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Pertesi M, Ekdahl L, Palm A, Johnsson E, Järvstråt L, Wihlborg AK, Nilsson B. Essential genes shape cancer genomes through linear limitation of homozygous deletions. Commun Biol 2019; 2:262. [PMID: 31341961 PMCID: PMC6642121 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-019-0517-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [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: 11/02/2018] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The landscape of somatic acquired deletions in cancer cells is shaped by positive and negative selection. Recurrent deletions typically target tumor suppressor, leading to positive selection. Simultaneously, loss of a nearby essential gene can lead to negative selection, and introduce latent vulnerabilities specific to cancer cells. Here we show that, under basic assumptions on positive and negative selection, deletion limitation gives rise to a statistical pattern where the frequency of homozygous deletions decreases approximately linearly between the deletion target gene and the nearest essential genes. Using DNA copy number data from 9,744 human cancer specimens, we demonstrate that linear deletion limitation exists and exposes deletion-limiting genes for seven known deletion targets (CDKN2A, RB1, PTEN, MAP2K4, NF1, SMAD4, and LINC00290). Downstream analysis of pooled CRISPR/Cas9 data provide further evidence of essentiality. Our results provide further insight into how the deletion landscape is shaped and identify potentially targetable vulnerabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maroulio Pertesi
- Hematology and Transfusion Medicine Department of Laboratory Medicine, BMC, SE-221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Ludvig Ekdahl
- Hematology and Transfusion Medicine Department of Laboratory Medicine, BMC, SE-221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Angelica Palm
- Hematology and Transfusion Medicine Department of Laboratory Medicine, BMC, SE-221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Ellinor Johnsson
- Hematology and Transfusion Medicine Department of Laboratory Medicine, BMC, SE-221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Linnea Järvstråt
- Hematology and Transfusion Medicine Department of Laboratory Medicine, BMC, SE-221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Anna-Karin Wihlborg
- Hematology and Transfusion Medicine Department of Laboratory Medicine, BMC, SE-221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Björn Nilsson
- Hematology and Transfusion Medicine Department of Laboratory Medicine, BMC, SE-221 84 Lund, Sweden
- Broad Institute, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142 USA
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Nilsson HJ, Montano G, Ullmark T, Lennartsson A, Drott K, Järvstråt L, Nilsson B, Vidovic K, Gullberg U. The transcriptional coregulator NAB2 is a target gene for the Wilms' tumor gene 1 protein (WT1) in leukemic cells. Oncotarget 2017; 8:87136-87150. [PMID: 29152069 PMCID: PMC5675621 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.19896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [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: 10/29/2016] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The Wilms’ tumor gene 1 (WT1) is recurrently mutated in acute myeloid leukemia. Mutations and high expression of WT1 associate with a poor prognosis. In mice, WT1 cooperates with the RUNX1/RUNX1T1 (AML1/ETO) fusion gene in the induction of acute leukemia, further emphasizing a role for WT1 in leukemia development. Molecular mechanisms for WT1 are, however, incompletely understood. Here, we identify the transcriptional coregulator NAB2 as a target gene of WT1. Analysis of gene expression profiles of leukemic samples revealed a positive correlation between the expression of WT1 and NAB2, as well as a non-zero partial correlation. Overexpression of WT1 in hematopoietic cells resulted in increased NAB2 levels, while suppression of WT1 decreased NAB2 expression. WT1 bound and transactivated the proximal NAB2 promoter, as shown by ChIP and reporter experiments, respectively. ChIP experiments also revealed that WT1 can recruit NAB2 to the IRF8 promoter, thus modulating the transcriptional activity of WT1, as shown by reporter experiments. Our results implicate NAB2 as a previously unreported target gene of WT1 and that NAB2 acts as a transcriptional cofactor of WT1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helena Jernmark Nilsson
- Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Giorgia Montano
- Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Tove Ullmark
- Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Andreas Lennartsson
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Kristina Drott
- Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Linnea Järvstråt
- Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Björn Nilsson
- Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Karina Vidovic
- Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Urban Gullberg
- Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
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Ullmark T, Montano G, Järvstråt L, Jernmark Nilsson H, Håkansson E, Drott K, Nilsson B, Vidovic K, Gullberg U. Anti-apoptotic quinolinate phosphoribosyltransferase (QPRT) is a target gene of Wilms' tumor gene 1 (WT1) protein in leukemic cells. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2016; 482:802-807. [PMID: 27889611 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2016.11.