1
|
Joshi P, Keyvani Chahi A, Liu L, Moreira S, Vujovic A, Hope KJ. RNA binding protein-directed control of leukemic stem cell evolution and function. Hemasphere 2024; 8:e116. [PMID: 39175825 PMCID: PMC11339706 DOI: 10.1002/hem3.116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2024] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/26/2024] [Indexed: 08/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Strict control over hematopoietic stem cell decision making is essential for healthy life-long blood production and underpins the origins of hematopoietic diseases. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in particular is a devastating hematopoietic malignancy that arises from the clonal evolution of disease-initiating primitive cells which acquire compounding genetic changes over time and culminate in the generation of leukemic stem cells (LSCs). Understanding the molecular underpinnings of these driver cells throughout their development will be instrumental in the interception of leukemia, the enabling of effective treatment of pre-leukemic conditions, as well as the development of strategies to target frank AML disease. To this point, a number of precancerous myeloid disorders and age-related alterations are proving as instructive models to gain insights into the initiation of LSCs. Here, we explore this myeloid dysregulation at the level of post-transcriptional control, where RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) function as core effectors. Through regulating the interplay of a myriad of RNA metabolic processes, RBPs orchestrate transcript fates to govern gene expression in health and disease. We describe the expanding appreciation of the role of RBPs and their post-transcriptional networks in sustaining healthy hematopoiesis and their dysregulation in the pathogenesis of clonal myeloid disorders and AML, with a particular emphasis on findings described in human stem cells. Lastly, we discuss key breakthroughs that highlight RBPs and post-transcriptional control as actionable targets for precision therapy of AML.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Pratik Joshi
- Department of Medical BiophysicsUniversity of TorontoTorontoCanada
- Princess Margaret Cancer CenterUniversity Health NetworkTorontoCanada
| | - Ava Keyvani Chahi
- Princess Margaret Cancer CenterUniversity Health NetworkTorontoCanada
| | - Lina Liu
- Princess Margaret Cancer CenterUniversity Health NetworkTorontoCanada
| | - Steven Moreira
- Princess Margaret Cancer CenterUniversity Health NetworkTorontoCanada
| | - Ana Vujovic
- Department of Medical BiophysicsUniversity of TorontoTorontoCanada
- Princess Margaret Cancer CenterUniversity Health NetworkTorontoCanada
| | - Kristin J. Hope
- Department of Medical BiophysicsUniversity of TorontoTorontoCanada
- Princess Margaret Cancer CenterUniversity Health NetworkTorontoCanada
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Lv Y, Li J, Yu S, Zhang Y, Hu H, Sun K, Jia D, Han Y, Tu J, Huang Y, Liu X, Zhang X, Gao P, Chen X, Shaw Williams MT, Tang Z, Shu X, Liu M, Ren X. The splicing factor Prpf31 is required for hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell expansion during zebrafish embryogenesis. J Biol Chem 2024; 300:105772. [PMID: 38382674 PMCID: PMC10959673 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.105772] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Revised: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Pre-mRNA splicing is a precise regulated process and is crucial for system development and homeostasis maintenance. Mutations in spliceosomal components have been found in various hematopoietic malignancies (HMs) and have been considered as oncogenic derivers of HMs. However, the role of spliceosomal components in normal and malignant hematopoiesis remains largely unknown. Pre-mRNA processing factor 31 (PRPF31) is a constitutive spliceosomal component, which mutations are associated with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa. PRPF31 was found to be mutated in several HMs, but the function of PRPF31 in normal hematopoiesis has not been explored. In our previous study, we generated a prpf31 knockout (KO) zebrafish line and reported that Prpf31 regulates the survival and differentiation of retinal progenitor cells by modulating the alternative splicing of genes involved in mitosis and DNA repair. In this study, by using the prpf31 KO zebrafish line, we discovered that prpf31 KO zebrafish exhibited severe defects in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) expansion and its sequentially differentiated lineages. Immunofluorescence results showed that Prpf31-deficient HSPCs underwent malformed mitosis and M phase arrest during HSPC expansion. Transcriptome analysis and experimental validations revealed that Prpf31 deficiency extensively perturbed the alternative splicing of mitosis-related genes. Collectively, our findings elucidate a previously undescribed role for Prpf31 in HSPC expansion, through regulating the alternative splicing of mitosis-related genes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yuexia Lv
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; Department of Prenatal Diagnosis Center, The Third Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jingzhen Li
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; Research Center for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Brain Disease Bioinformation, Xuzhou Medical University, Xuzhou, China
