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Wu W, Jiang Y, Xing D, Zhai Y, Sun H, He X, Luo K, Xu P, Pan F, Dong G, Ren G, Zhao Z. The epigenetic regulators EP300/CREBBP represent promising therapeutic targets in MLL-rearranged acute myeloid leukemia. Cell Death Discov 2024; 10:206. [PMID: 38693103 PMCID: PMC11063202 DOI: 10.1038/s41420-024-01940-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 03/27/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL) gene rearrangements (MLL-r) is an aggressive subtype of blood cancer with dismal prognosis, underscoring the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies. E1A-binding protein (EP300) and CREB-binding protein (CREBBP) function as essential transcriptional coactivators and acetyltransferases, governing leukemogenesis through diverse mechanisms. Targeting EP300/CREBBP holds great promise for treating leukemia with some certain cytogenetic abnormalities. Here, we demonstrated that EP300 and CREBBP are core epigenetic regulators in the pathogenesis of MLL-r AML through assaying the transposase-accessible chromatin with high-throughput sequencing (ATAC-seq). Knocking-out EP300/CREBBP and inhibitor (A-485) treatment depressed the MLL-r cells proliferation, while the MLL wild-type cells remained uninfluenced. We found that the CDK4/RB/E2F axis was downregulated specifically in MLL-r AML cell after A-485 treatment by RNA-seq, western blot and cut-tag analyses. EP300/CREBBP inhibitor selectively exerted potent anti-leukemia activity through blocking the MLL-r-BET complex binding to H3K27Ac modification on critical genes loci, distinct from global histone acetylation. Collectively, our study identified EP300/CREBBP as a critical epigenetic driver of MLL-r leukemia and validated their therapeutic potential through targeting inhibition, offering a promising avenue for improving clinical outcomes in this aggressive leukemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenqi Wu
- Department of Senior ward, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Yanan Jiang
- Department of Medical Oncology, Tianjin First Central Hospital, School of Medicine. Nankai University, Tianjin, 300192, China
| | - Donghui Xing
- Department of Senior ward, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Yixin Zhai
- Department of Senior ward, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Huimeng Sun
- Department of Senior ward, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Xiang He
- Department of Senior ward, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Kaiping Luo
- Department of Senior ward, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Tianjin, 300060, China
| | - Pengpeng Xu
- Department of Oncology, Characteristic Medical Center of Chinese People's Armed Police Force, Tianjin, 300162, China
| | - Feng Pan
- Department of Molecular Medicine, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 78229-3904, USA
| | - Guolei Dong
- Department of Breast Oncology, National Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin's Clinical Research Center for Cancer, Key Laboratory of Breast Cancer Prevention and Therapy, Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, 300060, China.
| | - Guibing Ren
- Department of Oncology, Characteristic Medical Center of Chinese People's Armed Police Force, Tianjin, 300162, China.
| | - Zhigang Zhao
- Department of Medical Oncology, Tianjin First Central Hospital, School of Medicine. Nankai University, Tianjin, 300192, China.