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2016] [Accepted: 11/21/2016] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Wilms' tumor gene 1 (WT1) is a zinc finger transcription factor that has been implicated as an oncogene in leukemia and several other malignancies. When investigating possible gene expression network partners of WT1 in a large acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patient cohort, one of the genes with the highest correlation to WT1 was quinolinate phosphoribosyltransferase (QPRT), a key enzyme in the de novo nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) synthesis pathway. To investigate the possible relationship between WT1 and QPRT, we overexpressed WT1 in hematopoietic progenitor cells and cell lines, resulting in an increase of QPRT expression. WT1 knock-down gave a corresponding decrease in QPRT gene and protein expression. Chromatin-immunoprecipitation revealed WT1 binding to a conserved site in the first intron of the QPRT gene. Upon overexpression in leukemic K562 cells, QPRT conferred partial resistance to the anti-leukemic drug imatinib, indicating possible anti-apoptotic functions, consistent with previous reports on glioma cells. Interestingly, the rescue effect of QPRT overexpression was not correlated to increased NAD + levels, suggesting NAD + independent mechanisms. We conclude that QPRT, encoding a protein with anti-apoptotic properties, is a novel and direct target gene of WT1 in leukemic cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tove Ullmark
- Department of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Giorgia Montano
- Department of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Linnea Järvstråt
- Department of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | | | - Erik Håkansson
- Department of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Kristina Drott
- Department of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Björn Nilsson
- Department of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Karina Vidovic
- Department of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Urban Gullberg
- Department of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
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Ullmark T, Järvstråt L, Sandén C, Montano G, Jernmark-Nilsson H, Lilljebjörn H, Lennartsson A, Fioretos T, Drott K, Vidovic K, Nilsson B, Gullberg U. Distinct global binding patterns of the Wilms tumor gene 1 (WT1) -KTS and +KTS isoforms in leukemic cells. Haematologica 2016; 102:336-345. [PMID: 27612989 DOI: 10.3324/haematol.2016.149815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2016] [Accepted: 09/05/2016] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The zinc finger transcription factor Wilms tumor gene 1 (WT1) acts as an oncogene in acute myeloid leukemia. A naturally occurring alternative splice event between zinc fingers three and four, removing or retaining three amino acids (±KTS), is believed to change the DNA binding affinity of WT1, although there are conflicting data regarding the binding affinity and motifs of the different isoforms. Increased expression of the WT1 -KTS isoform at the expense of the WT1 +KTS isoform is associated with poor prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia. We determined the genome-wide binding pattern of WT1 -KTS and WT1 +KTS in leukemic K562 cells by chromatin immunoprecipitation and deep sequencing. We discovered that the WT1 -KTS isoform predominantly binds close to transcription start sites and to enhancers, in a similar fashion to other transcription factors, whereas WT1 +KTS binding is enriched within gene bodies. We observed a significant overlap between WT1 -KTS and WT1 +KTS target genes, despite the binding sites being distinct. Motif discovery revealed distinct binding motifs for the isoforms, some of which have been previously reported as WT1 binding sites. Additional analyses showed that both WT1 -KTS and WT1 +KTS target genes are more likely to be transcribed than non-targets, and are involved in cell proliferation, cell death, and development. Our study provides evidence that WT1 -KTS and WT1 +KTS share target genes yet still bind distinct locations, indicating isoform-specific regulation in transcription of genes related to cell proliferation and differentiation, consistent with the involvement of WT1 in acute myeloid leukemia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tove Ullmark
- Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Linnea Järvstråt
- Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Carl Sandén
- Division of Clinical Genetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Giorgia Montano
- Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Helena Jernmark-Nilsson
- Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Henrik Lilljebjörn
- Division of Clinical Genetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Andreas Lennartsson
- Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Thoas Fioretos
- Division of Clinical Genetics, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Kristina Drott
- Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Karina Vidovic
- Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Björn Nilsson
- Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Urban Gullberg
- Division of Hematology and Transfusion Medicine, Department of Laboratory Medicine, Lund University, Huddinge, Sweden
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Lindh-Åstrand L, Hoffmann M, Järvstråt L, Fredriksson M, Hammar M, Spetz Holm AC. Hormone therapy might be underutilized in women with early menopause. Hum Reprod 2015; 30:848-52. [PMID: 25662809 DOI: 10.1093/humrep/dev017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [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: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
STUDY QUESTION Are Swedish women age 40-44 years with assumed early menopause 'undertreated' by hormone therapy (HT)? SUMMARY ANSWER Many women with probable early menopause discontinue their HT after a short period of time. Thus, they fail to complete the recommended replacement up to age 51-52 years, the average age of menopause. WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY Spontaneous early menopause occurs in ∼5% of women age 40-45 years. Regardless of the cause, women who experience hormonal menopause due to bilateral oophorectomy before the median age of spontaneous menopause are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, neurological disease, osteoporosis, psychiatric illness and even death. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION The study is descriptive, and epidemiological and was based on the use of national registers of dispensed drug prescriptions (HT) linking registers from the National Board of Health and Welfare and Statistics Sweden from 1 July 2005 until 31 December 2011. