1
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Erkner E, Hentrich T, Schairer R, Fitzel R, Secker-Grob KA, Jeong J, Keppeler H, Korkmaz F, Schulze-Hentrich JM, Lengerke C, Schneidawind D, Schneidawind C. The RORɣ/SREBP2 pathway is a master regulator of cholesterol metabolism and serves as potential therapeutic target in t(4;11) leukemia. Oncogene 2024; 43:281-293. [PMID: 38030791 PMCID: PMC10798886 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-023-02903-3] [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: 06/08/2023] [Revised: 11/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
Dysregulated cholesterol homeostasis promotes tumorigenesis and progression. Therefore, metabolic reprogramming constitutes a new hallmark of cancer. However, until today, only few therapeutic approaches exist to target this pathway due to the often-observed negative feedback induced by agents like statins leading to controversially increased cholesterol synthesis upon inhibition. Sterol regulatory element-binding proteins (SREBPs) are key transcription factors regulating the synthesis of cholesterol and fatty acids. Since SREBP2 is difficult to target, we performed pharmacological inhibition of retinoic acid receptor (RAR)-related orphan receptor gamma (RORγ), which acts upstream of SREBP2 and serves as master regulator of the cholesterol metabolism. This resulted in an inactivated cholesterol-related gene program with significant downregulation of cholesterol biosynthesis. Strikingly, these effects were more pronounced than the effects of fatostatin, a direct SREBP2 inhibitor. Upon RORγ inhibition, RNA sequencing showed strongly increased cholesterol efflux genes leading to leukemic cell death and cell cycle changes in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Combinatorial treatment of t(4;11) cells with the RORγ inhibitor showed additive effects with cytarabine and even strong anti-leukemia synergism with atorvastatin by circumventing the statin-induced feedback. Our results suggest a novel therapeutic strategy to inhibit tumor-specific cholesterol metabolism for the treatment of t(4;11) leukemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Estelle Erkner
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Thomas Hentrich
- Department of Genetics/Epigenetics, Faculty NT, Saarland University, Saarbruecken, Germany
| | - Rebekka Schairer
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Rahel Fitzel
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Kathy-Ann Secker-Grob
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Johan Jeong
- Process Cell Sciences, Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, NJ, USA
| | - Hildegard Keppeler
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Fulya Korkmaz
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | | | - Claudia Lengerke
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
| | - Dominik Schneidawind
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Corina Schneidawind
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Tuebingen, Tuebingen, Germany.
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
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2
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Kreissig S, Windisch R, Wichmann C. Deciphering Acute Myeloid Leukemia Associated Transcription Factors in Human Primary CD34+ Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells. Cells 2023; 13:78. [PMID: 38201282 PMCID: PMC10777941 DOI: 10.3390/cells13010078] [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: 11/10/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/22/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Hemato-oncological diseases account for nearly 10% of all malignancies and can be classified into leukemia, lymphoma, myeloproliferative diseases, and myelodysplastic syndromes. The causes and prognosis of these disease entities are highly variable. Most entities are not permanently controllable and ultimately lead to the patient's death. At the molecular level, recurrent mutations including chromosomal translocations initiate the transformation from normal stem-/progenitor cells into malignant blasts finally floating the patient's bone marrow and blood system. In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), the so-called master transcription factors such as RUNX1, KMT2A, and HOX are frequently disrupted by chromosomal translocations, resulting in neomorphic oncogenic fusion genes. Triggering ex vivo expansion of primary human CD34+ stem/progenitor cells represents a distinct characteristic of such chimeric AML transcription factors. Regarding oncogenic mechanisms of AML, most studies focus on murine models. However, due to biological differences between mice and humans, findings are only partly transferable. This review focuses on the genetic manipulation of human CD34+ primary hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells derived from healthy donors to model acute myeloid leukemia cell growth. Analysis of defined single- or multi-hit human cellular AML models will elucidate molecular mechanisms of the development, maintenance, and potential molecular intervention strategies to counteract malignant human AML blast cell growth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Christian Wichmann
- Division of Transfusion Medicine, Cell Therapeutics and Haemostaseology, LMU University Hospital, LMU Munich, 81377 Munich, Germany; (S.K.)
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3
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Tamai M, Fujisawa S, Nguyen TTT, Komatsu C, Kagami K, Kamimoto K, Omachi K, Kasai S, Harama D, Watanabe A, Akahane K, Goi K, Naka K, Kaname T, Teshima T, Inukai T. Creation of Philadelphia chromosome by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated double cleavages on BCR and ABL1 genes as a model for initial event in leukemogenesis. Cancer Gene Ther 2023; 30:38-50. [PMID: 35999358 PMCID: PMC9842507 DOI: 10.1038/s41417-022-00522-w] [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: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
The Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome was the first translocation identified in leukemia. It is supposed to be generated by aberrant ligation between two DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) at the BCR gene located on chromosome 9q34 and the ABL1 gene located on chromosome 22q11. Thus, mimicking the initiation process of translocation, we induced CRISPR/Cas9-mediated DSBs simultaneously at the breakpoints of the BCR and ABL1 genes in a granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) dependent human leukemia cell line. After transfection of two single guide RNAs (sgRNAs) targeting intron 13 of the BCR gene and intron 1 of the ABL1 gene, a factor-independent subline was obtained. In the subline, p210 BCR::ABL1 and its reciprocal ABL1::BCR fusions were generated as a result of balanced translocation corresponding to the Ph chromosome. Another set of sgRNAs targeting intron 1 of the BCR gene and intron 1 of the ABL1 gene induced a factor-independent subline expressing p190 BCR::ABL1. Both p210 and p190 BCR::ABL1 induced factor-independent growth by constitutively activating intracellular signaling pathways for transcriptional regulation of cell cycle progression and cell survival that are usually regulated by GM-CSF. These observations suggested that simultaneous DSBs at the BCR and ABL1 gene breakpoints are initiation events for oncogenesis in Ph+ leukemia. (200/200 words).
