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Arapis F, Rempelou D, Havaki S, Arvanitis D, Tzelepis K, Zibis A, Samara AA, Sotiriou S. Expression of the O-Linked N-Acetylglucosamine-containing Epitope H (O-GlcNAcH) in Human Uterine Cervical Mucosa. In Vivo 2024; 38:1112-1118. [PMID: 38688609 PMCID: PMC11059899 DOI: 10.21873/invivo.13545] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND/AIM Epitope H contains an O-linked N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAcH) residue in a specific conformation or environment, recognized by a site-specific monoclonal mouse IgM antibody H. O-GlcNAcH occurs in several normal and pathological cells and in several polypeptides, including keratin-8 and vimentin, on the latter in cells under stress. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this work, we studied the distribution of O-GlcNAcH on cells of endocervical mucosa in 60 specimens of endocervical curettings, 10 of which contained 15 inflamed polyps. RESULTS In our results, expression of O-GlcNAcH was weak in the mucosa with <5% mucin-secreting cells and up to 30% of the polyps staining positively. All non-ciliated, non-mucin-secreting cells, normal and hyperplastic 'reserve' cells, as well as the cells of immature squamous metaplasia, showed strong diffuse cytoplasmic staining for O-GlcNAcH. In mature squamous epithelium, fewer than 5% of basal cells and all the intermediate and superficial cells showed cytoplasmic staining for O-GlcNAcH, whereas parabasal cells were negative. All ciliated cells showed patchy or diffuse cytoplasmic staining. Nuclear staining for O-GlcNAcH was weak with fewer than 5% of hyperplastic 'reserve' and ciliated cells staining positively. Moreover, mucosal fibroblasts were negative, whereas all stromal cells of the polyps showed strong cytoplasmic staining for O-GlcNAcH. CONCLUSION O-GlcNAcH is: a) differentially expressed among the cellular elements of mucosa and polyps, b) upregulated in mucin-secreting cells of polyps, c) induced in stromal cells of inflamed polyps, and d) can be used as a marker to differentiate between 'reserve' (positive) and parabasal (negative) cells, which have similar morphology using conventional cytological stains.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fotios Arapis
- Department of Anatomy, University of Thessaly, Medical School, Larissa, Greece
- General Hospital of Sparta, Sparta, Greece
| | | | - Sophia Havaki
- Laboratory of Histology-Embryology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Arvanitis
- Department of Anatomy, University of Thessaly, Medical School, Larissa, Greece
| | | | - Aristeidis Zibis
- Department of Anatomy, University of Thessaly, Medical School, Larissa, Greece
| | - Athina A Samara
- Department of Histology-Embryology, University of Thessaly, Medical School, Larissa, Greece
| | - Sotirios Sotiriou
- Department of Histology-Embryology, University of Thessaly, Medical School, Larissa, Greece
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2
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Sturgess K, Yankova E, Vijayabaskar MS, Isobe T, Rak J, Kucinski I, Barile M, Webster NA, Eleftheriou M, Hannah R, Gozdecka M, Vassiliou G, Rausch O, Wilson NK, Göttgens B, Tzelepis K. Pharmacological inhibition of METTL3 impacts specific haematopoietic lineages. Leukemia 2023; 37:2133-2137. [PMID: 37464070 PMCID: PMC10539174 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-023-01965-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 07/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Katherine Sturgess
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Eliza Yankova
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - M S Vijayabaskar
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Tomoya Isobe
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Justyna Rak
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Iwo Kucinski
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Melania Barile
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Natalie A Webster
- Storm Therapeutics Ltd, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, CB22 3AT, UK
| | - Maria Eleftheriou
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Rebecca Hannah
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Malgorzata Gozdecka
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - George Vassiliou
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Oliver Rausch
- Storm Therapeutics Ltd, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, CB22 3AT, UK
| | - Nicola K Wilson
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Berthold Göttgens
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK.
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK.
| | - Konstantinos Tzelepis
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK.
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK.
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK.
- Experimental Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK.
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3
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Giannakodimos I, Giannakodimos A, Ziogou A, Tzelepis K. Diagnosis and Management of Intrascrotal Nerve Tumors: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Urol Res Pract 2023; 49:274-279. [PMID: 37877874 PMCID: PMC10646798 DOI: 10.5152/tud.2023.23050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2023] [Accepted: 08/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/26/2023]
Abstract
Scrotal tumors of nerve origin are extremely rare and occur mostly in the extratesticular tissues of scrotum, such as the spermatic cord and epididymis. A systematic search of the literature in PubMed, Medline, and Google Scholar databases concerning intrascrotal nerve tumors was performed by 2 independent investigators. The systematic search retrieved 45 male adults, with a mean age of included patients at 43.9 ± 18.8 years. The majority of nerve tumors were extra-testicular (86.7%), and only 13.3% originated from the testis. Out of that, 51.1% of neoplasms were histologically proved as schwannomas, 44.4% as neurofibromatosis, and 4.4% as malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors. The majority of patients presented with atypical symptoms such as scrotal swelling (51.1%), while only 4.4% of patients were asymptomatic. Ultrasonography is the diagnostic modality of choice (97.2%) for the detection of primary lesion, while magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography comprise supplementary diagnostic tools. Surgical excision of the mass was the preferred type of surgery performed (75.6%), whereas orchiectomy was performed only in 22.2% of patients. Intrascrotal tumors of nerve origin are extremely rare neoplasms that present mainly in middle-aged males. Increased clinical suspicion is required for accurate diagnosis of this rare entity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilias Giannakodimos
- Department of Urology, Geniko Kratiko Nikaias General Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Afroditi Ziogou
- Department of Medical Oncology, Metaxa Cancer Hospital, Athens, Greece
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4
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Russell J, Tzelepis K. A non-coding m 6A reader promotes leukaemia. Nat Cell Biol 2023; 25:1247-1249. [PMID: 37640840 DOI: 10.1038/s41556-023-01205-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/31/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- James Russell
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Konstantinos Tzelepis
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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5
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Mikutis S, Rebelo M, Yankova E, Gu M, Tang C, Coelho AR, Yang M, Hazemi ME, Pires de Miranda M, Eleftheriou M, Robertson M, Vassiliou GS, Adams DJ, Simas JP, Corzana F, Schneekloth JS, Tzelepis K, Bernardes GJL. Proximity-Induced Nucleic Acid Degrader (PINAD) Approach to Targeted RNA Degradation Using Small Molecules. ACS Cent Sci 2023; 9:892-904. [PMID: 37252343 PMCID: PMC10214512 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.3c00015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Nature has evolved intricate machinery to target and degrade RNA, and some of these molecular mechanisms can be adapted for therapeutic use. Small interfering RNAs and RNase H-inducing oligonucleotides have yielded therapeutic agents against diseases that cannot be tackled using protein-centered approaches. Because these therapeutic agents are nucleic acid-based, they have several inherent drawbacks which include poor cellular uptake and stability. Here we report a new approach to target and degrade RNA using small molecules, proximity-induced nucleic acid degrader (PINAD). We have utilized this strategy to design two families of RNA degraders which target two different RNA structures within the genome of SARS-CoV-2: G-quadruplexes and the betacoronaviral pseudoknot. We demonstrate that these novel molecules degrade their targets using in vitro, in cellulo, and in vivo SARS-CoV-2 infection models. Our strategy allows any RNA binding small molecule to be converted into a degrader, empowering RNA binders that are not potent enough to exert a phenotypic effect on their own. PINAD raises the possibility of targeting and destroying any disease-related RNA species, which can greatly expand the space of druggable targets and diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigitas Mikutis
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Maria Rebelo
- Instituto
de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Eliza Yankova
- Wellcome-MRC
Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University
of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0AW, U.K.
- Milner
Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, U.K.
| | - Muxin Gu
- Wellcome-MRC
Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University
of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0AW, U.K.
| | - Cong Tang
- Instituto
de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Ana R. Coelho
- Instituto
de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Mo Yang
- Chemical
Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Madoka E. Hazemi
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Marta Pires de Miranda
- Instituto
de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Maria Eleftheriou
- Wellcome-MRC
Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University
of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0AW, U.K.
- Milner
Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, U.K.
| | - Max Robertson
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - George S. Vassiliou
- Wellcome-MRC
Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University
of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0AW, U.K.
| | - David J. Adams
- Experimental
Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, U.K.
| | - J. Pedro Simas
- Instituto
de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisboa, Portugal
- Católica
Biomedical Research and Católica Medical School, Universidade Católica Portuguesa, 1649-023 Lisboa, Portugal
| | - Francisco Corzana
- Departamento
de Química, Centro de Investigación en Síntesis
Química, Universidad de La Rioja, 26006 Logroño, Spain
| | - John S. Schneekloth
- Chemical
Biology Laboratory, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, United States
| | - Konstantinos Tzelepis
- Wellcome-MRC
Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University
of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0AW, U.K.
