Deciphering the Pathogenesis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant disorder of the blood system. Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) supply and maintain this system by differentiating via intermediates into lineage-restricted progenitors that strongly proliferate to keep up with the high turn-over of mature blood cells. In AML, the mechanisms controlling differentiation and proliferation of myeloid cells are disturbed leading to the accumulation of undifferentiated cells that interfere with the production of normal blood cells. Mutations of the transcription factor C/EBPα have been observed in 10 percent in AML with normal cytogenetics. In addition, internal tandem duplications (ITD) of FLT3 are frequently observed alterations in AML and coincide with mutations of C/EBPα. The effects of FLT3-ITD cooperation with C/EBPα mutations in AML are not fully understood. To address this, knockin mouse strains harboring different Cebpa mutations and Flt3-ITD were used to generate an AML mouse model. This model demonstrated a block at the transition from pGMP to GMP due to disrupted C/EBPα function. The cooperative effect of FLT3-ITD is composed of enhancing the generation of leukemia-initiating GMPs and activation of STAT5 targets. In in vitro studies it was demonstrated that FLT3-ITD reduces the cytokine-requirements for cell growth and that leukemic cells harboring FLT3-ITD are more sensitive to inhibition of the FLT3 pathway in vitro. To address the impact of FLT3-ITD gene dosage and loss of Flt3 wild type allele in vivo the Flt3-ITD knockin mouse was crossed to the Flt3 receptor knockout mouse. These studies demonstrated that the myeloproliferative phenotype was FLT3-ITD dosage-dependent and independent of FL. In summary, the data presented provide deeper insights into oncogene cooperation and FLT3-ITD dosage in AML

Hypoxic induction of vascular endothelial growth factor regulates murine hematopoietic stem cell function in the low-oxygenic niche.

Hypoxia is emerging as an important characteristic of the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) niche, but the molecular mechanisms contributing to quiescence, self-renewal, and survival remain elusive. Vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) is a key regulator of angiogenesis and hematopoiesis. Its expression is commonly regulated by hypoxia-inducible factors (HIF) that are functionally induced in low-oxygen conditions and that activate transcription by binding to hypoxia-response elements (HRE). Vegfa is indispensable for HSC survival, mediated by a cell-intrinsic, autocrine mechanism. We hypothesized that a hypoxic HSC microenvironment is required for maintenance or upregulation of Vegfa expression in HSCs and therefore crucial for HSC survival. We have tested this hypothesis in the mouse model Vegfa(δ/δ), where the HRE in the Vegfa promoter is mutated, preventing HIF binding. Vegfa expression was reduced in highly purified HSCs from Vegfa(δ/δ) mice, showing that HSCs reside in hypoxic areas. Loss of hypoxia-regulated Vegfa expression increases the numbers of phenotypically defined hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. However, HSC function was clearly impaired when assessed in competitive transplantation assays. Our data provide further evidence that HSCs reside in a hypoxic microenvironment and demonstrate a novel way in which the hypoxic niche affects HSC fate, via the hypoxia-Vegfa axis

Mutant CEBPA directly drives the expression of the targetable tumor-promoting factor CD73 in AML

The key myeloid transcription factor (TF), CEBPA, is frequently mutated in acute myeloid leukemia (AML), but the direct molecular effects of this leukemic driver mutation remain elusive. To investigate mutant AML, we performed microscale, in vivo chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing and identified a set of aberrantly activated enhancers, exclusively occupied by the leukemia-associated CEBPA-p30 isoform. Comparing gene expression changes in human mutant AML and the corresponding mouse model, we identified , encoding CD73, as a cross-species AML gene with an upstream leukemic enhancer physically and functionally linked to the gene. Increased expression of CD73, mediated by the CEBPA-p30 isoform, sustained leukemic growth via the CD73/A2AR axis. Notably, targeting of this pathway enhanced survival of AML-transplanted mice. Our data thus indicate a first-in-class link between a cancer driver mutation in a TF and a druggable, direct transcriptional target

Targeting of PI3K/AKT signaling and DNA damage response in acute myeloid leukemia: a novel therapeutic strategy to boost chemotherapy response and overcome resistance

Resistance of cancer patients to DNA damaging radiation therapy and chemotherapy remains a major problem in the clinic. The current review discusses the molecular mechanisms of therapy resistance in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) conferred by cooperative chemotherapy-induced DNA damage response (DDR) and mutational activation of PI3K/AKT signaling. In addition, strategies to overcome resistance are discussed, with particular focus on studies underpinning the vast potential of therapies combining standard chemotherapy AML regimens with small molecule inhibitors targeting key regulatory hubs at the interface of DDR and oncogenic signaling pathways