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Loss of Ikaros promotes oncogene independence in a model of Lmo2-induced T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

ABSTRACT: LMO2 is an oncogenic transcription factor that is frequently overexpressed due to chromosomal abnormalities in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). In transgenic mouse models, Lmo2 overexpression causes thymocyte self-renewal resulting in T-cell leukemia with long latency. However, the requirement for Lmo2 for leukemia maintenance is poorly understood. To study this, we developed a Tetracycline-regulated knock-in mouse model that reversibly expresses Lmo2 throughout the haematopoietic system. This led to a specific impairment of T-cell development and the development of self-renewing preleukemic stem cells (pre-LSCs) in the thymus, followed by the development of fully penetrant T-lymphoblastic leukemia resembling human T-ALL. In preleukemic mice, repression of Lmo2 overcame the LMO2-induced thymocyte developmental block, reversed Lmo2-induced gene expression changes and eliminated self-renewing pre-LSCs in vivo. In contrast, overt T-lymphoblastic leukemias arising in this model were either immature, Lmo2-dependent leukemias resembling human ETP-ALL, or mature leukemias which were Lmo2-independent. Genomic analyses identified frequent loss of tumour suppressor genes in Lmo2-independent T-ALLs. Deletion of one of these, Ikaros (Ikzf1), was sufficient to transform Lmo2-dependent tumours to Lmo2-independence. Together these results indicate an evolution of oncogene addiction in T-ALL and that loss of Ikaros can promote self-renewal of T-ALL lymphoblasts in the absence of initiating oncogenes.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE144035 | GEO | 2020/12/31

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia (T-ALL) can be classified into a number of subfamilies, including those that overexpress TAL1/LMO, TLX1/3 and HOXA transcription factors. Whilst it has been previously shown in mouse models that TAL1/LMO transcription factors induce thymocyte self-renewal, whether this is the case for other transcription factor subclasses is currently unknown. To address this, we have studied vav-Nup98-HoxD13-transgenic (NHD13-Tg) mice, a model of HOXA-driven T-ALL, which overexpress HOXA transcription factors throughout haematopoiesis and display features of myelodysplastic syndrome in the bone marrow along with T-cell developmental abnormalities in the thymus and subsequent development of T-ALL in approximately 15% of mice. Thymocytes from preleukemic NHD13-Tg mice could engraft long-term in serial transplantation assays, demonstrating that NHD13-Tg thymocytes have acquired self-renewal capacity. Transcriptome analysis showed that NHD13-Tg thymocytes exhibited a Stem Cell like transcriptional program which closely resembled that of Lmo2 transgenic thymocytes, including Lmo2 itself and the critical Lmo2 cofactor Lyl1, suggesting a common mechanism of thymocyte self-renewal in these models. To determine whether Lmo2/Lyl1 are required for NHD13-induced thymocyte self-renewal, NHD13-Tg mice were crossed with Lyl1 knockout mice to generate NHD13-Tg mice lacking Lyl1. This showed that Lyl1 is essential for expression of the stem cell-like gene expression program in NHD13-Tg thymocytes and for thymocyte self-renewal. Surprisingly however, absence of Lyl1 accelerated the onset of T-ALL in NHD13-Tg mice. These studies demonstrate that Lyl1 is essential for self-renewal of NHD13-Tg thymocytes, suggesting that Lmo2 and Lyl1 may mediate thymocyte self-renewal induced by a variety of T-cell oncogenes. However, whilst Lyl1-induced thymocyte self-renewal is essential for Lmo2-driven T-cell leukemia, NHD13 can also promote T-ALL via an alternative pathway.

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Loss of Ikaros promotes oncogene independence in a model of Lmo2-induced T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

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