- Milner
Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, U.K.
| | - Gonçalo J. L. Bernardes
- Yusuf
Hamied Department of Chemistry, University
of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
- Instituto
de Medicina Molecular João Lobo Antunes, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisboa, Portugal
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6
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Woodley K, Dillingh LS, Giotopoulos G, Madrigal P, Rattigan KM, Philippe C, Dembitz V, Magee AMS, Asby R, van de Lagemaat LN, Mapperley C, James SC, Prehn JHM, Tzelepis K, Rouault-Pierre K, Vassiliou GS, Kranc KR, Helgason GV, Huntly BJP, Gallipoli P. Mannose metabolism inhibition sensitizes acute myeloid leukaemia cells to therapy by driving ferroptotic cell death. Nat Commun 2023; 14:2132. [PMID: 37059720 PMCID: PMC10104861 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37652-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2023] [Indexed: 04/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Resistance to standard and novel therapies remains the main obstacle to cure in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) and is often driven by metabolic adaptations which are therapeutically actionable. Here we identify inhibition of mannose-6-phosphate isomerase (MPI), the first enzyme in the mannose metabolism pathway, as a sensitizer to both cytarabine and FLT3 inhibitors across multiple AML models. Mechanistically, we identify a connection between mannose metabolism and fatty acid metabolism, that is mediated via preferential activation of the ATF6 arm of the unfolded protein response (UPR). This in turn leads to cellular accumulation of polyunsaturated fatty acids, lipid peroxidation and ferroptotic cell death in AML cells. Our findings provide further support to the role of rewired metabolism in AML therapy resistance, unveil a connection between two apparently independent metabolic pathways and support further efforts to achieve eradication of therapy-resistant AML cells by sensitizing them to ferroptotic cell death.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith Woodley
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Laura S Dillingh
- Wellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - George Giotopoulos
- Wellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Pedro Madrigal
- Wellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, EMBL-EBI, Hinxton, CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Kevin M Rattigan
- Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Céline Philippe
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Vilma Dembitz
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Aoife M S Magee
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Ryan Asby
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Louie N van de Lagemaat
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Christopher Mapperley
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Sophie C James
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Jochen H M Prehn
- Department of Physiology & Medical Physics, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Konstantinos Tzelepis
- Wellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kevin Rouault-Pierre
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - George S Vassiliou
- Wellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kamil R Kranc
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - G Vignir Helgason
- Wolfson Wohl Cancer Research Centre, Institute of Cancer Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Brian J P Huntly
- Wellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Paolo Gallipoli
- Centre for Haemato-Oncology, Barts Cancer Institute, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK.
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Tzelepis K, Zacharouli K, Samara AA, Koutras A, Kontomanolis EN, Perivoliotis K, Pavlidou E, Sotiriou S. Large Cyst of Skene Gland: A Rare Perineum Mass. Surg J (N Y) 2023; 9:e71-e74. [PMID: 37192958 PMCID: PMC10183249 DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1768944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Objective In this report we present a rare case of a large cyst of Skene gland in a female patient with a palpable vaginal mass persisting for at least 2 years. Case Report A 67-year-old female admitted to the department of urology due to the presence of "a vaginal mass" for the past 2 years. A cyst of Skene's duct was suspected based on clinical manifestation and findings of magnetic resonance imaging showing an extensive cyst formation in the upper vaginal area and anterior to the urethra. Based on these findings, a decision for surgical removement of the cyst was made. The cyst was incised, drained, and marsupialized. The postoperative recovery was uneventful, and the patient was discharged on the second postoperative day. Conclusion High clinical suspicion is important to reach this rare diagnosis. Partial excision and marsupialization of the cyst is a simple procedure with low morbidity, without recurrence, and excellent results.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Konstantina Zacharouli
- Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Athina A. Samara
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
- Address for correspondence Athina A. Samara, MD, MSc Department of Embryology, University of ThessalyMezourlo Hill, 41100, LarissaGreece
| | - Antonios Koutras
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Alexandra Hospital, Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Emmanuel N. Kontomanolis
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, Democritus University of Thrace, Alexandroupolis, Greece
| | | | - Efterpi Pavlidou
- Department of Speech and Language Therapy, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece
| | - Sotirios Sotiriou
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
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Sotiriou S, Satra M, Samara A, Vamvakopoulou D, Simou A, Tzelepis K, Skentou H, Vamvakopoulos N, Garas A. Maternal serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A concentration at 11-14 weeks of gestation and preeclampsia risk of women with common congenital anatomic uterine abnormalities. J OBSTET GYNAECOL 2022; 42:1711-1714. [PMID: 35164639 DOI: 10.1080/01443615.2022.2031930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
To evaluate maternal serum pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A (PAPP-A) levels at 11-14 weeks of gestation and preeclampsia risk in women with common congenital anatomic uterine abnormalities (AUAs). First trimester screening markers were compared between 12 AUA pregnancies, 60 age matched controls and 12 cases of early preeclampsia. PAPP-A level and birth weight were significantly lower in AUA compared to control and early preeclampsia group (p<.001). Preeclampsia was absent in the AUAs pregnancies group. Birth weight were similar in AUA group when we compared AUA and control group regarding weeks of gestation at delivery and lower but not significantly, when we compared AUA and early preeclampsia group. Our findings suggest that AUA pregnancies are associated with low first trimester maternal serum PAPP-A concentrations not predictive of susceptibility to preeclampsia.Impact statementWhat is already known on this subject? During first trimester screening for preeclampsia based on maternal pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) levels, various parameters are used, such as the somatometric characteristics of pregnant woman, single or multiple pregnancy, smoking status, family history, diabetes, hypertension and measurement of blood pressure and uterine artery Dopplers.What do the results of this study add? Our pioneer study revealed that there is drastic difference in PAPP-A concentration in women with common anatomic uterine abnormalities (AUAs), in comparison with their age matched control women with normal uterus.What are the implications of these findings for clinical practice and further research? Based on our results, uterine anatomical deviations, is another factor which must be taken in account for preeclampsia risk calculation and further clinical consultation and follow up in those pregnancies. Lower PAPP-A levels in AUA cases is a weak predictor of susceptibility to preeclampsia and could be associated to smaller placental size rather than poor placentation and in future research the calculation of the uterine cavity functional dimension may lead to a more accurate clinical assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sotirios Sotiriou
- Department of Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Maria Satra
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Athina Samara
- Department of Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Dimitra Vamvakopoulou
- Department of Pediatrics and Neonatology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Aikaterinh Simou
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Konstantinos Tzelepis
- Department of Urology, Department of Urology, General Hospital of Nicaea-Piraeus, Greece
| | - Hara Skentou
- Department of Embryology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Vamvakopoulos
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
| | - Antonios Garas
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Larissa, Greece
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9
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Leger A, Amaral PP, Pandolfini L, Capitanchik C, Capraro F, Miano V, Migliori V, Toolan-Kerr P, Sideri T, Enright AJ, Tzelepis K, van Werven FJ, Luscombe NM, Barbieri I, Ule J, Fitzgerald T, Birney E, Leonardi T, Kouzarides T. RNA modifications detection by comparative Nanopore direct RNA sequencing. Nat Commun 2021; 12:7198. [PMID: 34893601 PMCID: PMC8664944 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-27393-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 37.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2021] [Accepted: 11/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA molecules undergo a vast array of chemical post-transcriptional modifications (PTMs) that can affect their structure and interaction properties. In recent years, a growing number of PTMs have been successfully mapped to the transcriptome using experimental approaches relying on high-throughput sequencing. Oxford Nanopore direct-RNA sequencing has been shown to be sensitive to RNA modifications. We developed and validated Nanocompore, a robust analytical framework that identifies modifications from these data. Our strategy compares an RNA sample of interest against a non-modified control sample, not requiring a training set and allowing the use of replicates. We show that Nanocompore can detect different RNA modifications with position accuracy in vitro, and we apply it to profile m6A in vivo in yeast and human RNAs, as well as in targeted non-coding RNAs. We confirm our results with orthogonal methods and provide novel insights on the co-occurrence of multiple modified residues on individual RNA molecules.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrien Leger
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
- Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Gosling Building, Oxford Science Park, Oxford, UK
| | - Paulo P Amaral
- The Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, UK
- The Milner Therapeutics Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge, UK
- INSPER - Institute of Education and Research, São Paulo, SP, Brazil
| | - Luca Pandolfini
- The Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, UK
- Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Center for Human Technologies (CHT), Genova, Italy
| | | | - Federica Capraro
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
| | - Valentina Miano
- Department of Pathology, Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Valentina Migliori
- The Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Patrick Toolan-Kerr
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
| | | | - Anton J Enright
- Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Nicholas M Luscombe
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Genetics, Environment and Evolution, UCL Genetics Institute, London, UK
- Okinawa Institute of Science & Technology Graduate University, Okinawa, Japan
| | - Isaia Barbieri
- The Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Pathology, Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jernej Ule
- The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
- Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Queen Square, London, UK
| | - Tomas Fitzgerald
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ewan Birney
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Tommaso Leonardi
- The Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, UK.
- Center for Genomic Science of IIT@SEMM, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (IIT), Milan, Italy.
| | - Tony Kouzarides
- The Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, UK.
- The Milner Therapeutics Institute, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge, UK.
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10
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Orellana EA, Liu Q, Yankova E, Pirouz M, De Braekeleer E, Zhang W, Lim J, Aspris D, Sendinc E, Garyfallos DA, Gu M, Ali R, Gutierrez A, Mikutis S, Bernardes GJL, Fischer ES, Bradley A, Vassiliou GS, Slack FJ, Tzelepis K, Gregory RI. METTL1-mediated m 7G modification of Arg-TCT tRNA drives oncogenic transformation. Mol Cell 2021; 81:3323-3338.e14. [PMID: 34352207 PMCID: PMC8380730 DOI: 10.1016/j.molcel.2021.06.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 141] [Impact Index Per Article: 47.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The emerging "epitranscriptomics" field is providing insights into the biological and pathological roles of different RNA modifications. The RNA methyltransferase METTL1 catalyzes N7-methylguanosine (m7G) modification of tRNAs. Here we find METTL1 is frequently amplified and overexpressed in cancers and is associated with poor patient survival. METTL1 depletion causes decreased abundance of m7G-modified tRNAs and altered cell cycle and inhibits oncogenicity. Conversely, METTL1 overexpression induces oncogenic cell transformation and cancer. Mechanistically, we find increased abundance of m7G-modified tRNAs, in particular Arg-TCT-4-1, and increased translation of mRNAs, including cell cycle regulators that are enriched in the corresponding AGA codon. Accordingly, Arg-TCT expression is elevated in many tumor types and is associated with patient survival, and strikingly, overexpression of this individual tRNA induces oncogenic transformation. Thus, METTL1-mediated tRNA modification drives oncogenic transformation through a remodeling of the mRNA "translatome" to increase expression of growth-promoting proteins and represents a promising anti-cancer target.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esteban A Orellana
- Stem Cell Program, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Qi Liu
- Stem Cell Program, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Eliza Yankova
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK; Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, UK; Storm Therapeutics Ltd., Moneta Building (B280), Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
| | - Mehdi Pirouz
- Stem Cell Program, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Etienne De Braekeleer
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Wencai Zhang
- Department of Pathology, Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Jihoon Lim
- Department of Pathology, Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Demetrios Aspris
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK; Karaiskakio Foundation, Nicandrou Papamina Avenue, 2032 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Erdem Sendinc
- Division of Newborn Medicine and Epigenetics Program, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Dimitrios A Garyfallos
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK; Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID), University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Muxin Gu
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Raja Ali
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Alejandro Gutierrez
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Sigitas Mikutis
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Gonçalo J L Bernardes
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, UK
| | - Eric S Fischer
- Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Allan Bradley
- Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology & Infectious Disease (CITIID), University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, UK
| | - George S Vassiliou
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK; Karaiskakio Foundation, Nicandrou Papamina Avenue, 2032 Nicosia, Cyprus; Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Frank J Slack
- Department of Pathology, Cancer Center, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Harvard Initiative for RNA Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA
| | - Konstantinos Tzelepis
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK; Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, UK; Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, UK.
