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Kurtz KJ, Conneely SE, O'Keefe M, Wohlan K, Rau RE. Murine Models of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Front Oncol 2022; 12:854973. [PMID: 35756660 PMCID: PMC9214208 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2022.854973] [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: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a phenotypically and genetically heterogeneous hematologic malignancy. Extensive sequencing efforts have mapped the genomic landscape of adult and pediatric AML revealing a number of biologically and prognostically relevant driver lesions. Beyond identifying recurrent genetic aberrations, it is of critical importance to fully delineate the complex mechanisms by which they contribute to the initiation and evolution of disease to ultimately facilitate the development of targeted therapies. Towards these aims, murine models of AML are indispensable research tools. The rapid evolution of genetic engineering techniques over the past 20 years has greatly advanced the use of murine models to mirror specific genetic subtypes of human AML, define cell-intrinsic and extrinsic disease mechanisms, study the interaction between co-occurring genetic lesions, and test novel therapeutic approaches. This review summarizes the mouse model systems that have been developed to recapitulate the most common genomic subtypes of AML. We will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of varying modeling strategies, highlight major discoveries emanating from these model systems, and outline future opportunities to leverage emerging technologies for mechanistic and preclinical investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristen J Kurtz
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Shannon E Conneely
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Madeleine O'Keefe
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Katharina Wohlan
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States
| | - Rachel E Rau
- Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, TX, United States
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2
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Tumor suppressor function of Gata2 in Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia. Blood 2021; 138:1148-1161. [PMID: 34125173 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2021011758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Most patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) can be cured with combined All Trans Retinoic Acid (ATRA) and Arsenic Trioxide therapy, which induce the destruction of PML-RARA, the initiating fusion protein for this disease1. However, the underlying mechanisms by which PML-RARA initiates and maintains APL cells are still not clear. We therefore identified genes that are dysregulated by PML-RARA in mouse and human APL cells, and prioritized GATA2 for functional studies because 1) it is highly expressed in pre-leukemic cells expressing PML-RARA, 2) its high expression persists in transformed APL cells, and 3) spontaneous somatic mutations of GATA2 occur during APL progression in both mice and humans. These and other findings suggested that GATA2 may be upregulated to thwart the proliferative signal generated by PML-RARA, and that its inactivation by mutation (and/or epigenetic silencing) may accelerate disease progression in APL and other forms of AML. Indeed, biallelic knockout of Gata2 with CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing increased the serial replating efficiency of PML-RARA-expressing myeloid progenitors (and also progenitors expressing RUNX1-RUNX1T1, or deficient for Cebpa), increased mouse APL penetrance, and decreased latency. Restoration of Gata2 expression suppressed PML-RARA-driven aberrant self-renewal and leukemogenesis. Conversely, addback of a mutant GATA2R362G protein associated with APL and AML minimally suppressed PML-RARA-induced aberrant self-renewal, suggesting that it is a loss-of-function mutation. These studies reveal a potential role for Gata2 as a tumor suppressor in AML, and suggest that restoration of its function (when inactivated) may provide benefit for AML patients.