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2
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Severens JF, Karakaslar EO, van der Reijden BA, Sánchez-López E, van den Berg RR, Halkes CJM, van Balen P, Veelken H, Reinders MJT, Griffioen M, van den Akker EB. Mapping AML heterogeneity - multi-cohort transcriptomic analysis identifies novel clusters and divergent ex-vivo drug responses. Leukemia 2024; 38:751-761. [PMID: 38360865 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-024-02137-6] [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: 06/19/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Subtyping of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) is predominantly based on recurrent genetic abnormalities, but recent literature indicates that transcriptomic phenotyping holds immense potential to further refine AML classification. Here we integrated five AML transcriptomic datasets with corresponding genetic information to provide an overview (n = 1224) of the transcriptomic AML landscape. Consensus clustering identified 17 robust patient clusters which improved identification of CEBPA-mutated patients with favourable outcomes, and uncovered transcriptomic subtypes for KMT2A rearrangements (2), NPM1 mutations (5), and AML with myelodysplasia-related changes (AML-MRC) (5). Transcriptomic subtypes of KMT2A, NPM1 and AML-MRC showed distinct mutational profiles, cell type differentiation arrests and immune properties, suggesting differences in underlying disease biology. Moreover, our transcriptomic clusters show differences in ex-vivo drug responses, even when corrected for differentiation arrest and superiorly capture differences in drug response compared to genetic classification. In conclusion, our findings underscore the importance of transcriptomics in AML subtyping and offer a basis for future research and personalised treatment strategies. Our transcriptomic compendium is publicly available and we supply an R package to project clusters to new transcriptomic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeppe F Severens
- Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Pattern Recognition & Bioinformatics, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
- Leiden Center for Computational Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - E Onur Karakaslar
- Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Pattern Recognition & Bioinformatics, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
- Leiden Center for Computational Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Bert A van der Reijden
- Laboratory of Hematology, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Elena Sánchez-López
- Leiden Center for Computational Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Center for Proteomics and Metabolomics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Redmar R van den Berg
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | | | - Peter van Balen
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Hendrik Veelken
- Leiden Center for Computational Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marcel J T Reinders
- Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Pattern Recognition & Bioinformatics, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands
- Leiden Center for Computational Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
- Department of Human Genetics, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Marieke Griffioen
- Department of Hematology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands
| | - Erik B van den Akker
- Department of Biomedical Data Sciences, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
- Pattern Recognition & Bioinformatics, Delft University of Technology, Delft, The Netherlands.
- Leiden Center for Computational Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
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3
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Jamieson CHM, Weissman IL. Stem-Cell Aging and Pathways to Precancer Evolution. N Engl J Med 2023; 389:1310-1319. [PMID: 37792614 DOI: 10.1056/nejmra2304431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Catriona H M Jamieson
- From the Sanford Stem Cell Institute, Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla (C.H.M.J.), and the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford (I.L.W.) - both in California
| | - Irving L Weissman
- From the Sanford Stem Cell Institute, Division of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla (C.H.M.J.), and the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University Medical Center, Stanford (I.L.W.) - both in California
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4
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Zhao Y, Guo R, Cao X, Zhang Y, Sun R, Lu W, Zhao M. Role of chemokines in T-cell acute lymphoblastic Leukemia: From pathogenesis to therapeutic options. Int Immunopharmacol 2023; 121:110396. [PMID: 37295031 DOI: 10.1016/j.intimp.2023.110396] [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: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a highly heterogeneous and aggressive subtype of hematologic malignancy, with limited therapeutic options due to the complexity of its pathogenesis. Although high-dose chemotherapy and allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation have improved outcomes for T-ALL patients, there remains an urgent need for novel treatments in cases of refractory or relapsed disease. Recent research has demonstrated the potential of targeted therapies aimed at specific molecular pathways to improve patient outcomes. Chemokine-related signals, both upstream and downstream, modulate the composition of distinct tumor microenvironments, thereby regulating a multitude of intricate cellular processes such as proliferation, migration, invasion and homing. Furthermore, the progress in research has made significant contributions to precision medicine by targeting chemokine-related pathways. This review article summarizes the crucial roles of chemokines and their receptors in T-ALL pathogenesis. Moreover, it explores the advantages and disadvantages of current and potential therapeutic options that target chemokine axes, including small molecule antagonists, monoclonal antibodies, and chimeric antigen receptor T-cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- YiFan Zhao
- First Center Clinic College of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300192, China
| | - RuiTing Guo
- First Center Clinic College of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300192, China
| | - XinPing Cao
- First Center Clinic College of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300192, China
| | - Yi Zhang
- First Center Clinic College of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin 300192, China
| | - Rui Sun
- School of Medicine, Nankai University, Tianjin 300192, China
| | - WenYi Lu
- Department of Hematology, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Tianjin 300192, China
| | - MingFeng Zhao
- Department of Hematology, Tianjin First Central Hospital, Tianjin 300192, China.