| | - Richard I Gregory
- Stem Cell Program, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA; Harvard Initiative for RNA Medicine, Boston, MA 02115, USA.
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11
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Han N, Hwang W, Tzelepis K, Schmerer P, Yankova E, MacMahon M, Lei W, M Katritsis N, Liu A, Felgenhauer U, Schuldt A, Harris R, Chapman K, McCaughan F, Weber F, Kouzarides T. Identification of SARS-CoV-2-induced pathways reveals drug repurposing strategies. Sci Adv 2021; 7:eabh3032. [PMID: 34193418 PMCID: PMC8245040 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abh3032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/02/2023]
Abstract
The global outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) necessitates the rapid development of new therapies against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection. Here, we present the identification of 200 approved drugs, appropriate for repurposing against COVID-19. We constructed a SARS-CoV-2-induced protein network, based on disease signatures defined by COVID-19 multiomics datasets, and cross-examined these pathways against approved drugs. This analysis identified 200 drugs predicted to target SARS-CoV-2-induced pathways, 40 of which are already in COVID-19 clinical trials, testifying to the validity of the approach. Using artificial neural network analysis, we classified these 200 drugs into nine distinct pathways, within two overarching mechanisms of action (MoAs): viral replication (126) and immune response (74). Two drugs (proguanil and sulfasalazine) implicated in viral replication were shown to inhibit replication in cell assays. This unbiased and validated analysis opens new avenues for the rapid repurposing of approved drugs into clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Namshik Han
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Woochang Hwang
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Patrick Schmerer
- Institute for Virology, FB10-Veterinary Medicine, Justus-Liebig University, Gießen 35392, Germany
| | - Eliza Yankova
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Méabh MacMahon
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Centre for Therapeutics Discovery, LifeArc, Stevenage, UK
| | - Winnie Lei
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Surgery, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Nicholas M Katritsis
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Anika Liu
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Data and Computational Sciences, GSK, London, UK
| | - Ulrike Felgenhauer
- Institute for Virology, FB10-Veterinary Medicine, Justus-Liebig University, Gießen 35392, Germany
| | - Alison Schuldt
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Rebecca Harris
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Kathryn Chapman
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Frank McCaughan
- Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Friedemann Weber
- Institute for Virology, FB10-Veterinary Medicine, Justus-Liebig University, Gießen 35392, Germany
| | - Tony Kouzarides
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- The Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
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12
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Pacharne S, Dovey OM, Cooper JL, Gu M, Friedrich MJ, Rajan SS, Barenboim M, Collord G, Vijayabaskar MS, Ponstingl H, De Braekeleer E, Bautista R, Mazan M, Rad R, Tzelepis K, Wright P, Gozdecka M, Vassiliou GS. SETBP1 overexpression acts in the place of class-defining mutations to drive FLT3-ITD-mutant AML. Blood Adv 2021; 5:2412-2425. [PMID: 33956058 PMCID: PMC8114559 DOI: 10.1182/bloodadvances.2020003443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Advances in cancer genomics have revealed genomic classes of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) characterized by class-defining mutations, such as chimeric fusion genes or in genes such as NPM1, MLL, and CEBPA. These class-defining mutations frequently synergize with internal tandem duplications in FLT3 (FLT3-ITDs) to drive leukemogenesis. However, ∼20% of FLT3-ITD-positive AMLs bare no class-defining mutations, and mechanisms of leukemic transformation in these cases are unknown. To identify pathways that drive FLT3-ITD mutant AML in the absence of class-defining mutations, we performed an insertional mutagenesis (IM) screening in Flt3-ITD mice, using Sleeping Beauty transposons. All mice developed acute leukemia (predominantly AML) after a median of 73 days. Analysis of transposon insertions in 38 samples from Flt3-ITD/IM leukemic mice identified recurrent integrations at 22 loci, including Setbp1 (20/38), Ets1 (11/38), Ash1l (8/38), Notch1 (8/38), Erg (7/38), and Runx1 (5/38). Insertions at Setbp1 led exclusively to AML and activated a transcriptional program similar, but not identical, to those of NPM1-mutant and MLL-rearranged AMLs. Guide RNA targeting of Setbp1 was highly detrimental to Flt3ITD/+/Setbp1IM+, but not to Flt3ITD/+/Npm1cA/+, AMLs. Also, analysis of RNA-sequencing data from hundreds of human AMLs revealed that SETBP1 expression is significantly higher in FLT3-ITD AMLs lacking class-defining mutations. These findings propose that SETBP1 overexpression collaborates with FLT3-ITD to drive a subtype of human AML. To identify genetic vulnerabilities of these AMLs, we performed genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screening in Flt3ITD/+/Setbp1IM+ AMLs and identified potential therapeutic targets, including Kdm1a, Brd3, Ezh2, and Hmgcr. Our study gives new insights into epigenetic pathways that can drive AMLs lacking class-defining mutations and proposes therapeutic approaches against such cases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suruchi Pacharne
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Wellcome-Medical Research Center (MRC) Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Oliver M Dovey
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan L Cooper
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Muxin Gu
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Wellcome-Medical Research Center (MRC) Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Mathias J Friedrich
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Medicine II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - Sandeep S Rajan
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- United Kingdom Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Maxim Barenboim
- Department of Pediatrics and Children's Cancer Research Center, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, School of Medicine, Munich, Germany
| | - Grace Collord
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Wellcome-Medical Research Center (MRC) Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - M S Vijayabaskar
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Wellcome-Medical Research Center (MRC) Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Hannes Ponstingl
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Etienne De Braekeleer
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Wellcome-Medical Research Center (MRC) Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Ruben Bautista
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Milena Mazan
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Research and Development Department, Selvita S.A., Krakow, Poland
| | - Roland Rad
- Department of Medicine II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; and
| | - Konstantinos Tzelepis
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Gurdon Institute
- Department of Pathology, and
| | | | - Malgorzata Gozdecka
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Wellcome-Medical Research Center (MRC) Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - George S Vassiliou
- Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Wellcome-Medical Research Center (MRC) Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Haematology, Cambridge University Hospitals National Health Service (NHS) Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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13
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Yankova E, Blackaby W, Albertella M, Rak J, De Braekeleer E, Tsagkogeorga G, Pilka ES, Aspris D, Leggate D, Hendrick AG, Webster NA, Andrews B, Fosbeary R, Guest P, Irigoyen N, Eleftheriou M, Gozdecka M, Dias JML, Bannister AJ, Vick B, Jeremias I, Vassiliou GS, Rausch O, Tzelepis K, Kouzarides T. Small-molecule inhibition of METTL3 as a strategy against myeloid leukaemia. Nature 2021; 593:597-601. [PMID: 33902106 PMCID: PMC7613134 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-021-03536-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 459] [Impact Index Per Article: 153.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is an abundant internal RNA modification1,2 that is catalysed predominantly by the METTL3-METTL14 methyltransferase complex3,4. The m6A methyltransferase METTL3 has been linked to the initiation and maintenance of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), but the potential of therapeutic applications targeting this enzyme remains unknown5-7. Here we present the identification and characterization of STM2457, a highly potent and selective first-in-class catalytic inhibitor of METTL3, and a crystal structure of STM2457 in complex with METTL3-METTL14. Treatment of tumours with STM2457 leads to reduced AML growth and an increase in differentiation and apoptosis. These cellular effects are accompanied by selective reduction of m6A levels on known leukaemogenic mRNAs and a decrease in their expression consistent with a translational defect. We demonstrate that pharmacological inhibition of METTL3 in vivo leads to impaired engraftment and prolonged survival in various mouse models of AML, specifically targeting key stem cell subpopulations of AML. Collectively, these results reveal the inhibition of METTL3 as a potential therapeutic strategy against AML, and provide proof of concept that the targeting of RNA-modifying enzymes represents a promising avenue for anticancer therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliza Yankova
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Storm Therapeutics Ltd, Cambridge, UK
| | | | | | - Justyna Rak
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Etienne De Braekeleer
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Georgia Tsagkogeorga
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Storm Therapeutics Ltd, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Demetrios Aspris
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
- The Center for the Study of Hematological Malignancies/Karaiskakio Foundation, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Nerea Irigoyen
- Division of Virology, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Maria Eleftheriou
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Malgorzata Gozdecka
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Joao M L Dias
- MRC Cancer Unit, University of Cambridge, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Cambridge, UK
| | - Andrew J Bannister
- The Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Binje Vick
- Research Unit Apoptosis in Hematopoietic Stem Cells, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (HMGU), Munich, Germany
- German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK), Munich, Germany
| | - Irmela Jeremias
- Research Unit Apoptosis in Hematopoietic Stem Cells, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (HMGU), Munich, Germany
- German Consortium for Translational Cancer Research (DKTK), Munich, Germany
- Department of Pediatrics, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University München, Munich, Germany
| | - George S Vassiliou
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- The Center for the Study of Hematological Malignancies/Karaiskakio Foundation, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | | | - Konstantinos Tzelepis
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK.
