PGC7 binds histone H3K9me2 to protect against conversion of 5mC to 5hmC in early embryos

The modification of DNA by 5-methylcytosine (5mC) has essential roles in cell differentiation and development through epigenetic gene regulation. 5mC can be converted to another modified base, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), by the tet methylcytosine dioxygenase (Tet) family of enzymes. Notably, the balance between 5hmC and 5mC in the genome is linked with cell-differentiation processes such as pluripotency and lineage commitment. We have previously reported that the maternal factor PGC7 (also known as Dppa3, Stella) is required for the maintenance of DNA methylation in early embryogenesis, and protects 5mC from conversion to 5hmC in the maternal genome. Here we show that PGC7 protects 5mC from Tet3-mediated conversion to 5hmC by binding to maternal chromatin containing dimethylated histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9me2) in mice. In addition, imprinted loci that are marked with H3K9me2 in mature sperm are protected by PGC7 binding in early embryogenesis. This type of regulatory mechanism could be involved in DNA modifications in somatic cells as well as in early embryos.     

应用傅立叶变换红外光谱研究白血病骨髓血红细胞

研究了急性粒细胞白血病(AML)和慢性粒细胞白血病(CML)患者的骨髓血红细胞的红外光谱差异性：与CML红细胞相比,AML红细胞酰胺Ⅰ带较宽;1540cm-1与1 084cm-1吸收峰面积之间的比值较低,范围较窄。该结果提示AML和CML骨髓血红细胞系中有核红细胞的数量分布不同,同时提示骨髓红细胞的成熟可能与白血病细胞的增殖有关。骨髓血细胞的红外光谱的差异性对白血病的分析和评价具有重要的意义。     

IDH1(R132H) mutation increases murine haematopoietic progenitors and alters epigenetics

Mutations in the IDH1 and IDH2 genes encoding isocitrate dehydrogenases are frequently found in human glioblastomas and cytogenetically normal acute myeloid leukaemias (AML). These alterations are gain-of-function mutations in that they drive the synthesis of the ‘oncometabolite’ R-2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG). It remains unclear how IDH1 and IDH2 mutations modify myeloid cell development and promote leukaemogenesis. Here we report the characterization of conditional knock-in (KI) mice in which the most common IDH1 mutation, IDH1(R132H), is inserted into the endogenous murine Idh1 locus and is expressed in all haematopoietic cells (Vav-KI mice) or specifically in cells of the myeloid lineage (LysM-KI mice). These mutants show increased numbers of early haematopoietic progenitors and develop splenomegaly and anaemia with extramedullary haematopoiesis, suggesting a dysfunctional bone marrow niche. Furthermore, LysM-KI cells have hypermethylated histones and changes to DNA methylation similar to those observed in human IDH1- or IDH2-mutant AML. To our knowledge, our study is the first to describe the generation and characterization of conditional IDH1(R132H)-KI mice, and also the first report to demonstrate the induction of a leukaemic DNA methylation signature in a mouse model. Our report thus sheds light on the mechanistic links between IDH1 mutation and human AML.     

The role of Tet3 DNA dioxygenase in epigenetic reprogramming by oocytes

Sperm and eggs carry distinctive epigenetic modifications that are adjusted by reprogramming after fertilization. The paternal genome in a zygote undergoes active DNA demethylation before the first mitosis. The biological significance and mechanisms of this paternal epigenome remodelling have remained unclear. Here we report that, within mouse zygotes, oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) occurs on the paternal genome, changing 5mC into 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). Furthermore, we demonstrate that the dioxygenase Tet3 (ref. 5) is enriched specifically in the male pronucleus. In Tet3-deficient zygotes from conditional knockout mice, paternal-genome conversion of 5mC into 5hmC fails to occur and the level of 5mC remains constant. Deficiency of Tet3 also impedes the demethylation process of the paternal Oct4 and Nanog genes and delays the subsequent activation of a paternally derived Oct4 transgene in early embryos. Female mice depleted of Tet3 in the germ line show severely reduced fecundity and their heterozygous mutant offspring lacking maternal Tet3 suffer an increased incidence of developmental failure. Oocytes lacking Tet3 also seem to have a reduced ability to reprogram the injected nuclei from somatic cells. Therefore, Tet3-mediated DNA hydroxylation is involved in epigenetic reprogramming of the zygotic paternal DNA following natural fertilization and may also contribute to somatic cell nuclear reprogramming during animal cloning.     

