Department of Cancer Biology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Cancer Discov. 2024 Aug 2;14(8):1522-1546. doi: 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-23-0876.
Gain-of-function mutations in the histone acetylation "reader" eleven-nineteen-leukemia (ENL), found in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and Wilms tumor, are known to drive condensate formation and gene activation in cellular systems. However, their role in tumorigenesis remains unclear. Using a conditional knock-in mouse model, we show that mutant ENL perturbs normal hematopoiesis, induces aberrant expansion of myeloid progenitors, and triggers rapid onset of aggressive AML. Mutant ENL alters developmental and inflammatory gene programs in part by remodeling histone modifications. Mutant ENL forms condensates in hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells at key leukemogenic genes, and disrupting condensate formation via mutagenesis impairs its chromatin and oncogenic function. Moreover, treatment with an acetyl-binding inhibitor of the mutant ENL displaces these condensates from target loci, inhibits mutant ENL-induced chromatin changes, and delays AML initiation and progression in vivo. Our study elucidates the function of ENL mutations in chromatin regulation and tumorigenesis and demonstrates the potential of targeting pathogenic condensates in cancer treatment. Significance: A direct link between ENL mutations, condensate formation, and tumorigenesis is lacking. This study elucidates the function and mechanism of ENL mutations in leukemogenesis, establishing these mutations as bona fide oncogenic drivers. Our results also support the role of condensate dysregulation in cancer and reveal strategies to target pathogenic condensates.
功能获得性突变在组蛋白乙酰化“读取器”十一十九白血病(ENL)中发现,存在于急性髓系白血病(AML)和Wilms 瘤中,已知在细胞系统中驱动凝聚物的形成和基因激活。然而,它们在肿瘤发生中的作用仍不清楚。使用条件性敲入小鼠模型,我们表明突变型 ENL 扰乱正常造血,诱导髓系祖细胞异常扩增,并引发侵袭性 AML 的快速发生。突变型 ENL 通过重塑组蛋白修饰部分改变发育和炎症基因程序。突变型 ENL 在造血干/祖细胞中形成凝聚物在关键的白血病基因上,并且通过诱变破坏凝聚物形成会损害其染色质和致癌功能。此外,用突变型 ENL 的乙酰结合抑制剂治疗可将这些凝聚物从靶标位置置换出来,抑制突变型 ENL 诱导的染色质变化,并在体内延迟 AML 的起始和进展。我们的研究阐明了 ENL 突变在染色质调控和肿瘤发生中的功能,并证明了靶向癌症治疗中致病凝聚物的潜力。意义:ENL 突变、凝聚物形成和肿瘤发生之间缺乏直接联系。本研究阐明了 ENL 突变在白血病发生中的功能和机制,确立了这些突变作为真正的致癌驱动因素。我们的结果还支持凝聚物失调在癌症中的作用,并揭示了靶向致病凝聚物的策略。