Similar Datasets
Project description:Hotspot gain-of-function mutations in the YEATS domain of the histone reader protein ENL have been identified in Wilms’ tumor. To investigate the pathogenic role of these cancer-associated ENL mutations in kidney development and tumorigenesis in vivo, we generated conditional knock-in mouse models mimicking patient-derived ENL YEATS mutations. Mice with heterozygous expression of ENLT mutants in either Six2+ nephrogenic or Foxd1+ stromal lineage exhibit severe yet distinct defects in kidney development, both resulting in neonatal lethality. The Six2-ENLT mutant kidney rudiments display compromised cap mesenchyme, scant proximal tubules and cystic glomeruli, indicative of premature commitment and differentiation blockade during nephrogenesis. Bulk and spatial transcriptomic analyses uncover aberrant activation of Hox genes and genes involved in cell fate commitment, especially the Wnt signaling pathway, in ENLT mutant-expressing nephrogenic cells. In contrast, the Foxd1-ENLT mutant kidneys exhibit expansion in renal capsule and cap mesenchyme, accompanied with dysregulation of stromal genes involved in nephrogenesis and stroma-nephron crosstalk. Collectively, our study sheds lights on how ENL YEATS domain mutations impede nephrogenesis through different pathways in nephrogenic and stromal lineages, paving the way for further investigations into their roles in tumorigenesis.
2025-02-20 | GSE266256 | GEO
Project description:Hotspot gain-of-function mutations in the YEATS domain of the histone reader protein ENL have been identified in Wilms’ tumor. To investigate the pathogenic role of these cancer-associated ENL mutations in kidney development and tumorigenesis in vivo, we generated conditional knock-in mouse models mimicking patient-derived ENL YEATS mutations. Mice with heterozygous expression of ENLT mutants in either Six2+ nephrogenic or Foxd1+ stromal lineage exhibit severe yet distinct defects in kidney development, both resulting in neonatal lethality. The Six2-ENLT mutant kidney rudiments display compromised cap mesenchyme, scant proximal tubules and cystic glomeruli, indicative of premature commitment and differentiation blockade during nephrogenesis. Bulk and spatial transcriptomic analyses uncover aberrant activation of Hox genes and genes involved in cell fate commitment, especially the Wnt signaling pathway, in ENLT mutant-expressing nephrogenic cells. In contrast, the Foxd1-ENLT mutant kidneys exhibit expansion in renal capsule and cap mesenchyme, accompanied with dysregulation of stromal genes involved in nephrogenesis and stroma-nephron crosstalk. Collectively, our study sheds lights on how ENL YEATS domain mutations impede nephrogenesis through different pathways in nephrogenic and stromal lineages, paving the way for further investigations into their roles in tumorigenesis.
2025-02-20 | GSE283433 | GEO
Project description:Gain-of-function ENL YEATS domain mutations impede nephrogenesis through gene expression control
| PRJNA1193642 | ENA
Project description:Gain-of-function ENL YEATS domain mutations impede nephrogenesis through gene expression control [Spatial Transcriptomics]
| PRJNA1193649 | ENA
Project description:Gain-of-function ENL YEATS domain mutations impede nephrogenesis through gene expression control [RNA-seq]
| PRJNA1106455 | ENA
Project description:Recurrent chromosomal translocations producing a chimaeric MLL oncogene give rise to a highly aggressive acute leukaemia associated with poor clinical outcome. The preferential involvement of chromatin-associated factors as MLL fusion partners belies a dependency on transcription control. Despite recent progress made in targeting chromatin regulators in cancer, available therapies for this well-characterized disease remain inadequate, prompting the need to identify new targets for therapeutic intervention. Here, using unbiased CRISPR-Cas9 technology to perform a genome-scale loss-of-function screen in an MLL-AF4-positive acute leukaemia cell line, we identify ENL as an unrecognized gene that is specifically required for proliferation in vitro and in vivo. To explain the mechanistic role of ENL in leukaemia pathogenesis and dynamic transcription control, a chemical genetic strategy was developed to achieve targeted protein degradation. Acute loss of ENL suppressed the initiation and elongation of RNA polymerase II at active genes genome-wide, with pronounced effects at genes featuring a disproportionate ENL load. Notably, an intact YEATS chromatin-reader domain was essential for ENL-dependent leukaemic growth. Overall, these findings identify a dependency factor in acute leukaemia and suggest a mechanistic rationale for disrupting the YEATS domain in disease.