| | - Shanshan Yu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China; Institute of Visual Neuroscience and Stem Cell Engineering, College of Life Sciences and Health, Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yangjun Zhang
- Department of Urology, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Hualei Hu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Kui Sun
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Danna Jia
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yunqiao Han
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiayi Tu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yuwen Huang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiliang Liu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xianghan Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Pan Gao
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiang Chen
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Mark Thomas Shaw Williams
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Zhaohui Tang
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Xinhua Shu
- Department of Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Mugen Liu
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
| | - Xiang Ren
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biophysics of the Ministry of Education, College of Life Science and Technology, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Tatwavedi D, Pellagatti A, Boultwood J. Recent advances in the application of induced pluripotent stem cell technology to the study of myeloid malignancies. Adv Biol Regul 2024; 91:100993. [PMID: 37827894 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbior.2023.100993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Acquired myeloid malignancies are a spectrum of clonal disorders known to be caused by sequential acquisition of genetic lesions in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, leading to their aberrant self-renewal and differentiation. The increasing use of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology to study myeloid malignancies has helped usher a paradigm shift in approaches to disease modeling and drug discovery, especially when combined with gene-editing technology. The process of reprogramming allows for the capture of the diversity of genetic lesions and mutational burden found in primary patient samples into individual stable iPSC lines. Patient-derived iPSC lines, owing to their self-renewal and differentiation capacity, can thus be a homogenous source of disease relevant material that allow for the study of disease pathogenesis using various functional read-outs. Furthermore, genome editing technologies like CRISPR/Cas9 enable the study of the stepwise progression from normal to malignant hematopoiesis through the introduction of specific driver mutations, individually or in combination, to create isogenic lines for comparison. In this review, we survey the current use of iPSCs to model acquired myeloid malignancies including myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), acute myeloid leukemia and MDS/MPN overlap syndromes. The use of iPSCs has enabled the interrogation of the underlying mechanism of initiation and progression driving these diseases. It has also made drug testing, repurposing, and the discovery of novel therapies for these diseases possible in a high throughput setting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dharamveer Tatwavedi
- Blood Cancer UK Molecular Haematology Unit, Nuffield Division of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Andrea Pellagatti
- Blood Cancer UK Molecular Haematology Unit, Nuffield Division of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jacqueline Boultwood
- Blood Cancer UK Molecular Haematology Unit, Nuffield Division of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Ghazimoradi MH, Karimpour-Fard N, Babashah S. The Promising Role of Non-Coding RNAs as Biomarkers and Therapeutic Targets for Leukemia. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:131. [PMID: 36672872 PMCID: PMC9859176 DOI: 10.3390/genes14010131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2022] [Revised: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Early-stage leukemia identification is crucial for effective disease management and leads to an improvement in the survival of leukemia patients. Approaches based on cutting-edge biomarkers with excellent accuracy in body liquids provide patients with the possibility of early diagnosis with high sensitivity and specificity. Non-coding RNAs have recently received a great deal of interest as possible biomarkers in leukemia due to their participation in crucial oncogenic processes such as proliferation, differentiation, invasion, apoptosis, and their availability in body fluids. Recent studies have revealed a strong correlation between leukemia and the deregulated non-coding RNAs. On this basis, these RNAs are also great therapeutic targets. Based on these advantages, we tried to review the role of non-coding RNAs in leukemia. Here, the significance of several non-coding RNA types in leukemia is highlighted, and their potential roles as diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic targets are covered.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mohammad H. Ghazimoradi
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 1411713116, Iran