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Affiliation(s)
- Minori Tamai
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan.
| | - Shinichi Fujisawa
- Division of Laboratory and Transfusion Medicine, Hokkaido University Hospital, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Thao T T Nguyen
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan
| | - Chiaki Komatsu
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan
| | - Keiko Kagami
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan
| | - Kenji Kamimoto
- Department of Developmental Biology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St Louis, MO, USA
| | - Kohei Omachi
- Division of Nephrology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA
| | - Shin Kasai
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan
| | - Daisuke Harama
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan
| | - Atsushi Watanabe
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan
| | - Koshi Akahane
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan
| | - Kumiko Goi
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan
| | - Kazuhito Naka
- Department of Stem Cell Biology, Research Institute for Radiation Biology and Medicine, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Tadashi Kaname
- Department of Genome Medicine, National Research Institute for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takanori Teshima
- Division of Laboratory and Transfusion Medicine, Hokkaido University Hospital, Hokkaido, Japan
| | - Takeshi Inukai
- Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, University of Yamanashi, Yamanashi, Japan
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4
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Olsen SN, Godfrey L, Healy JP, Choi YA, Kai Y, Hatton C, Perner F, Haarer EL, Nabet B, Yuan GC, Armstrong SA. MLL::AF9 degradation induces rapid changes in transcriptional elongation and subsequent loss of an active chromatin landscape. Mol Cell 2022; 82:1140-1155.e11. [PMID: 35245435 PMCID: PMC9044330 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2022.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
MLL rearrangements produce fusion oncoproteins that drive leukemia development, but the direct effects of MLL-fusion inactivation remain poorly defined. We designed models with degradable MLL::AF9 where treatment with small molecules induces rapid degradation. We leveraged the kinetics of this system to identify a core subset of MLL::AF9 target genes where MLL::AF9 degradation induces changes in transcriptional elongation within 15 minutes. MLL::AF9 degradation subsequently causes loss of a transcriptionally active chromatin landscape. We used this insight to assess the effectiveness of small molecules that target members of the MLL::AF9 multiprotein complex, specifically DOT1L and MENIN. Combined DOT1L/MENIN inhibition resembles MLL::AF9 degradation, whereas single-agent treatment has more modest effects on MLL::AF9 occupancy and gene expression. Our data show that MLL::AF9 degradation leads to decreases in transcriptional elongation prior to changes in chromatin landscape at select loci and that combined inhibition of chromatin complexes releases the MLL::AF9 oncoprotein from chromatin globally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Naomi Olsen
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Laura Godfrey
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - James P Healy
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Yoolim A Choi
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Yan Kai
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Charles Hatton
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Florian Perner
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA; Internal Medicine C, University Medical Center Greifswald, 17475 Greifswald, Germany
| | - Elena L Haarer
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Behnam Nabet
- Human Biology Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
| | - Guo-Cheng Yuan
- Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences and Charles Bronfman Institute for Personalized Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Scott A Armstrong
- Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02215, USA.
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5
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Samuelson C, Radtke S, Zhu H, Llewellyn M, Fields E, Cook S, Huang MLW, Jerome KR, Kiem HP, Humbert O. Multiplex CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in hematopoietic stem cells for fetal hemoglobin reinduction generates chromosomal translocations. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 2021; 23:507-523. [PMID: 34853798 PMCID: PMC8605315 DOI: 10.1016/j.omtm.2021.10.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Sickle cell disease and β-thalassemia are common monogenic disorders that cause significant morbidity and mortality globally. The only curative treatment currently is allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, which is unavailable to many patients due to a lack of matched donors and carries risks including graft-versus-host disease. Genome editing therapies targeting either the BCL11A erythroid enhancer or the HBG promoter are already demonstrating success in reinducing fetal hemoglobin. However, where a single locus is targeted, reliably achieving levels high enough to deliver an effective cure remains a challenge. We investigated the application of a CRISPR/Cas9 multiplex genome editing approach, in which both the BCL11A erythroid enhancer and HBG promoter are disrupted within human hematopoietic stem cells. We demonstrate superior fetal hemoglobin reinduction with this dual-editing approach without compromising engraftment or lineage differentiation potential of edited cells post-xenotransplantation. However, multiplex editing consistently resulted in the generation of chromosomal rearrangement events that persisted in vivo following transplantation into immunodeficient mice. The risk of oncogenic events resulting from such translocations therefore currently prohibits its clinical translation, but it is anticipated that, in the future, alternative editing platforms will help alleviate this risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clare Samuelson
- Stem Cell and Gene Therapy Program, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109-1024, USA
| | - Stefan Radtke
- Stem Cell and Gene Therapy Program, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109-1024, USA
| | - Haiying Zhu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Mallory Llewellyn
- Stem Cell and Gene Therapy Program, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109-1024, USA
| | - Emily Fields
- Stem Cell and Gene Therapy Program, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109-1024, USA
| | - Savannah Cook
- Stem Cell and Gene Therapy Program, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109-1024, USA
| | - Meei-Li W. Huang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Keith R. Jerome
- Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
- Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle WA 98109-1024, USA
| | - Hans-Peter Kiem
- Stem Cell and Gene Therapy Program, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109-1024, USA
- Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Olivier Humbert
- Stem Cell and Gene Therapy Program, Clinical Research Division, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98109-1024, USA
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6
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Panicker S, Venkatabalasubramanian S, Pathak S, Ramalingam S. The impact of fusion genes on cancer stem cells and drug resistance. Mol Cell Biochem 2021; 476:3771-3783. [PMID: 34095988 DOI: 10.1007/s11010-021-04203-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/29/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
With ever increasing evidences on the role of fusion genes as the oncogenic protagonists in myriad cancers, it's time to explore if fusion genes can be the next generational drug targets in meeting the current demands of higher drug efficacy. Eliminating cancer stem cells (CSC) has become the current focus; however, we have reached a standstill in drug development owing to the lack of effective strategies to eradicate CSC. We believe that fusion genes could be the novel targets to overcome this limitation. The intriguing feature of fusion genes is that it dominantly impacts every aspect of CSC including self-renewal, differentiation, lineage commitment, tumorigenicity and stemness. Given the clinical success of fusion gene-based drugs in hematological cancers, our attempt to target fusion genes in eradicating CSC can be rewarding. As fusion genes are expressed explicitly in cancer cells, eradicating CSC by targeting fusion genes provides yet an another advantage of negligible patient side effects since normal cells remain unaffected by the drug. We hereby delineate the latest evidences on how fusion genes regulate CSC and drug resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saurav Panicker
- Department of Genetic Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Kanchipuram, 603203, Tamil Nadu, India
| | | | - Surajit Pathak
- Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Kelambakkam, Chennai, 603103, Tamil Nadu, India
| | - Satish Ramalingam
- Department of Genetic Engineering, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Kattankulathur, Kanchipuram, 603203, Tamil Nadu, India.
