Chromatin modifier Hmga2 promotes adult hematopoietic stem cell function and blood regeneration in stress conditions.

The molecular mechanisms governing the response of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) to stress insults remain poorly defined. Here, we investigated effects of conditional knock-out or overexpression of Hmga2 (High mobility group AT-hook 2), a transcriptional activator of stem cell genes in fetal HSCs. While Hmga2 overexpression did not affect adult hematopoiesis under homeostasis, it accelerated HSC expansion in response to injection with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or in vitro treatment with TNF-α. In contrast, HSC and megakaryocyte progenitor cell numbers were decreased in Hmga2 KO animals. Transcription of inflammatory genes was repressed in Hmga2-overexpressing mice injected with 5-FU, and Hmga2 bound to distinct regions and chromatin accessibility was decreased in HSCs upon stress. Mechanistically, we found that casein kinase 2 (CK2) phosphorylates the Hmga2 acidic domain, promoting its access and binding to chromatin, transcription of anti-inflammatory target genes, and the expansion of HSCs under stress conditions. Notably, the identified stress-regulated Hmga2 gene signature is activated in hematopoietic stem progenitor cells of human myelodysplastic syndrome patients. In sum, these results reveal a TNF-α/CK2/phospho-Hmga2 axis controlling adult stress hematopoiesis.

TIF1ß activates leukemic transcriptional program in HSCs and promotes BCR::ABL1-induced myeloid leukemia.

TIF1ß/KAP1/TRIM28, a chromatin modulator, both represses and activates the transcription of genes in normal and malignant cells. Analyses of datasets on leukemia patients revealed that the expression level of TIF1ß was increased in patients with chronic myeloid leukemia at the blast crisis and acute myeloid leukemia. We generated a BCR::ABL1 conditional knock-in (KI) mouse model, which developed aggressive myeloid leukemia, and demonstrated that the deletion of the Tif1ß gene inhibited the progression of myeloid leukemia and showed longer survival than that in BCR::ABL1 KI mice, suggesting that Tif1ß drove the progression of BCR::ABL1-induced leukemia. In addition, the deletion of Tif1ß sensitized BCR::ABL1 KI leukemic cells to dasatinib. The deletion of Tif1ß decreased the expression levels of TIF1ß-target genes and chromatin accessibility peaks enriched with the Fosl1-binding motif in BCR::ABL1 KI stem cells. TIF1ß directly bound to the promoters of proliferation genes, such as FOSL1, in human BCR::ABL1 cells, in which TIF1ß and FOSL1 bound to adjacent regions of chromatin. Since the expression of Fosl1 was critical for the enhanced growth of BCR::ABL1 KI cells, Tif1ß and Fosl1 interacted to activate the leukemic transcriptional program in and cellular function of BCR::ABL1 KI stem cells and drove the progression of myeloid leukemia.

Exposure to microbial products followed by loss of Tet2 promotes myelodysplastic syndrome via remodeling HSCs.

Aberrant innate immune signaling in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) has been implicated as a driver of the development of MDS. We herein demonstrated that a prior stimulation with bacterial and viral products followed by loss of the Tet2 gene facilitated the development of MDS via up-regulating the target genes of the Elf1 transcription factor and remodeling the epigenome in hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in a manner that was dependent on Polo-like kinases (Plk) downstream of Tlr3/4-Trif signaling but did not increase genomic mutations. The pharmacological inhibition of Plk function or the knockdown of Elf1 expression was sufficient to prevent the epigenetic remodeling in HSCs and diminish the enhanced clonogenicity and the impaired erythropoiesis. Moreover, this Elf1-target signature was significantly enriched in MDS HSPCs in humans. Therefore, prior infection stress and the acquisition of a driver mutation remodeled the transcriptional and epigenetic landscapes and cellular functions in HSCs via the Trif-Plk-Elf1 axis, which promoted the development of MDS.

The acidic domain of Hmga2 and the domain's linker region are critical for driving self-renewal of hematopoietic stem cell.