直接免疫荧光法分析白血病及骨髓增生异常综合征患者免疫表型

目的 :检测急性白血病 (AL)及骨髓增生异常综合征 (MDS)免疫表型及其临床意义。方法 :用流式细胞仪CD4 5设门直接免疫三标记法 ,检测 4 9例AL及MDS患者免疫表型。结果 :ALL双克隆型 9例 ,其中髓系伴T -ALL 3例 ,髓系伴B -ALL 4例 ,1例为髓系伴T、B标记 (CD13 +CD7+CD19+ ) ,1例同时CD7+CD19+ ;ALL同时表达CD3 4 及HLA -DR最高 (6 0 .0 1%) ,明显高于AML、MDS(P <0 .0 0 5 )。AML双克隆型 2 0例 ,7例为髓系伴CD7+ ,2例髓系伴CD19+ ,11例为同时表达CD3 4 +HLA -DR +。MDS患者骨髓细胞表达髓系成熟抗原CD13 +及CD3 3 +增高 ,未发现淋系抗原的表达。MDS -RAEB、RAEBT及转为白血病病例均高表达CD3 4 及HLA -DR抗原。结论 :用三标记法简便易行 ,提高诊断准确性 ;单抗组合应兼顾髓、淋系同时表达 ;应加胞浆抗原检测。     

Clonal evolution in relapsed acute myeloid leukaemia revealed by whole-genome sequencing

Most patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) die from progressive disease after relapse, which is associated with clonal evolution at the cytogenetic level. To determine the mutational spectrum associated with relapse, we sequenced the primary tumour and relapse genomes from eight AML patients, and validated hundreds of somatic mutations using deep sequencing; this allowed us to define clonality and clonal evolution patterns precisely at relapse. In addition to discovering novel, recurrently mutated genes (for example, WAC, SMC3, DIS3, DDX41 and DAXX) in AML, we also found two major clonal evolution patterns during AML relapse: (1) the founding clone in the primary tumour gained mutations and evolved into the relapse clone, or (2) a subclone of the founding clone survived initial therapy, gained additional mutations and expanded at relapse. In all cases, chemotherapy failed to eradicate the founding clone. The comparison of relapse-specific versus primary tumour mutations in all eight cases revealed an increase in transversions, probably due to DNA damage caused by cytotoxic chemotherapy. These data demonstrate that AML relapse is associated with the addition of new mutations and clonal evolution, which is shaped, in part, by the chemotherapy that the patients receive to establish and maintain remissions.     

骨髓增生异常综合征的中西医治疗

骨髓增生异常综合征(MDS)以难治性全血细胞减少和易转化为急性白血病为特征。患者的预后、合并症和年龄是决定治疗策略时必须考虑的因素。治疗策略经常以支持治疗为主,包括造血细胞生成因子、输注红细胞和血小板以及抗感染治疗。另外诱导分化、免疫抑制治疗、刺激造血、靶向治疗、化疗、异基因骨髓移植等根据具体病情选择应用。我们明确提出“气阴两虚,血瘀内阻”的中医复合证候为MDS临床主证,以“益气养阴活血”为治疗大法,制成“益髓颗粒剂”,进行了大量实验及临床研究,获得了确切疗效。     

Heterodimeric JAK-STAT activation as a mechanism of persistence to JAK2 inhibitor therapy