- Wellcome-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- The Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Tony Kouzarides
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- The Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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14
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Au YZ, Gu M, De Braekeleer E, Gozdecka M, Aspris D, Tarumoto Y, Cooper J, Yu J, Ong SH, Chen X, Tzelepis K, Huntly BJP, Vassiliou G, Yusa K. KAT7 is a genetic vulnerability of acute myeloid leukemias driven by MLL rearrangements. Leukemia 2021; 35:1012-1022. [PMID: 32764680 PMCID: PMC7610570 DOI: 10.1038/s41375-020-1001-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2019] [Revised: 07/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Histone acetyltransferases (HATs) catalyze the transfer of an acetyl group from acetyl-CoA to lysine residues of histones and play a central role in transcriptional regulation in diverse biological processes. Dysregulation of HAT activity can lead to human diseases including developmental disorders and cancer. Through genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screens, we identified several HATs of the MYST family as fitness genes for acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Here we investigate the essentiality of lysine acetyltransferase KAT7 in AMLs driven by the MLL-X gene fusions. We found that KAT7 loss leads to a rapid and complete loss of both H3K14ac and H4K12ac marks, in association with reduced proliferation, increased apoptosis, and differentiation of AML cells. Acetyltransferase activity of KAT7 is essential for the proliferation of these cells. Mechanistically, our data propose that acetylated histones provide a platform for the recruitment of MLL-fusion-associated adaptor proteins such as BRD4 and AF4 to gene promoters. Upon KAT7 loss, these factors together with RNA polymerase II rapidly dissociate from several MLL-fusion target genes that are essential for AML cell proliferation, including MEIS1, PBX3, and SENP6. Our findings reveal that KAT7 is a plausible therapeutic target for this poor prognosis AML subtype.
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MESH Headings
- Apoptosis/genetics
- Biomarkers, Tumor
- Cell Differentiation
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Disease Management
- Epigenesis, Genetic
- Gene Knockout Techniques
- Gene Rearrangement
- Genetic Association Studies
- Genetic Predisposition to Disease
- Histone Acetyltransferases/genetics
- Histone Acetyltransferases/metabolism
- Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase/genetics
- Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase/metabolism
- Histones/metabolism
- Humans
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/diagnosis
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/metabolism
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/therapy
- Myeloid Cells/metabolism
- Myeloid Cells/pathology
- Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein/genetics
- Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein/metabolism
- Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/genetics
- Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/metabolism
- Promoter Regions, Genetic
- Protein Binding
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Zi Au
- Stem Cell Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
| | - Muxin Gu
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Malgorzata Gozdecka
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Demetrios Aspris
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Yusuke Tarumoto
- Stem Cell Genetics, Institute for Frontier Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Jonathan Cooper
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Jason Yu
- Stem Cell Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Cell Biology, The Francis Crick Institute, London, UK
| | - Swee Hoe Ong
- Stem Cell Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Xi Chen
- Gene Expression Genomics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Konstantinos Tzelepis
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
- Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, UK
| | - Brian J P Huntly
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - George Vassiliou
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK.
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Department of Haematology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Kosuke Yusa
- Stem Cell Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK.
- Stem Cell Genetics, Institute for Frontier Life and Medical Sciences, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
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15
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Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW In recent years, the N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification of RNA has been shown to play an important role in the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and the maintenance of leukemic stem cells (LSCs). In this review we summarise the recent findings in the field of epitranscriptomics related to m6A and its relevance in AML. RECENT FINDINGS Recent studies have focused on the role of m6A regulators in the development of AML and their potential as translational targets. The writer Methyltransferase Like 3 and its binding partner Methyltransferase Like 14, as well as the reader YTH domain-containing family protein 2, were shown to be vital for LSC survival, and their loss has detrimental effects on AML cells. Similar observations were made with the demethylases fat mass and obesity-associated protein and AlkB homologue 5 RNA demethylase. Of importance, loss of any of these genes has little to no effect on normal hemopoietic stem cells, suggesting therapeutic potential. SUMMARY The field of epitranscriptomics is still in its infancy and the importance of m6A and other RNA-modifications in AML will only come into sharper focus. The development of therapeutics targeting RNA-modifying enzymes may open up new avenues for treatment of such malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliza Yankova
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Demetrios Aspris
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- The Center for the Study of Hematological Malignancies, Nicandrou Papamina Avenue, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Konstantinos Tzelepis
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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16
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Mikutis S, Gu M, Sendinc E, Hazemi ME, Kiely-Collins H, Aspris D, Vassiliou GS, Shi Y, Tzelepis K, Bernardes GJL. meCLICK-Seq, a Substrate-Hijacking and RNA Degradation Strategy for the Study of RNA Methylation. ACS Cent Sci 2020; 6:2196-2208. [PMID: 33376781 PMCID: PMC7760485 DOI: 10.1021/acscentsci.0c01094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2020] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The fates of RNA species in a cell are controlled by ribonucleases, which degrade them by exploiting the universal structural 2'-OH group. This phenomenon plays a key role in numerous transformative technologies, for example, RNA interference and CRISPR/Cas13-based RNA editing systems. These approaches, however, are genetic or oligomer-based and so have inherent limitations. This has led to interest in the development of small molecules capable of degrading nucleic acids in a targeted manner. Here we describe click-degraders, small molecules that can be covalently attached to RNA species through click-chemistry and can degrade them, that are akin to ribonucleases. By using these molecules, we have developed the meCLICK-Seq (methylation CLICK-degradation Sequencing) a method to identify RNA modification substrates with high resolution at intronic and intergenic regions. The method hijacks RNA methyltransferase activity to introduce an alkyne, instead of a methyl, moiety on RNA. Subsequent copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition reaction with the click-degrader leads to RNA cleavage and degradation exploiting a mechanism used by endogenous ribonucleases. Focusing on N6-methyladenosine (m6A), meCLICK-Seq identifies methylated transcripts, determines RNA methylase specificity, and reliably maps modification sites in intronic and intergenic regions. Importantly, we show that METTL16 deposits m6A to intronic polyadenylation (IPA) sites, which suggests a potential role for METTL16 in IPA and, in turn, splicing. Unlike other methods, the readout of meCLICK-Seq is depletion, not enrichment, of modified RNA species, which allows a comprehensive and dynamic study of RNA modifications throughout the transcriptome, including regions of low abundance. The click-degraders are highly modular and so may be exploited to study any RNA modification and design new technologies that rely on RNA degradation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sigitas Mikutis
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Muxin Gu
- Haematological
Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10
1SA, U.K.
| | - Erdem Sendinc
- Boston
Childrens’ Hospital, Harvard Medical
School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Madoka E. Hazemi
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Hannah Kiely-Collins
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
| | - Demetrios Aspris
- Haematological
Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10
1SA, U.K.
- The
Center for the Study of Haematological Malignancies, Karaiskakio Foundation, Nicandrou Papamina Avenue, 2032 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - George S. Vassiliou
- Haematological
Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10
1SA, U.K.
- The
Center for the Study of Haematological Malignancies, Karaiskakio Foundation, Nicandrou Papamina Avenue, 2032 Nicosia, Cyprus
- Wellcome-MRC
Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University
of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, U.K.
| | - Yang Shi
- Boston
Childrens’ Hospital, Harvard Medical
School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Ludwig
Institute for Cancer Research, Oxford University, Old Road Campus Research Build,
Roosevelt Dr., Oxford OX3
7DQ, U.K.
| | - Konstantinos Tzelepis
- Haematological
Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10
1SA, U.K.
- Boston
Childrens’ Hospital, Harvard Medical
School, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
- Milner Therapeutics
Institute, University of Cambridge, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge CB2 0AW, U.K.
| | - Gonçalo J. L. Bernardes
- Department
of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, Lensfield Road, Cambridge CB2 1EW, U.K.
