CircSPI1 functions as an oncogene through antagonizing SPI1 and interacting with microRNAs in acute myeloid leukemia
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ABSTRACT: Background: Strict control of PU.1, encoded by SPI1, is importmant for myeloid development, and inhibition of PU.1 expression and activity, even moderate, can lead to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Much effort has focused on regulatory elements at the SPI1 locus on controlling PU.1. Discovery of circular RNAs (circRNAs), a novel class of noncoding regulators, has raised additional questions regarding their impacts on PU.1 and the development of AML. Methods: We used the pan-cancer circRNA compendium MiOncoCirc to investigate the existence and expression pattern of circSPI1s. We designed short hairpin RNAs (shRNAs) targeting the back-spliced site to silence circSPI1 and then performed CCK8 proliferation assay, flow cytometry analysis and Wright-Giemsa stain to explore the function of circSPI1. We performed RNA-sequencing with and without circSPI1 knockdown, western bloting and luciferase assay to explore the potential mechanisms. We utilized machine learning techniques and integrated bioinformatic analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of circSPI1 for AML, based on TCGA and BeatAML cohorts. Results: We found that circSPI1, the circular RNA derived from the SPI1 gene (encoding PU.1), was highly expressed in AML than that in normal counterparts. Functional experiements showed circSPI1 acted as an oncogene, as evidenced by the observation that circSPI1 knockdown induced myeloid differentiation and apoptosis of AML cells. This was different from the parental gene SPI1 that is generally low expressed in AML and functions as a tumor suppressor. Mechanistic investigations revealed that circSPI1 exerted multiple regulatory roles in AML progression. On one hand, circSPI1 contributed to the orchestrated differentiation of AML cells by antagonizing SPI1 expression. On the other hand, circSPI1 was involved in proliferation and apoptosis by interacting with microRNAs miR-1307-3p, miR-382-5p and miR-767-5p, which was uncoupled with SPI1. Finally, circSPI1-regulated genes were associated with the clinical outcome of AML patients, implicating the clinical significance of circSPI1 in AML. Conclusions: We demonstrate that highly expressed circSPI1 acts as an oncogene in AML, through both antognizing PU.1 expression and binding to microRNAs that is independent to PU.1. Our data provide new insight into complex SPI1 gene regulation now involving cicrSPI1 as well as the independent role of cicrRNA in AML.
Project description:ApoE exerts pleiotropic properties in controlling inflammation and myeloid cell activation. We here uncover microRNA regulation as yet another mechanism that ApoE acts upon to control immune cell activity and inflammatory response. We compared the expression of microRNAs in BMDM derived from ApoE-KO (EKO) or WIldtype (WT) mice and identified 78 microRNAs to be differentially expressed between these two groups. Among these microRNAs, we identified miR-146a-5p to be highly upregulated in WT BMDM as compared to EKO BMDM. This is consistent with our prior study that reports a role of ApoE in promoting the biogenesis of this microRNA via the transcription of its host gene PU.1 (Spi1) in monocytes/macrophages. Of note, miR-146a-5p is recognized as a potent inhibitor of the NF-κB signaling pathway via the inactivation of IRAK1 and TRAF6. Furthermore, we identified mIR-142a-3p as downregulated in WT BMDM as compared to EKO BMDM. This microRNA has been reported to control important metabolic functions in myeloid cells by targeting the long chain fatty acid transporter CPT1A, thereby inhibiting fatty acid oxidation. Our data thus uncovers another novel of ApoE in controlling lipid metabolism in myeloid cells by suppressing the expression of miR-142a-3p. Taken together, our data provide a novel framework for the microRNA signatures regulated by ApoE in myeloid cells. Moreover, we uncovered an important mechanism of which ApoE can regulate myeloid cell immunometabolism via the regulation of miR-146a-5p and miR-142a-3p.
Project description:The study integrated both miRNA and mRNA profiles to explore novel miRNA-mRNA interactions that affect the regulatory patterns in de novo CN-AML. A total of 637 significant negative correlations (FDR <0.05) were reported. Network analysis revealed a cluster of 12 miRNAs that represents the majority of the mRNA targets. Within the cluster, five miRNAs; miR-495-3p, miR-185-5p, let-7i-5p, miR-409-3p, and miR-127-3p were suggested to play a pivotal role in the regulation of CN-AML as they are associated with negative regulation of myeloid leukocyte differentiation, negative regulation of myeloid cell differentiation, positive regulation of haematopoiesis, and hematopoiesis and its regulation. Three novel interactions in CN-AML were predicted, let-7i-5p:HOXA9, miR-495-3p:PIK3R1 and miR-495-3p:CDK6 which are responsible in regulating myeloid cell differentiation in CN-AML.
