1
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Tanaka Y, Nakanishi Y, Furuhata E, Nakada KI, Maruyama R, Suzuki H, Suzuki T. FLI1 is associated with regulation of DNA methylation and megakaryocytic differentiation in FPDMM caused by a RUNX1 transactivation domain mutation. Sci Rep 2024; 14:14080. [PMID: 38890442 PMCID: PMC11189521 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64829-4] [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: 02/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/20/2024] Open
Abstract
Familial platelet disorder with associated myeloid malignancies (FPDMM) is an autosomal dominant disease caused by heterozygous germline mutations in RUNX1. It is characterized by thrombocytopenia, platelet dysfunction, and a predisposition to hematological malignancies. Although FPDMM is a precursor for diseases involving abnormal DNA methylation, the DNA methylation status in FPDMM remains unknown, largely due to a lack of animal models and challenges in obtaining patient-derived samples. Here, using genome editing techniques, we established two lines of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) with different FPDMM-mimicking heterozygous RUNX1 mutations. These iPSCs showed defective differentiation of hematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) and megakaryocytes (Mks), consistent with FPDMM. The FPDMM-mimicking HPCs showed DNA methylation patterns distinct from those of wild-type HPCs, with hypermethylated regions showing the enrichment of ETS transcription factor (TF) motifs. We found that the expression of FLI1, an ETS family member, was significantly downregulated in FPDMM-mimicking HPCs with a RUNX1 transactivation domain (TAD) mutation. We demonstrated that FLI1 promoted binding-site-directed DNA demethylation, and that overexpression of FLI1 restored their megakaryocytic differentiation efficiency and hypermethylation status. These findings suggest that FLI1 plays a crucial role in regulating DNA methylation and correcting defective megakaryocytic differentiation in FPDMM-mimicking HPCs with a RUNX1 TAD mutation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Tanaka
- Laboratory for Cellular Function Conversion Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS), RIKEN Yokohama Campus, 1-7-22 Suehiro-Cho, Tsurumi-Ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Yuri Nakanishi
- Laboratory for Cellular Function Conversion Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS), RIKEN Yokohama Campus, 1-7-22 Suehiro-Cho, Tsurumi-Ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Erina Furuhata
- Laboratory for Cellular Function Conversion Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS), RIKEN Yokohama Campus, 1-7-22 Suehiro-Cho, Tsurumi-Ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Ken-Ichi Nakada
- Laboratory for Cellular Function Conversion Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS), RIKEN Yokohama Campus, 1-7-22 Suehiro-Cho, Tsurumi-Ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
- Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, 1-7-29 Suehiro-Cho, Tsurumi-Ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Rino Maruyama
- Laboratory for Cellular Function Conversion Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS), RIKEN Yokohama Campus, 1-7-22 Suehiro-Cho, Tsurumi-Ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
- Graduate School of Medical Life Science, Yokohama City University, 1-7-29 Suehiro-Cho, Tsurumi-Ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Harukazu Suzuki
- Laboratory for Cellular Function Conversion Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS), RIKEN Yokohama Campus, 1-7-22 Suehiro-Cho, Tsurumi-Ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan
| | - Takahiro Suzuki
- Laboratory for Cellular Function Conversion Technology, RIKEN Center for Integrative Medical Sciences (IMS), RIKEN Yokohama Campus, 1-7-22 Suehiro-Cho, Tsurumi-Ku, Yokohama City, Kanagawa, 230-0045, Japan.
- Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Juntendo University Faculty of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-Ku, Tokyo, 113-8421, Japan.
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2
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Kellaway SG, Potluri S, Keane P, Blair HJ, Ames L, Worker A, Chin PS, Ptasinska A, Derevyanko PK, Adamo A, Coleman DJL, Khan N, Assi SA, Krippner-Heidenreich A, Raghavan M, Cockerill PN, Heidenreich O, Bonifer C. Leukemic stem cells activate lineage inappropriate signalling pathways to promote their growth. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1359. [PMID: 38355578 PMCID: PMC10867020 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45691-4] [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: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) is caused by multiple mutations which dysregulate growth and differentiation of myeloid cells. Cells adopt different gene regulatory networks specific to individual mutations, maintaining a rapidly proliferating blast cell population with fatal consequences for the patient if not treated. The most common treatment option is still chemotherapy which targets such cells. However, patients harbour a population of quiescent leukemic stem cells (LSCs) which can emerge from quiescence to trigger relapse after therapy. The processes that allow such cells to re-grow remain unknown. Here, we examine the well characterised t(8;21) AML sub-type as a model to address this question. Using four primary AML samples and a novel t(8;21) patient-derived xenograft model, we show that t(8;21) LSCs aberrantly activate the VEGF and IL-5 signalling pathways. Both pathways operate within a regulatory circuit consisting of the driver oncoprotein RUNX1::ETO and an AP-1/GATA2 axis allowing LSCs to re-enter the cell cycle while preserving self-renewal capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie G Kellaway
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
- Blood Cancer and Stem Cells, Centre for Cancer Sciences, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK.