| S-EPMC5497220 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Growing evidence suggests prevalence of transcriptional condensates on chromatin, yet their mechanisms of formation and functional significance remain largely unclear. In human cancer, a series of mutations in the histone acetylation reader ENL create gain-of-function mutants with increased transcriptional activation ability. Here, we show that these mutations, clustered in ENL's structured acetyl-reading YEATS domain, trigger aberrant condensates at native genomic targets through multivalent homotypic and heterotypic interactions. Mechanistically, mutation-induced structural changes in the YEATS domain, ENL's two disordered regions of opposing charges, and the incorporation of extrinsic elongation factors are all required for ENL condensate formation. Extensive mutagenesis establishes condensate formation as a driver of oncogenic gene activation. Furthermore, expression of ENL mutants beyond the endogenous level leads to non-functional condensates. Our findings provide new mechanistic and functional insights into cancer-associated condensates and support condensate dysregulation as an oncogenic mechanism.
| S-EPMC10071517 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ENL is a transcriptional coactivator that recruits elongation machinery to active cis-regulatory elements upon binding of its YEATS domain-a chromatin reader module-to acylated lysine side chains. Discovery chemistry for the ENL YEATS domain is highly motivated by its significance in acute leukemia pathophysiology, but cell-based assays able to support large-scale screening or hit validation efforts do not presently exist. Here, we report on the discovery of a target engagement assay that allows for high-throughput ligand discovery in living cells. This assay is based on the cellular thermal shift assay (CETSA) but does not require exposing cells to elevated temperatures, as small-molecule ligands are able to stabilize the ENL YEATS domain at 37 °C. By eliminating temperature shifts, we developed a simplified target engagement assay that requires just two steps: drug treatment and luminescence detection. To demonstrate its value for higher throughput applications, we miniaturized the assay to a 1536-well format and screened 37 120 small molecules, ultimately identifying an acyl-lysine-competitive ENL/AF9 YEATS domain inhibitor.
| S-EPMC7384521 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Recurrent gain-of-function mutations in the histone reader protein ENL have been identified in Wilms tumor, the most prevalent pediatric kidney cancer. However, their pathological significance in kidney development and tumorigenesis in vivo remains elusive. Here, we generate mouse models mimicking ENL tumor (ENLT) mutations and show that heterozygous mutant expression in Six2+ nephrogenic or Foxd1+ stromal lineages leads to severe, lineage-specific kidney defects, both resulting in neonatal lethality. Six2-ENLT mutant kidneys display compromised cap mesenchyme, scant nephron tubules, and cystic glomeruli, indicative of premature progenitor commitment and blocked differentiation. Bulk and spatial transcriptomic analyses reveal aberrant activation of Hox and Wnt signaling genes in mutant nephrogenic cells. In contrast, Foxd1-ENLT mutant kidneys exhibit expansion in renal capsule and cap mesenchyme, with dysregulated stromal gene expression affecting stroma-epithelium crosstalk. Our findings uncover distinct pathways through which ENL mutations disrupt nephrogenesis, providing a foundation for further investigations into their role in tumorigenesis.
| S-EPMC11909213 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Eleven-nineteen leukemia (ENL) protein is a histone acetylation reader essential for disease maintenance in acute leukemias, in particular, the mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL)-rearranged leukemia. In this study, we carried out high-throughput screening of a small-molecule library to identify inhibitors for the ENL YEATS domain. Structure-activity relationship studies of the hits and structure-based inhibitor design led to two compounds, 11 and 24, with IC50 values below 100 nM in inhibiting the ENL-acetyl-H3 interaction. Both compounds, and their precursor compound 7, displayed strong selectivity toward the ENL YEATS domain over all other human YEATS domains. Moreover, 7 exhibited on-target inhibition of ENL in cultured cells and a synergistic effect with the bromodomain and extraterminal domain inhibitor JQ1 in killing leukemia cells. Together, we have developed selective chemical probes for the ENL YEATS domain, providing the basis for further medicinal chemistry-based optimization to advance both basic and translational research of ENL.
| S-EPMC8486320 | biostudies-literature