- Instituto
de Medicina Molecular, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Professor Egas Moniz, 1649-028 Lisboa, Portugal
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17
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Basilico S, Wang X, Kennedy A, Tzelepis K, Giotopoulos G, Kinston SJ, Quiros PM, Wong K, Adams DJ, Carnevalli LS, Huntly BJP, Vassiliou GS, Calero-Nieto FJ, Göttgens B. Dissecting the early steps of MLL induced leukaemogenic transformation using a mouse model of AML. Nat Commun 2020; 11:1407. [PMID: 32179751 PMCID: PMC7075888 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-15220-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2018] [Accepted: 02/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Leukaemogenic mutations commonly disrupt cellular differentiation and/or enhance proliferation, thus perturbing the regulatory programs that control self-renewal and differentiation of stem and progenitor cells. Translocations involving the Mll1 (Kmt2a) gene generate powerful oncogenic fusion proteins, predominantly affecting infant and paediatric AML and ALL patients. The early stages of leukaemogenic transformation are typically inaccessible from human patients and conventional mouse models. Here, we take advantage of cells conditionally blocked at the multipotent haematopoietic progenitor stage to develop a MLL-r model capturing early cellular and molecular consequences of MLL-ENL expression based on a clear clonal relationship between parental and leukaemic cells. Through a combination of scRNA-seq, ATAC-seq and genome-scale CRISPR-Cas9 screening, we identify pathways and genes likely to drive the early phases of leukaemogenesis. Finally, we demonstrate the broad utility of using matched parental and transformed cells for small molecule inhibitor studies by validating both previously known and other potential therapeutic targets.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Cell Transformation, Neoplastic
- DNA-Binding Proteins/genetics
- DNA-Binding Proteins/metabolism
- Disease Models, Animal
- Female
- Hematopoietic Stem Cells/metabolism
- Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase/genetics
- Histone-Lysine N-Methyltransferase/metabolism
- Homeodomain Proteins/genetics
- Homeodomain Proteins/metabolism
- Humans
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/metabolism
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/physiopathology
- Mice
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein/genetics
- Myeloid-Lymphoid Leukemia Protein/metabolism
- Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/genetics
- Oncogene Proteins, Fusion/metabolism
- Transcription Factors/genetics
- Transcription Factors/metabolism
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvia Basilico
- Wellcome and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and University of Cambridge Department of Haematology, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Xiaonan Wang
- Wellcome and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and University of Cambridge Department of Haematology, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Alison Kennedy
- Wellcome and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and University of Cambridge Department of Haematology, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Konstantinos Tzelepis
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
- Milner Therapeutics Institute, University of Cambridge, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - George Giotopoulos
- Wellcome and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and University of Cambridge Department of Haematology, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Sarah J Kinston
- Wellcome and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and University of Cambridge Department of Haematology, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - Pedro M Quiros
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Kim Wong
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - David J Adams
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | | | - Brian J P Huntly
- Wellcome and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and University of Cambridge Department of Haematology, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
| | - George S Vassiliou
- Wellcome and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and University of Cambridge Department of Haematology, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Fernando J Calero-Nieto
- Wellcome and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and University of Cambridge Department of Haematology, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK.
| | - Berthold Göttgens
- Wellcome and MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and University of Cambridge Department of Haematology, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Puddicombe Way, Cambridge, CB2 0AW, UK.
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18
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Albertella M, Blackaby W, Fosbeary R, Hendrick A, Leggate D, Ofir-Rosenfeld Y, Sapetschnig A, Tzelepis K, Yankova E, Kouzarides T, Rausch O. Abstract B126: A small molecule inhibitor of the RNA m6A writer METTL3 inhibits the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in vivo. Mol Cancer Ther 2019. [DOI: 10.1158/1535-7163.targ-19-b126] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
METTL3 is an RNA methyltransferase which is responsible for the deposition of N-6-methyladenosine (m6A) on mRNA targets such as SP1, to modulate their stability and expression. METTL3 was identified as an essential gene for the growth of AML cells and proposed as a novel target for cancer therapy (Barbieri 2017). We present the in vitro and in vivo characterization of novel small molecule inhibitors of METTL3, which recapitulate the genetic validation of METTL3 as a novel cancer target using a pharmacological audit trail. Small molecule inhibitors from 2 distinct chemical series were identified and optimised using a structure-guided medicinal chemistry platform. Compounds 1 and 2 are from different series, and both showed biochemical inhibition of METTL3 enzyme with single digit nanomolar potency. Direct binding to METTL3 was confirmed by SPR with comparable potency. Compound 3 is an inactive analog which was confirmed inactive in the enzyme assay (IC50 >50microM). Compounds 1-2 are selective for METTL3 and did not inhibit a panel of other RNA, DNA or protein methyltransferases tested (>10microM IC50). Cellular target engagement was confirmed by the demonstration that compounds 1 and 2 inhibited SP1 and Brd4 protein expression with submicromolar potency, whereas the inactive analog compound 3 had no effect. Compounds 1 and 2 treatment of MOLM13 cells inhibited their proliferation which correlated with SP1 inhibition, and compound 3 had no effect, demonstrating that their activity was METTL3-dependent. Compound 1 has excellent oral bioavailability with good dose-proportional exposure in mice and a half-life of 3.5 hrs, and was well-tolerated with no body weight loss or clinical signs. Compound 1 was evaluated for anti-tumor effects in an MLL-AF9 driven primary murine AML model. 30 mg/kg daily oral dosing of compound 1 gave a significant reduction in AML expansion and a reduction in spleen weight compared to vehicle control, indicating a pronounced anti-tumor effect in vivo. Target engagement was confirmed in bone marrow and spleen as measured by reduction of METTL3-dependent m6A targets. We have described the comprehensive characterization of potent and selective inhibitors of the METTL3 RNA methyltransferase, and demonstrated their activity and utility using biochemical, cellular and in vivo systems. We have demonstrated that inhibition of METTL3 by small molecules in vivo leads to a pronounced anti-tumor effect in a physiologically relevant model of acute myeloid leukemia. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of in vivo activity of inhibitors of an RNA methyltransferase and providing proof of concept that RNA modifying enzymes are a new target class for the development of novel cancer therapeutics.
Citation Format: Mark Albertella, Wesley Blackaby, Richard Fosbeary, Alan Hendrick, Dan Leggate, Yaara Ofir-Rosenfeld, Alexandra Sapetschnig, Konstantinos Tzelepis, Eliza Yankova, Tony Kouzarides, Oliver Rausch. A small molecule inhibitor of the RNA m6A writer METTL3 inhibits the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in vivo [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics; 2019 Oct 26-30; Boston, MA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Mol Cancer Ther 2019;18(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B126. doi:10.1158/1535-7163.TARG-19-B126
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19
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Tzelepis K, Rausch O, Kouzarides T. RNA-modifying enzymes and their function in a chromatin context. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2019; 26:858-862. [PMID: 31582848 PMCID: PMC7613430 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-019-0312-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2019] [Accepted: 08/30/2019] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Exciting research has connected specific RNA modifications to chromatin, providing evidence for co-transcriptional deposition and function in gene regulation. Here we review insights gained from studying the co-transcriptional roles of RNA modifications, and their influence in normal and disease contexts. We also discuss how the availability of novel technical approaches could raise the translational potential of targeting RNA-modifying enzymes for the treatment of disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Tzelepis
- The Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Oliver Rausch
- Storm Therapeutics Ltd, Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tony Kouzarides
- The Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
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20
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Tzelepis K, De Braekeleer E, Aspris D, Barbieri I, Vijayabaskar MS, Liu WH, Gozdecka M, Metzakopian E, Toop HD, Dudek M, Robson SC, Hermida-Prado F, Yang YH, Babaei-Jadidi R, Garyfallos DA, Ponstingl H, Dias JML, Gallipoli P, Seiler M, Buonamici S, Vick B, Bannister AJ, Rad R, Prinjha RK, Marioni JC, Huntly B, Batson J, Morris JC, Pina C, Bradley A, Jeremias I, Bates DO, Yusa K, Kouzarides T, Vassiliou GS. SRPK1 maintains acute myeloid leukemia through effects on isoform usage of epigenetic regulators including BRD4. Nat Commun 2018; 9:5378. [PMID: 30568163 PMCID: PMC6300607 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-07620-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2018] [Accepted: 11/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
We recently identified the splicing kinase gene SRPK1 as a genetic vulnerability of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Here, we show that genetic or pharmacological inhibition of SRPK1 leads to cell cycle arrest, leukemic cell differentiation and prolonged survival of mice transplanted with MLL-rearranged AML. RNA-seq analysis demonstrates that SRPK1 inhibition leads to altered isoform levels of many genes including several with established roles in leukemogenesis such as MYB, BRD4 and MED24. We focus on BRD4 as its main isoforms have distinct molecular properties and find that SRPK1 inhibition produces a significant switch from the short to the long isoform at the mRNA and protein levels. This was associated with BRD4 eviction from genomic loci involved in leukemogenesis including BCL2 and MYC. We go on to show that this switch mediates at least part of the anti-leukemic effects of SRPK1 inhibition. Our findings reveal that SRPK1 represents a plausible new therapeutic target against AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstantinos Tzelepis
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK.
- Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK.
| | - Etienne De Braekeleer
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Demetrios Aspris
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
- Karaiskakio Foundation, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Isaia Barbieri
- Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology, Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Addenbrookes Hospital, CB2 0QQ, Cambridge, UK
| | - M S Vijayabaskar
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Wen-Hsin Liu
- Research Unit Apoptosis in Hematopoietic Stem Cells, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (HMGU), 81377, Munich, Germany
| | - Malgorzata Gozdecka
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Emmanouil Metzakopian
- UK Dementia Research Institute, University of Cambridge, Hills Rd, Cambridge, CB2 0AH, UK
| | - Hamish D Toop
- School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Exonate Ltd, Milton Science Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Monika Dudek
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Samuel C Robson
- School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Science, University of Portsmouth, White Swan Road, Portsmouth, PO1 2DT, UK
| | - Francisco Hermida-Prado
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Yu Hsuen Yang
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | | | - Dimitrios A Garyfallos
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Hannes Ponstingl
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Joao M L Dias
- Cancer Molecular Diagnosis Laboratory, National Institute for Health Research, Biomedical Research Centre, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Paolo Gallipoli
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0PT, UK
- Department of Haematology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | | | | | - Binje Vick
- Research Unit Apoptosis in Hematopoietic Stem Cells, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (HMGU), 81377, Munich, Germany
| | - Andrew J Bannister
- Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Roland Rad
- Institute of Molecular Oncology and Functional Genomics, Department of Medicine II and TranslaTUM Cancer Center, Technical University of Munich, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, & German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Rab K Prinjha
- Epigenetics DPU, Immunoinflammation and Oncology TA Unit, GSK Medicines Research Centre, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, SG1 2NY, UK
| | - John C Marioni
- Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, University of Cambridge, Robinson Way, Cambridge, CB2 0RE, UK
- European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridgeshire, CB10 1SD, UK
- Stem Cell Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Brian Huntly
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0PT, UK
- Department of Haematology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | | | - Jonathan C Morris
- School of Chemistry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Exonate Ltd, Milton Science Park, Cambridge, UK
| | - Cristina Pina
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0PT, UK
| | - Allan Bradley
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Irmela Jeremias
- Research Unit Apoptosis in Hematopoietic Stem Cells, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health (HMGU), 81377, Munich, Germany
- German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, & German Cancer Consortium (DKTK), Heidelberg, Germany
- Department of Pediatrics, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig Maximilians University München, 80337, Munich, Germany
| | - David O Bates
- Exonate Ltd, Milton Science Park, Cambridge, UK
- Cancer Biology, Division of Cancer and Stem Cells, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, NG2 7UH, UK
| | - Kosuke Yusa
- Stem Cell Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK.
| | - Tony Kouzarides
- Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK.
| | - George S Vassiliou
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK.