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7
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Zeisig BB, Fung TK, Zarowiecki M, Tsai CT, Luo H, Stanojevic B, Lynn C, Leung AYH, Zuna J, Zaliova M, Bornhauser M, von Bonin M, Lenhard B, Huang S, Mufti GJ, So CWE. Functional reconstruction of human AML reveals stem cell origin and vulnerability of treatment-resistant MLL-rearranged leukemia. Sci Transl Med 2021; 13:eabc4822. [PMID: 33627486 DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abc4822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Chemoresistance remains the major challenge for successful treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Although recent mouse studies suggest that treatment response of genetically and immunophenotypically indistinguishable AML can be influenced by their different cells of origin, corresponding evidence in human disease is still largely lacking. By combining prospective disease modeling using highly purified human hematopoietic stem or progenitor cells with retrospective deconvolution study of leukemia stem cells (LSCs) from primary patient samples, we identified human hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and common myeloid progenitors (CMPs) as two distinctive origins of human AML driven by Mixed Lineage Leukemia (MLL) gene fusions (MLL-AML). Despite LSCs from either MLL-rearranged HSCs or MLL-rearranged CMPs having a mature CD34-/lo/CD38+ immunophenotype in both a humanized mouse model and primary patient samples, the resulting AML cells exhibited contrasting responses to chemotherapy. HSC-derived MLL-AML was highly resistant to chemotherapy and expressed elevated amounts of the multispecific anion transporter ABCC3. Inhibition of ABCC3 by shRNA-mediated knockdown or with small-molecule inhibitor fidaxomicin, currently used for diarrhea associated with Clostridium difficile infection, effectively resensitized HSC-derived MLL-AML toward standard chemotherapeutic drugs. This study not only functionally established two distinctive origins of human LSCs for MLL-AML and their role in mediating chemoresistance but also identified a potential therapeutic avenue for stem cell-associated treatment resistance by repurposing a well-tolerated antidiarrhea drug already used in the clinic.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernd B Zeisig
- Leukaemia and Stem Cell Biology Group, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College, London SE5 9NU, UK
- Department of Haematological Medicine, King's College Hospital, London SE5 9RS, UK
| | - Tsz Kan Fung
- Leukaemia and Stem Cell Biology Group, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College, London SE5 9NU, UK
- Department of Haematological Medicine, King's College Hospital, London SE5 9RS, UK
| | - Magdalena Zarowiecki
- Leukaemia and Stem Cell Biology Group, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Chiou Tsun Tsai
- Leukaemia and Stem Cell Biology Group, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Huacheng Luo
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Penn State Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA
| | - Boban Stanojevic
- Leukaemia and Stem Cell Biology Group, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College, London SE5 9NU, UK
- Laboratory for Radiobiology and Molecular Genetics, Vinca Institute of Nuclear Science, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
| | - Claire Lynn
- Leukaemia and Stem Cell Biology Group, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College, London SE5 9NU, UK
| | - Anskar Y H Leung
- Department of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, HKSAR, China
| | - Jan Zuna
- CLIP, Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Motol, 150 06 Prague 5, Czech Republic
| | - Marketa Zaliova
- CLIP, Department of Paediatric Haematology and Oncology, 2nd Faculty of Medicine, Charles University and University Hospital Motol, 150 06 Prague 5, Czech Republic
| | | | - Malte von Bonin
- Department of Medicine, University Hospital, 01307 Dresden, Germany
| | - Boris Lenhard
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London W12 0NN, UK
- Computational Regulatory Genomics, MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences, London W12 0NN, UK
- Sars International Centre for Marine Molecular Biology, University of Bergen, N-5008 Bergen, Norway
| | - Suming Huang
- Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Department of Pediatrics, Penn State Cancer Institute, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA 17033, USA.
| | - Ghulam J Mufti
- Leukaemia and Stem Cell Biology Group, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College, London SE5 9NU, UK
- Department of Haematological Medicine, King's College Hospital, London SE5 9RS, UK
| | - Chi Wai Eric So
- Leukaemia and Stem Cell Biology Group, School of Cancer and Pharmaceutical Sciences, King's College, London SE5 9NU, UK.