| | - Sandeep Potluri
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Peter Keane
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Helen J Blair
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
| | - Luke Ames
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Alice Worker
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Paulynn S Chin
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Anetta Ptasinska
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | | | - Assunta Adamo
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Daniel J L Coleman
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Naeem Khan
- Institute of Immunology and Immunotherapy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Salam A Assi
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | | | - Manoj Raghavan
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
- Centre for Clinical Haematology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK
| | - Peter N Cockerill
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Olaf Heidenreich
- Translational and Clinical Research Institute, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
- Princess Maxima Center of Pediatric Oncology, Utrecht, Netherlands
| | - Constanze Bonifer
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
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3
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Maytum A, Edginton-White B, Keane P, Cockerill PN, Cazier JB, Bonifer C. Chromatin priming elements direct tissue-specific gene activity before hematopoietic specification. Life Sci Alliance 2024; 7:e202302363. [PMID: 37989524 PMCID: PMC10663361 DOI: 10.26508/lsa.202302363] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 11/15/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Tissue-specific gene regulation during development involves the interplay between transcription factors and epigenetic regulators binding to enhancer and promoter elements. The pattern of active enhancers defines the cellular differentiation state. However, developmental gene activation involves a previous step called chromatin priming which is not fully understood. We recently developed a genome-wide functional assay that allowed us to functionally identify enhancer elements integrated in chromatin regulating five stages spanning the in vitro differentiation of embryonic stem cells to blood. We also measured global chromatin accessibility, histone modifications, and transcription factor binding. The integration of these data identified and characterised cis-regulatory elements which become activated before the onset of gene expression, some of which are primed in a signalling-dependent fashion. Deletion of such a priming element leads to a delay in the up-regulation of its associated gene in development. Our work uncovers the details of a complex network of regulatory interactions with the dynamics of early chromatin opening being at the heart of dynamic tissue-specific gene expression control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Maytum
- Institute for Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Benjamin Edginton-White
- Institute for Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Peter Keane
- Institute for Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Peter N Cockerill
- Institute for Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Jean-Baptiste Cazier
- Institute for Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Constanze Bonifer
- Institute for Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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4
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Krajnović M, Kožik B, Božović A, Jovanović-Ćupić S. Multiple Roles of the RUNX Gene Family in Hepatocellular Carcinoma and Their Potential Clinical Implications. Cells 2023; 12:2303. [PMID: 37759525 PMCID: PMC10527445 DOI: 10.3390/cells12182303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2023] [Revised: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 09/08/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most frequent cancers in humans, characterised by a high resistance to conventional chemotherapy, late diagnosis, and a high mortality rate. It is necessary to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved in hepatocarcinogenesis to improve diagnosis and treatment outcomes. The Runt-related (RUNX) family of transcription factors (RUNX1, RUNX2, and RUNX3) participates in cardinal biological processes and plays paramount roles in the pathogenesis of numerous human malignancies. Their role is often controversial as they can act as oncogenes or tumour suppressors and depends on cellular context. Evidence shows that deregulated RUNX genes may be involved in hepatocarcinogenesis from the earliest to the latest stages. In this review, we summarise the topical evidence on the roles of RUNX gene family members in HCC. We discuss their possible application as non-invasive molecular markers for early diagnosis, prognosis, and development of novel treatment strategies in HCC patients.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Bojana Kožik
- Laboratory for Radiobiology and Molecular Genetics, Vinča Institute of Nuclear Sciences, National Institute of the Republic of Serbia, University of Belgrade, Mike Petrovića Alasa 12-14, Vinča, 11351 Belgrade, Serbia; (M.K.); (A.B.); (S.J.-Ć.)