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0XY, UK.
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 0PT, UK.
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21
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Gozdecka M, Meduri E, Mazan M, Tzelepis K, Dudek M, Knights AJ, Pardo M, Yu L, Choudhary JS, Metzakopian E, Iyer V, Yun H, Park N, Varela I, Bautista R, Collord G, Dovey O, Garyfallos DA, De Braekeleer E, Kondo S, Cooper J, Göttgens B, Bullinger L, Northcott PA, Adams D, Vassiliou GS, Huntly BJP. UTX-mediated enhancer and chromatin remodeling suppresses myeloid leukemogenesis through noncatalytic inverse regulation of ETS and GATA programs. Nat Genet 2018; 50:883-894. [PMID: 29736013 PMCID: PMC6029661 DOI: 10.1038/s41588-018-0114-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 03/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
The histone H3 Lys27-specific demethylase UTX (or KDM6A) is targeted by loss-of-function mutations in multiple cancers. Here, we demonstrate that UTX suppresses myeloid leukemogenesis through noncatalytic functions, a property shared with its catalytically inactive Y-chromosome paralog, UTY (or KDM6C). In keeping with this, we demonstrate concomitant loss/mutation of KDM6A (UTX) and UTY in multiple human cancers. Mechanistically, global genomic profiling showed only minor changes in H3K27me3 but significant and bidirectional alterations in H3K27ac and chromatin accessibility; a predominant loss of H3K4me1 modifications; alterations in ETS and GATA-factor binding; and altered gene expression after Utx loss. By integrating proteomic and genomic analyses, we link these changes to UTX regulation of ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling, coordination of the COMPASS complex and enhanced pioneering activity of ETS factors during evolution to AML. Collectively, our findings identify a dual role for UTX in suppressing acute myeloid leukemia via repression of oncogenic ETS and upregulation of tumor-suppressive GATA programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malgorzata Gozdecka
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Eshwar Meduri
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Milena Mazan
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Monika Dudek
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Andrew J Knights
- Genomics of Gene Regulation, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Mercedes Pardo
- Proteomic Mass Spectrometry, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - Lu Yu
- Proteomic Mass Spectrometry, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - Jyoti S Choudhary
- Proteomic Mass Spectrometry, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | | | - Vivek Iyer
- Experimental Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Haiyang Yun
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Naomi Park
- Sequencing Research Group, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - Ignacio Varela
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria (CSIC-UC-Sodercan), Departamento de Biología Molecular, Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Spain
| | - Ruben Bautista
- New Pipeline Group, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK
| | - Grace Collord
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Oliver Dovey
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | | | | | - Saki Kondo
- Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Medical Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Jonathan Cooper
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - Berthold Göttgens
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research and Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council, Stem Cell Institute and Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Lars Bullinger
- Department of Internal Medicine III, Ulm University Medical Centre, Ulm, Germany
- Medical Department, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Tumour Immunology, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul A Northcott
- Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany
- Developmental Neurobiology, St Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA
| | - David Adams
- Experimental Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK
| | - George S Vassiliou
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK.
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Department of Haematology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cambridge, UK.
| | - Brian J P Huntly
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research and Wellcome Trust-Medical Research Council, Stem Cell Institute and Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.
- Department of Haematology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cambridge, UK.
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22
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Gallipoli P, Giotopoulos G, Tzelepis K, Costa AS, Vohra S, Medina-Perez P, Basheer F, Marando L, Di Lisio L, Dias JML, Yun H, Sasca D, Horton SJ, Vassiliou G, Frezza C, Huntly BJ. Glutaminolysis is a metabolic dependency in FLT3 ITD acute myeloid leukemia unmasked by FLT3 tyrosine kinase inhibition. Blood 2018; 131:1639-1653. [PMID: 29463564 PMCID: PMC6061932 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2017-12-820035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
FLT3 internal tandem duplication (FLT3ITD) mutations are common in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) associated with poor patient prognosis. Although new-generation FLT3 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) have shown promising results, the outcome of FLT3ITD AML patients remains poor and demands the identification of novel, specific, and validated therapeutic targets for this highly aggressive AML subtype. Utilizing an unbiased genome-wide clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 screen, we identify GLS, the first enzyme in glutamine metabolism, as synthetically lethal with FLT3-TKI treatment. Using complementary metabolomic and gene-expression analysis, we demonstrate that glutamine metabolism, through its ability to support both mitochondrial function and cellular redox metabolism, becomes a metabolic dependency of FLT3ITD AML, specifically unmasked by FLT3-TKI treatment. We extend these findings to AML subtypes driven by other tyrosine kinase (TK) activating mutations and validate the role of GLS as a clinically actionable therapeutic target in both primary AML and in vivo models. Our work highlights the role of metabolic adaptations as a resistance mechanism to several TKI and suggests glutaminolysis as a therapeutically targetable vulnerability when combined with specific TKI in FLT3ITD and other TK activating mutation-driven leukemias.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paolo Gallipoli
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
| | - George Giotopoulos
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Konstantinos Tzelepis
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Ana S.H. Costa
- MRC Cancer Unit, University of Cambridge, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Box 197, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0XZ, UK
| | - Shabana Vohra
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Paula Medina-Perez
- MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit, University of Cambridge, Hills Road, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Wellcome Trust/MRC Building, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Faisal Basheer
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Ludovica Marando
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Lorena Di Lisio
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Joao M. L. Dias
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Haiyang Yun
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Daniel Sasca
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Sarah J. Horton
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
| | - George Vassiliou
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Christian Frezza
- MRC Cancer Unit, University of Cambridge, Hutchison/MRC Research Centre, Box 197, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge CB2 0XZ, UK
| | - Brian J.P. Huntly
- Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Cambridge Institute for Medical Research, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
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23
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Barbieri I, Tzelepis K, Pandolfini L, Shi J, Millán-Zambrano G, Robson SC, Aspris D, Migliori V, Bannister AJ, Han N, De Braekeleer E, Ponstingl H, Hendrick A, Vakoc CR, Vassiliou GS, Kouzarides T. Promoter-bound METTL3 maintains myeloid leukaemia by m 6A-dependent translation control. Nature 2017; 552:126-131. [PMID: 29186125 PMCID: PMC6217924 DOI: 10.1038/nature24678] [Citation(s) in RCA: 717] [Impact Index Per Article: 102.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2017] [Accepted: 10/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is an abundant internal RNA modification in both coding and non-coding RNAs that is catalysed by the METTL3-METTL14 methyltransferase complex. However, the specific role of these enzymes in cancer is still largely unknown. Here we define a pathway that is specific for METTL3 and is implicated in the maintenance of a leukaemic state. We identify METTL3 as an essential gene for growth of acute myeloid leukaemia cells in two distinct genetic screens. Downregulation of METTL3 results in cell cycle arrest, differentiation of leukaemic cells and failure to establish leukaemia in immunodeficient mice. We show that METTL3, independently of METTL14, associates with chromatin and localizes to the transcriptional start sites of active genes. The vast majority of these genes have the CAATT-box binding protein CEBPZ present at the transcriptional start site, and this is required for recruitment of METTL3 to chromatin. Promoter-bound METTL3 induces m6A modification within the coding region of the associated mRNA transcript, and enhances its translation by relieving ribosome stalling. We show that genes regulated by METTL3 in this way are necessary for acute myeloid leukaemia. Together, these data define METTL3 as a regulator of a chromatin-based pathway that is necessary for maintenance of the leukaemic state and identify this enzyme as a potential therapeutic target for acute myeloid leukaemia.