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5
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Lehner KM, Gopalakrishnapillai A, Kolb EA, Barwe SP. Bone Marrow Microenvironment-Induced Chemoprotection in KMT2A Rearranged Pediatric AML Is Overcome by Azacitidine-Panobinostat Combination. Cancers (Basel) 2023; 15:3112. [PMID: 37370721 DOI: 10.3390/cancers15123112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 06/05/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Advances in therapies of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) have been minimal in recent decades. Although 82% of patients will have an initial remission after intensive therapy, approximately 40% will relapse. KMT2A is the most common chromosomal translocation in AML and has a poor prognosis resulting in high relapse rates and low chemotherapy efficacy. Novel targeted approaches are needed to increase sensitivity to chemotherapy. Recent studies have shown how interactions within the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment help AML cells evade chemotherapy and contribute to relapse by promoting leukemic blast survival. This study investigates how DNA hypomethylating agent azacitidine and histone deacetylase inhibitor panobinostat synergistically overcome BM niche-induced chemoprotection modulated by stromal, endothelial, and mesenchymal stem cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM). We show that direct contact between AML cells and BM components mediates chemoprotection. We demonstrate that azacitidine and panobinostat synergistically sensitize MV4;11 cells and KMT2A rearranged pediatric patient-derived xenograft lines to cytarabine in multicell coculture. Treatment with the epigenetic drug combination reduced leukemic cell association with multicell monolayer and ECM in vitro and increased mobilization of leukemic cells from the BM in vivo. Finally, we show that pretreatment with the epigenetic drug combination improves the efficacy of chemotherapy in vivo.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kara M Lehner
- Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Institute for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Nemours Children's Hospital, Wilmington, DE 19803, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Anilkumar Gopalakrishnapillai
- Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Institute for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Nemours Children's Hospital, Wilmington, DE 19803, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
| | - Edward Anders Kolb
- Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Institute for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Nemours Children's Hospital, Wilmington, DE 19803, USA
| | - Sonali P Barwe
- Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation Institute for Cancer and Blood Disorders, Nemours Children's Hospital, Wilmington, DE 19803, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA
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6
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Li J, Kalev‐Zylinska ML. Advances in molecular characterization of pediatric acute megakaryoblastic leukemia not associated with Down syndrome; impact on therapy development. Front Cell Dev Biol 2023; 11:1170622. [PMID: 37325571 PMCID: PMC10267407 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2023.1170622] [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: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/19/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Acute megakaryoblastic leukemia (AMKL) is a rare subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in which leukemic blasts have megakaryocytic features. AMKL makes up 4%-15% of newly diagnosed pediatric AML, typically affecting young children (less than 2 years old). AMKL associated with Down syndrome (DS) shows GATA1 mutations and has a favorable prognosis. In contrast, AMKL in children without DS is often associated with recurrent and mutually exclusive chimeric fusion genes and has an unfavorable prognosis. This review mainly summarizes the unique features of pediatric non-DS AMKL and highlights the development of novel therapies for high-risk patients. Due to the rarity of pediatric AMKL, large-scale multi-center studies are needed to progress molecular characterization of this disease. Better disease models are also required to test leukemogenic mechanisms and emerging therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jixia Li
- Blood and Cancer Biology Laboratory, Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Foshan University, Foshan, China
| | - Maggie L. Kalev‐Zylinska
- Blood and Cancer Biology Laboratory, Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
- Haematology Laboratory, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Auckland City Hospital, Auckland, New Zealand
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7
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Inflammatory bone marrow signaling in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia distinguishes patients with poor outcomes. Nat Commun 2022; 13:7186. [PMID: 36418348 PMCID: PMC9684530 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-34965-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2022] [Accepted: 11/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
High levels of the inflammatory cytokine IL-6 in the bone marrow are associated with poor outcomes in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (pAML), but its etiology remains unknown. Using RNA-seq data from pre-treatment bone marrows of 1489 children with pAML, we show that > 20% of patients have concurrent IL-6, IL-1, IFNα/β, and TNFα signaling activity and poorer outcomes. Targeted sequencing of pre-treatment bone marrow samples from affected patients (n = 181) revealed 5 highly recurrent patterns of somatic mutation. Using differential expression analyses of the most common genomic subtypes (~60% of total), we identify high expression of multiple potential drivers of inflammation-related treatment resistance. Regardless of genomic subtype, we show that JAK1/2 inhibition reduces receptor-mediated inflammatory signaling by leukemic cells in-vitro. The large number of high-risk pAML genomic subtypes presents an obstacle to the development of mutation-specific therapies. Our findings suggest that therapies targeting inflammatory signaling may be effective across multiple genomic subtypes of pAML.