The identification of somatic activating mutations in JAK2 (refs?1–4) and in the thrombopoietin receptor gene (MPL) in most patients with myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) led to the clinical development of JAK2 kinase inhibitors. JAK2 inhibitor therapy improves MPN-associated splenomegaly and systemic symptoms but does not significantly decrease or eliminate the MPN clone in most patients with MPN. We therefore sought to characterize mechanisms by which MPN cells persist despite chronic inhibition of JAK2. Here we show that JAK2 inhibitor persistence is associated with reactivation of JAK–STAT signalling and with heterodimerization between activated JAK2 and JAK1 or TYK2, consistent with activation of JAK2 in trans by other JAK kinases. Further, this phenomenon is reversible: JAK2 inhibitor withdrawal is associated with resensitization to JAK2 kinase inhibitors and with reversible changes in JAK2 expression. We saw increased JAK2 heterodimerization and sustained JAK2 activation in cell lines, in murine models and in patients treated with JAK2 inhibitors. RNA interference and pharmacological studies show that JAK2-inhibitor-persistent cells remain dependent on JAK2 protein expression. Consequently, therapies that result in JAK2 degradation retain efficacy in persistent cells and may provide additional benefit to patients with JAK2-dependent malignancies treated with JAK2 inhibitors.     

A survey of human leukaemias for sequences of a human retrovirus

Human T-cell leukaemia-lymphoma virus (HTLV) is an exogenous human retrovirus distinct from all known animal retroviruses. HTLV is closely linked to a subtype of adult T-cell malignancies and except for isolated cases, has not been found associated with any other form of leukaemia, lymphoma or other cancers (see refs 1, 2 for review). HTLV can be transmitted to cord blood T lymphocytes in vitro and the infected cells exhibit characteristics of transformed neoplastic T cells. We have recently cloned DNA sequences derived from approximately 1 kilobase (kb) of the 5' and 3' termini of the HTLV genome, as well as a 4-5-kb defective HTLV provirus flanked by cellular sequences. The availability of these probes has enabled us to carry out a limited survey of different fresh or cultured cells from patients of different lymphoid and myeloid malignancies for HTLV-related DNA sequences. The results presented here show that cells from all Japanese patients with adult T-cell leukaemia and several patients with various mature T-cell malignancies from elsewhere contained one or more copies of a highly conserved HTLV genome. The infected cells are of clonal origin. Fresh cells from 1 of the 10 myeloid leukaemic patients contained exogenous DNA sequences distantly related to HTLV.     

Active compounds-based discoveries about the differentiation and apoptosis of leukemic cells

Acute myeloid leukemia （AML） is a heterogeneous group of hematopoietic malignancies which are characterized by the blockage of hematopoietic cell differentiation with uncontrolled proliferation and/or impaired apoptosis. Over the past 20 years, there has been tremendous progress in the biological, molecular, and cytogenetic aspects of the disease, accompanied by significant advancements in the treatment of AML patients. For example, all-trans retinoic acid （ATRA） and arsenic trioxide （As2O3） have been used clinically for effective treatments of patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia （APL, a unique subtype of AML） through differentiation and/or apoptosis induction. More intriguingly, these active compounds-based chemical biological studies greatly accelerated our understanding on leukemogenesis and targeted therapy of AML patients. Based on some recent findings mainly from our group, this review attempts to summarize the related advances from Chinese researchers.     

骨髓增生异常综合征12例临床分析

为重新全面认识骨髓增生异常综合征(MDS).对12例MDS患者的临床和实验室资料进行分析.MDS患者外周血象中两系或三系减少,血象中有明显形态异常,骨髓像中必有两系或三系病态造血,特别是见到:中性粒细胞颗粒减少、PeLger-Huet异常、多核红细胞、巨大红细胞、微巨核细胞、巨血小板更具有诊断意义,有力证实了骨髓增生异常是MDS的病理特征.     

微血管密度与血管内皮生长因子受体-3在骨髓增生异常综合征患者中的表达及意义

目的检测骨髓增生异常综合征患者骨髓中微血管密度和血管内皮生长因子受体-3表达水平并探讨其临床意义。方法采用免疫组织化学染色检测54例骨髓增生异常综合症患者、20例非恶性血液病患者对照组骨髓组织中微血管密度和血管内皮生长因子受体-3表达水平,采用蛋白质印迹法检测上述研究对象骨髓单个核细胞中血管内皮生长因子受体-3蛋白表达水平,分析其与临床特征的相关性。结果骨髓增生异常综合症患者骨髓组织中微血管密度和血管内皮生长因子受体-3表达水平明显高于非恶性血液病对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05),而骨髓增生异常综合症低危组、中危组及高危组中微血管密度与血管内皮生长因子受体-3的表达水平无显著差异(P0.05),经相关性分析微血管密度和血管内皮生长因子受体-3在骨髓增生异常综合症患者骨髓中表达呈正相关关系。结论骨髓增生异常综合症患者骨髓存在明显血管新生及血管内皮生长因子受体-3高表达,其表达水平可能参与骨髓增生异常综合症发病、发展等过程,并可能影响骨髓增生异常综合症预后,通过检测微血管密度和血管内皮生长因子受体-3的表达可为临床抗脉管新生方法治疗骨髓增生异常综合症提供实验依据。     