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MESH Headings
- Adenosine/analogs & derivatives
- Adenosine/genetics
- Adenosine/metabolism
- Animals
- CRISPR-Cas Systems
- Cell Line, Tumor
- Cell Proliferation/genetics
- Chromatin/genetics
- Chromatin/metabolism
- Female
- Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic/genetics
- Genes, Neoplasm/genetics
- Humans
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/enzymology
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/genetics
- Leukemia, Myeloid, Acute/pathology
- Methyltransferases/chemistry
- Methyltransferases/deficiency
- Methyltransferases/genetics
- Methyltransferases/metabolism
- Mice
- Promoter Regions, Genetic/genetics
- Protein Biosynthesis/genetics
- RNA, Messenger/biosynthesis
- RNA, Messenger/genetics
- RNA, Messenger/metabolism
- Ribosomes/metabolism
- Transcription Initiation Site
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaia Barbieri
- The Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Konstantinos Tzelepis
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Luca Pandolfini
- The Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Junwei Shi
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
| | - Gonzalo Millán-Zambrano
- The Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Samuel C. Robson
- The Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Demetrios Aspris
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Valentina Migliori
- The Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Andrew J. Bannister
- The Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Namshik Han
- The Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK
| | - Etienne De Braekeleer
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Hannes Ponstingl
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Alan Hendrick
- Storm Therapeutics Ltd, Moneta building (B280), Babraham Research Campus, Cambridge CB22 3AT, UK
| | - Christopher R. Vakoc
- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, 1 Bungtown Road, Cold Spring Harbor, NY 11724, USA
| | - George S. Vassiliou
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Tony Kouzarides
- The Gurdon Institute and Department of Pathology, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge, CB2 1QN, UK
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24
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Tzelepis K, Koike-Yusa H, De Braekeleer E, Li Y, Metzakopian E, Dovey OM, Mupo A, Grinkevich V, Li M, Mazan M, Gozdecka M, Ohnishi S, Cooper J, Patel M, McKerrell T, Chen B, Domingues AF, Gallipoli P, Teichmann S, Ponstingl H, McDermott U, Saez-Rodriguez J, Huntly BJP, Iorio F, Pina C, Vassiliou GS, Yusa K. A CRISPR Dropout Screen Identifies Genetic Vulnerabilities and Therapeutic Targets in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Cell Rep 2017; 17:1193-1205. [PMID: 27760321 PMCID: PMC5081405 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2016.09.079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 400] [Impact Index Per Article: 57.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2016] [Revised: 08/04/2016] [Accepted: 09/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis, for which mainstream treatments have not changed for decades. To identify additional therapeutic targets in AML, we optimize a genome-wide clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) screening platform and use it to identify genetic vulnerabilities in AML cells. We identify 492 AML-specific cell-essential genes, including several established therapeutic targets such as DOT1L, BCL2, and MEN1, and many other genes including clinically actionable candidates. We validate selected genes using genetic and pharmacological inhibition, and chose KAT2A as a candidate for downstream study. KAT2A inhibition demonstrated anti-AML activity by inducing myeloid differentiation and apoptosis, and suppressed the growth of primary human AMLs of diverse genotypes while sparing normal hemopoietic stem-progenitor cells. Our results propose that KAT2A inhibition should be investigated as a therapeutic strategy in AML and provide a large number of genetic vulnerabilities of this leukemia that can be pursued in downstream studies. Optimized CRISPR platform for identification of genome-wide genetic vulnerabilities Catalog of genetic vulnerabilities in acute myeloid leukemia cell lines KAT2A inhibition induces myeloid differentiation and apoptosis KAT2A inhibition arrests the growth of primary AML cells, but not of normal progenitors
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Yilong Li
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | | | - Oliver M Dovey
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Annalisa Mupo
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Vera Grinkevich
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Meng Li
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Milena Mazan
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | | | - Shuhei Ohnishi
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Jonathan Cooper
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Miten Patel
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Thomas McKerrell
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Bin Chen
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Ana Filipa Domingues
- Department of Haematology, NHS Blood and Transplant, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0PT, UK
| | - Paolo Gallipoli
- Department of Haematology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK; Wellcome Trust-MRC Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Sarah Teichmann
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Hannes Ponstingl
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Ultan McDermott
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Julio Saez-Rodriguez
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, UK; Faculty of Medicine, Joint Research Center for Computational Biomedicine, RWTH Aachen, 52074 Aachen, Germany
| | - Brian J P Huntly
- Department of Haematology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK; Wellcome Trust-MRC Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK
| | - Francesco Iorio
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Cristina Pina
- Department of Haematology, NHS Blood and Transplant, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0PT, UK.
| | - George S Vassiliou
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK; Department of Haematology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK; Wellcome Trust-MRC Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 0XY, UK.
| | - Kosuke Yusa
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK.
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25
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Dovey OM, Cooper JL, Mupo A, Grove CS, Lynn C, Conte N, Andrews RM, Pacharne S, Tzelepis K, Vijayabaskar MS, Green P, Rad R, Arends M, Wright P, Yusa K, Bradley A, Varela I, Vassiliou GS. Molecular synergy underlies the co-occurrence patterns and phenotype of NPM1-mutant acute myeloid leukemia. Blood 2017; 130:1911-1922. [PMID: 28835438 PMCID: PMC5672315 DOI: 10.1182/blood-2017-01-760595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/23/2017] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
NPM1 mutations define the commonest subgroup of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and frequently co-occur with FLT3 internal tandem duplications (ITD) or, less commonly, NRAS or KRAS mutations. Co-occurrence of mutant NPM1 with FLT3-ITD carries a significantly worse prognosis than NPM1-RAS combinations. To understand the molecular basis of these observations, we compare the effects of the 2 combinations on hematopoiesis and leukemogenesis in knock-in mice. Early effects of these mutations on hematopoiesis show that compound Npm1cA/+;NrasG12D/+ or Npm1cA;Flt3ITD share a number of features: Hox gene overexpression, enhanced self-renewal, expansion of hematopoietic progenitors, and myeloid differentiation bias. However, Npm1cA;Flt3ITD mutants displayed significantly higher peripheral leukocyte counts, early depletion of common lymphoid progenitors, and a monocytic bias in comparison with the granulocytic bias in Npm1cA/+;NrasG12D/+ mutants. Underlying this was a striking molecular synergy manifested as a dramatically altered gene expression profile in Npm1cA;Flt3ITD , but not Npm1cA/+;NrasG12D/+ , progenitors compared with wild-type. Both double-mutant models developed high-penetrance AML, although latency was significantly longer with Npm1cA/+;NrasG12D/+ During AML evolution, both models acquired additional copies of the mutant Flt3 or Nras alleles, but only Npm1cA/+;NrasG12D/+ mice showed acquisition of other human AML mutations, including IDH1 R132Q. We also find, using primary Cas9-expressing AMLs, that Hoxa genes and selected interactors or downstream targets are required for survival of both types of double-mutant AML. Our results show that molecular complementarity underlies the higher frequency and significantly worse prognosis associated with NPM1c/FLT3-ITD vs NPM1/NRAS-G12D-mutant AML and functionally confirm the role of HOXA genes in NPM1c-driven AML.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oliver M Dovey
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan L Cooper
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Annalisa Mupo
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Carolyn S Grove
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia
- PathWest Division of Clinical Pathology, Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre, Nedlands, Australia
| | - Claire Lynn
- Leukemia and Stem Cell Biology Group, Division of Cancer Studies, Department of Haematological Medicine, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Nathalie Conte
- Sample Phenotype Ontology Team, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Robert M Andrews
- Institute of Translation, Innovation, Methodology, and Engagement, Cardiff University School of Medicine, Cardiff, United Kingdom
| | - Suruchi Pacharne
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Konstantinos Tzelepis
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - M S Vijayabaskar
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Paul Green
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Roland Rad
- Department of Medicine II, Klinikum Rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany
- German Cancer Consortium, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Mark Arends
- Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Penny Wright
- Department of Haematology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and
| | - Kosuke Yusa
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Allan Bradley
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Ignacio Varela
- Instituto de Biomedicina y Biotecnología de Cantabria, Santander, Spain
| | - George S Vassiliou
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- Department of Haematology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom; and
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26
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Tzelepis K, Braekeleer ED, Seiler M, Barbieri I, Robson S, Yang YH, Gozdecka M, Dudek M, Collord G, Dovey OM, Metzakopian E, Garyfallos D, Cooper JL, Buonamici S, Ponstingl H, Stratton MR, Bradley A, Huntly BJ, Pina C, Kouzarides T, Yusa K, Vassiliou GS. Abstract 1158: Modulation of splicing by inhibiting the kinase SRPK1 as a novel therapeutic strategy in myeloid leukemia. Cancer Res 2017. [DOI: 10.1158/1538-7445.am2017-1158] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive cancer with a poor prognosis, for which the therapeutic landscape has changed little for decades. Aberrant mRNA splicing plays a key role in cancer development and genes coding for several of the major components of the spliceosome are targeted by somatic mutations in numerous cancers including myelodysplastic syndromes and AML. Recently, myeloid neoplasms bearing spliceosome gene mutations were shown to be preferentially susceptible to pharmacological disruption of the spliceosome. Here we report that targeting the spliceosome can also be an effective therapeutic strategy in other types of AML.
Recently, we generated a comprehensive catalogue of genetic vulnerabilities in AML using CRISPR-Cas9 genome-wide recessive screens and reported several novel intuitive and non-intuitive therapeutic candidates. Amongst these we identify SRPK1, the gene coding for a serine-threonine kinase that phosphorylates the major spliceosome protein SRSF1. Here, we demonstrate that targeted genetic disruption of SRPK1 in AML driven by MLL-fusion genes, led to differentiation and apoptosis. Additionally, mice transplanted with human AML cell lines carrying the MLL-AF9 fusion gene, namely MOLM-13 and THP-1, presented a significant prolongation of survival when SRPK1 was genetically disrupted by CRISPR-Cas9 editing. Similar effects were seen with pharmacological inhibition of SRPK1 in vitro and in vivo. At the molecular level we show that genetic or pharmacological inhibition of SRPK1 was associated with profound changes in the splicing of multiple genes involved in the MLL leukemogenic program in association with significant changes in enzymatic modifications of core histone tails.
We proceeded to perform a genome-wide CRISPR drop-out screen for sensitizers of MOLM13 cells to pharmacological inhibition of SRPK1 and identified, amongst other genes, BRD4 as a sensitizer. We go on to show that the BRD inhibitor iBET-151 synergizes with SRPK1 inhibition to kill MOLM-13 both in vitro and in vivo. Preliminary data indicates that SRPK1 inhibition has overlapping molecular effects to BRD inhibition. We are currently investigating the molecular bases of this observation.
Our work identifies SRPK1 as a novel therapeutic target in AML that can be used alone or in conjunctions with drugs targeting epigenetic modifications to improve their anti-leukemic effects.