Project description:The study integrated both miRNA and mRNA profiles to explore novel miRNA-mRNA interactions that affect the regulatory patterns in de novo CN-AML. A total of 637 significant negative correlations (FDR <0.05) were reported. Network analysis revealed a cluster of 12 miRNAs that represents the majority of the mRNA targets. Within the cluster, five miRNAs; miR-495-3p, miR-185-5p, let-7i-5p, miR-409-3p, and miR-127-3p were suggested to play a pivotal role in the regulation of CN-AML as they are associated with negative regulation of myeloid leukocyte differentiation, negative regulation of myeloid cell differentiation, positive regulation of haematopoiesis, and hematopoiesis and its regulation. Three novel interactions in CN-AML were predicted, let-7i-5p:HOXA9, miR-495-3p:PIK3R1 and miR-495-3p:CDK6 which are responsible in regulating myeloid cell differentiation in CN-AML.
Project description:Knockdown of the transcription factor PU.1 (Spi1) leads to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in mice. We examined the transcriptome of PU.1 knockdown hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in the preleukemic phase by linear amplification and genome-wide array analysis to identify transcriptional changes preceding malignant transformation. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis clearly distinguished PU.1 knockdown from wildtype HSC. Jun family transcription factors c-Jun and JunB were among the top downregulated targets. Retroviral restoration of c-Jun expression in bone marrow cells of preleukemic mice partially rescued the PU.1-initiated myelomonocytic differentiation block. Lentiviral restoration of JunB at the leukemic stage led to reduced clonogenic growth, loss of leukemic self-renewal capacity, and prevented leukemia in transplanted NOD-SCID mice. Examination of 305 AML patients confirmed the correlation between PU.1 and JunB downregulation and suggests its relevance in human disease. These results delineate a transcriptional pattern that precedes the leukemic transformation in PU.1 knockdown HSC and demonstrate that decreased levels of c-Jun and JunB contribute to the development of PU.1-induced AML by blocking differentiation (c-Jun) and increasing self-renewal (JunB). Therefore, examination of disturbed gene expression in HSC can identify genes whose dysregulation is essential for leukemic stem cell function and are targets for therapeutic interventions. Experiment Overall Design: Total RNA of HSC of PU.1 knockdown or wildtype animals (3 pools of 3 animals each) was amplified by two rounds of RT and T7 promoter-based in-vitro transcription and the resultant biotinylated cRNA was then hybridized to Affymetrix Mouse Genome 430 2.0 arrays.
Project description:Knockdown of the transcription factor PU.1 (Spi1) leads to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) in mice. We examined the transcriptome of PU.1 knockdown hematopoietic stem cells (HSC) in the preleukemic phase by linear amplification and genome-wide array analysis to identify transcriptional changes preceding malignant transformation. Hierarchical cluster analysis and principal component analysis clearly distinguished PU.1 knockdown from wildtype HSC. Jun family transcription factors c-Jun and JunB were among the top downregulated targets. Retroviral restoration of c-Jun expression in bone marrow cells of preleukemic mice partially rescued the PU.1-initiated myelomonocytic differentiation block. Lentiviral restoration of JunB at the leukemic stage led to reduced clonogenic growth, loss of leukemic self-renewal capacity, and prevented leukemia in transplanted NOD-SCID mice. Examination of 305 AML patients confirmed the correlation between PU.1 and JunB downregulation and suggests its relevance in human disease. These results delineate a transcriptional pattern that precedes the leukemic transformation in PU.1 knockdown HSC and demonstrate that decreased levels of c-Jun and JunB contribute to the development of PU.1-induced AML by blocking differentiation (c-Jun) and increasing self-renewal (JunB). Therefore, examination of disturbed gene expression in HSC can identify genes whose dysregulation is essential for leukemic stem cell function and are targets for therapeutic interventions. Keywords: genetic modification
Project description:The Spi1/ Pu.1 transcription factor plays a crucial role in myeloid cell development across many species. Several Spi1 target genes have been identified so far, yet the Spi1-dependent gene group remains largely unknown. To identify novel genes downstream of Spi1 we employed a microarray strategy using zebrafish embryos. We established the gene group down-regulated upon spi1 knockdown while simultaneously enriched in FACS-sorted embryonic myeloid cells of a spi1:GFP transgenic line, thus representing putative myeloid-specific Spi1 target genes. This gene group contained all previously identified Spi1-dependent zebrafish genes, confirming the validity of the approach, as well as novel immune-related genes. Colocalization studies with neutrophil and macrophage markers revealed that genes cxcr3.2, mpeg1, ptpn6 and mfap4 were expressed specifically in early embryonic macrophages. The analysis of adult zebrafish hematopoietic tissue showed that genes mfap4 and mpeg1 remained macrophage specific within the myeloid fraction throughout zebrafish life. We also demonstrated that gene cxcr3.2, coding for chemokine receptor 3.2, functions in macrophage migration to the site of bacterial infection. These results establish a myeloid-specific gene group dependent on Spi1 in zebrafish and identify novel early macrophage-specific marker genes, which will facilitate further studies of macrophage development and innate immune function.
