RESUMO
Meningioma-1 (MN1) overexpression in AML is associated with poor prognosis, and forced expression of MN1 induces leukemia in mice. We sought to determine how MN1 causes AML. We found that overexpression of MN1 can be induced by translocations that result in hijacking of a downstream enhancer. Structure predictions revealed that the entire MN1 coding frame is disordered. We identified the myeloid progenitor-specific BAF complex as the key interaction partner of MN1. MN1 over-stabilizes BAF on enhancer chromatin, a function directly linked to the presence of a long polyQ-stretch within MN1. BAF over-stabilization at binding sites of transcription factors regulating a hematopoietic stem/progenitor program prevents the developmentally appropriate decommissioning of these enhancers and results in impaired myeloid differentiation and leukemia. Beyond AML, our data detail how the overexpression of a polyQ protein, in the absence of any coding sequence mutation, can be sufficient to cause malignant transformation.
Assuntos
Carcinogênese/genética , DNA Helicases/genética , Proteínas Intrinsicamente Desordenadas/genética , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda/genética , Proteínas Nucleares/genética , Transativadores/genética , Fatores de Transcrição/genética , Proteínas Supressoras de Tumor/genética , Animais , Sequência de Bases , Carcinogênese/metabolismo , Carcinogênese/patologia , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Cromatina/genética , Cromatina/metabolismo , Cromatina/patologia , DNA Helicases/metabolismo , Elementos Facilitadores Genéticos , Feminino , Regulação Leucêmica da Expressão Gênica , Redes Reguladoras de Genes , Humanos , Proteínas Intrinsicamente Desordenadas/metabolismo , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda/metabolismo , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda/mortalidade , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda/patologia , Masculino , Camundongos , Camundongos Endogâmicos C57BL , Camundongos Transgênicos , Proteínas Nucleares/metabolismo , Peptídeos/genética , Peptídeos/metabolismo , Mapeamento de Interação de Proteínas , Estabilidade Proteica , Transporte Proteico , Transdução de Sinais , Análise de Sobrevida , Transativadores/metabolismo , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Proteínas Supressoras de Tumor/metabolismoRESUMO
The transformed state in acute leukemia requires gene regulatory programs involving transcription factors and chromatin modulators. Here, we uncover an IRF8-MEF2D transcriptional circuit as an acute myeloid leukemia (AML)-biased dependency. We discover and characterize the mechanism by which the chromatin "reader" ZMYND8 directly activates IRF8 in parallel with the MYC proto-oncogene through their lineage-specific enhancers. ZMYND8 is essential for AML proliferation in vitro and in vivo and associates with MYC and IRF8 enhancer elements that we define in cell lines and in patient samples. ZMYND8 occupancy at IRF8 and MYC enhancers requires BRD4, a transcription coactivator also necessary for AML proliferation. We show that ZMYND8 binds to the ET domain of BRD4 via its chromatin reader cassette, which in turn is required for proper chromatin occupancy and maintenance of leukemic growth in vivo. Our results rationalize ZMYND8 as a potential therapeutic target for modulating essential transcriptional programs in AML.
Assuntos
Fatores Reguladores de Interferon/metabolismo , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda/metabolismo , Proteínas Supressoras de Tumor/metabolismo , Proteínas de Ciclo Celular/metabolismo , Linhagem Celular , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Proliferação de Células/genética , Cromatina/genética , Elementos Facilitadores Genéticos/genética , Regulação Neoplásica da Expressão Gênica/genética , Humanos , Fatores Reguladores de Interferon/genética , Leucemia Mieloide Aguda/genética , Proteínas Nucleares/metabolismo , Regiões Promotoras Genéticas/genética , Proto-Oncogene Mas , Fatores de Transcrição/metabolismo , Transcrição Gênica/genética , Proteínas Supressoras de Tumor/genéticaRESUMO
Translocations of Meningioma-1 (MN1) occur in a subset of acute myeloid leukemias (AML) and result in high expression of MN1, either as a full-length protein, or as a fusion protein that includes most of the N-terminus of MN1. High levels of MN1 correlate with poor prognosis. When overexpressed in murine hematopoietic progenitors, MN1 causes an aggressive AML characterized by an aberrant myeloid precursor-like gene expression program that shares features of KMT2A-rearranged (KMT2A-r) leukemia, including high levels of Hoxa and Meis1 gene expression. Compounds that target a critical KMT2A-Menin interaction have proven effective in KMT2A-r leukemia. Here, we demonstrate that Menin (Men1) is also critical for the self-renewal of MN1-driven AML through the maintenance of a distinct gene expression program. Genetic inactivation of Men1 led to a decrease in the number of functional leukemia-initiating cells. Pharmacologic inhibition of the KMT2A-Menin interaction decreased colony-forming activity, induced differentiation programs in MN1-driven murine leukemia and decreased leukemic burden in a human AML xenograft carrying an MN1-ETV6 translocation. Collectively, these results nominate Menin inhibition as a promising therapeutic strategy in MN1-driven leukemia.
Assuntos
Leucemia Mieloide Aguda/genética , Proteínas Proto-Oncogênicas/genética , Transativadores/genética , Proteínas Supressoras de Tumor/genética , Animais , Linhagem Celular Tumoral , Regulação Leucêmica da Expressão Gênica/genética , Células HEK293 , Histona-Lisina N-Metiltransferase/genética , Humanos , Camundongos , Camundongos KnockoutRESUMO
Inhibition of the H3K79 histone methyltransferase DOT1L has exhibited encouraging preclinical and early clinical activity in KMT2A (MLL)-rearranged leukemia, supporting the development of combinatorial therapies. Here, we investigated two novel combinations: dual inhibition of the histone methyltransferases DOT1L and EZH2, and the combination with a protein synthesis inhibitor. EZH2 is the catalytic subunit in the polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2), and inhibition of EZH2 has been reported to have preclinical activity in KMT2A-r leukemia. When combined with DOT1L inhibition, however, we observed both synergistic and antagonistic effects. Interestingly, antagonistic effects were not due to PRC2-mediated de-repression of HOXA9. HOXA cluster genes are key canonical targets of both KMT2A and the PRC2 complex. The independence of the HOXA cluster from PRC2 repression in KMT2A-r leukemia thus affords important insights into leukemia biology. Further studies revealed that EZH2 inhibition counteracted the effect of DOT1L inhibition on ribosomal gene expression. We thus identified a previously unrecognized role of DOT1L in regulating protein production. Decreased translation was one of the earliest effects measurable after DOT1L inhibition and specific to KMT2A-rearranged cell lines. H3K79me2 chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing patterns over ribosomal genes were similar to those of the canonical KMT2A-fusion target genes in primary AML patient samples. The effects of DOT1L inhibition on ribosomal gene expression prompted us to evaluate the combination of EPZ5676 with a protein translation inhibitor. EPZ5676 was synergistic with the protein translation inhibitor homoharringtonine (omacetaxine), supporting further preclinical/clinical development of this combination. In summary, we discovered a novel epigenetic regulation of a metabolic process-protein synthesis-that plays a role in leukemogenesis and affords a combinatorial therapeutic opportunity.