Project description:Natural killer/T-cell lymphoma (NKTCL) is a malignant proliferation of CD56+/cytoCD3+ lymphocytes and constitutes a heterogeneous group of aggressive lymphomas prevalent in Asian and South American populations. Molecular pathogenesis of NKTCL remains largely elusive. Here we identified somatic mutations in RNA helicase gene DDX3X. Gene expression profiling revealed an association of DDX3X mutations with activation of NF-kB and MAPK pathways. Together, our work suggests the heterogeneity of gene mutational spectrum in NKTCL.
Project description:DDX3X is a ubiquitously expressed RNA helicase involved in multiple stages of RNA biogenesis. DDX3X is frequently mutated in Burkitt lymphoma but the functional basis for this is unknown. Here, we show that loss-of-function DDX3X mutations are also commonly found in MYC-translocated diffuse large B cell lymphoma and reveal functional co-operation between mutant DDX3X and MYC. We show that DDX3X promotes translation of mRNAs encoding components of the core translational machinery, thereby driving global protein synthesis. Loss-of-function DDX3X mutations moderate MYC-driven global protein synthesis, thereby buffering MYC-induced proteotoxic stress during early lymphomagenesis. Established lymphoma cells subsequently restore full protein synthetic capacity by ectopic expression of DDX3Y, a Y-chromosome homologue that is normally expressed exclusively in testis. These findings highlight the vulnerability of MYC-driven lymphoma to proteotoxic stress and identify an unexpected male-specific mechanism of carcinogenesis, namely the commandeering of a testis-specific Y-chromosome gene to drive full malignant transformation.
Project description:DDX3X is a ubiquitously expressed RNA helicase involved in multiple stages of RNA biogenesis. DDX3X is frequently mutated in Burkitt lymphoma but the functional basis for this is unknown. Here, we show that loss-of-function DDX3X mutations are also commonly found in MYC-translocated diffuse large B cell lymphoma and reveal functional co-operation between mutant DDX3X and MYC. We show that DDX3X promotes translation of mRNAs encoding components of the core translational machinery, thereby driving global protein synthesis. Loss-of-function DDX3X mutations moderate MYC-driven global protein synthesis, thereby buffering MYC-induced proteotoxic stress during early lymphomagenesis. Established lymphoma cells subsequently restore full protein synthetic capacity by ectopic expression of DDX3Y, a Y-chromosome homologue that is normally expressed exclusively in testis. These findings highlight the vulnerability of MYC-driven lymphoma to proteotoxic stress and identify an unexpected male-specific mechanism of carcinogenesis, namely the commandeering of a testis-specific Y-chromosome gene to drive full malignant transformation.