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Tan Y, Wang X, Song H, Zhang Y, Zhang R, Li S, Jin W, Chen S, Fang H, Chen Z, Wang K. A PML/RARα direct target atlas redefines transcriptional deregulation in acute promyelocytic leukemia. Blood 2021; 137:1503-1516. [PMID: 32854112 PMCID: PMC7976511 DOI: 10.1182/blood.2020005698] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Accepted: 08/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Transcriptional deregulation initiated by oncogenic fusion proteins plays a vital role in leukemia. The prevailing view is that the oncogenic fusion protein promyelocytic leukemia/retinoic acid receptor-α (PML/RARα), generated by the chromosome translocation t(15;17), functions as a transcriptional repressor in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). Here, we provide rich evidence of how PML/RARα drives oncogenesis through both repressive and activating functions, particularly the importance of the newly identified activation role for the leukemogenesis of APL. The activating function of PML/RARα is achieved by recruiting both abundant P300 and HDAC1 and by the formation of super-enhancers. All-trans retinoic acid and arsenic trioxide, 2 widely used drugs in APL therapy, exert synergistic effects on controlling super-enhancer-associated PML/RARα-regulated targets in APL cells. We use a series of in vitro and in vivo experiments to demonstrate that PML/RARα-activated target gene GFI1 is necessary for the maintenance of APL cells and that PML/RARα, likely oligomerized, transactivates GFI1 through chromatin conformation at the super-enhancer region. Finally, we profile GFI1 targets and reveal the interplay between GFI1 and PML/RARα on chromatin in coregulating target genes. Our study provides genomic insight into the dual role of fusion transcription factors in transcriptional deregulation to drive leukemia development, highlighting the importance of globally dissecting regulatory circuits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun Tan
- Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiaoling Wang
- Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; and
| | - Huan Song
- Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Rongsheng Zhang
- Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; and
| | - Shufen Li
- Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Wen Jin
- Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Saijuan Chen
- Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Hai Fang
- Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Zhu Chen
- Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Sino-French Research Center for Life Sciences and Genomics, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Kankan Wang
- Shanghai Institute of Hematology, State Key Laboratory of Medical Genomics, National Research Center for Translational Medicine at Shanghai, Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; and
- Sino-French Research Center for Life Sciences and Genomics, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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4
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Oncogenic role of lncRNA CRNDE in acute promyelocytic leukemia and NPM1-mutant acute myeloid leukemia. Cell Death Discov 2020; 6:121. [PMID: 33298855 PMCID: PMC7658230 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-020-00359-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
The PML/RARα fusion protein acts in concert with cooperative genetic events in the development of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). However, oncogenic long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) cooperating with PML/RARα remain under-explored. Here, we first identified a set of pathogenesis-related lncRNAs, aberrantly expressed in APL using RNA-seq data from a large cohort of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients and normal counterparts. Among the pathogenesis-related lncRNAs, one of the evolutionarily conservative lncRNAs CRNDE (Colorectal Neoplasia Differentially Expressed) drew our attention. We found that CRNDE was highly expressed in the disease state but not in the preleukemic stage of APL, suggesting that CRNDE might be a secondary event coordinating with PML/RARα to promote APL development. Functional analysis showed that CRNDE knockdown induced differentiation and inhibited proliferation of APL cells, and prolonged survival of APL mice. Further mechanistic studies showed that CRNDE elicited its oncogenic effects through binding the miR-181 family and thereby regulating NOTCH2. Finally, we found that high CRNDE expression was also significantly correlated with NPM1 mutations and contributed to the differentiation block in NPM1-mutant AML. Collectively, our findings shed light on the importance of oncogenic lncRNAs in the development of AML and provide a promising target for AML therapy.
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Identification of IRF8 as a potent tumor suppressor in murine acute promyelocytic leukemia. Blood Adv 2019; 2:2462-2466. [PMID: 30266821 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2018018929] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2018] [Accepted: 08/27/2018] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Although the role of promyelocytic leukemia/retinoic acid receptor α (PML/RARA) fusion protein is well recognized in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), its contribution to initiation and maintenance of leukemogenesis is not completely understood. Transcriptome analysis in the murine MRP8-PML/RARA APL model has demonstrated modest alterations in gene expression accompanied by expansion of the promyelocyte compartment. Of particular interest, mice expressing PML/RARA showed downregulation of the transcription factor Irf8 mRNA. Interferon regulatory factor 8 (IRF8) is a known regulator of hematopoiesis. Previous research had implicated IRF8 as a tumor suppressor for myeloid neoplasia, and mice lacking IRF8 develop a well-differentiated myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by expansion of neutrophilic lineage cells. We hypothesized that PML/RARA-mediated downregulation of Irf8 transcript levels contributes to the initiation of APL. We observed significant downregulation of IRF8 protein levels in highly purified promyelocyte populations of PML/RARA transgenic mice. We also found that loss of IRF8 results in expansion of promyelocytes in vivo, partially phenocopying the impact of PML/RARA expression. Moreover, survival experiments showed that complete loss of IRF8 leads to acceleration of APL onset in our PML/RARA mice. Collectively, these data identify IRF8 downregulation as an important factor in APL initiation and highlight a tumor-suppressor role for IRF8 in this acute leukemia.