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8
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Watt SM, Hua P, Roberts I. Increasing Complexity of Molecular Landscapes in Human Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells during Development and Aging. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23073675. [PMID: 35409034 PMCID: PMC8999121 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23073675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2022] [Revised: 03/21/2022] [Accepted: 03/23/2022] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The past five decades have seen significant progress in our understanding of human hematopoiesis. This has in part been due to the unprecedented development of advanced technologies, which have allowed the identification and characterization of rare subsets of human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells and their lineage trajectories from embryonic through to adult life. Additionally, surrogate in vitro and in vivo models, although not fully recapitulating human hematopoiesis, have spurred on these scientific advances. These approaches have heightened our knowledge of hematological disorders and diseases and have led to their improved diagnosis and therapies. Here, we review human hematopoiesis at each end of the age spectrum, during embryonic and fetal development and on aging, providing exemplars of recent progress in deciphering the increasingly complex cellular and molecular hematopoietic landscapes in health and disease. This review concludes by highlighting links between chronic inflammation and metabolic and epigenetic changes associated with aging and in the development of clonal hematopoiesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne M. Watt
- Stem Cell Research, Nuffield Division of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9BQ, UK
- Myeloma Research Laboratory, Adelaide Medical School, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide 5005, Australia
- Cancer Program, Precision Medicine Theme, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide 5001, Australia
- Correspondence: or ; Tel.: +61-403-393-755
| | - Peng Hua
- State Key Laboratory of Reproductive Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China;
| | - Irene Roberts
- MRC Molecular Haematology Unit, MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, and NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre Haematology Theme, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK;
- Department of Paediatrics and NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre Haematology Theme, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 9DU, UK
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Staehle HF, Pahl HL, Jutzi JS. The Cross Marks the Spot: The Emerging Role of JmjC Domain-Containing Proteins in Myeloid Malignancies. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11121911. [PMID: 34944554 PMCID: PMC8699298 DOI: 10.3390/biom11121911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Histone methylation tightly regulates chromatin accessibility, transcription, proliferation, and cell differentiation, and its perturbation contributes to oncogenic reprogramming of cells. In particular, many myeloid malignancies show evidence of epigenetic dysregulation. Jumonji C (JmjC) domain-containing proteins comprise a large and diverse group of histone demethylases (KDMs), which remove methyl groups from lysines in histone tails and other proteins. Cumulating evidence suggests an emerging role for these demethylases in myeloid malignancies, rendering them attractive targets for drug interventions. In this review, we summarize the known functions of Jumonji C (JmjC) domain-containing proteins in myeloid malignancies. We highlight challenges in understanding the context-dependent mechanisms of these proteins and explore potential future pharmacological targeting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hans Felix Staehle
- Division of Molecular Hematology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79098 Freiburg, Germany; (H.F.S.); (H.L.P.)
| | - Heike Luise Pahl
- Division of Molecular Hematology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79098 Freiburg, Germany; (H.F.S.); (H.L.P.)
| | - Jonas Samuel Jutzi
- Division of Molecular Hematology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Faculty of Medicine, University of Freiburg, 79098 Freiburg, Germany; (H.F.S.); (H.L.P.)
- Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston 02115, MA, USA
- Correspondence:
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