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5
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Maytum A, Edginton-White B, Bonifer C. Identification and characterization of enhancer elements controlling cell type-specific and signalling dependent chromatin programming during hematopoietic development. Stem Cell Investig 2023; 10:14. [PMID: 37404470 PMCID: PMC10316067 DOI: 10.21037/sci-2023-011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 07/06/2023]
Abstract
The development of multi-cellular organisms from a single fertilized egg requires to differentially execute the information encoded in our DNA. This complex process is regulated by the interplay of transcription factors with a chromatin environment, both of which provide the epigenetic information maintaining cell-type specific gene expression patterns. Moreover, transcription factors and their target genes form vast interacting gene regulatory networks which can be exquisitely stable. However, all developmental processes originate from pluripotent precursor cell types. The production of terminally differentiated cells from such cells, therefore, requires successive changes of cell fates, meaning that genes relevant for the next stage of differentiation must be switched on and genes not relevant anymore must be switched off. The stimulus for the change of cell fate originates from extrinsic signals which set a cascade of intracellular processes in motion that eventually terminate at the genome leading to changes in gene expression and the development of alternate gene regulatory networks. How developmental trajectories are encoded in the genome and how the interplay between intrinsic and extrinsic processes regulates development is one of the major questions in developmental biology. The development of the hematopoietic system has long served as model to understand how changes in gene regulatory networks drive the differentiation of the various blood cell types. In this review, we highlight the main signals and transcription factors and how they are integrated at the level of chromatin programming and gene expression control. We also highlight recent studies identifying the cis-regulatory elements such as enhancers at the global level and explain how their developmental activity is regulated by the cooperation of cell-type specific and ubiquitous transcription factors with extrinsic signals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Maytum
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Ben Edginton-White
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Constanze Bonifer
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
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6
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Edginton-White B, Maytum A, Kellaway SG, Goode DK, Keane P, Pagnuco I, Assi SA, Ames L, Clarke M, Cockerill PN, Göttgens B, Cazier JB, Bonifer C. A genome-wide relay of signalling-responsive enhancers drives hematopoietic specification. Nat Commun 2023; 14:267. [PMID: 36650172 PMCID: PMC9845378 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-35910-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 01/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Developmental control of gene expression critically depends on distal cis-regulatory elements including enhancers which interact with promoters to activate gene expression. To date no global experiments have been conducted that identify their cell type and cell stage-specific activity within one developmental pathway and in a chromatin context. Here, we describe a high-throughput method that identifies thousands of differentially active cis-elements able to stimulate a minimal promoter at five stages of hematopoietic progenitor development from embryonic stem (ES) cells, which can be adapted to any ES cell derived cell type. We show that blood cell-specific gene expression is controlled by the concerted action of thousands of differentiation stage-specific sets of cis-elements which respond to cytokine signals terminating at signalling responsive transcription factors. Our work provides an important resource for studies of hematopoietic specification and highlights the mechanisms of how and where extrinsic signals program a cell type-specific chromatin landscape driving hematopoietic differentiation.
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Affiliation(s)
- B Edginton-White
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK.
| | - A Maytum
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - S G Kellaway
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - D K Goode
- Department of Haematology, Wellcome and Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - P Keane
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - I Pagnuco
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
- Centre for Computational Biology, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - S A Assi
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - L Ames
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - M Clarke
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - P N Cockerill
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - B Göttgens
- Department of Haematology, Wellcome and Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - J B Cazier
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
- Centre for Computational Biology, Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK
| | - C Bonifer
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, School of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, B152TT, Birmingham, UK.
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7
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Brown G. Hematopoietic and Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Stem Cells: Multi-Stability versus Lineage Restriction. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:13570. [PMID: 36362357 PMCID: PMC9655164 DOI: 10.3390/ijms232113570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
There is compelling evidence to support the view that the cell-of-origin for chronic myeloid leukemia is a hematopoietic stem cell. Unlike normal hematopoietic stem cells, the progeny of the leukemia stem cells are predominantly neutrophils during the disease chronic phase and there is a mild anemia. The hallmark oncogene for chronic myeloid leukemia is the BCR-ABLp210 fusion gene. Various studies have excluded a role for BCR-ABLp210 expression in maintaining the population of leukemia stem cells. Studies of BCR-ABLp210 expression in embryonal stem cells that were differentiated into hematopoietic stem cells and of the expression in transgenic mice have revealed that BCR-ABLp210 is able to veer hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells towards a myeloid fate. For the transgenic mice, global changes to the epigenetic landscape were observed. In chronic myeloid leukemia, the ability of the leukemia stem cells to choose from the many fates that are available to normal hematopoietic stem cells appears to be deregulated by BCR-ABLp210 and changes to the epigenome are also important. Even so, we still do not have a precise picture as to why neutrophils are abundantly produced in chronic myeloid leukemia.