High mobility group AT-hook 2 (Hmga2) is a chromatin modifier protein that plays a critical role in fetal development and leukemia propagation by binding to chromatin and DNA via its AT-hook domains. However, the molecular mechanisms by which Hmga2 activates the expression of target genes to drive the self-renewal of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) remain unclear. We generated Rosa26 locus Hmga2 conditional knock-in mice and found that overexpression of Hmga2 promoted self-renewal of normal HSCs, but maintained their fitness in bone marrow, and consequently was not sufficient to initiate malignancy. This result is consistent with previous findings showing that Hmga2 is a proto-oncogene. We also assessed the cellular functions of Hmga2 mutants lacking functional domains and demonstrated that the C-terminus acidic domain of Hmga2 and the domain's linker region were critical for activating genes involved in stem cell signatures, such as the Igf2bp2 gene, to drive proliferation of HSCs. In contrast, overexpression of Hmga1, a member of the Hmga family with a different linker region, did not drive proliferation of HSCs. Our results reveal a critical role for the acidic domain of Hmga2 and the domain's linker region in modulating the transcription and self-renewal functions of HSCs.

Overexpression of Hmga2 activates Igf2bp2 and remodels transcriptional program of Tet2-deficient stem cells in myeloid transformation.

High Mobility Group AT-hook 2 (HMGA2) is a chromatin modifier and its overexpression has been found in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Level of Hmga2 expression is fine-tuned by Lin28b-Let-7 axis and Polycomb Repressive Complex 2, in which deletion of Ezh2 leads to activation of Hmga2 expression in hematopoietic stem cells. To elucidate the mechanisms by which the overexpression of HMGA2 helps transformation of stem cells harboring a driver mutation of TET2, we generated an Hmga2-expressing Tet2-deficient mouse model showing the progressive phenotypes of MDS and AML. The overexpression of Hmga2 remodeled the transcriptional program of Tet2-deficient stem and progenitor cells, leading to the impaired differentiation of myeloid cells. Furthermore, Hmga2 was bound to a proximal region of Igf2bp2 oncogene, and activated its transcription, leading to enhancing self-renewal of Tet2-deficient stem cells that was suppressed by inhibition of the DNA binding of Hmga2. These combinatory effects on the transcriptional program and cellular function were not redundant to those in Tet2-deficient cells. The present results elucidate that Hmga2 targets key oncogenic pathways during the transformation and highlight the Hmga2-Igf2bp2 axis as a potential target for therapeutic intervention.

Overexpression of RUNX3 Represses RUNX1 to Drive Transformation of Myelodysplastic Syndrome.

RUNX3, a RUNX family transcription factor, regulates normal hematopoiesis and functions as a tumor suppressor in various tumors in humans and mice. However, emerging studies have documented increased expression of RUNX3 in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC) of a subset of patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) showing a worse outcome, suggesting an oncogenic function for RUNX3 in the pathogenesis of hematologic malignancies. To elucidate the oncogenic function of RUNX3 in the pathogenesis of MDS in vivo, we generated a RUNX3-expressing, Tet2-deficient mouse model with the pancytopenia and dysplastic blood cells characteristic of MDS in patients. RUNX3-expressing cells markedly suppressed the expression levels of Runx1, a critical regulator of hemaotpoiesis in normal and malignant cells, as well as its target genes, which included crucial tumor suppressors such as Cebpa and Csf1r. RUNX3 bound these genes and remodeled their Runx1-binding regions in Tet2-deficient cells. Overexpression of RUNX3 inhibited the transcriptional function of Runx1 and compromised hematopoiesis to facilitate the development of MDS in the absence of Tet2, indicating that RUNX3 is an oncogene. Furthermore, overexpression of RUNX3 activated the transcription of Myc target genes and rendered cells sensitive to inhibition of Myc-Max heterodimerization. Collectively, these results reveal the mechanism by which RUNX3 overexpression exerts oncogenic effects on the cellular function of and transcriptional program in Tet2-deficient stem cells to drive the transformation of MDS. SIGNIFICANCE: This study defines the oncogenic effects of transcription factor RUNX3 in driving the transformation of myelodysplastic syndrome, highlighting RUNX3 as a potential target for therapeutic intervention.