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Cleveland AH, Malawsky D, Churiwal M, Rodriguez C, Reed F, Schniederjan M, Velazquez Vega JE, Davis I, Gershon TR. PRC2 disruption in cerebellar progenitors produces cerebellar hypoplasia and aberrant myoid differentiation without blocking medulloblastoma growth. Acta Neuropathol Commun 2023; 11:8. [PMID: 36635771 PMCID: PMC9838053 DOI: 10.1186/s40478-023-01508-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
We show that Polycomb Repressive Complex-2 (PRC2) components EED and EZH2 maintain neural identity in cerebellar granule neuron progenitors (CGNPs) and SHH-driven medulloblastoma, a cancer of CGNPs. Proliferating CGNPs and medulloblastoma cells inherit neural fate commitment through epigenetic mechanisms. The PRC2 is an epigenetic regulator that has been proposed as a therapeutic target in medulloblastoma. To define PRC2 function in cerebellar development and medulloblastoma, we conditionally deleted PRC2 components Eed or Ezh2 in CGNPs and analyzed medulloblastomas induced in Eed-deleted and Ezh2-deleted CGNPs by expressing SmoM2, an oncogenic allele of Smo. Eed deletion destabilized the PRC2, depleting EED and EZH2 proteins, while Ezh2 deletion did not deplete EED. Eed-deleted cerebella were hypoplastic, with reduced proliferation, increased apoptosis, and inappropriate muscle-like differentiation. Ezh2-deleted cerebella showed similar, milder phenotypes, with fewer muscle-like cells and without reduced growth. Eed-deleted and Ezh2-deleted medulloblastomas both demonstrated myoid differentiation and progressed more rapidly than PRC2-intact controls. The PRC2 thus maintains neural commitment in CGNPs and medulloblastoma, but is not required for SHH medulloblastoma progression. Our data define a role for the PRC2 in preventing inappropriate, non-neural fates during postnatal neurogenesis, and caution that targeting the PRC2 in SHH medulloblastoma may not produce durable therapeutic effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abigail H. Cleveland
- grid.10698.360000000122483208Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA ,grid.10698.360000000122483208Cancer Cell Biology Training Program, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Daniel Malawsky
- grid.10698.360000000122483208Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA ,grid.10306.340000 0004 0606 5382Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - Mehal Churiwal
- grid.10698.360000000122483208Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Claudia Rodriguez
- grid.10698.360000000122483208Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Frances Reed
- grid.10698.360000000122483208Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Matthew Schniederjan
- grid.189967.80000 0001 0941 6502Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA
| | - Jose E. Velazquez Vega
- grid.189967.80000 0001 0941 6502Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA
| | - Ian Davis
- grid.10698.360000000122483208Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA
| | - Timothy R. Gershon
- grid.10698.360000000122483208Department of Neurology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599 USA ,grid.189967.80000 0001 0941 6502Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA ,grid.189967.80000 0001 0941 6502Children’s Center for Neurosciences Research, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA ,grid.189967.80000 0001 0941 6502Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30322 USA
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