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6
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Maes T, Mascaró C, Tirapu I, Estiarte A, Ciceri F, Lunardi S, Guibourt N, Perdones A, Lufino MMP, Somervaille TCP, Wiseman DH, Duy C, Melnick A, Willekens C, Ortega A, Martinell M, Valls N, Kurz G, Fyfe M, Castro-Palomino JC, Buesa C. ORY-1001, a Potent and Selective Covalent KDM1A Inhibitor, for the Treatment of Acute Leukemia. Cancer Cell 2018; 33:495-511.e12. [PMID: 29502954 DOI: 10.1016/j.ccell.2018.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 187] [Impact Index Per Article: 31.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Revised: 09/17/2017] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
The lysine-specific demethylase KDM1A is a key regulator of stem cell potential in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). ORY-1001 is a highly potent and selective KDM1A inhibitor that induces H3K4me2 accumulation on KDM1A target genes, blast differentiation, and reduction of leukemic stem cell capacity in AML. ORY-1001 exhibits potent synergy with standard-of-care drugs and selective epigenetic inhibitors, reduces growth of an AML xenograft model, and extends survival in a mouse PDX (patient-derived xenograft) model of T cell acute leukemia. Surrogate pharmacodynamic biomarkers developed based on expression changes in leukemia cell lines were translated to samples from patients treated with ORY-1001. ORY-1001 is a selective KDM1A inhibitor in clinical trials and is currently being evaluated in patients with leukemia and solid tumors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamara Maes
- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. Carrer Sant Ferran 74, 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain.
| | - Cristina Mascaró
- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. Carrer Sant Ferran 74, 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Iñigo Tirapu
- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. Carrer Sant Ferran 74, 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Angels Estiarte
- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. Carrer Sant Ferran 74, 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Filippo Ciceri
- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. Carrer Sant Ferran 74, 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Serena Lunardi
- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. Carrer Sant Ferran 74, 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Nathalie Guibourt
- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. Carrer Sant Ferran 74, 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Alvaro Perdones
- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. Carrer Sant Ferran 74, 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Michele M P Lufino
- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. Carrer Sant Ferran 74, 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Tim C P Somervaille
- Leukaemia Biology Laboratory, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester M20 4BX, UK
| | - Dan H Wiseman
- Leukaemia Biology Laboratory, Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, The University of Manchester, Manchester M20 4BX, UK
| | - Cihangir Duy
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Medical Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, 10065 NY, USA
| | - Ari Melnick
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology & Medical Oncology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, 10065 NY, USA; Department of Pharmacology, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, 10065 NY, USA
| | - Christophe Willekens
- Drug Development Department (DITEP) and Hematology Department, Gustave Roussy, Université Paris-Saclay, 94805 Villejuif, France
| | - Alberto Ortega
- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. Carrer Sant Ferran 74, 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Marc Martinell
- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. Carrer Sant Ferran 74, 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Nuria Valls
- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. Carrer Sant Ferran 74, 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Guido Kurz
- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. Carrer Sant Ferran 74, 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Matthew Fyfe
- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. Carrer Sant Ferran 74, 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain
| | | | - Carlos Buesa
- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. Carrer Sant Ferran 74, 08940 Cornellà de Llobregat, Spain