| | - Naeim Karimpour-Fard
- Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Administration, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran 1417614411, Iran
| | - Sadegh Babashah
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Biological Sciences, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran 1411713116, Iran
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Pellagatti A, Boultwood J. Splicing factor mutations in the myelodysplastic syndromes: Role of key aberrantly spliced genes in disease pathophysiology and treatment. Adv Biol Regul 2023; 87:100920. [PMID: 36216757 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbior.2022.100920] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2022] [Revised: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 03/01/2023]
Abstract
Mutations of splicing factor genes (including SF3B1, SRSF2, U2AF1 and ZRSR2) occur in more than half of all patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), a heterogeneous group of myeloid neoplasms. Splicing factor mutations lead to aberrant pre-mRNA splicing of many genes, some of which have been shown in functional studies to impact on hematopoiesis and to contribute to the MDS phenotype. This clearly demonstrates that impaired spliceosome function plays an important role in MDS pathophysiology. Recent studies that harnessed the power of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) and CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technologies to generate new iPSC-based models of splicing factor mutant MDS, have further illuminated the role of key downstream target genes. The aberrantly spliced genes and the dysregulated pathways associated with splicing factor mutations in MDS represent potential new therapeutic targets. Emerging data has shown that IRAK4 is aberrantly spliced in SF3B1 and U2AF1 mutant MDS, leading to hyperactivation of NF-κB signaling. Pharmacological inhibition of IRAK4 has shown efficacy in pre-clinical studies and in MDS clinical trials, with higher response rates in patients with splicing factor mutations. Our increasing knowledge of the effects of splicing factor mutations in MDS is leading to the development of new treatments that may benefit patients harboring these mutations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Pellagatti
- Blood Cancer UK Molecular Haematology Unit, Nuffield Division of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
| | - Jacqueline Boultwood
- Blood Cancer UK Molecular Haematology Unit, Nuffield Division of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Daniels NJ, Hershberger CE, Gu X, Schueger C, DiPasquale WM, Brick J, Saunthararajah Y, Maciejewski JP, Padgett RA. Functional analyses of human LUC7-like proteins involved in splicing regulation and myeloid neoplasms. Cell Rep 2021; 35:108989. [PMID: 33852859 PMCID: PMC8078730 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.108989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2020] [Revised: 02/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Vertebrates have evolved three paralogs, termed LUC7L, LUC7L2, and LUC7L3, of the essential yeast U1 small nuclear RNA (snRNA)-associated splicing factor Luc7p. We investigated the mechanistic and regulatory functions of these putative splicing factors, of which one (LUC7L2) is mutated or deleted in myeloid neoplasms. Protein interaction data show that all three proteins bind similar core but distinct regulatory splicing factors, probably mediated through their divergent arginine-serine-rich domains, which are not present in Luc7p. Knockdown of each factor reveals mostly unique sets of significantly dysregulated alternative splicing events dependent on their binding locations, which are largely non-overlapping. Notably, knockdown of LUC7L2 alone significantly upregulates the expression of multiple spliceosomal factors and downregulates glycolysis genes, possibly contributing to disease pathogenesis. RNA binding studies reveal that LUC7L2 and LUC7L3 crosslink to weak 5' splice sites and to the 5' end of U1 snRNA, establishing an evolutionarily conserved role in 5' splice site selection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Noah J Daniels
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA; Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Courtney E Hershberger
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA; Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Xiaorong Gu
- Department of Translational Hematology and Oncology Research, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Caroline Schueger
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA; Department of Translational Hematology and Oncology Research, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - William M DiPasquale
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Jonathan Brick
- Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Yogen Saunthararajah
- Department of Translational Hematology and Oncology Research, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Jaroslaw P Maciejewski
- Department of Translational Hematology and Oncology Research, Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Richard A Padgett
- Department of Molecular Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA; Department of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Sciences, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, OH, USA.
| |
Collapse
|