- Department of Haematological Medicine, King's College Hospital, London SE5 9RS, UK
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8
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Doulatov S, Papapetrou EP. Studying clonal evolution of myeloid malignancies using induced pluripotent stem cells. Curr Opin Hematol 2021; 28:50-56. [PMID: 33264225 PMCID: PMC7821967 DOI: 10.1097/moh.0000000000000620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW Myeloid malignancies comprise a spectrum of genetically heterogeneous disorders marked by the stepwise acquisition of somatic mutations and clonal evolution. The blood and bone marrow of patients typically consists of a mix of different clones and subclones along the path of clonal evolution that cannot be deconvoluted with most current approaches. Here, we review the application of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology to the study of the clonal architecture and clonal evolution of these diseases, focusing on myelodysplastic syndromes and acute myeloid leukemia. RECENT FINDINGS Reprogramming to pluripotency allows capture of the genomes of single somatic cells into stable iPSC lines. In addition, precise genome editing can introduce specific driver mutations, isolated, and in combinations, into normal iPSCs. Studies utilizing these approaches have elucidated the clonal composition and mutational order in patients with myeloid neoplasms. Importantly, they have also enabled functional interrogation of the cellular and molecular consequences of individual mutations and their combinations and allowed testing of the effects of drugs on distinct disease clones. SUMMARY Human iPSCs are important tools to elucidate the mechanisms of progression from normal to malignant haematopoiesis and empower drug testing and drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergei Doulatov
- Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
- Institute of Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington
| | - Eirini P. Papapetrou
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
- Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, USA
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9
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van IJzendoorn DGP, Salvatori DCF, Cao X, van den Hil F, Briaire-de Bruijn IH, de Jong D, Mei H, Mummery CL, Szuhai K, Bovée JVMG, Orlova VV. Vascular Tumor Recapitulated in Endothelial Cells from hiPSCs Engineered to Express the SERPINE1-FOSB Translocation. CELL REPORTS MEDICINE 2020; 1:100153. [PMID: 33377124 PMCID: PMC7762773 DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2020.100153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Revised: 08/10/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Chromosomal translocations are prevalent among soft tissue tumors, including those of the vasculature such as pseudomyogenic hemangioendothelioma (PHE). PHE shows endothelial cell (EC) features and has a tumor-specific t(7;19)(q22;q13) SERPINE1-FOSB translocation, but is difficult to study as no primary tumor cell lines have yet been derived. Here, we engineer the PHE chromosomal translocation into human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) using CRISPR/Cas9 and differentiate these into ECs (hiPSC-ECs) to address this. Comparison of parental with PHE hiPSC-ECs shows (1) elevated expression of FOSB, (2) higher proliferation and more tube formation but lower endothelial barrier function, (3) invasive growth and abnormal vessel formation in mice after transplantation, and (4) specific transcriptome alterations reflecting PHE and indicating PI3K-Akt and MAPK signaling pathways as possible therapeutic targets. The modified hiPSC-ECs thus recapitulate functional features of PHE and demonstrate how these translocation models can be used to understand tumorigenic mechanisms and identify therapeutic targets. SERPINE1-FOSB translocation in hiPSC to model the vascular tumor PHE CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene targeting to engineer hiPSCSERPINE1-FOSB hiPSC-ECsSERPINE1-FOSB show increased FOSB expression Functional features of PHE recapitulated by hiPSC-ECsSERPINE1-FOSB
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Daniela C F Salvatori
- Central Laboratory Animal Facility, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Xu Cao
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Francijna van den Hil
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | | | - Danielle de Jong
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Hailiang Mei
- Sequencing Analysis Support Core, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Christine L Mummery
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Karoly Szuhai
- Department of Cell and Chemical Biology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Judith V M G Bovée
- Department of Pathology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
| | - Valeria V Orlova
- Department of Anatomy and Embryology, Leiden University Medical Center, 2333 ZA Leiden, the Netherlands
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10
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High-efficiency CRISPR induction of t(9;11) chromosomal translocations and acute leukemias in human blood stem cells. Blood Adv 2020; 3:2825-2835. [PMID: 31582391 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2019000450] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2019] [Accepted: 07/30/2019] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Chromosomal rearrangements involving the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene, also known as KMT2A, are often observed in human leukemias and are generally associated with a poor prognosis. To model these leukemias, we applied clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 gene editing to induce MLL chromosomal rearrangements in human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells purified from umbilical cord blood. Electroporation of ribonucleoprotein complexes containing chemically modified synthetic single guide RNAs and purified Cas9 protein induced translocations between chromosomes 9 and 11 [t(9;11)] at an efficiency >1%. Transplantation of gene-edited cells into immune-compromised mice rapidly induced acute leukemias of different lineages and often with multiclonal origins dictated by the duration of in vitro culture prior to transplantation. Breakpoint junction sequences served as biomarkers to monitor clonal selection and progression in culture and in vivo. High-dimensional cell surface and intracellular protein analysis by mass cytometry (CyTOF) revealed that gene-edited leukemias recapitulated disease-specific protein expression observed in human patients and showed that MLL-rearranged (MLLr) mixed phenotype acute leukemias (MPALs) were more similar to acute myeloid leukemias (AMLs) than to acute lymphoblastic leukemias (ALLs). Therefore, highly efficient generation of MLL chromosomal translocations in primary human blood stem cells using CRISPR/Cas9 reliably models human acute MLLr leukemia and provides an experimental platform for basic and translational studies of leukemia biology and therapeutics.