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MESH Headings
- Mice
- Animals
- Fusion Proteins, bcr-abl/genetics
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/genetics
- Leukemia, Myelogenous, Chronic, BCR-ABL Positive/metabolism
- Hematopoietic Stem Cells/metabolism
- Mice, Transgenic
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey Brown
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
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8
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Brown G. Lessons to cancer from studies of leukemia and hematopoiesis. Front Cell Dev Biol 2022; 10:993915. [PMID: 36204679 PMCID: PMC9531023 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2022.993915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The starting point to describing the origin and nature of any cancer must be knowledge about how the normal counterpart tissue develops. New principles to the nature of hematopoietic stem cells have arisen in recent years. In particular, hematopoietic stem cells can “choose” a cell lineage directly from a spectrum of the end-cell options, and are, therefore, a heterogeneous population of lineage affiliated/biased cells. These cells remain versatile because the developmental trajectories of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells are broad. From studies of human acute myeloid leukemia, leukemia is also a hierarchy of maturing or partially maturing cells that are sustained by leukemia stem cells at the apex. This cellular hierarchy model has been extended to a wide variety of human solid tumors, by the identification of cancer stem cells, and is termed the cancer stem cell model. At least, two genomic insults are needed for cancer, as seen from studies of human childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia. There are signature mutations for some leukemia’s and some relate to a transcription factor that guides the cell lineage of developing hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells. Similarly, some oncogenes restrict the fate of leukemia stem cells and their offspring to a single maturation pathway. In this case, a loss of intrinsic stem cell versatility seems to be a property of leukemia stem cells. To provide more effective cures for leukemia, there is the need to find ways to eliminate leukemia stem cells.
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9
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Kellaway SG, Coleman DJL, Cockerill PN, Raghavan M, Bonifer C. Molecular Basis of Hematological Disease Caused by Inherited or Acquired RUNX1 Mutations. Exp Hematol 2022; 111:1-12. [PMID: 35341804 DOI: 10.1016/j.exphem.2022.03.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The transcription factor RUNX1 is essential for correct hematopoietic development; in its absence in the germ line, blood stem cells are not formed. RUNX1 orchestrates dramatic changes in the chromatin landscape at the onset of stem cell formation, which set the stage for both stem self-renewal and further differentiation. However, once blood stem cells are formed, the mutation of the RUNX1 gene is not lethal but can lead to various hematopoietic defects and a predisposition to cancer. Here we summarize the current literature on inherited and acquired RUNX1 mutations, with a particular emphasis on mutations that alter the structure of the RUNX1 protein itself, and place these changes in the context of what is known about RUNX1 function. We also summarize which mutant RUNX1 proteins are actually expressed in cells and discuss the molecular mechanism underlying how such variants reprogram the epigenome setting stem cells on the path to malignancy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie G Kellaway
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
| | - Daniel J L Coleman
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Peter N Cockerill
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK
| | - Manoj Raghavan
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK; Centre of Clinical Haematology, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, UK
| | - Constanze Bonifer
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
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10
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Lee KL, Ko TK, Saw NYL, Javed A, Hillmer AM, Chuah C, Krishnan V, Ong ST. Validation and refinement of a RUNX1 mutation-associated gene expression signature in blast crisis chronic myeloid leukemia. Leukemia 2022; 36:892-896. [PMID: 35121847 PMCID: PMC8885404 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-022-01508-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2021] [Revised: 12/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Kian Leong Lee
- Cancer & Stem Cell Biology Signature Research Programme, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.
| | - Tun Kiat Ko
- Cancer & Stem Cell Biology Signature Research Programme, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,Laboratory of Cancer Epigenome, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Nicole Y L Saw
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Asif Javed
- School of Biomedical Sciences, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.,Cancer Therapeutics & Stratified Oncology, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Axel M Hillmer
- Cancer Therapeutics & Stratified Oncology, Genome Institute of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany
| | - Charles Chuah
- Cancer & Stem Cell Biology Signature Research Programme, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.,Department of Haematology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Vaidehi Krishnan
- Cancer & Stem Cell Biology Signature Research Programme, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore
| | - S Tiong Ong
- Cancer & Stem Cell Biology Signature Research Programme, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore. .,Department of Haematology, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Singapore. .,Department of Medical Oncology, National Cancer Centre Singapore, Singapore, Singapore. .,Department of Medicine, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA.
