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Parameswaran S, Vizeacoumar FS, Kalyanasundaram Bhanumathy K, Qin F, Islam MF, Toosi BM, Cunningham CE, Mousseau DD, Uppalapati MC, Stirling PC, Wu Y, Bonham K, Freywald A, Li H, Vizeacoumar FJ. Molecular characterization of an MLL1 fusion and its role in chromosomal instability. Mol Oncol 2018; 13:422-440. [PMID: 30548174 PMCID: PMC6360371 DOI: 10.1002/1878-0261.12423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2018] [Revised: 11/06/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Chromosomal rearrangements involving the mixed‐lineage leukemia (MLL1) gene are common in a unique group of acute leukemias, with more than 100 fusion partners in this malignancy alone. However, do these fusions occur or have a role in solid tumors? We performed extensive network analyses of MLL1‐fusion partners in patient datasets, revealing that multiple MLL1‐fusion partners exhibited significant interactions with the androgen‐receptor signaling pathway. Further exploration of tumor sequence data from TCGA predicts the presence of MLL1 fusions with truncated SET domain in prostate tumors. To investigate the physiological relevance of MLL1 fusions in solid tumors, we engineered a truncated version of MLL1 by fusing it with one of its known fusion partners, ZC3H13, to use as a model system. Functional characterization with cell‐based assays revealed that MLL1‐ZC3H13 fusion induced chromosomal instability, affected mitotic progression, and enhanced tumorsphere formation. The MLL1‐ZC3H13 chimera consistently increased the expression of a cancer stem cell marker (CD44); in addition, we detected potential collateral lethality between DOT1L and MLL1 fusions. Our work reveals that MLL1 fusions are likely prevalent in solid tumors and exhibit a potential pro‐tumorigenic role.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sreejit Parameswaran
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cancer Cluster, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Frederick S Vizeacoumar
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cancer Cluster, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | | | - Fujun Qin
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Md Fahmid Islam
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cancer Cluster, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Behzad M Toosi
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cancer Cluster, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Chelsea E Cunningham
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cancer Cluster, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Darrell D Mousseau
- Cell Signaling Laboratory, Departments of Psychiatry and Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Maruti C Uppalapati
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cancer Cluster, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Peter C Stirling
- Terry Fox Laboratory, British Columbia Cancer Agency, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Yuliang Wu
- Department of Biochemistry, Cancer Cluster, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Keith Bonham
- Cancer Research, Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Andrew Freywald
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cancer Cluster, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada
| | - Hui Li
- Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| | - Franco J Vizeacoumar
- Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Cancer Cluster, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.,Cancer Research, Saskatchewan Cancer Agency, Saskatoon, Canada
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