Regional identity of human neural stem cells determines oncogenic responses to histone H3.3 mutants [RNA-Seq]
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ABSTRACT: Point mutations within the histone H3.3 are frequent in aggressive childhood brain tumours known as paediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGGs). Intriguingly, different mutations arise in discrete anatomical regions: H3.3-G34R within the forebrain and H3.3-K27M preferentially within the hindbrain. The reasons for this contrasting aetiology are unknown. By engineering human foetal neural stem cell cultures from distinct regions, we demonstrate here that cell-intrinsic regional identity provides differential responsiveness to each mutant that mirrors the origins of pHGGs. Focusing on H3.3-G34R, we find that the oncohistone supports proliferation of forebrain cells, while inducing a cytostatic response in the hindbrain. Mechanistically, H3.3-G34R does not impose widespread transcriptional or epigenetic changes, but impairs recruitment of ZMYND11, a transcriptional repressor of highly expressed genes. We therefore propose that H3.3-G34R promotes tumorigenesis by stabilising the expression of key progenitor genes and, thus, locking initiating forebrain cells into their preexisting immature state.
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE163044 | GEO | 2021/03/24
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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