Project description:Stable Ba/F3 transfectants with FUS-ERG were repeatedly exposed with Aza in a clinical administration manner of 7-days treatment and 21-days interval to investigate Aza sensitivity. RNA-seq was performed when Aza susceptibility began to change and identified genes with altered expression or transcript variants.
Project description:FUS-ERG is a chimeric gene with a poor prognosis, found in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukaemia (AML). It remains unclear whether DNA hypomethylating agents, including azacitidine (Aza), are effective in FUS-ERG-harbouring AML and how FUS-ERG induces chemoresistance. Stable Ba/F3 transfectants with FUS-ERG were repeatedly exposed to Aza for 7 days of treatment and at 21-day intervals to investigate Aza sensitivity. Stable FUS-ERG transfectants acquired resistance acquired resistance after three courses of Aza exposure. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) was performed when Aza susceptibility began to change; genes with altered expression or transcript variants were identified. Molecular signatures of these genes were analysed using gene ontology. RNA-seq analyses identified 74 upregulated and 320 downregulated genes involved in cell motility, cytokine production, and kinase activity. Additionally, 1321 genes with altered transcript variants were identified, revealing their involvement in chromatin organisation. In a clinical case of AML with FUS-ERG, we compared whole-genome alterations between the initial MDS diagnosis and AML recurrence after Aza treatment. Genes with non-synonymous or near mutations in transcription regulatory areas (TRAs), additionally detected in AML recurrence, were collated with the gene list from RNA-seq to identify genes involved in acquiring Aza resistance in the presence of FUS-ERG. Whole-genome sequencing of clinical specimens identified 29 genes with non-synonymous mutations, including BCOR, and 48 genes located within 20 kb of 54 TRA mutations in AML recurrence. These genes were involved in chromatin organisation and included NCOR2 as an overlapping gene with RNA-seq data. Transcription regulators involved in mutated TRAs were skewed and included RCOR1 in AML recurrence. We tested the efficacy of BH3 mimetics, including venetoclax and S63845, in primary Aza-resistant AML cells treated with FUS-ERG. Primary FUS-ERG-harbouring AML cells acquiring Aza resistance affected the myeloid cell leukaemia-1 (MCL1) inhibitor S63845 but not while using venetoclax, despite no mutations in BCL2. FUS-ERG promoted Aza resistance after several treatments. The disturbance of chromatin organisation might induce this by co-repressors, including BCOR, NCOR2, and RCOR1. MCL1 inhibition could partially overcome Aza resistance in FUS-ERG-harbouring AML cells.
Project description:Fusion proteins involving the ETS factor ERG have been associated with multiple cancers such as Ewing's sarcoma and prostate cancer. In acute myeloid leukemias harboring t(16;21) another ERG fusion protein is expressed, FUS-ERG. Here, we found that this FUS-ERG oncofusion protein acts in the context of a heptad of proteins (ERG, FLI1, GATA2, LYL1, LNMO2, RUNX1 and TAL1) central to proper expression of genes involved in maintaining a stem cell hematopoietic phenotype. Moreover, in t(16;21) FUS-ERG co-occupies genomic regions bound by the nuclear receptor heterodimer RXR-RARA inhibiting target gene expression and interfering with hematopoietic differentiation. All-Trans Retinoic Acid treatment of t(16;21) cells as well as FUS-ERG knock down alleviate the myeloid differentiation block. Together, the results suggest that FUS-ERG acts as a transcriptional repressor of the retinoic acid signaling pathway.
Project description:Fusion proteins involving the ETS factor ERG have been associated with multiple cancers such as Ewing's sarcoma and prostate cancer. In acute myeloid leukemias harboring t(16;21) another ERG fusion protein is expressed, FUS-ERG. Here, we found that this FUS-ERG oncofusion protein acts in the context of a heptad of proteins (ERG, FLI1, GATA2, LYL1, LNMO2, RUNX1 and TAL1) central to proper expression of genes involved in maintaining a stem cell hematopoietic phenotype. Moreover, in t(16;21) FUS-ERG co-occupies genomic regions bound by the nuclear receptor heterodimer RXR-RARA inhibiting target gene expression and interfering with hematopoietic differentiation. All-Trans Retinoic Acid treatment of t(16;21) cells as well as FUS-ERG knock down alleviate the myeloid differentiation block. Together, the results suggest that FUS-ERG acts as a transcriptional repressor of the retinoic acid signaling pathway. Cell lines were used for RNA extraction for RNA-seq and ChIP experiments for ChIP-seq.
