Project description:Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (STAT) 5A/B regulate cytokine-inducible genes upon binding to GAS motifs. It is not known what percentage of genes with GAS motifs bind to and are regulated by STAT5. Moreover, it is not clear whether genome-wide STAT5 binding is modulated by its concentration. To clarify these issues we established genome-wide STAT5 binding upon growth hormone (GH) stimulation of wild type mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and MEFs overexpressing STAT5A more than 20-fold. Upon GH stimulation 23,827 and 111,939 STAT5A binding sites were detected in wild type and STAT5A overexpressing MEFs, respectively. 13,278 and 71,561 peaks contained at least one GAS motif. 1,586 and 8,613 binding sites were located within 2.5 kbp of promoter sequences, respectively. Stringent filtering revealed 78 genes in which the promoter/upstream region (-10kbp to +0.5kbp) was recognized by STAT5 both in wt and STAT5 overexpressing MEFs and 347 genes that bound STAT5 only in overexpressing cells. Genome-wide expression analyses identified that the majority of STAT5-bound genes was not under GH control. Up to 40% of STAT5-bound genes were not expressed. For the first time we demonstrate the magnitude of opportunistic genomic STAT5 binding that does not translate into transcriptional activation of neighboring genes. Genome-wide mapping of STAT5 binding in MEF cells (WT, KO; Stat5-/- and overexpression; STAT5A-Stat5-/-) upon growth hormone induction
Project description:Leukemia is characterized by genetic and epigenetic mutations resulting in selection of cancer stem cells, which are unable to differentiate. While genetic alterations are difficult to target, the epigenome is intrinsically dynamic and readily offers new therapeutic strategies. Thus, identifying cancer-specific context-dependent targets and unraveling their biological function may open up new therapeutic perspectives. Here, we identify bromodomain-containing protein 9 (BRD9) as a critical target required in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We show that BRD9 is overexpressed in AML cells including ex vivo primary blasts compared to CD34+. By targeting BRD9 expression in AML, we observed an alteration in proliferation and survival, ultimately resulting in the induction of apoptosis. Intriguingly, genome-wide profiling revealed that BRD9 binds enhancer regions in a cell type-specific manner, regulating cell type-related processes. We unveil a novel BRD9-sustained STAT5 pathway activation via regulation of SOC3 expression levels. Our findings identify a previously undescribed BRD9-STAT5 axis as critical for leukemia maintenance, suggesting BRD9 as a potential therapeutic target.
Project description:Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (STAT) 5A/B regulate cytokine-inducible genes upon binding to GAS motifs. It is not known what percentage of genes with GAS motifs bind to and are regulated by STAT5. Moreover, it is not clear whether genome-wide STAT5 binding is modulated by its concentration. To clarify these issues we established genome-wide STAT5 binding upon growth hormone (GH) stimulation of wild type mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and MEFs overexpressing STAT5A more than 20-fold. Upon GH stimulation 23,827 and 111,939 STAT5A binding sites were detected in wild type and STAT5A overexpressing MEFs, respectively. 13,278 and 71,561 peaks contained at least one GAS motif. 1,586 and 8,613 binding sites were located within 2.5 kbp of promoter sequences, respectively. Stringent filtering revealed 78 genes in which the promoter/upstream region (-10kbp to +0.5kbp) was recognized by STAT5 both in wt and STAT5 overexpressing MEFs and 347 genes that bound STAT5 only in overexpressing cells. Genome-wide expression analyses identified that the majority of STAT5-bound genes was not under GH control. Up to 40% of STAT5-bound genes were not expressed. For the first time we demonstrate the magnitude of opportunistic genomic STAT5 binding that does not translate into transcriptional activation of neighboring genes.