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11
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Ramezankhani R, Minaei N, Haddadi M, Torabi S, Hesaraki M, Mirzaei H, Vosough M, Verfaillie CM. Gene editing technology for improving life quality: A dream coming true? Clin Genet 2020; 99:67-83. [PMID: 32506418 DOI: 10.1111/cge.13794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2020] [Revised: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The fact that monogenic diseases are related to mutations in one specific gene, make gene correction one of the promising strategies in the future to treat genetic diseases or alleviate their symptoms. From this perspective, and along with recent advances in technology, genome editing tools have gained momentum and developed fast. In fact, clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-associated protein 9 (CRISPR/Cas9), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), and zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs) are regarded as novel technologies which are able to correct a number of genetic aberrations in vitro and in vivo. The number of ongoing clinical trials employing these tools has been increased showing the encouraging outcomes of these tools. However, there are still some major challenges with respect to the safety profile and directed delivery of them. In this paper, we provided updated information regarding the history, nature, methods of delivery, and application of the above-mentioned gene editing tools along with the meganucleases (an older similar tool) based on published in vitro and in vivo studies and introduced clinical trials which employed these technologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roya Ramezankhani
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran.,Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran.,Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven Stem Cell Institute, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Neda Minaei
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran.,Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahnaz Haddadi
- Department of Embryology, Reproductive Biomedicine Research Center, Royan Institute for Reproductive Biomedicine, ACECR, Tehran, Iran
| | - Shukoofeh Torabi
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran.,Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran
| | - Mahdi Hesaraki
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran
| | - Hamed Mirzaei
- Research Center for Biochemistry and Nutrition in Metabolic Diseases, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran
| | - Massoud Vosough
- Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran.,Department of Regenerative Medicine, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology, Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research (ACECR), Tehran, Iran
| | - Catherine M Verfaillie
- Department of Development and Regeneration, Stem Cell Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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12
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Sarrou E, Richmond L, Carmody RJ, Gibson B, Keeshan K. CRISPR Gene Editing of Murine Blood Stem and Progenitor Cells Induces MLL-AF9 Chromosomal Translocation and MLL-AF9 Leukaemogenesis. Int J Mol Sci 2020; 21:ijms21124266. [PMID: 32549410 PMCID: PMC7352880 DOI: 10.3390/ijms21124266] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2020] [Revised: 06/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Chromosomal rearrangements of the mixed lineage leukaemia (MLL, also known as KMT2A) gene on chromosome 11q23 are amongst the most common genetic abnormalities observed in human acute leukaemias. MLL rearrangements (MLLr) are the most common cytogenetic abnormalities in infant and childhood acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and acute lymphocytic leukaemia (ALL) and do not normally acquire secondary mutations compared to other leukaemias. To model these leukaemias, we have used clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 gene editing to induce MLL-AF9 (MA9) chromosomal rearrangements in murine hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell lines and primary cells. By utilizing a dual-single guide RNA (sgRNA) approach targeting the breakpoint cluster region of murine Mll and Af9 equivalent to that in human MA9 rearrangements, we show efficient de novo generation of MA9 fusion product at the DNA and RNA levels in the bulk population. The leukaemic features of MA9-induced disease were observed including increased clonogenicity, enrichment of c-Kit-positive leukaemic stem cells and increased MA9 target gene expression. This approach provided a rapid and reliable means of de novo generation of Mll-Af9 genetic rearrangements in murine haematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs), using CRISPR/Cas9 technology to produce a cellular model of MA9 leukaemias which faithfully reproduces many features of the human disease in vitro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evgenia Sarrou
- Paul O’Gorman Leukaemia Research Centre, Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 0YN, UK; (E.S.); (L.R.)
| | - Laura Richmond
- Paul O’Gorman Leukaemia Research Centre, Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 0YN, UK; (E.S.); (L.R.)
| | - Ruaidhrí J. Carmody
- Centre for Immunobiology, Institute of Infection, Immunity & Inflammation, College of Medicine, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8TA, UK;
| | | | - Karen Keeshan
- Paul O’Gorman Leukaemia Research Centre, Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 0YN, UK; (E.S.); (L.R.)
- Correspondence:
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13
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Secker KA, Bruns L, Keppeler H, Jeong J, Hentrich T, Schulze-Hentrich JM, Mankel B, Fend F, Schneidawind D, Schneidawind C. Only Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells from Cord Blood Are Susceptible to Malignant Transformation by MLL-AF4 Translocations. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12061487. [PMID: 32517300 PMCID: PMC7352867 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12061487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 06/01/2020] [Accepted: 06/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) (KMT2A) rearrangements (KMT2Ar) play a crucial role in leukemogenesis. Dependent on age, major differences exist regarding disease frequency, main fusion partners and prognosis. In infants, up to 80% of acute lymphoid leukemia (ALL) bear a MLL translocation and half of them are t(4;11), resulting in a poor prognosis. In contrast, in adults only 10% of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) bear t(9;11) with an intermediate prognosis. The reasons for these differences are poorly understood. Recently, we established an efficient CRISPR/Cas9-based KMT2Ar model in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) derived from human cord blood (huCB) and faithfully mimicked the underlying biology of the disease. Here, we applied this model to HSPCs from adult bone marrow (huBM) to investigate the impact of the cell of origin and fusion partner on disease development. Both genome-edited infant and adult KMT2Ar cells showed monoclonal outgrowth with an immature morphology, myelomonocytic phenotype and elevated KMT2Ar target gene expression comparable to patient cells. Strikingly, all KMT2Ar cells presented with indefinite growth potential except for MLL-AF4 huBM cells ceasing proliferation after 80 days. We uncovered FFAR2, an epigenetic tumor suppressor, as potentially responsible for the inability of MLL-AF4 to immortalize adult cells under myeloid conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathy-Ann Secker
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany; (K.-A.S.); (L.B.); (H.K.); (D.S.)
| | - Lukas Bruns
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany; (K.-A.S.); (L.B.); (H.K.); (D.S.)
| | - Hildegard Keppeler
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany; (K.-A.S.); (L.B.); (H.K.); (D.S.)
| | - Johan Jeong
- Synthego Corporation, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA;
| | - Thomas Hentrich
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany; (T.H.); (J.M.S.-H.)
