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Phase separation drives aberrant chromatin looping and cancer development [RNA-Seq]

ABSTRACT: Development of cancer is intimately associated with genetic abnormalities that target proteins with intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs). In human hematological malignancies, recurrent chromosomal translocation of nucleoporin (NUP98 or NUP214) generates an aberrant chimera that invariably retains nucleoporin?s IDR, tandemly dispersed phenylalanine-and-glycine (FG) repeats. However, it remains elusive how unstructured IDRs contribute to oncogenesis. We show that IDR harbored within NUP98-HOXA9, a homeodomain-containing transcription factor (TF) chimera recurrently detected in leukemias, is essential for establishing liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) puncta of chimera and for inducing leukemic transformation. Strikingly, LLPS of NUP98-HOXA9 not only promotes chromatin occupancy of chimera TFs but is also required for formation of a broad, ?super-enhancer?-like binding pattern, typically seen at a battery of leukemogenic genes, potentiating their transcriptional activation. Artificial HOX chimera (FUS-HOXA9), created by replacing NUP98?s FG repeats with an unrelated LLPS-forming IDR of FUS, had similar enhancement effects on chimera?s genome-wide binding and target gene activation. Hi-C mapping further demonstrated that phase-separated NUP98-HOXA9 induces CTCF-independent chromatin looping enriched at proto-oncogenes. Together, this report describes a proof-of-principle example wherein cancer acquires mutation to establish oncogenic TF condensates via phase separation, which simultaneously enhances their genomic targeting and induces organization of aberrant three-dimensional chromatin structure during tumorous transformation. As LLPS-competent molecules are frequently implicated in diseases, this mechanism can potentially be generalized to many malignant and pathological settings.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE144642 | GEO | 2021/04/19

REPOSITORIES: GEO

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Project description:Development of cancer is intimately associated with genetic abnormalities that target proteins with intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs). In human hematological malignancies, recurrent chromosomal translocation of nucleoporin (NUP98 or NUP214) generates an aberrant chimera that invariably retains nucleoporin’s IDR, tandemly dispersed phenylalanine-and-glycine (FG) repeats. However, it remains largely elusive how unstructured IDRs contribute to oncogenesis. We here show that IDR or FG repeats harbored within NUP98-HOXA9, a HOX transcription factor (TF) chimera recurrently detected in acute leukemia patients, is essential for establishing nuclear liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) puncta and for inducing leukemic transformation of primary hematopoietic cells in vitro and in vivo. Strikingly, LLPS of NUP98-HOXA9 not only promotes chromatin occupancy of chimera TF oncoproteins but is also required for formation of a broad, ‘super-enhancer’-like binding pattern, typically seen at a battery of leukemia-related loci exemplified by HOX, MEIS and PBX genes, potentiating their transcriptional activation. An artificial HOX chimera, created by replacing NUP98’s FG repeats with an unrelated LLPS-forming IDR of FUS, had similar enhancement effects on chimera’s chromatin binding and target gene activation. Via Hi-C mapping, we further demonstrated that the phase-separated NUP98-HOXA9 protein assembly is able to induce de novo formation of CTCF-independent chromatin looping enriched at leukemic oncogenes. Together, this report describes a proof-of-principle example wherein cancer acquires mutation to establish multi-molecule assemblies of oncogenic TFs via a phase separation mechanism, which simultaneously enhances their chromatin targeting and induces organization of aberrant three-dimensional chromatin structure during tumorous transformation. As a range of LLPS-competent molecules are implicated in various human cancers, this mechanism can potentially be generalized to many malignant and diseased settings.

