Project description:Mutations of RUNX1 are detected in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). In particular, C-terminal truncation mutations lack a transcription regulatory domain and have increased DNA binding through the runt homology domain (RHD). The expression of the RHD, RUNX1(41-214), in mouse hematopoietic cells induced progression to MDS and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Analysis of pre-myelodysplastic animals revealed expansion of c-Kit+Sca-1+Lin- (KSL) cells and skewed differentiation to myeloid at the expense of the lymphoid lineage. These abnormalities correlate with the phenotype of Runx1-deficient animals, as expected given the reported dominant-negative role of C-terminal mutations over the full-length RUNX1. However, MDS is not observed in Runx1-deficient animals. Gene expression profiling revealed that RUNX1(41-214) KSLs have an overlapping yet distinct gene expression profile from Runx1-deficient animals. Moreover, an unexpected parallel was observed between the hematopoietic phenotype of RUNX1(41-214) and aged animals. Genes deregulated in RUNX1(41-214), but not in Runx1-deficient animals, were inversely correlated with the aging gene signature of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), suggesting that disruption of the expression of genes related to normal aging by RUNX1 mutations contributes to development of MDS. The data presented here provide insights into the mechanisms of development of MDS in HSCs by C-terminal mutations of RUNX1. Gene expression analysis were performed on c-Kit+/Sca-1+/Lin-/IL7Ra- (KSL) cells sorted from RUNX1(41-214)-expressing and Runx1-knockout (Runx1floxed/floxed MxCre+/-) and control mice (Runx1floxed/floxedMxCre-/-).
Project description:Mutations of RUNX1 are detected in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). In particular, C-terminal truncation mutations lack a transcription regulatory domain and have increased DNA binding through the runt homology domain (RHD). The expression of the RHD, RUNX1(41-214), in mouse hematopoietic cells induced progression to MDS and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Analysis of pre-myelodysplastic animals revealed expansion of c-Kit+Sca-1+Lin- (KSL) cells and skewed differentiation to myeloid at the expense of the lymphoid lineage. These abnormalities correlate with the phenotype of Runx1-deficient animals, as expected given the reported dominant-negative role of C-terminal mutations over the full-length RUNX1. However, MDS is not observed in Runx1-deficient animals. Gene expression profiling revealed that RUNX1(41-214) KSLs have an overlapping yet distinct gene expression profile from Runx1-deficient animals. Moreover, an unexpected parallel was observed between the hematopoietic phenotype of RUNX1(41-214) and aged animals. Genes deregulated in RUNX1(41-214), but not in Runx1-deficient animals, were inversely correlated with the aging gene signature of hematopoietic stem cells (HSC), suggesting that disruption of the expression of genes related to normal aging by RUNX1 mutations contributes to development of MDS. The data presented here provide insights into the mechanisms of development of MDS in HSCs by C-terminal mutations of RUNX1.
Project description:To characterize the molecular changes in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and to explore novel genetic abnormalities occurring in these disorders through a genome-wide study in a series of MDS and MDS/MPN patients. A total of 285 abnormalities were identified in 71 patients. Three high-risk MDS cases displayed chromothripsis. In addition, cryptic deletions were identified in genomic regions where MDS-related genes, such as DNMT3A (2p23.3), TET2 (4q24), RUNX1 (21q22) and BCOR (Xp11.4), are located.
Project description:The MLL-PTD mutation is found in patients with MDS and AML, and not in other hematological malignancies. Previously, we showed that Mll-PTD knock-in heterozygous mice (MllPTD/WT mice) present with several MDS-associated features. However, these phenotypes are insufficient to constitute bona fide MDS. MllPTD/WT mice do not generate MDS or AML in primary or transplant recipient mice. This suggests that additional genetic and/or epigenetic defects are necessary for transformation to MDS or AML. In secondary AML and de novo AML, MLL-PTD mutation is significantly associated with mutations in RUNX1 and with the FLT3-ITD mutations. In fact, the combination of MLL-PTD with the FLT3-ITD allele leads to AML in mice. We combined the MLL-PTD with RUNX1 mutant proteins, in order to generate a new mouse model for MDS. We generated MllPTD/WT/Runx1Flox/Flox/Mx1-Cre mice to model loss-of-function RUNX1 mutations. To test the significance of HIF-1α in this model, we also generated MllPTD/WT/Runx1Flox/Flox/Hif-1αFlox/Flox/Mx1-Cre mice and genetically eliminated Hif-1α expression. We analyzed gene expression variations in the HSPCs comparing the MllPTD/WT/Runx1∆/∆ with or without HIF-1α abrogation.
Project description:Recent studies have showed that loss-of-function mutations of EZH2, a catalytic component of polycomb repressive complex 2, are often associated with RUNX1 mutations in myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients. We established a novel MDS model mouse by transducing a RUNX1S291fs mutant in hematopoietic stem cells followed by deletion of Ezh2 and found that Ezh2 loss significantly promoted RUNX1S291fs-induced MDS.
Project description:We investigated the spectra of circulating miRNAs in plasma of myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) patients. Peripheral blood plasma from MDS patients with different risk scores was used for Agilent miRNA expression microarray analysis to define miRNA profile and to find miRNAs with discriminatory levels for lower risk and higher risk MDS. Results were further validated using droplet digital PCR on a larger cohort, enabling absolute quantification of plasma miRNAs and defining miRNAs with prognostic value for the disease. We analyzed expression profile of circulating miRNAs in plasma from 21 individuals: 7 controls and 14 MDS patients.