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Zhang YH, Hu Y, Zhang Y, Hu LD, Kong X. Distinguishing three subtypes of hematopoietic cells based on gene expression profiles using a support vector machine. Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Basis Dis 2017; 1864:2255-2265. [PMID: 29241664 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbadis.2017.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2017] [Revised: 11/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/01/2017] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Hematopoiesis is a complicated process involving a series of biological sub-processes that lead to the formation of various blood components. A widely accepted model of early hematopoiesis proceeds from long-term hematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSCs) to multipotent progenitors (MPPs) and then to lineage-committed progenitors. However, the molecular mechanisms of early hematopoiesis have not been fully characterized. In this study, we applied a computational strategy to identify the gene expression signatures distinguishing three types of closely related hematopoietic cells collected in recent studies: (1) hematopoietic stem cell/multipotent progenitor cells; (2) LT-HSCs; and (3) hematopoietic progenitor cells. Each cell in these cell types was represented by its gene expression profile among a total number of 20,475 genes. The expression features were analyzed by a Monte-Carlo Feature Selection (MCFS) method, resulting in a feature list. Then, the incremental feature selection (IFS) and a support vector machine (SVM) optimized with a sequential minimum optimization (SMO) algorithm were employed to access the optimal classifier with the highest Matthews correlation coefficient (MCC) value of 0.889, in which 6698 features were used to represent cells. In addition, through an updated program of MCFS method, seventeen decision rules can be obtained, which can classify the three cell types with an overall accuracy of 0.812. Using a literature review, both the rules and the top features used for building the optimal classifier were confirmed to be commonly used or potential biological markers for distinguishing the three cell types of HSPCs. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Accelerating Precision Medicine through Genetic and Genomic Big Data Analysis edited by Yudong Cai & Tao Huang.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu-Hang Zhang
- Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, People's Republic of China
| | - Yu Hu
- Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, People's Republic of China
| | - Yuchao Zhang
- Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, People's Republic of China.
| | - Lan-Dian Hu
- Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, People's Republic of China.
| | - Xiangyin Kong
- Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, People's Republic of China.
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Wang H, Yang R, Zhong L, Zhu XY, Ma PP, Yang XQ, Jiang KL, Liu BZ. Location of NLS-RARα protein in NB4 cell and nude mice. Oncol Lett 2017; 13:2045-2052. [PMID: 28454360 PMCID: PMC5403253 DOI: 10.3892/ol.2017.5706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2015] [Accepted: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In the majority of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) cases, translocons produce a promyelocytic leukemia protein-retinoic acid receptor α (PML-RARα) fusion gene. Studies have reported that neutrophil elastase (NE) cleaves bcr-1-derived PML-RAα in early myeloid cells, leaving only the nuclear localization signal (NLS) of PML attached to RARα. NLS-RARα promotes cell growth and inhibits differentiation in response to ATRA. However, the mechanisms by which NLS-RARα affects cell biological characteristics are yet to be fully elucidated. The present study found that the location of RARαwas altered after it was cleaved by NE. Firstly, NE was overexpressed during the preparation of recombinant plasmid NB-4/pCMV6-NE-Myc to cleave PML-RARα. The total protein expression levels of myc and NE and expression levels of NLS-RARα in nucleoprotein were detected by western blotting. Location of NLS-RARα protein was detected by immunofluorescence and confocal laser scanning. Secondly, a nude mice model was constructed and NE protein, NLS-RARα and RARα protein assays, and the location of NLS-RARα and RARα proteins were assessed as described. The present results showed that, compared with the control groups, the location of NLS-RARα protein was predominantly detected in the nucleus, whereas RARα was mainly distributed in the cytoplasm. These findings were consistent with those of the nude mice model, and these may be used as a foundation to explain the occurrence mechanism of APL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Wang
- Central Laboratory of Yong-Chuan Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 402160, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics, Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