Project description:Development of cancer is intimately associated with genetic abnormalities that target proteins with intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs). In human hematological malignancies, recurrent chromosomal translocation of nucleoporin (NUP98 or NUP214) generates an aberrant chimera that invariably retains nucleoporin’s IDR, tandemly dispersed phenylalanine-andglycine (FG) repeats1-3. However, it remains largely elusive how unstructured IDRs contribute to oncogenesis. We here show that IDR or FG repeats harbored within NUP98-HOXA9, a homeodomain-containing transcription factor (TF) chimera recurrently detected in acute leukemia patients1,4,5, is essential for establishing nuclear liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) puncta and for inducing leukemic transformation of primary hematopoietic cells in vitro and in vivo. Strikingly, LLPS of NUP98-HOXA9 not only promotes chromatin occupancy of chimera TF oncoproteins but is also required for formation of a broad, ‘super-enhancer’-like binding pattern, typically seen at a battery of leukemia-related loci exemplified by HOX, MEIS and PBX genes, potentiating their transcriptional activation. An artificial HOX chimera, created by replacing NUP98’s FG repeats with an unrelated LLPSforming IDR of FUS6,7, had similar enhancement effects on chimera’s chromatin binding and target gene activation. Via Hi-C mapping, we further demonstrated that the phase-separated NUP98-HOXA9 protein assembly is able to induce formation of CTCF-independent chromatin looping enriched at leukemic oncogenes. Together, this report describes a proof-of-principle example wherein cancer acquires mutation to establish condensates of oncogenic TFs via a phase separation mechanism, which simultaneously enhances their chromatin targeting and induces organization of aberrant three-dimensional chromatin structure during tumorous transformation. As a range of LLPS-competent molecules are implicated in various human cancers, this mechanism can potentially be generalized to many malignant and diseased settings.

Project description:Nuclear receptor-binding SET domain protein 1 (NSD1) prototype is a family of mammalian histone methyltransferases (NSD1, NSD2/MMSET/WHSC1, NSD3/WHSC1L1) that are essential in development and are mutated in human acute myeloid leukemia (AML), overgrowth syndromes, multiple myeloma and lung cancers. In AML, the recurring t(5;11)(q35;p15.5) translocation fuses NSD1 to nucleoporin-98 (NUP98). Here, we present the first characterization of the transforming properties and molecular mechanisms of NUP98-NSD1. We demonstrate that NUP98-NSD1 induces AML in vivo, sustains self-renewal of myeloid stem cells in vitro, and enforces expression of the HoxA7, HoxA9, HoxA10 and Meis1 proto-oncogenes. Mechanistically, NUP98-NSD1 binds genomic elements adjacent to HoxA7 and HoxA9, maintains histone H3 Lys 36 (H3K36) methylation and histone acetylation, and prevents EZH2-mediated transcriptional repression of the Hox-A locus during differentiation. Deletion of the NUP98 FG-repeat domain, or mutations in NSD1 that inactivate the H3K36 methyltransferase activity or that prevent binding of NUP98-NSD1 to the Hox-A locus precluded both Hox-A gene activation and myeloid progenitor immortalization. We propose that NUP98-NSD1 prevents EZH2-mediated repression of Hox-A locus genes by colocalizing H3K36 methylation and histone acetylation at regulatory DNA elements. This report is the first to link deregulated H3K36 methylation to tumorigenesis and to link NSD1 to transcriptional regulation of the Hox-A locus. Experiment Overall Design: Total RNA was extracted from stably transformed progenitors cultured in vitro and the expression levels of mRNA transcripts quantified using the Affymetrix GeneChip Mouse Genome 430 2.0 array, as previously described. The GEO database accession numbers: for progenitors immortalized by HoxA9 (GSM190542, GSM190546, GSM190547); for progenitors immortalized by coexpressed HoxA9 plus Meis1 (GSM190548, GSM190549, GSM190550); for progenitors immortalized by NUP98-NSD1 (GSM190551, GSM190552, GSM190553); and for progenitors immortalized by MLL-ENL (GSM190554). Experiment Overall Design: NOTE: CEL files and dChip data were requested by GEO but not provided.

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Phase separation drives aberrant chromatin looping and cancer development [RNA-Seq]

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