EP300-ZNF384 transactivates IL3RA to promote the progression of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

The EP300-ZNF384 fusion gene is an oncogenic driver in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). In the present study, we demonstrated that EP300-ZNF384 substantially induces the transcription of IL3RA and the expression of IL3Rα (CD123) on B-ALL cell membranes. Interleukin 3 (IL-3) supplementation promotes the proliferation of EP300-ZNF348-positive B-ALL cells by activating STAT5. Conditional knockdown of IL3RA in EP300-ZF384-positive cells inhibited the proliferation in vitro, and induced a significant increase in overall survival of mice, which is attributed to impaired propagation ability of leukemia cells. Mechanistically, the EP300-ZNF384 fusion protein transactivates the promoter activity of IL3RA by binding to an A-rich sequence localized at -222/-234 of IL3RA. Furthermore, forced EP300-ZNF384 expression induces the expression of IL3Rα on cell membranes and the secretion of IL-3 in CD19-positive B precursor cells derived from healthy individuals. Doxorubicin displayed a selective killing of EP300-ZNF384-positive B-ALL cells in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, we identify IL3RA as a direct downstream target of EP300-ZNF384, suggesting CD123 is a potent biomarker for EP300-ZNF384-driven B-ALL. Targeting CD123 may be a novel therapeutic approach to EP300-ZNF384-positive patients, alternative or, more likely, complementary to standard chemotherapy regimen in clinical setting.

Identification of a novel HOOK3-FGFR1 fusion gene involved in activation of the NF-kappaB pathway.

BACKGROUND: Rearrangements involving the fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1) gene result in 8p11 myeloproliferative syndrome (EMS), which is a rare and aggressive hematological malignancy that is often initially diagnosed as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Clinical outcomes are typically poor due to relative resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and rapid transformation to acute leukemia. Deciphering the transcriptomic signature of FGFR1 fusions may open new treatment strategies for FGFR1 rearrangement patients. METHODS: DNA sequencing (DNA-seq) was performed for 20 MDS patients and whole exome sequencing (WES) was performed for one HOOK3-FGFR1 fusion positive patient. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed for 20 MDS patients and 8 healthy donors. Fusion genes were detected using the STAR-Fusion tool. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR), and Sanger sequencing were used to confirm the HOOK3-FGFR1 fusion gene. The phosphorylation antibody array was performed to validate the activation of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) signaling. RESULTS: We identified frequently recurrent mutations of ASXL1 and U2AF1 in the MDS cohort, which is consistent with previous reports. We also identified a novel in-frame HOOK3-FGFR1 fusion gene in one MDS case with abnormal monoclonal B-cell lymphocytosis and ring chromosome 8. FISH analysis detected the FGFR1 break-apart signal in myeloid blasts only. qRT-PCR and Sanger sequencing confirmed the HOOK3-FGFR1 fusion transcript with breakpoints located at the 11th exon of HOOK3 and 10th exon of FGFR1, and Western blot detected the chimeric HOOK3-FGFR1 fusion protein that is presumed to retain the entire tyrosine kinase domain of FGFR1. The transcriptional feature of HOOK3-FGFR1 fusion was characterized by the significant enrichment of the NF-kappaB pathway by comparing the expression profiling of FGFR1 fusion positive MDS with 8 healthy donors and FGFR1 fusion negative MDS patients. Further validation by phosphorylation antibody array also showed NF-kappaB activation, as evidenced by increased phosphorylation of p65 (Ser 536) and of IKBalpha (Ser 32). CONCLUSIONS: The HOOK3-FGFR1 fusion gene may contribute to the pathogenesis of MDS and activate the NF-kappaB pathway. These findings highlight a potential novel approach for combination therapy for FGFR1 rearrangement patients.

Homoharringtonine Exerts Anti-tumor Effects in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Through Activation of the Hippo Pathway.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most prevalent subtype of liver cancer with a mortality rate of approximately 3-6/100,000 and is the third leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide. Although several small-molecule drugs have been developed for the treatment of HCC, the choice of an agent for patients who require systemic chemotherapy at an advanced stage is still limited. The Hippo pathway is an evolutionarily conserved tumor suppressive pathway commonly dysregulated in HCC, which makes it a promising target for anti-HCC therapies. Homoharringtonine (HHT) is an FDA-approved anti-leukemia drug with proven strong anti-tumor activity in solid tumors. In this study, we found that HHT could significantly inhibit HCC cell growth by suppressing cell proliferation and colony formation. Moreover, HHT repressed cell invasion and migration remarkably. Additionally, HHT induced cell cycle arrest at S phase and promoted apoptosis. Most importantly, we showed that HHT-induced apoptosis was a consequence of the Hippo pathway activation. Consistently, the MST1/2 inhibitor, XMU-MP-1, could restore cell viability and reverse HHT-induced cell apoptosis. Furthermore, in vivo results confirmed the tumor inhibitory effect of HHT. Taken together, our findings suggest that HHT is a potential alternative therapeutic agent for the treatment of HCC.

[Down-regulation of Annexinâ ¡Expression in NB4 Cells Induced by all-trans Retinoic Acid and Its Mechanisms].

