 expression impinges on normal hematopoietic differentiation, leading to the in vivo accumulation and persistence of an early progenitor compartment with a Sca1(+)/Kit(hi)/CD11b(+) phenotype and an increased self-renewal capacity, as documented by replating assays in vitro. Differentiation of these cells is not blocked, but the frequency of mature blood cells arising from TEL/AML1-transduced progenitors is low. Impaired differentiation is prominently observed in the pro-B-cell compartment, resulting in an proportional increase in early progenitors in vivo, consistent with the t(12;21) ALL phenotype. Despite the accumulation of both multipotent and B-cell progenitors in vivo, no leukemia induction was observed during an observation period of over 1 year. These results are consistent with findings in twins with concordant ALL, showing that TEL/AML1 generates a preleukemic clone in utero that persists for several years in a clinically covert fashion. Furthermore, our studies showed that the pointed domain of TEL/AML1, which recruits transcriptional repressors and directs oligomerization with either TEL/AML1 or wild-type TEL, was essential for the observed differentiation impairment and could not be replaced with another oligomerization domain.