| | - Rong Yang
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics, Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
| | - Liang Zhong
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics, Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
| | - Xin-Yu Zhu
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics, Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
| | - Peng-Peng Ma
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics, Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
| | - Xiao-Qun Yang
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics, Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
| | - Kai-Ling Jiang
- Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics, Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
| | - Bei-Zhong Liu
- Central Laboratory of Yong-Chuan Hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 402160, P.R. China.,Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics, Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, P.R. China
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Cole CB, Verdoni AM, Ketkar S, Leight ER, Russler-Germain DA, Lamprecht TL, Demeter RT, Magrini V, Ley TJ. PML-RARA requires DNA methyltransferase 3A to initiate acute promyelocytic leukemia. J Clin Invest 2015; 126:85-98. [PMID: 26595813 DOI: 10.1172/jci82897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2015] [Accepted: 10/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The DNA methyltransferases DNMT3A and DNMT3B are primarily responsible for de novo methylation of specific cytosine residues in CpG dinucleotides during mammalian development. While loss-of-function mutations in DNMT3A are highly recurrent in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), DNMT3A mutations are almost never found in AML patients with translocations that create oncogenic fusion genes such as PML-RARA, RUNX1-RUNX1T1, and MLL-AF9. Here, we explored how DNMT3A is involved in the function of these fusion genes. We used retroviral vectors to express PML-RARA, RUNX1-RUNX1T1, or MLL-AF9 in bone marrow cells derived from WT or DNMT3A-deficient mice. Additionally, we examined the phenotypes of hematopoietic cells from Ctsg-PML-RARA mice, which express PML-RARA in early hematopoietic progenitors and myeloid precursors, with or without DNMT3A. We determined that the methyltransferase activity of DNMT3A, but not DNMT3B, is required for aberrant PML-RARA-driven self-renewal ex vivo and that DNMT3A is dispensable for RUNX1-RUNX1T1- and MLL-AF9-driven self-renewal. Furthermore, both the PML-RARA-driven competitive transplantation advantage and development of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) required DNMT3A. Together, these findings suggest that PML-RARA requires DNMT3A to initiate APL in mice.
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Establishment of a humanized APL model via the transplantation of PML-RARA-transduced human common myeloid progenitors into immunodeficient mice. PLoS One 2014; 9:e111082. [PMID: 25369030 PMCID: PMC4219701 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2014] [Accepted: 09/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent advances in cancer biology have revealed that many malignancies possess a hierarchal system, and leukemic stem cells (LSC) or leukemia-initiating cells (LIC) appear to be obligatory for disease progression. Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), a subtype of acute myeloid leukemia characterized by the formation of a PML-RARα fusion protein, leads to the accumulation of abnormal promyelocytes. In order to understand the precise mechanisms involved in human APL leukemogenesis, we established a humanized in vivo APL model involving retroviral transduction of PML-RARA into CD34+ hematopoietic cells from human cord blood and transplantation of these cells into immunodeficient mice. The leukemia well recapitulated human APL, consisting of leukemic cells with abundant azurophilic abnormal granules in the cytoplasm, which expressed CD13, CD33 and CD117, but not HLA-DR and CD34, were clustered in the same category as human APL samples in the gene expression analysis, and demonstrated sensitivity to ATRA. As seen in human APL, the induced APL cells showed a low transplantation efficiency in the secondary recipients, which was also exhibited in the transplantations that were carried out using the sorted CD34− fraction. In order to analyze the mechanisms underlying APL initiation and development, fractionated human cord blood was transduced with PML-RARA. Common myeloid progenitors (CMP) from CD34+/CD38+ cells developed APL. These findings demonstrate that CMP are a target fraction for PML-RARA in APL, whereas the resultant CD34− APL cells may share the ability to maintain the tumor.