OBJECTIVE: To explore effect of all-trans retinoic acid(ATRA) on annexin Ⅱ expression in NB4 cells and to analyze the luciferase activity of annexinⅡ promoter in condition of ATRA-induced treatment. METHODS: NB4 cells were cultured in vitro, the transcriptional or translational expression levels of Annexin Ⅱ in NB4 cells treated with 1 µmol/L ATRA at different time points were detected by RT-PCR or Western blot respectively. Annexin Ⅱ-promoter was constructed, the recombinant plasmids pGL4.15 -Annexin Ⅱ -promoter were transfected into NB4 cells with electroporation, and after being treated with 1 µmol/L ATRA for 24 hours the luciferase acttivity of Annexin Ⅱ promoter was determined by luciferase activity assay. RESULTS: The transcriptional expression of Annexin Ⅱ was down-regulated after 48 h. The translation expression of Annexin Ⅱ was slowly weakened after 24 h, and it was seriously reduced after 48 h. Further, Luciferase activity of AnnexinⅡ promoter in NB4 cells treated with 1 µmol/L ATRA was down-regulated, and showed a decreased tendency at indicated time points. CONCLUSION: All-trans retinoic acid can induce the down-regulation of AnnexinⅡ expression on the membrane of NB4 cells, and the activity of Annexin Ⅱpromoter is down-regulated too. This study provide a basis for further study of molecular mechanism.

[Establishment of stable subline of K562 cells overexpressing high mobility group B1 protein].

This study was aimed to establish a stable subline of K562 cells (K562-HMGB1) overexpressing HMGB1 protein and K562-HMGB1 sublines served as control, so as to provide a basis for exploring the role of hmgb1 gene in occurrence and development of leukemia and their mechanism. Protein-coding gene of hmgb1 was amplified by PCR with cDNA as template, which was synthesized by reverse transcription from total RNA extracted from U937 cells. The PCR-amplified hmgb1 gene was ligated into PMD18-T vector (PMD18-T-HMGB1 vector), and then transformed into E. coli strain DH5α. DH5α containing PMD18-T-HMGB1 vector were grown on LB agar plate supplemented with 100 µg/ml ampicillin overnight. The single ampicillin-selected DH5α clone was picked for culturing overnight and then harvested for plasmid extraction. The extracted plasmid was characterized to contain hmgb1 gene digested with the desired restriction enzymes of KpnI/XhoI. The correctness of hmgb1 sequence was confirmed with DNA sequencing. The insert of hmgb1 gene contained in PMD18-T-HMGB1 vector was cut out with restriction enzymes of KpnI/XhoI and then ligated into eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1 to form pcDNA3.1-HMGB1 vector. 10µg of pcDNA3.1-HMGB1 or pcDNA3.1 plasmid was separately electroporated into K562 cells. At 48 hours after electroporation the cells were cultured with G418 at a final concentration of 800 µg/ml for over 2 weeks. Finally stably transfected sublines of K562 cells containing hmgb1 gene (K562-HMGB1), and of K562 containing pcDNA3.1 vector (K562-pcDNA3.1) served as a control, were obtained. The transcriptional or translational expression of hmgb1 gene was detected with RT-PCR or Western blot, respectively, to testify transfected efficiency and validity of stable subline of K562-HMGB1. The results indicated that the eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1-HMGB1 plasmid was successfully constructed and was electroporated into K562 cells. The transcriptional or translational expression of hmgb1 gene in the stable subline of K562 cells containing hmgb1 gene was overexpressed. It indicated that stable subline of K562-HMGB1 cells was successfully established. It is concluded that the stable sublines of K562-HMGB1 cells or K562-pcDNA3.1 cells are successfully established, which provides a basis for exploring the roles and mechanisms of hmgb1 gene in leukemogenesis and development of leukemia.

[Screening drugs for regulating tissue factor gene expression].

This study was purposed to screen the drugs for regulating tissue factor (TF) gene expression through establishing stable cell line with luciferase gene having TF promoter transcription activity, so as to provide the basis for further studying the molecular mechanism of screened drugs. A series of luciferase reporter gene plasmids under control of 5'-truncated TF promoter (including -2174 bp - +128 bp, -684 bp - +128 bp, -247 bp - +128 bp and -201 bp - +128 bp) were constructed. The above plasmids were separately electroporated into U937 cells to establish stably transfected sublines. The function of stable cell line was testified by treatment with ATRA, the luciferase gene activity was analyzed by treating established cell line with bortezomib (BTZ) and CDA-II, and drugs for regulating TF gene expression were screened. The results indicated that the BTZ of 5 nmol/L could activate TF gene transcription activity, up-regulate the expression level of TF transcripts; CDA-II of 1 mg/ml could suppress TF gene transcription activity, down-regulate the expression level of TF transcripts. The functional analysis of TF promoter transcription revealed that the region of regulating TF promoter transcription activity by BTZ and CDA-II was between -201 to 0 bp. It is concluded that stable cell line U937 expressing luciferase activity of TF promoters is established, the novel drugs regulating TF gene expression are screened out by means of this established cell line. This study provides basis for screening the new drugs and further studying their molecular mechanisms.