| | - Julia M. Schulze-Hentrich
- Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany; (T.H.); (J.M.S.-H.)
| | - Barbara Mankel
- Institute of Pathology and Neuropathology, University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany; (B.M.); (F.F.)
| | - Falko Fend
- Institute of Pathology and Neuropathology, University of Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany; (B.M.); (F.F.)
| | - Dominik Schneidawind
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany; (K.-A.S.); (L.B.); (H.K.); (D.S.)
| | - Corina Schneidawind
- Department of Hematology, Oncology, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University Hospital Tuebingen, 72076 Tuebingen, Germany; (K.-A.S.); (L.B.); (H.K.); (D.S.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +49-7071-29-84319
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14
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Schwaller J. Learning from mouse models of MLL fusion gene-driven acute leukemia. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-GENE REGULATORY MECHANISMS 2020; 1863:194550. [PMID: 32320749 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbagrm.2020.194550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2019] [Revised: 02/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
5-10% of human acute leukemias carry chromosomal translocations involving the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene that result in the expression of chimeric protein fusing MLL to >80 different partners of which AF4, ENL and AF9 are the most prevalent. In contrast to many other leukemia-associated mutations, several MLL-fusions are powerful oncogenes that transform hematopoietic stem cells but also more committed progenitor cells. Here, I review different approaches that were used to express MLL fusions in the murine hematopoietic system which often, but not always, resulted in highly penetrant and transplantable leukemias that closely phenocopied the human disease. Due to its simple and reliable nature, reconstitution of irradiated mice with bone marrow cells retrovirally expressing the MLL-AF9 fusion became the most frequently in vivo model to study the biology of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). I review some of the most influential studies that used this model to dissect critical protein interactions, the impact of epigenetic regulators, microRNAs and microenvironment-dependent signals for MLL fusion-driven leukemia. In addition, I highlight studies that used this model for shRNA- or genome editing-based screens for cellular vulnerabilities that allowed to identify novel therapeutic targets of which some entered clinical trials. Finally, I discuss some inherent characteristics of the widely used mouse model based on retroviral expression of the MLL-AF9 fusion that can limit general conclusions for the biology of AML. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: The MLL family of proteins in normal development and disease edited by Thomas A Milne.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juerg Schwaller
- University Children's Hospital Beider Basel (UKBB), Basel, Switzerland; Department of Biomedicine, University of Basel, Switzerland.
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15
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Gao M, Pang H, Kim YM, Lu X, Wang X, Lee J, Wang M, Meng F, Li S. An extra chromosome 9 derived from either a normal chromosome 9 or a derivative chromosome 9 in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia positive for t(9;11)(p21.3;q23.3): A case report. Oncol Lett 2019; 18:6725-6731. [PMID: 31807181 PMCID: PMC6876330 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2019.11035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 09/27/2019] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Translocation (9;11)(p21.3;q23.3) is one of the most common lysine methyltransferase 2A (KMT2A)-rearrangements in de novo and therapy-related acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Numerous in vitro and in vivo studies have demonstrated that the KMT2A/MLLT3 super elongation complex subunit (MLLT3) fusion gene on the derivative chromosome 11 serves a crucial role in leukemogenesis. Trisomy 9 as a secondary chromosome change in patients with t(9;11) is relatively rare. The present study reported a unique case of AML with a chromosome 9 trisomy secondary to t(9;11)(p21.3;q23.3) through the cytogenetic analysis of leukemic blood and bone marrow. Further characterization with fluorescence in situ hybridization and array comparative genomic hybridization analysis revealed that this extra chromosome 9 was either a copy of normal chromosome 9 or a derivative chromosome 9. Conversely with the previously reported favorable outcome of AML patients with t(9;11)(p21.3;q23.3), in the present study, the cells with only translocation persisted, whereas the cells with an extra chromosome 9 disappeared following initial chemotherapy. With this unique case, the present study hypothesized that the extra chromosome 9 could serve a crucial role in AML disease progression and contribute to cellular sensitivity to chemotherapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man Gao
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China
| | - Hui Pang
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA
| | - Young Mi Kim
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA
| | - Xianglan Lu
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA
| | - Xianfu Wang
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA
| | - Jiyun Lee
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA.,Department of Pathology, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Mingwei Wang
- Clinical Medical College of Beihua University, Jilin City, Jilin 132013, P.R. China
| | - Fanzheng Meng
- Department of Pediatrics, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin 130021, P.R. China
| | - Shibo Li
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma, OK 73104, USA
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16
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Functional profiling of single CRISPR/Cas9-edited human long-term hematopoietic stem cells. Nat Commun 2019; 10:4730. [PMID: 31628330 PMCID: PMC6802205 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12726-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2019] [Accepted: 09/29/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In the human hematopoietic system, rare self-renewing multipotent long-term hematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSCs) are responsible for the lifelong production of mature blood cells and are the rational target for clinical regenerative therapies. However, the heterogeneity in the hematopoietic stem cell compartment and variable outcomes of CRISPR/Cas9 editing make functional interrogation of rare LT-HSCs challenging. Here, we report high efficiency LT-HSC editing at single-cell resolution using electroporation of modified synthetic gRNAs and Cas9 protein. Targeted short isoform expression of the GATA1 transcription factor elicit distinct differentiation and proliferation effects in single highly purified LT-HSC when analyzed with functional in vitro differentiation and long-term repopulation xenotransplantation assays. Our method represents a blueprint for systematic genetic analysis of complex tissue hierarchies at single-cell resolution. Previous gene editing in haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) has focussed on a heterogeneous CD34+ population. Here, the authors demonstrate high efficiency CRISPR/Cas9-based editing of purified long-term HSCs using non-homologous end joining and homology-directed repair, by directing isoform-specific expression of GATA1.