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS The study population consisted of 310 404 women, 40-44 years old on 31 December 2005 who were followed from 1 July 2005 until 31 December 2011. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Only 0.9% of women 40-44 years old started HT during the study period. A majority of these women used HT <1 year. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION We do not know the indications that led to the prescription of HT but assume that early onset of menopause was the main reason. Because of the study design-making a retrospective study of registers-we can only speculate on the reasons for most of the women in this group discontinuing HT. Another limitation of this study is that we have a rather short observation time. However, we have up to now only been able to collect and combine the data since July 2005. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS As the occurrence of spontaneous early menopause in women age 40-45 is reported to be ∼5%, the fact that <1% of Swedish women age 40-44 are prescribed HT, and can be shown also to have had the medication dispensed at a pharmacy suggests an unexpectedly low treatment rate. Some women with early menopause may have used combined contraceptives as supplementation therapy, but in Sweden HT is the recommended treatment for early menopause so any such women are not following this recommendation. Women who experience early menopause are at increased risk for overall morbidity and mortality, and can expect to benefit from HT until they have reached at least the median age of spontaneous menopause. It is therefore important to individualize the information given these women and to convey new knowledge in this area to gynaecologists and physicians in general as well as the recommendation that women in this group continue HT at least until the average age for spontaneous menopause is reached. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTERESTS No competing interests exist.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Lindh-Åstrand
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, County Council of Östergötland, Linköping, Sweden
| | - M Hoffmann
- The NEPI Foundation, Division of Health Care Analysis, Department of Medicine and Health, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - L Järvstråt
- Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and Linköping Academic Research Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - M Fredriksson
- Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine and Linköping Academic Research Center, Faculty of Health Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden
| | - M Hammar
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, County Council of Östergötland, Linköping, Sweden
| | - A-C Spetz Holm
- Division of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Linköping University, County Council of Östergötland, Linköping, Sweden
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Sandén C, Järvstråt L, Lennartsson A, Brattås PL, Nilsson B, Gullberg U. The DEK oncoprotein binds to highly and ubiquitously expressed genes with a dual role in their transcriptional regulation. Mol Cancer 2014; 13:215. [PMID: 25216995 PMCID: PMC4175287 DOI: 10.1186/1476-4598-13-215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2014] [Accepted: 09/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The DEK gene is highly expressed in a wide range of cancer cells, and a recurrent translocation partner in acute myeloid leukemia. While DEK has been identified as one of the most abundant proteins in human chromatin, its function and binding properties are not fully understood. METHODS We performed ChIP-seq analysis in the myeloid cell line U937 and coupled it with epigenetic and gene expression analysis to explore the genome-wide binding pattern of DEK and its role in gene regulation. RESULTS We show that DEK preferentially binds to open chromatin, with a low degree of DNA methylation and scarce in the heterochromatin marker H3K9me(3) but rich in the euchromatin marks H3K4me(2/3), H3K27ac and H3K9ac. More specifically, DEK binding is predominantly located at the transcription start sites of highly transcribed genes and a comparative analysis with previously established transcription factor binding patterns shows a similarity with that of RNA polymerase II. Further bioinformatic analysis demonstrates that DEK mainly binds to genes that are ubiquitously expressed across tissues. The functional significance of DEK binding was demonstrated by knockdown of DEK by shRNA, resulting in both significant upregulation and downregulation of DEK-bound genes. CONCLUSIONS We find that DEK binds to transcription start sites with a dual role in activation and repression of highly and ubiquitously expressed genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carl Sandén
- />Department of Hematology, Lund University, BMC B13, Klinikgatan 26, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Linnea Järvstråt
- />Department of Hematology, Lund University, BMC B13, Klinikgatan 26, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Andreas Lennartsson
- />Center for Biosciences, Department of Biosciences and Nutrition, Karolinska Institute, Novum, 141 83 Huddinge, Sweden
| | - Per Ludvik Brattås
- />Department of Hematology, Lund University, BMC B13, Klinikgatan 26, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Björn Nilsson
- />Department of Hematology, Lund University, BMC B13, Klinikgatan 26, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Urban Gullberg
- />Department of Hematology, Lund University, BMC B13, Klinikgatan 26, 221 84 Lund, Sweden
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Järvstråt L, Johansson M, Gullberg U, Nilsson B. Ultranet: efficient solver for the sparse inverse covariance selection problem in gene network modeling. Bioinformatics 2012; 29:511-2. [DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/bts717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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