MiR144/451 expression is repressed by RUNX1 during megakaryopoiesis and disturbed by RUNX1/ETO

  • Abstract: A network of lineage-specific transcription factors and microRNAs tightly regulates differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells along the distinct lineages. Deregulation of this regulatory network contributes to impaired lineage fidelity and leukemogenesis. We found that the hematopoietic master regulator RUNX1 controls the expression of certain microRNAs, of importance during erythroid/megakaryocytic differentiation. In particular, we show that the erythorid miR144/451 cluster is epigenetically repressed by RUNX1 during megakaryopoiesis. Furthermore, the leukemogenic RUNX1/ETO fusion protein transcriptionally represses the miR144/451 pre-microRNA. Thus RUNX1/ETO contributes to increased expression of miR451 target genes and interferes with normal gene expression during differentiation. Furthermore, we observed that inhibition of RUNX1/ETO in Kasumi1 cells and in RUNX1/ETO positive primary acute myeloid leukemia patient samples leads to up-regulation of miR144/451. RUNX1 thus emerges as a key regulator of a microRNA network, driving differentiation at the megakaryocytic/erythroid branching point. The network is disturbed by the leukemogenic RUNX1/ETO fusion product. Author Summary: The regulatory network between transcription factors, epigenetic cofactors and microRNAs is decisive for normal hematopoiesis. The transcription factor RUNX1 is important for the establishment of a megakaryocytic gene expression program and the concomitant repression of erythroid genes during megakaryocytic differentiation. Gene regulation by RUNX1 is frequently disturbed by mutations and chromosomal translocations, such as the t(8;21) translocation, which gives rise to the leukemogenic RUNX1/ETO fusion protein. We found that RUNX1 regulates microRNAs, which are of importance at the megakaryocytic/erythroid branching point. Specifically, RUNX1 down-regulates expression of the microRNA cluster miR144/451 during megakaryocytic differentiation by changing the epigenetic histone modification pattern at the locus. We could show that miR451, one of the micorRNAs of the miR144/451 cluster, supports erythroid differentiation. We found that expression of miR451 is repressed by the RUNX1/ETO fusion protein, resulting in up regulation of miR451 target genes. Our data support the notion that RUNX1 suppresses the erythroid gene expression program including the erythroid microRNA miR451 and that the RUNX1/ETO fusion protein interferes with normal gene regulation by RUNX1.
Metadaten
Author:Nicole Kohrs, Stephan Kolodziej, Olga Nikolaevna Lausen, Julia Herglotz, Jasmin Yillah, Stefanie Herkt, Alexander Piechatzek, Gabriela Salinas Riester, Thomas Lingner, Christian WichmannGND, Halvard-Björn BönigORCiDGND, Erhard SeifriedORCiDGND, Uwe PlatzbeckerORCiDGND, Hind Medyouf, Manuel GrezGND, Jörn Lausen
URN:urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-398444
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1005946
ISSN:1553-7404
ISSN:1553-7390
Parent Title (English):Plos Genetics
Publisher:PLoS
Place of publication:Lawrence, Kan.
Document Type:Article
Language:English
Date of Publication (online):2016/03/18
Date of first Publication:2016/03/18
Publishing Institution:Universitätsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg
Release Date:2016/05/25
Volume:12
Issue:(3): e1005946
Page Number:23
Note:
Copyright: © 2016 Kohrs et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ , which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
HeBIS-PPN:421457473
Institutes:Medizin / Medizin
Angeschlossene und kooperierende Institutionen / Georg-Speyer-Haus
Dewey Decimal Classification:6 Technik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften / 61 Medizin und Gesundheit / 610 Medizin und Gesundheit
Sammlungen:Universitätspublikationen
Licence (German):License LogoCreative Commons - Namensnennung 4.0