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11
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Oncogenes, Proto-Oncogenes, and Lineage Restriction of Cancer Stem Cells. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:ijms22189667. [PMID: 34575830 PMCID: PMC8470404 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22189667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2021] [Revised: 09/02/2021] [Accepted: 09/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In principle, an oncogene is a cellular gene (proto-oncogene) that is dysfunctional, due to mutation and fusion with another gene or overexpression. Generally, oncogenes are viewed as deregulating cell proliferation or suppressing apoptosis in driving cancer. The cancer stem cell theory states that most, if not all, cancers are a hierarchy of cells that arises from a transformed tissue-specific stem cell. These normal counterparts generate various cell types of a tissue, which adds a new dimension to how oncogenes might lead to the anarchic behavior of cancer cells. It is that stem cells, such as hematopoietic stem cells, replenish mature cell types to meet the demands of an organism. Some oncogenes appear to deregulate this homeostatic process by restricting leukemia stem cells to a single cell lineage. This review examines whether cancer is a legacy of stem cells that lose their inherent versatility, the extent that proto-oncogenes play a role in cell lineage determination, and the role that epigenetic events play in regulating cell fate and tumorigenesis.
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12
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Brown G, Petrie K. The RARγ Oncogene: An Achilles Heel for Some Cancers. Int J Mol Sci 2021; 22:3632. [PMID: 33807298 PMCID: PMC8036636 DOI: 10.3390/ijms22073632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 03/30/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Cancer "stem cells" (CSCs) sustain the hierarchies of dividing cells that characterize cancer. The main causes of cancer-related mortality are metastatic disease and relapse, both of which originate primarily from CSCs, so their eradication may provide a bona fide curative strategy, though there maybe also the need to kill the bulk cancer cells. While classic anti-cancer chemotherapy is effective against the dividing progeny of CSCs, non-dividing or quiescent CSCs are often spared. Improved anti-cancer therapies therefore require approaches that target non-dividing CSCs, which must be underpinned by a better understanding of factors that permit these cells to maintain a stem cell-like state. During hematopoiesis, retinoic acid receptor (RAR) γ is selectively expressed by stem cells and their immediate progeny. It is overexpressed in, and is an oncogene for, many cancers including colorectal, renal and hepatocellular carcinoma, cholangiocarcinomas and some cases of acute myeloid leukemia that harbor RARγ fusion proteins. In vitro studies suggest that RARγ-selective and pan-RAR antagonists provoke the death of CSCs by necroptosis and point to antagonism of RARγ as a potential strategy to treat metastatic disease and relapse, and perhaps provide a cure for some cancers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geoffrey Brown
- Institute of Clinical Sciences, School of Biomedical Sciences, College of Medical and Dental Sciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B152TT, UK
| | - Kevin Petrie
- School of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences and Wellbeing, University of Sunderland, Sunderland SR13SD, UK;
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Edginton-White B, Bonifer C. The transcriptional regulation of normal and malignant blood cell development. FEBS J 2021; 289:1240-1255. [PMID: 33511785 DOI: 10.1111/febs.15735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2020] [Revised: 01/11/2021] [Accepted: 01/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Development of multicellular organisms requires the differential usage of our genetic information to change one cell fate into another. This process drives the appearance of different cell types that come together to form specialized tissues sustaining a healthy organism. In the last decade, by moving away from studying single genes toward a global view of gene expression control, a revolution has taken place in our understanding of how genes work together and how cells communicate to translate the information encoded in the genome into a body plan. The development of hematopoietic cells has long served as a paradigm of development in general. In this review, we highlight how transcription factors and chromatin components work together to shape the gene regulatory networks controlling gene expression in the hematopoietic system and to drive blood cell differentiation. In addition, we outline how this process goes astray in blood cancers. We also touch upon emerging concepts that place these processes firmly into their associated subnuclear structures adding another layer of the control of differential gene expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Edginton-White
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, UK
| | - Constanze Bonifer
- Institute of Cancer and Genomic Sciences, College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, UK
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