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The ability of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) to self-renew is a prerequisite for the establishment of definitive hematopoiesis and life-long blood regeneration. Here, we report the single-stranded DNA-binding transcriptional regulator far upstream element (FUSE)-binding protein 1 (FUBP1) as an essential factor of HSC self-renewal. Functional inactivation of FUBP1 in two different mouse models resulted in embryonic lethal anemia at around E15.5 caused by severely diminished HSCs. Fetal and adult HSCs lacking FUBP1 revealed an HSC-intrinsic defect in their maintenance, expansion, and long-term blood reconstitution, but could differentiate into all hematopoietic lineages. FUBP1-deficient adult HSCs exhibit significant transcriptional changes, including upregulation of the cell-cycle inhibitor p21 and the pro-apoptotic Noxa molecule. These changes caused an increase in generation time and death of HSCs as determined by video-microscopy-based tracking. Our data establish FUBP1 and its recognition of single-stranded genomic DNA as an important element in the transcriptional regulation of HSC self-renewal.
The transcriptional regulator far upstream binding protein 1 (FUBP1) is essential for fetal and adult hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal, and the constitutive absence of FUBP1 activity during early development leads to embryonic lethality in homozygous mutant mice. To investigate the role of FUBP1 in murine embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and in particular during differentiation into hematopoietic lineages, we generated Fubp1 knockout (KO) ESC clones using CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Although FUBP1 is expressed in undifferentiated ESCs and during spontaneous differentiation following aggregation into embryoid bodies (EBs), absence of FUBP1 did not affect ESC maintenance. Interestingly, we observed a delayed differentiation of FUBP1-deficient ESCs into the mesoderm germ layer, as indicated by impaired expression of several mesoderm markers including Brachyury at an early time point of ESC differentiation upon aggregation to EBs. Coculture experiments with OP9 cells in the presence of erythropoietin revealed a diminished differentiation capacity of Fubp1 KO ESCs into the erythroid lineage. Our data showed that FUBP1 is important for the onset of mesoderm differentiation and maturation of hematopoietic progenitor cells into the erythroid lineage, a finding that is supported by the phenotype of FUBP1-deficient mice.
The transcription factor Meis1 drives myeloid leukemogenesis in the context of Hox gene overexpression but is currently considered undruggable. We therefore investigated whether myeloid progenitor cells transformed by Hoxa9 and Meis1 become addicted to targetable signaling pathways. A comprehensive (phospho)proteomic analysis revealed that Meis1 increased Syk protein expression and activity. Syk upregulation occurs through a Meis1-dependent feedback loop. By dissecting this loop, we show that Syk is a direct target of miR-146a, whose expression is indirectly regulated by Meis1 through the transcription factor PU.1. In the context of Hoxa9 overexpression, Syk signaling induces Meis1, recapitulating several leukemogenic features of Hoxa9/Meis1-driven leukemia. Finally, Syk inhibition disrupts the identified regulatory loop, prolonging survival of mice with Hoxa9/Meis1-driven leukemia.
Despite a high clinical need for the treatment of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) as the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths, targeted therapies are still limited. The multifunctional enzyme Transglutaminase 2 (TGM2), which harbors transamidation and GTPase activity, has been implicated in the development and progression of different types of human cancers. However, the mechanism and role of TGM2 in colorectal cancer are poorly understood. Here, we present TGM2 as a promising drug target.
In primary patient material of CRC patients, we detected an increased expression and enzymatic activity of TGM2 in colon cancer tissue in comparison to matched normal colon mucosa cells. The genetic ablation of TGM2 in CRC cell lines using shRNAs or CRISPR/Cas9 inhibited cell expansion and tumorsphere formation. In vivo, tumor initiation and growth were reduced upon genetic knockdown of TGM2 in xenotransplantations. TGM2 ablation led to the induction of Caspase-3-driven apoptosis in CRC cells. Functional rescue experiments with TGM2 variants revealed that the transamidation activity is critical for the pro-survival function of TGM2. Transcriptomic and protein–protein interaction analyses applying various methods including super-resolution and time-lapse microscopy showed that TGM2 directly binds to the tumor suppressor p53, leading to its inactivation and escape of apoptosis induction.
We demonstrate here that TGM2 is an essential survival factor in CRC, highlighting the therapeutic potential of TGM2 inhibitors in CRC patients with high TGM2 expression. The inactivation of p53 by TGM2 binding indicates a general anti-apoptotic function, which may be relevant in cancers beyond CRC.