Project description:Aplastic anaemia (AA) is a form of bone marrow failure (BMF) resulting in significant cytopenias and may progress with clonal evolution to myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). MicroRNA expression is dysregulated in MDS/AML but there are limited studies on its role in the pathogenesis of AA. Using stored BM samples (n=81) from 2006-2019 from 52 patients, we demonstrate key differences in miRNA expression between AA patients at diagnosis and de novo MDS patients (n=21). The five most significantly upregulated miRNA in MDS patients (downregulated in AA) were miR-130a-3p, miR-221-3p, miR-126-3p, miR-27b-3p and miR-196b-5p (adj p<0.001). However, at the time of AA clonal progression to secondary MDS/AML, no significant miRNA differences were identified suggesting that the underlying mechanistic pathways are similar between AA progression to MDS/AML and de novo MDS. At diagnosis, miR-127-3p, miR-1271-5p, miR-301b-5p, miR-3934-5p and miR-4531 (adj p=0.081) were upregulated in those whose AA eventually progressed in comparison to those without eventual clonal progression. Using KEGG pathway analysis derived from miRPathDBv2.0, cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, TGF-, MAP kinase, prolactin, Hippo, neurotrophin and FOXO signalling pathways were enriched in AA patients with clonal progression to MDS/AML; these pathways were similarly enriched in the de novo MDS cohort. These studies highlight the differing miRNA expression profiles in AA and MDS and in AA clonal evolution to MDS/AML.
Project description:From a previous microarray study we developed a small chondrogenesis model. We performed qPCR and measured how knockdown of miR-199a-5p or miR-199b-5p could modulate chondrogenesis. Several experiments were used to determine the parameters of this model. We utilised parameter scan and manual sliding to refine the model. Within are two models - an initial model which only comprises of genes which we have data for, and an enhanced model which expands of the initial model to make more predictions - e.g. how miR-140-5p is indirectly regulated by miR-199a-5p and miR-199b-5p.
Project description:More than forty loci contribute to genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). These risk alleles are enriched in myeloid cell enhancers suggesting that microglia, the brain-resident macrophages, contribute to AD risk. We have previously identified SPI1/PU.1, a master regulator of myeloid cell development in the brain and periphery, as a genetic risk factor for AD. Higher expression of SPI1 is associated with increased risk for AD, while lower expression is protective. To investigate the molecular and cellular phenotypes associated with higher and lower expression of PU.1 in microglia, we used stable overexpression and knock-down of PU.1 in BV2, an immortalized mouse microglial cell line. Transcriptome analysis suggests that reduced PU.1 expression suppresses expression of homeostatic genes similar to the disease-associated microglia response to amyloid plaques in mouse models of AD. Moreover, PU.1 knock-down resulted in activation of protein translation, antioxidant action and cholesterol/lipid metabolism pathways with a concomitant decrease of pro-inflammatory gene expression. PU.1 overexpression upregulated and knock-down downregulated phagocytic uptake in BV2 cells independent of the nature of the engulfed material. However, cells with reduced PU.1 expression retained their ability to internalize myelin similar to control albeit with a delay, which aligns with their anti-inflammatory profile. Here we identified several microglial responses that are modulated by PU.1 expression levels and propose that risk association of PU.1 to AD is driven by increased pro-inflammatory response due to increased viability of cells under cytotoxic conditions. In contrast, low expression of PU.1 leads to increased cell death under cytotoxic conditions accompanied by reduced pro-inflammatory signaling that decreased A1 reactive astrocytes signature supporting the protective effect of SPI1 genotype in AD. These findings inform future in vivo validation studies and design of small molecule screens for therapeutic discovery in AD.
Project description:Cytarabine is the main drug for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) treatment; however, drug resistance hinders the treatment of AML. Although microRNA (miRNA) alteration is one of the well-recognized mechanisms underlying drug resistance in AML, few studies have investigated the role and function of miRNAs in the development of cytarabine resistance. In this study, total RNA was isolated from parental HL60 and cytarabine resistant HL60 (R-HL60) cells. Subsequently, miRNAs and mRNAs were detected using small RNA sequencing and gene expression array, respectively. The miRNAs and genes with ≥ 2-fold difference in expression between HL60 and R-HL60 cells were screened out. Negatively correlated miRNA–mRNA pairs were selected as candidate miRNA–mRNA target pairs by using the miRDB, Targetscan or miRTar databases. Functional enrichment analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) included in the candidate miRNA–mRNA network was performed. The results revealed that CCL2, SOX9, SLC8A1, ICAM1, CXCL10, SIPR2, FGFR1, OVOL2, MITF, and CARD10 were simultaneously involved in seven GO pathways, namely the regulation of cell migration, regulation of locomotion, regulation of cellular component movement, cell migration, locomotion, cell motility, localization of cell. These genes were negatively correlated with the altered miRNAs (miR-1-3p, miR-155-5p, miR-1255b-5p, miR-200c-5p, miR-3609, miR-1285-3p, miR-124-3p, miR-146a-5p, miR-497a-5p, and miR-3150a-5p), suggesting that they are the potential targets of the miRNAs to regulate cell migration behavior or ability. Therefore, our results advance our understanding of the regulatory mechanism underlying cytarabine resistance development, specifically related to miRNAs.