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11
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Werner B, Gallagher RE, Paietta EM, Litzow MR, Tallman MS, Wiernik PH, Slack JL, Willman CL, Sun Z, Traulsen A, Dingli D. Dynamics of leukemia stem-like cell extinction in acute promyelocytic leukemia. Cancer Res 2014; 74:5386-96. [PMID: 25082816 PMCID: PMC4184925 DOI: 10.1158/0008-5472.can-14-1210] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Many tumors are believed to be maintained by a small number of cancer stem-like cells, where cure is thought to require eradication of this cell population. In this study, we investigated the dynamics of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) before and during therapy with regard to disease initiation, progression, and therapeutic response. This investigation used a mathematical model of hematopoiesis and a dataset derived from the North American Intergroup Study INT0129. The known phenotypic constraints of APL could be explained by a combination of differentiation blockade of PML-RARα-positive cells and suppression of normal hematopoiesis. All-trans retinoic acid (ATRA) neutralizes the differentiation block and decreases the proliferation rate of leukemic stem cells in vivo. Prolonged ATRA treatment after chemotherapy can cure patients with APL by eliminating the stem-like cell population over the course of approximately one year. To our knowledge, this study offers the first estimate of the average duration of therapy that is required to eliminate stem-like cancer cells from a human tumor, with the potential for the refinement of treatment strategies to better manage human malignancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Werner
- Department of Evolutionary Theory, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | | | | | - Mark R Litzow
- Division of Hematology and Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
| | | | | | - James L Slack
- Division of Hematology, Mayo Clinic Arizona, Scottsdale, Arizona
| | | | - Zhuoxin Sun
- Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts
| | - Arne Traulsen
- Department of Evolutionary Theory, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - David Dingli
- Division of Hematology and Department of Internal Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota. Department of Molecular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota.
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Lucena-Araujo AR, Kim HT, Jacomo RH, Melo RA, Bittencourt R, Pasquini R, Pagnano K, Fagundes EM, de Lourdes Chauffaille M, Chiattone CS, Lima AS, Kwaan HC, Gallagher R, Niemeyer CM, Schrier SL, Tallman MS, Grimwade D, Ganser A, Berliner N, Ribeiro RC, Lo-Coco F, Löwenberg B, Sanz MA, Rego EM. Prognostic impact of KMT2E transcript levels on outcome of patients with acute promyelocytic leukaemia treated with all-trans retinoic acid and anthracycline-based chemotherapy: an International Consortium on Acute Promyelocytic Leukaemia study. Br J Haematol 2014; 166:540-9. [PMID: 24796963 DOI: 10.1111/bjh.12921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2013] [Accepted: 03/04/2014] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The KMT2E (MLL5) gene encodes a histone methyltransferase implicated in the positive control of genes related to haematopoiesis. Its close relationship with retinoic acid-induced granulopoiesis suggests that the deregulated expression of KMT2E might lead acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) blasts to become less susceptible to the conventional treatment protocols. Here, we assessed the impact of KMT2E expression on the prognosis of 121 APL patients treated with ATRA and anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Univariate analysis showed that complete remission (P = 0·006), 2-year overall survival (OS) (P = 0·005) and 2-year disease-free survival (DFS) rates (P = 0·037) were significantly lower in patients with low KMT2E expression; additionally, the 2-year cumulative incidence of relapse was higher in patients with low KMT2E expression (P = 0·04). Multivariate analysis revealed that low KMT2E expression was independently associated with lower remission rate (odds ratio [OR]: 7·18, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1·71-30·1; P = 0·007) and shorter OS (hazard ratio [HR]: 0·27, 95% CI: 0·08-0·87; P = 0·029). Evaluated as a continuous variable, KMT2E expression retained association with poor remission rate (OR: 10·3, 95% CI: 2·49-43·2; P = 0·001) and shorter survival (HR: 0·17, 95% IC: 0·05-0·53; P = 0·002), while the association with DFS was of marginal significance (HR: 1·01; 95% CI: 0·99-1·02; P = 0·06). In summary, low KMT2E expression may predict poor outcome in APL patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonio R Lucena-Araujo
- Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil; Centre for Cell Based Therapy, University of São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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Hu XX, Zhong L, Zhang X, Gao YM, Liu BZ. NLS-RARα promotes proliferation and inhibits differentiation in HL-60 cells. Int J Med Sci 2014; 11:247-54. [PMID: 24516348 PMCID: PMC3917113 DOI: 10.7150/ijms.6518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2013] [Accepted: 12/24/2013] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
A unique mRNA produced in leukemic cells from a t(15;17) acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patient encodes a fusion protein between the retinoic acid receptor α (RARα) and a myeloid gene product called PML. Studies have reported that neutrophil elastase (NE) cleaves bcr-1-derived PML-RARα in early myeloid cells, leaving only the nuclear localization signal (NLS) of PML attached to RARα. The resultant NLS-RARα fusion protein mainly localizes to, and functions within, the cell nucleus. It is speculated that NLS-RARα may act in different ways from the wild-type RARα, but its biological characteristics have not been reported. This study takes two approaches. Firstly, the NLS-RARα was silenced with pNLS-RARα-shRNA. The mRNA and protein expression of NLS-RARα were detected by RT-PCR and Western blot respectively. Cell proliferation in vitro was assessed by MTT assay. Flow cytometry (FCM) was used to detect the differentiation of cells. Secondly, the NLS-RARα was over-expressed by preparation of recombinant adenovirus HL-60/pAd-NLS-RARα. The assays of mRNA and protein expression of NLS-RARα, and cell proliferation, were as above. By contrast, cell differentiation was stimulated by all trans retinoic acid (ATRA) (2.5µmol/L) at 24h after virus infection of pAd-NLS-RARα, and then detected by CD11b labeling two days later. The transcription and translation of C-MYC was detected in HL-60/pAd-NLS-RARα cells which treated by ATRA. Our results showed that compared to the control groups, the expression of NLS-RARα was significantly reduced in the HL-60/pNLS-RARα-shRNA cells, and increased dramatically in the HL-60/pAd-NLS-RARα cells. The proliferation was remarkably inhibited in the HL-60/pNLS-RARα-shRNA cells in a time-dependent manner, but markedly promoted in the HL-60/pAd-NLS-RARα cells. FCM outcome revealed the differentiation increased in HL-60/pNLS-RARα-shRNA cells, and decreased in the HL-60/pAd-NLS-RARα cells treated with 2.5µmol/L ATRA. The expression of C-MYC increased strikingly in HL-60/pAd-NLS-RARα cells treated with 2.5µmol/L ATRA. Down-regulation of NLS-RARα expression inhibited the proliferation and induced the differentiation of HL-60 cells. On the contrary, over-expression of NLS-RARα promoted proliferation and reduced the ATRA-induced differentiation of HL-60 cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiu-Xiu Hu
- 1. Central Laboratory of Yong-chuan hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 402160, China. ; 2. Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics, Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Liang Zhong
- 2. Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics, Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Xi Zhang
- 2. Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics, Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Yuan-Mei Gao
- 2. Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics, Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
| | - Bei-Zhong Liu
- 1. Central Laboratory of Yong-chuan hospital, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 402160, China. ; 2. Key Laboratory of Laboratory Medical Diagnostics, Ministry of Education, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400016, China
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Abstract
Acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is initiated by the PML-RARA (PR) fusion oncogene and has a characteristic expression profile that includes high levels of the Notch ligand Jagged-1 (JAG1). In this study, we used a series of bioinformatic, in vitro, and in vivo assays to assess the role of Notch signaling in human APL samples, and in a PML-RARA knock-in mouse model of APL (Ctsg-PML-RARA). We identified a Notch expression signature in both human primary APL cells and in Kit+Lin-Sca1+ cells from pre-leukemic Ctsg-PML-RARA mice. Both genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of Notch signaling abrogated the enhanced self-renewal seen in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells from pre-leukemic Ctsg-PML-RARA mice, but had no influence on cells from age-matched wild-type mice. In addition, six of nine murine APL tumors tested displayed diminished growth in vitro when Notch signaling was inhibited pharmacologically. Finally, we found that genetic inhibition of Notch signaling with a dominant-negative Mastermind-like protein reduced APL growth in vivo in a subset of tumors. These findings expand the role of Notch signaling in hematopoietic diseases, and further define the mechanistic events important for PML-RARA-mediated leukemogenesis.
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