Project description:Differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is regulated by a concert of different transcription factors (TFs). A disturbed function of TFs can be the basis of (pre)malignancies such as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Growth Factor Independence 1b (Gfi1b) is a repressing TF with a key role in quiescence of HSCs and emergence and maturation of erythrocytes and platelets. Here, we show that low expression of GFI1B in blast cells is associated with inferior prognosis of MDS and AML patients. Using mouse models with either reduced expression or conditional deletion of Gfi1b, crossed with a mouse model reflecting human MDS or AML, we demonstrate that AML development was accelerated with heterozygous loss of Gfi1b, and latency was further decreased when Gfi1b was conditionally deleted. Loss of Gfi1b significantly enhanced stemness of leukemic cells with upregulation of genes fundamentally involved in leukemia development. On a molecular level, we found that loss of Gfi1b not only increased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) but also induced gene expression changes of key AML pathways such as the p38/AKT pathway. These results demonstrate that Gfi1b functions as an oncosuppressor in MDS/AML development.
Project description:Differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is regulated by a concert of different transcription factors (TFs). A disturbed function of TFs can be the basis of (pre)malignancies such as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Growth Factor Independence 1b (Gfi1b) is a repressing TF with a key role in quiescence of HSCs and emergence and maturation of erythrocytes and platelets. Here, we show that low expression of GFI1B in blast cells is associated with inferior prognosis of MDS and AML patients. Using mouse models with either reduced expression or conditional deletion of Gfi1b, crossed with a mouse model reflecting human MDS or AML, we demonstrate that AML development was accelerated with heterozygous loss of Gfi1b, and latency was further decreased when Gfi1b was conditionally deleted. Loss of Gfi1b significantly enhanced stemness of leukemic cells with upregulation of genes fundamentally involved in leukemia development. On a molecular level, we found that loss of Gfi1b not only increased the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) but also induced gene expression changes of key AML pathways such as the p38/AKT pathway. These results demonstrate that Gfi1b functions as an oncosuppressor in MDS/AML development. We used microarrays to detail the effect of loss of Gfi1b expression on key AML-pathways in a mouse model system
Project description:Differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells is regulated by a concert of different transcription factors. Disturbed transcription factor function can be the basis of (pre)malignancies such as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Growth factor independence 1b (Gfi1b) is a repressing transcription factor regulating quiescence of hematopoietic stem cells and differentiation of erythrocytes and platelets. Here, we show that low expression of Gfi1b in blast cells is associated with an inferior prognosis of MDS and AML patients. Using different models of human MDS or AML, we demonstrate that AML development was accelerated with heterozygous loss of Gfi1b, and latency was further decreased when Gfi1b was conditionally deleted. Loss of Gfi1b significantly increased the number of leukemic stem cells with upregulation of genes involved in leukemia development. On a molecular level, we found that loss of Gfi1b led to epigenetic changes, increased levels of reactive oxygen species, as well as alteration in the p38/Akt/FoXO pathways. These results demonstrate that Gfi1b functions as an oncosuppressor in MDS and AML development.