Citation Format: Konstantinos Tzelepis, Etienne De Braekeleer, Michael Seiler, Isaia Barbieri, Sam Robson, Yu Hsuen Yang, Malgorzata Gozdecka, Monika Dudek, Grace Collord, Oliver M. Dovey, Emmanouil Metzakopian, Dimitrios Garyfallos, Jonathan L. Cooper, Silvia Buonamici, Hannes Ponstingl, Michael R. Stratton, Allan Bradley, Brian J. Huntly, Cristina Pina, Tony Kouzarides, Kosuke Yusa, George S. Vassiliou. Modulation of splicing by inhibiting the kinase SRPK1 as a novel therapeutic strategy in myeloid leukemia [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2017; 2017 Apr 1-5; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2017;77(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 1158. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2017-1158
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Sam Robson
- 3Gurdon Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Yu Hsuen Yang
- 4University College of London, London, United Kingdom
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - Brian J. Huntly
- 5Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Cristina Pina
- 6NHS Blood and Transplant, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Kosuke Yusa
- 1Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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27
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Metzakopian E, Strong A, Iyer V, Hodgkins A, Tzelepis K, Antunes L, Friedrich MJ, Kang Q, Davidson T, Lamberth J, Hoffmann C, Davis GD, Vassiliou GS, Skarnes WC, Bradley A. Enhancing the genome editing toolbox: genome wide CRISPR arrayed libraries. Sci Rep 2017; 7:2244. [PMID: 28533524 PMCID: PMC5440395 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-01766-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2016] [Accepted: 04/05/2017] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
CRISPR-Cas9 technology has accelerated biological research becoming routine for many laboratories. It is rapidly replacing conventional gene editing techniques and has high utility for both genome-wide and gene-focussed applications. Here we present the first individually cloned CRISPR-Cas9 genome wide arrayed sgRNA libraries covering 17,166 human and 20,430 mouse genes at a complexity of 34,332 sgRNAs for human and 40,860 sgRNAs for the mouse genome. For flexibility in generating stable cell lines the sgRNAs have been cloned in a lentivirus backbone containing PiggyBac transposase recognition elements together with fluorescent and drug selection markers. Over 95% of tested sgRNA induced specific DNA cleavage as measured by CEL-1 assays. Furthermore, sgRNA targeting GPI anchor protein pathway genes induced loss of function mutations in human and mouse cell lines measured by FLAER labelling. These arrayed libraries offer the prospect for performing screens on individual genes, combinations as well as larger gene sets. They also facilitate rapid deconvolution of signals from genome-wide screens. This set of vectors provide an organized comprehensive gene editing toolbox of considerable scientific value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanouil Metzakopian
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Alex Strong
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Vivek Iyer
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Alex Hodgkins
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Konstantinos Tzelepis
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Liliana Antunes
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Mathias J Friedrich
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Qiaohua Kang
- MilliporeSigma St. Louis, Missouri, 2909 Laclede Ave, USA
- A Business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, 64293, Germany
| | - Teresa Davidson
- MilliporeSigma St. Louis, Missouri, 2909 Laclede Ave, USA
- A Business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, 64293, Germany
| | - Jacob Lamberth
- MilliporeSigma St. Louis, Missouri, 2909 Laclede Ave, USA
- A Business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, 64293, Germany
| | - Christina Hoffmann
- MilliporeSigma St. Louis, Missouri, 2909 Laclede Ave, USA
- A Business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, 64293, Germany
| | - Gregory D Davis
- MilliporeSigma St. Louis, Missouri, 2909 Laclede Ave, USA
- A Business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, 64293, Germany
| | - George S Vassiliou
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - William C Skarnes
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Allan Bradley
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SA, UK.
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Mupo A, Seiler M, Sathiaseelan V, Pance A, Yang Y, Agrawal AA, Iorio F, Bautista R, Pacharne S, Tzelepis K, Manes N, Wright P, Papaemmanuil E, Kent DG, Campbell PC, Buonamici S, Bolli N, Vassiliou GS. Hemopoietic-specific Sf3b1-K700E knock-in mice display the splicing defect seen in human MDS but develop anemia without ring sideroblasts. Leukemia 2017; 31:720-727. [PMID: 27604819 PMCID: PMC5336192 DOI: 10.1038/leu.2016.251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 86] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2016] [Accepted: 08/19/2016] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Heterozygous somatic mutations affecting the spliceosome gene SF3B1 drive age-related clonal hematopoiesis, myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and other neoplasms. To study their role in such disorders, we generated knock-in mice with hematopoietic-specific expression of Sf3b1-K700E, the commonest type of SF3B1 mutation in MDS. Sf3b1K700E/+ animals had impaired erythropoiesis and progressive anemia without ringed sideroblasts, as well as reduced hematopoietic stem cell numbers and host-repopulating fitness. To understand the molecular basis of these observations, we analyzed global RNA splicing in Sf3b1K700E/+ hematopoietic cells. Aberrant splicing was associated with the usage of cryptic 3' splice and branchpoint sites, as described for human SF3B1 mutants. However, we found a little overlap between aberrantly spliced mRNAs in mouse versus human, suggesting that anemia may be a consequence of globally disrupted splicing. Furthermore, the murine orthologues of genes associated with ring sideroblasts in human MDS, including Abcb7 and Tmem14c, were not aberrantly spliced in Sf3b1K700E/+ mice. Our findings demonstrate that, despite significant differences in affected transcripts, there is overlap in the phenotypes associated with SF3B1-K700E between human and mouse. Future studies should focus on understanding the basis of these similarities and differences as a means of deciphering the consequences of spliceosome gene mutations in MDS.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Mupo
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - M Seiler
- H3 Biomedicine, Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
| | | | - A Pance
- Malaria Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - Y Yang
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - F Iorio
- European Bioinformatics, Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - R Bautista
- LIMS Compute and Infrastructure, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - S Pacharne
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - K Tzelepis
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - N Manes
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | - P Wright
- Department of Pathology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Cambridge, UK
| | - E Papaemmanuil
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - D G Kent
- Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Cambridge, UK
| | - P C Campbell
- Cancer Genome Project, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - N Bolli
- Cancer Genome Project, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
- Dipartimento di Oncologia ed Onco-Ematologia, Universita' degli Studi di Milano, Milano, Italy
- Dipartimento di Ematologia ed Onco-Ematologia Pediatrica, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milano, Italy
| | - G S Vassiliou
- Haematological Cancer Genetics, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Department of Haematology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK
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29
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Mylona E, Melissaris S, Nomikos A, Theohari I, Giannopoulou I, Tzelepis K, Nakopoulou L. Effect of BRCA1 immunohistochemical localizations on prognosis of patients with sporadic breast carcinomas. Pathol Res Pract 2014; 210:533-40. [PMID: 24947414 DOI: 10.1016/j.prp.2014.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2014] [Revised: 04/15/2014] [Accepted: 05/15/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Our purpose was to investigate the expression pattern of BRCA1 protein in sporadic breast carcinomas, as well as the clinicopathological and prognostic value of its subcellular localizations. Immunohistochemistry was performed on paraffin embedded tissue specimens from 111 sporadic, invasive breast carcinomas to detect the expression of the proteins BRCA1, ER, PR, erbB2, p53 and Ki67. BRCA1 protein was detected in the nuclei and the cytoplasm of the tumor cells. Nuclear BRCA1 immunoreactivity showed no relation with the classic clinicopathological markers and the expression of cerbB2, p53 and Ki67. Reduced expression of nuclear BRCA1 protein was found to exert an independent favorable impact on both the overall and relapse-free (RF) survival of the patients (p=0.019 and p=0.043, respectively). Cytoplasmic BRCA1 was associated with none of the classic histomorphological indices, except from the lymph node metastasis, with which its relation was found to be inverse (p=0.05), prolonging the RF survival of the patients (p=0.05). Our findings suggest that BRCA1 protein depicts different prognostic significance, according to its subcellular distribution. Nuclear detection of the protein was associated with a worse prognosis, while the cytoplasmic one was related to fewer recurrences as a result of fewer lymph node metastases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Mylona
- 5th Department of Internal Medicine, Evagelismos Hospital, Athens, Greece
| | - Savvas Melissaris
- 1st Department of Pathology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Alexandros Nomikos
- 1st Department of Pathology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Irene Theohari
- 1st Department of Pathology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Ioanna Giannopoulou
- 1st Department of Pathology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Lydia Nakopoulou
- 1st Department of Pathology, Medical School, University of Athens, Athens, Greece.
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30
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Mylona E, Tzelepis K, Theohari I, Giannopoulou I, Papadimitriou C, Nakopoulou L. Cyclin D1 in invasive breast carcinoma: favourable prognostic significance in unselected patients and within subgroups with an aggressive phenotype. Histopathology 2012; 62:472-80. [PMID: 23163571 DOI: 10.1111/his.12013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
AIMS To study the clinicopathological and prognostic value of cyclin D1 overexpression in patients with breast carcinoma. METHODS AND RESULTS Immunohistochemistry was performed on paraffin-embedded tissue specimens from 290 invasive breast carcinomas to detect the proteins cyclin D1, oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), p53, c-erbB2, and topoisomerase IIα (topoIIα). Cyclin D1 staining was quantified using a computerized image analysis method. Cyclin D1 overexpression characterized smaller, ER-positive and PR-positive tumours (P = 0.017, P < 0.0001, and P < 0.0001, respectively), of a lower histological and nuclear grade (P = 0.011 and P < 0.0001, respectively), and with reduced expression of topoIIα (P = 0.001) and p53 (P < 0.001). Cyclin D1 was found to have an independent favourable impact on the overall survival of both the unselected cohort of patients (P = 0.011) and of patients with ER-negative and lymph node-positive tumours (P = 0.034 and P = 0.015, respectively). In triple-negative tumours, cyclin D1 overexpression was found to have independent favourable impacts on both overall and relapse-free survival (P = 0.002 for both). CONCLUSIONS This is the first immunohistochemical study to dissociate the advantageous prognostic effect of cyclin D1 overexpression from its association with ER expression, and to provide evidence that cyclin D1 overexpression may be a marker of prolonged survival in patient subgroups with aggressive phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Mylona
- 5th Department of Internal Medicine, Evagelismos Hospital, University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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