Identification of genes cooperating with PML/RAR in leukemogenesis

ABSTRACT: The oncogenic fusion protein PML/RAR is expressed in most cases of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL). In transgenic models, PML/RAR is able to induce a preleukemic state. However, it is not sufficient to induce leukemia, which develops with low frequency (~50%) and long latency (about 1 year). These data indicate that secondary genetic cooperating alterations are required in order to induce leukemia. In an effort to identify the genes that cooperate in the leukemogenesis PML/RAR-dependent, we performed an insertional mutagenesis screening infecting the PML/RAR KI mice with Moloney Murine Leukemia Virus (MLV). The infection of the PML/RAR KI mice significantly accelerated the onset (~6 months) and increased the penetrance (~75% of infected animals) of the leukemia. To identify genes mutated by the proviral integrations, flanking sequences of the retrovirus insertions were cloned by IPCR and analysed by parallel sequencing. We sequenced DNAs from the spleen of 48 independent leukemic mice. After filtering, ~133,000 reads were univocally mapped onto the mouse genome. Of them, ~131,000 were present more than once in the DNA from the same mouse and produced a total of 1,707 independent genomic insertions (retroviral insertion sites - RISs). To identify chromosomal regions that are frequently mutated by retrovirus insertions (common insertion sites; CISs), we evaluated the density of RISs distribution over the mouse genome, using statistical approaches that calculate the significance of RISs occurrence (p<0.05) within specific genomic regions (Monte Carlo simulation or Kernel Convolution). The two different approaches identified the same set of 221 CISs. Finally, we identified 271 genes putatively targeted by retroviral insertions in the 221 CISs. These putative targets appeared to be enriched in genes identified as relevant cancer-genes in different tumor types. Moreover, from a biological point of view, our screening was performed in saturating conditions. Therefore, to our knowledge, our is the first report of an exhaustive list of virtually all the mouse genes that functionally cooperate with PML/RAR in the induction of APL.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE72528 | GEO | 2016/12/31

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA294270

REPOSITORIES: GEO