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17
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Inhibition of DOT1L and PRMT5 promote synergistic anti-tumor activity in a human MLL leukemia model induced by CRISPR/Cas9. Oncogene 2019; 38:7181-7195. [PMID: 31417187 DOI: 10.1038/s41388-019-0937-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Revised: 04/30/2019] [Accepted: 05/29/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
MLL rearrangements play a crucial role in leukemogenesis and comprise a poor prognosis. Therefore, new treatment strategies are urgently needed. We used the CRISPR/Cas9 system to generate an innovative leukemia model based on 100% pure MLL-AF4 or -AF9 rearranged cells derived from umbilical cord blood with indefinite growth in cell culture systems. Our model shared phenotypical, morphological and molecular features of patient cells faithfully mimicking the nature of the disease. Thus, it serves as a fundamental basis for pharmacological studies: inhibition of histone methyltransferase disruptor of telomeric silencing 1-like (DOT1L) is one specific therapeutic approach currently tested in clinical trials. However, success was limited by restricted response warranting further investigation of drug combinations. Recently, it has been shown that the inhibition of protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) exhibits anti-tumoral activity against human cell lines and in MLL mouse models. Here, we used DOT1L and PRMT5 inhibitors in our human MLL-rearranged model demonstrating dose-dependent reduced proliferation, impairment of cell cycle, increasing differentiation, apoptosis, downregulation of target genes and sensitization to chemotherapy. Strikingly, the combination of both compounds led to synergistic anti-tumoral effects. Our study provides a strong rationale for novel targeted combination therapies to improve the outcome of MLL-rearranged leukemias.
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18
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Georgomanoli M, Papapetrou EP. Modeling blood diseases with human induced pluripotent stem cells. Dis Model Mech 2019; 12:12/6/dmm039321. [PMID: 31171568 PMCID: PMC6602313 DOI: 10.1242/dmm.039321] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) are derived from somatic cells through a reprogramming process, which converts them to a pluripotent state, akin to that of embryonic stem cells. Over the past decade, iPSC models have found increasing applications in the study of human diseases, with blood disorders featuring prominently. Here, we discuss methodological aspects pertaining to iPSC generation, hematopoietic differentiation and gene editing, and provide an overview of uses of iPSCs in modeling the cell and gene therapy of inherited genetic blood disorders, as well as their more recent use as models of myeloid malignancies. We also discuss the strengths and limitations of iPSCs compared to model organisms and other cellular systems commonly used in hematology research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Georgomanoli
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
| | - Eirini P Papapetrou
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA; Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY 10029, USA
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19
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Milan T, Canaj H, Villeneuve C, Ghosh A, Barabé F, Cellot S, Wilhelm BT. Pediatric leukemia: Moving toward more accurate models. Exp Hematol 2019; 74:1-12. [PMID: 31154068 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2019.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2019] [Revised: 05/19/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Leukemia is a complex genetic disease caused by errors in differentiation, growth, and apoptosis of hematopoietic cells in either lymphoid or myeloid lineages. Large-scale genomic characterization of thousands of leukemia patients has produced a tremendous amount of data that have enabled a better understanding of the differences between adult and pediatric patients. For instance, although phenotypically similar, pediatric and adult myeloid leukemia patients differ in their mutational profiles, typically involving either chromosomal translocations or recurrent single-base-pair mutations, respectively. To elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the biology of this cancer, continual efforts have been made to develop more contextually and biologically relevant experimental models. Leukemic cell lines, for example, provide an inexpensive and tractable model but often fail to recapitulate critical aspects of tumor biology. Likewise, murine leukemia models of leukemia have been highly informative but also do not entirely reproduce the human disease. More recent advances in the development of patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) or human models of leukemias are poised to provide a more comprehensive, and biologically relevant, approach to directly assess the impact of the in vivo environment on human samples. In this review, the advantages and limitations of the various current models used to functionally define the genetic requirements of leukemogenesis are discussed.
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MESH Headings
- Adolescent
- Animals
- Cell Differentiation
- Child
- Child, Preschool
- Female
- Heterografts
- Humans
- Infant
- Infant, Newborn
- Leukemia, Myeloid/genetics
- Leukemia, Myeloid/pathology
- Leukemia, Myeloid/therapy
- Male
- Mice
- Neoplasm Transplantation
- Neoplasms, Experimental/genetics
- Neoplasms, Experimental/metabolism
- Neoplasms, Experimental/pathology
- Neoplasms, Experimental/therapy
- Translocation, Genetic
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Milan
- Laboratory for High Throughput Biology, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Hera Canaj
- Laboratory for High Throughput Biology, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Chloe Villeneuve
- Laboratory for High Throughput Biology, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Aditi Ghosh
- Laboratory for High Throughput Biology, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Frédéric Barabé
- Centre de recherche en infectiologie du CHUL, Centre de recherche du CHU de Québec, Quebec City, QC, Canada; CHU de Québec Hôpital Enfant-Jésus, Quebec City, QC, Canada; Department of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, QC, Canada
| | - Sonia Cellot
- Division of Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, Ste-Justine Hospital, Montréal, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Brian T Wilhelm
- Laboratory for High Throughput Biology, Institute for Research in Immunology and Cancer, Montréal, QC, Canada; Department of Medicine, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
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20
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Almosailleakh M, Schwaller J. Murine Models of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia. Int J Mol Sci 2019; 20:E453. [PMID: 30669675 PMCID: PMC6358780 DOI: 10.3390/ijms20020453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2018] [Revised: 01/08/2019] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is a rare but severe form of human cancer that results from a limited number of functionally cooperating genetic abnormalities leading to uncontrolled proliferation and impaired differentiation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Before the identification of genetic driver lesions, chemically, irradiation or viral infection-induced mouse leukaemia models provided platforms to test novel chemotherapeutics. Later, transgenic mouse models were established to test the in vivo transforming potential of newly cloned fusion genes and genetic aberrations detected in patients' genomes. Hereby researchers constitutively or conditionally expressed the respective gene in the germline of the mouse or reconstituted the hematopoietic system of lethally irradiated mice with bone marrow virally expressing the mutation of interest. More recently, immune deficient mice have been explored to study patient-derived human AML cells in vivo. Unfortunately, although complementary to each other, none of the currently available strategies faithfully model the initiation and progression of the human disease. Nevertheless, fast advances in the fields of next generation sequencing, molecular technology and bioengineering are continuously contributing to the generation of better mouse models. Here we review the most important AML mouse models of each category, briefly describe their advantages and limitations and show how they have contributed to our understanding of the biology and to the development of novel therapies.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Bone Marrow Transplantation
- Carcinogens/administration & dosage
- Cell Transformation, Viral
- Disease Models, Animal
- Gene Editing
- Heterografts
- Humans
- Immunocompromised Host
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/etiology
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/metabolism
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/pathology
- Mice
- Mice, Transgenic
- Radiation, Ionizing
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Affiliation(s)
- Marwa Almosailleakh
- Department of Biomedicine, University Children's Hospital beider Basel (UKBB), University of Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Juerg Schwaller
- Department of Biomedicine, University Children's Hospital beider Basel (UKBB), University of Basel, 4031 Basel, Switzerland.
