Project description:Identification BCL6 target genes in primary germinal center cells and DLBCL cell lines by ChIP-on-chip Three replicates in each type of cells
Project description:EZH2 mediates the humoral immune response and drives lymphomagenesis through de novo formation of bivalent chromatin domains and critical germinal center (GC) B cell promoters. We show that such formation is dependent on the presense of BCL6 and the presence of non-canonical PRC1-BCOR complex. We observe that BCL6 and EZH2 cooperate to accelerate diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) development and combinatorial targeting of these repressors results in enhanced anti-lymphoma activity in vitro, in vivo, and in primary human DLBCLs. DLBCL cell lines treated with BCL6 inhibitor 79-6.1085
Project description:The EZH2 histone methyltransferase mediates the humoral immune response and drives lymphomagenesis through de novo formation of bivalent chromatin domains at critical germinal center (GC) B cell promoters. Herein we show that the actions EZH2 in driving GC formation and lymphoma precursor lesions are dependent on the presence of the BCL6 transcriptional repressor, both of which are in turn dependent on the presence of non-canonical PRC1-BCOR complex. BCL6-BCOR complexes assemble preferentially at bivalent promoters in an H3K27me3-dependent manner. We observe specific induction of the CBX8 chromodomain protein in GC B cells. CBX8 binds to H3K27me3 at bivalent promoters and is required for stable association of BCOR complex and its histone modifications. CBX8 loss of function in B cells phenocopies loss of EZH2 and H3K27me3. Moreover, oncogenic BCL6 and EZH2 cooperate to accelerate diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) development and combinatorial targeting of these repressors results in enhanced anti-lymphoma activity in vitro, in vivo and in primary human DLBCLs. KDM2B ChIP-sequencing of OCI-Ly1 cells
Project description:The transcription factor Bcl6 orchestrates the germinal center reaction through its actions in B and T cells, and regulates inflammatory signaling in macrophages. We report that genetic replacement by mutant Bcl6, which cannot bind corepressors to its BTB domain, disrupted  germinal center formation and immunoglobulin affinity maturation, due to a defect in B cell  proliferation and survival. In contrast, BTB loss of function had no effect on T follicular helper cell differentiation and function, nor other T helper subsets. Bcl6 null mice displayed a lethal inflammatory phenotype, whereas BTB mutant mice experienced normal healthy lives with no inflammation. Bcl6 repression of inflammatory responses in macrophages was accordingly independent of the BTB domain repressor function. Bcl6 thus mediates its actions through lineage-specific biochemical functions. ChIP-seq for Bcl6, SMRT and BCOR in germinal center B cells
Project description:EZH2 mediates the humoral immune response and drives lymphomagenesis through de novo formation of bivalent chromatin domains and critical germinal center (GC) B cell promoters. We show that such formation is dependent on the presense of BCL6 and the presence of non-canonical PRC1-BCOR complex. We observe that BCL6 and EZH2 cooperate to accelerate diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) development and combinatorial targeting of these repressors results in enhanced anti-lymphoma activity in vitro, in vivo, and in primary human DLBCLs.
Project description:The transcription factor Bcl6 is required for germinal center formation and deregulated expression of Bcl6 has been observed in lymphomas. To gain insight to the function of Bcl6 in terminal differentiation of B cells to plasma cells and to investigate the targets of Bcl6, we established a Bcl6 deficient DT40 B cell line.
Project description:BCL6 is a transcription repressor that plays a crucial role in germinal center formation and lymphomagenesis. However, its role in myeloid malignancies remains unclear. Here, we explored the role of BCL6 in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Heterogeneous levels of BCL6 were found across AML cell lines and primary AML samples. Cells with higher levels of BCL6 were indeed sensitive to treatment with BCL6 inhibitors. Gene expression profiling of AML cells treated with BCL6 inhibitor revealed a subset of target genes that are common with lymphoma cells. Ex vivo treatment of primary AML cells with BCL6 peptide inhibitor (BPI) induced apoptosis and decrease colony forming capacity which correlated with the levels of BCL6 expression . Importantly, inhibition of BCL6 in primary AML cells with either BPI or BCL6 siRNA resulted in significant reduction of leukemia initiating capacity using immunodeficient mice, suggesting ablation of leukemia stem cells (LSC). Such anti-LSC activity was also observed as downregulation of LSC gene signatures using gene expression analyses of cells treated with a BCL6 inhibitor. Importantly, treatment with cytarabine (AraC) induced BCL6 expression, and the levels of BCL6 induction were correlated with resistance to AraC. Treatment of AML primary derived xenografts (PDX) revealed that when AraC was combined with BCL6 inhibitor, inhibition of BCL6 significantly potentiated the efficacy of AraC and improved cytotoxic effects by interfering with the leukemia initiating capacity of AML cells. This suggests that pharmacological inhibition of BCL6 might provide a novel therapeutic strategy for ablation of LSCs and overcome chemoresistance in AML.
Project description:The EZH2 histone methyltransferase mediates the humoral immune response and drives lymphomagenesis through de novo formation of bivalent chromatin domains at critical germinal center (GC) B cell promoters. Herein we show that the actions EZH2 in driving GC formation and lymphoma precursor lesions are dependent on the presence of the BCL6 transcriptional repressor, both of which are in turn dependent on the presence of non-canonical PRC1-BCOR complex. BCL6-BCOR complexes assemble preferentially at bivalent promoters in an H3K27me3-dependent manner. We observe specific induction of the CBX8 chromodomain protein in GC B cells. CBX8 binds to H3K27me3 at bivalent promoters and is required for stable association of BCOR complex and its histone modifications. CBX8 loss of function in B cells phenocopies loss of EZH2 and H3K27me3. Moreover, oncogenic BCL6 and EZH2 cooperate to accelerate diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) development and combinatorial targeting of these repressors results in enhanced anti-lymphoma activity in vitro, in vivo and in primary human DLBCLs.
Project description:High expression of MYC and its target genes define a subset of germinal center B-cell diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (GCB-DLBCL) associated with poor outcomes. Half of these high-grade cases show chromosomal rearrangements between the MYC locus and heterologous enhancer-bearing loci, while focal deletions of the adjacent non-coding gene PVT1 are enriched in MYC-intact cases. To identify genomic drivers of MYC activation, we used high-throughput CRISPR-interference (CRISPRi) profiling of candidate enhancers in the MYC locus and rearrangement partner loci in GCB-DLBCL cell lines and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) comparators that lacked common rearrangements between MYC and immunoglobulin (Ig) loci. Rearrangements between MYC and non-Ig loci were associated with unique dependencies on specific enhancer subunits within those partner loci. Notably, fitness dependency on enhancer modules within the BCL6 super-enhancer (BCL6-SE) cluster regulated by a transcription factor complex of MEF2B, POU2F2, and POU2AF1 was higher in cell lines bearing a recurrent MYC::BCL6-SE rearrangement. In contrast, GCB-DLBCL cell lines without MYC rearrangement were highly dependent on a previously uncharacterized 3’ enhancer within the MYC locus itself (GCBME-1), that is regulated in part by the same triad of factors. GCBME-1 is evolutionarily conserved and active in normal germinal center B cells in humans and mice, suggesting a key role in normal germinal center B cell biology. Finally, we show that the PVT1 promoter limits MYC activation by either native or heterologous enhancers and demonstrate that this limitation is bypassed by 3’ rearrangements that remove PVT1 from its position in cis with the rearranged MYC gene.