IDH mutation impairs histone demethylation and results in a block to cell differentiation

Recurrent mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) and IDH2 have been identified in gliomas, acute myeloid leukaemias (AML) and chondrosarcomas, and share a novel enzymatic property of producing 2-hydroxyglutarate (2HG) from α-ketoglutarate. Here we report that 2HG-producing IDH mutants can prevent the histone demethylation that is required for lineage-specific progenitor cells to differentiate into terminally differentiated cells. In tumour samples from glioma patients, IDH mutations were associated with a distinct gene expression profile enriched for genes expressed in neural progenitor cells, and this was associated with increased histone methylation. To test whether the ability of IDH mutants to promote histone methylation contributes to a block in cell differentiation in non-transformed cells, we tested the effect of neomorphic IDH mutants on adipocyte differentiation in vitro. Introduction of either mutant IDH or cell-permeable 2HG was associated with repression of the inducible expression of lineage-specific differentiation genes and a block to differentiation. This correlated with a significant increase in repressive histone methylation marks without observable changes in promoter DNA methylation. Gliomas were found to have elevated levels of similar histone repressive marks. Stable transfection of a 2HG-producing mutant IDH into immortalized astrocytes resulted in progressive accumulation of histone methylation. Of the marks examined, increased H3K9 methylation reproducibly preceded a rise in DNA methylation as cells were passaged in culture. Furthermore, we found that the 2HG-inhibitable H3K9 demethylase KDM4C was induced during adipocyte differentiation, and that RNA-interference suppression of KDM4C was sufficient to block differentiation. Together these data demonstrate that 2HG can inhibit histone demethylation and that inhibition of histone demethylation can be sufficient to block the differentiation of non-transformed cells.     

Amino-acid substitutions at codon 13 of the N-ras oncogene in human acute myeloid leukaemia

DNAs from four out of five patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) tested by an in vivo selection assay in nude mice using transfected mouse NIH 3T3 cells were found to contain an activated N-ras oncogene. Using a set of synthetic oligonucleotide probes, we have detected a mutation at codon 13 in all four genes. The same codon is mutated in an additional AML DNA that is positive in the focus-formation assay on 3T3 cells. DNA from the peripheral blood of one patient in remission does not contain a codon 13 mutation.     

Validation of ITD mutations in FLT3 as a therapeutic target in human acute myeloid leukaemia

Effective targeted cancer therapeutic development depends upon distinguishing disease-associated 'driver' mutations, which have causative roles in malignancy pathogenesis, from 'passenger' mutations, which are dispensable for cancer initiation and maintenance. Translational studies of clinically active targeted therapeutics can definitively discriminate driver from passenger lesions and provide valuable insights into human cancer biology. Activating internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutations in FLT3 (FLT3-ITD) are detected in approximately 20% of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) patients and are associated with a poor prognosis. Abundant scientific and clinical evidence, including the lack of convincing clinical activity of early FLT3 inhibitors, suggests that FLT3-ITD probably represents a passenger lesion. Here we report point mutations at three residues within the kinase domain of FLT3-ITD that confer substantial in vitro resistance to AC220 (quizartinib), an active investigational inhibitor of FLT3, KIT, PDGFRA, PDGFRB and RET; evolution of AC220-resistant substitutions at two of these amino acid positions was observed in eight of eight FLT3-ITD-positive AML patients with acquired resistance to AC220. Our findings demonstrate that FLT3-ITD can represent a driver lesion and valid therapeutic target in human AML. AC220-resistant FLT3 kinase domain mutants represent high-value targets for future FLT3 inhibitor development efforts.