Project description:The ERG gene belongs to the ETS family of transcription factors and has been found involved in atypical chromosomal rearrangements in several cancers. To gain insight into the oncogenic activity of ERG, we compared the gene expression profile of NIH-3T3 cells stably expressing the coding regions of the three main ERG oncogenic fusions: TMPRSS2/ERG (tERG), EWS/ERG and FUS/ERG,. We found that all the three ERG fusions significantly up-regulate PIM-1 expression in the NIH-3T3 cell line. PIM-1 is a serine/threonine kinase frequently over-expressed in cancers of haematological and epithelial origin. We show here that tERG expression induces PIM-1 in the non-malignant prostate cell line RWPE-1, strengthening the relation between tERG and PIM-1 up-regulation in the initial stages of prostate carcinogenesis. Silencing of tERG reversed PIM-1 induction. A significant association between ERG and PIM-1 expression in clinical prostate carcinoma specimens was found, suggesting that such a mechanism may be relevant in vivo. Chromatin Immunoprecipitation experiments showed that tERG directly binds to PIM-1 promoter in the RWPE-1 prostate cell line, suggesting that tERG could be a direct regulator of PIM-1 expression. The up-regulation of PIM-1 induced by tERG over-expression significantly modified CyclinB1 levels and increased the percentage of aneuploid cells in the RWPE-1 cell line after 24hrs of taxane-based treatment. Here we provide the first evidence for an ERG-mediated PIM-1 up-regulation in prostate cells in vitro and in vivo, suggesting a direct effect of ERG transcriptional activity in the alteration of genetic stability. NIH-3T3 cells stably expressing the coding regions of the three main ERG oncogenic fusions: TMPRSS2/ERG (tERG), EWS/ERG and FUS/ERG together with the empty vector where profiled in triplicate. Quality control using NUSE and RLE plots identified one array as problematic (R540_TMP-ERG_P1) which was removed.
Project description:Mutations in the RNA-binding protein FUS cause amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a devastating neurodegenerative disease in which the loss of motor neurons induces progressive weakness and death from respiratory failure, typically only 3-5 years after onset. FUS has been established to have a role in numerous aspects of RNA processing, including splicing. However, the impact of ALS-causative mutations on splicing has not been fully characterised, as most disease models have been based on FUS overexpression, which in itself alters its RNA processing functions. To overcome this, we and others have recently created knock-in models, and have generated high depth RNA-sequencing data on FUS mutants in parallel to FUS knockout
Project description:ERG has been identified as an essential factor for the function and maintenance of adult hematopoietic stem cells and high ERG expression is a negative prognostic marker for treatment outcome in AML. The molecular function of ERG and its interplay with other factors is however largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that ERG has cell type specific distributions in normal CD34+ myeloid progenitors and in AML cells and identify ERG as a potential pioneering protein for binding of oncofusion protein complexes. In addition, we identify H3 acetylation as the epigenetic mark preferentially associated with ERG binding. This intimate connection between ERG binding and H3 acetylation implies that one of the molecular strategies of the oncofusion proteins PML-RARa and AML1-ETO could involve the targeting of histone deacetylase activities to ETS factor bound hematopoietic regulatory sites.
Project description:ERG has been identified as an essential factor for the function and maintenance of adult hematopoietic stem cells and high ERG expression is a negative prognostic marker for treatment outcome in AML. The molecular function of ERG and its interplay with other factors is however largely unknown. Here we demonstrate that ERG has cell type specific distributions in normal CD34+ myeloid progenitors and in AML cells and identify ERG as a potential pioneering protein for binding of oncofusion protein complexes. In addition, we identify H3 acetylation as the epigenetic mark preferentially associated with ERG binding. This intimate connection between ERG binding and H3 acetylation implies that one of the molecular strategies of the oncofusion proteins PML-RARa and AML1-ETO could involve the targeting of histone deacetylase activities to ETS factor bound hematopoietic regulatory sites. Examination of AML1-ETO, RUNX1, CBFb, HEB, FLI1 and ERG binding sites (ChIP-seq) in leukemic and normal hematopoietic cells, association with chromatin modifications and expression (RNA-seq) analysis of an AML1-ETO expressing cell line (SKNO-1)
Project description:Determine the differences in gene expression profiles of MV-4-11 AML cells treated with HDAC1/2-selective inhibition, azacitidine, or the combination of the two agents. Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a heterogeneous group of hematopoietic stem cell disorders characterized by defects in myeloid differentiation and increased proliferation of neoplastic hematopoietic precursor cells. Outcomes for patients with AML remain poor, highlighting the need for novel treatment options. Aberrant epigenetic regulation plays an important role in the pathogenesis of AML, and inhibitors of DNA methyltransferase or histone deacetylase (HDAC) enzymes have exhibited activity in preclinical AML models. Combination studies with HDAC inhibitors plus DNA methyltransferase inhibitors have suggested beneficial clinical activity in AML, however the toxicity profiles of non-selective HDAC inhibitors in the combination setting limit their clinical utility. In this work, we describe the preclinical development of selective inhibitors of HDAC1 and HDAC2, which are hypothesized to have improved safety profiles, for combination therapy in AML. We demonstrate that selective inhibition of HDAC1 and HDAC2 is sufficient to achieve efficacy both as a single agent and in combination with azacitidine in preclinical models of AML, including established AML cell lines, leukemia cells from AML patient bone marrow samples and in vivo xenograft models of human AML. Gene expression profiling of AML cells treated with either an HDAC1/2 inhibitor, azacitidine, or the combination of both have identified a list of genes involved in transcription and cell cycle regulation as potential mediators of the combinatorial effects of HDAC1/2 inhibition with azacitidine. Together, these findings support the clinical evaluation of selective HDAC1/2 inhibitors in combination with azacitidine in AML patients.