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21
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Papapetrou EP. Modeling myeloid malignancies with patient-derived iPSCs. Exp Hematol 2018; 71:77-84. [PMID: 30481543 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2018.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Revised: 11/13/2018] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Modeling human diseases with patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) offers unique research opportunities and is particularly attractive for hematology research. Whereas monogenic inherited blood diseases featured prominently among the first proof-of-principle studies of iPSC modeling, malignant hematologic disorders have been off to a slower start. This has been due to challenges in the derivation of iPSCs from cancer cells and the need to establish robust differentiation protocols and to standardize phenotypic assays of iPSC-derived hematopoiesis. Recent studies of iPSC modeling of myeloid malignancies exploited the clonal heterogeneity of patient samples to derive genetically matched normal controls and recapitulate the clonal evolution of the disease. Comparisons of the malignant phenotypes and molecular signatures of primary leukemic cells, derived iPSCs, and their hematopoietic progeny stress the importance of the cell-of-origin in oncogenesis and enable investigation of the interplay between cell identity and the cancer genome. Larger collections of genetically diverse iPSC lines and more readily scalable hematopoietic differentiation protocols, ideally mimicking adult bone marrow-derived hematopoiesis, would further empower applications of iPSC modeling in myeloid malignancy in the future. Nevertheless, with recent progress in this field, the stage is set for the wider adoption of this model system by the hematology community.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eirini P Papapetrou
- Department of Oncological Sciences, Department of Medicine, Tisch Cancer Institute, and Black Family Stem Cell Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
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Ottersbach K, Sanjuan-Pla A, Torres-Ruíz R, Bueno C, Velasco-Hernández T, Menendez P. The "Never-Ending" Mouse Models for MLL-Rearranged Acute Leukemia Are Still Teaching Us. Hemasphere 2018; 2:e57. [PMID: 31723783 PMCID: PMC6746004 DOI: 10.1097/hs9.0000000000000057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2018] [Accepted: 05/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Katrin Ottersbach
- MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Raúl Torres-Ruíz
- Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute, Department of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Clara Bueno
- Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute, Department of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Talia Velasco-Hernández
- Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute, Department of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Pablo Menendez
- Josep Carreras Leukemia Research Institute, Department of Biomedicine, School of Medicine, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
- Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red de Cáncer (CIBER-ONC), Barcelona, ISCIII, Spain
- Instituciò Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Spain
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23
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Montaño A, Forero-Castro M, Hernández-Rivas JM, García-Tuñón I, Benito R. Targeted genome editing in acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a review. BMC Biotechnol 2018; 18:45. [PMID: 30016959 PMCID: PMC6050675 DOI: 10.1186/s12896-018-0455-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Genome editing technologies offers new opportunities for tackling diseases such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) that have been beyond the reach of previous therapies. Results We show how the recent availability of genome-editing tools such as CRISPR-Cas9 are an important means of advancing functional studies of ALL through the incorporation, elimination and modification of somatic mutations and fusion genes in cell lines and mouse models. These tools not only broaden the understanding of the involvement of various genetic alterations in the pathogenesis of the disease but also identify new therapeutic targets for future clinical trials. Conclusions New approaches including CRISPR-Cas9 are crucial for functional studies of genetic aberrations driving cancer progression, and that may be responsible for treatment resistance and relapses. By using this approach, diseases can be more faithfully reproduced and new therapeutic targets and approaches found.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrián Montaño
- IBSAL, IBMCC, University of Salamanca-CSIC, Cancer Research Center, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Maribel Forero-Castro
- School of Biological Sciences (GICBUPTC Research group), Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Boyacá, Colombia
| | - Jesús-María Hernández-Rivas
- IBSAL, IBMCC, University of Salamanca-CSIC, Cancer Research Center, Salamanca, Spain. .,Department of Medicine, University of Salamanca, Spain, Department of Hematology, University Hospital of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain. .,IBMCC, CIC University of Salamanca-CSIC, University Hospital of Salamanca, Salamanca, Spain.
| | - Ignacio García-Tuñón
- IBSAL, IBMCC, University of Salamanca-CSIC, Cancer Research Center, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Rocío Benito
- IBSAL, IBMCC, University of Salamanca-CSIC, Cancer Research Center, Salamanca, Spain
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