LMO2 Protein Research Articles

Chromogenic LMO2 mRNA ISH Expression Correlates with LMO2 Protein and Gene Expression and Captures Their Survival Impact in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma, NOS.

LMO2 is a relevant gene involved in B-cell ontogeny and a survival predictor of aggressive large B-cell lymphomas (aLBCL). Most studies assessing LMO2 mRNA expression have relied on microarray platforms or qRT-PCR methods, overlooking tissue morphology. In this study, we evaluate LMO2 RNA expression by chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) in normal tissue and in a series of 82 aLBCL. LMO2 CISH was performed in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues, scored by three different methods, and correlated with a transcriptome panel. We obtained statistically significant results correlating the methods of evaluation with LMO2 protein expression and gene expression results. Normal tonsil tissue showed high levels of LMO2, particularly within the light zone of the germinal center. Conversely, in aLBCL, a notable reduction in LMO2 expression was noted, remarkably in cases carrying MYC rearrangements. Furthermore, significant results were obtained through overall survival and Cox regression survival analysis, incorporating International Prognostic Index data alongside LMO2 expression levels. We show a reliable method to identify LMO2 mRNA expression by CISH, effectively capturing many of the reported biologic features of LMO2.

Value of GCET1, HGAL (GCET2), and LMO2 in the Determination of Germinal Center Phenotype in Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is a biologically heterogeneous disease that is classified into germinal center B-cell (GCB) and non-GCB subtypes, which are prognostically different. The Hans algorithm is the most widely used tool based on CD10, BCL6, and MUM1 expression, but some cases with the non-GCB phenotype are still known to be misclassified. In this study, we investigate the extent to which GCET1, HGAL, and LMO2 protein expressions reflect GCB phenotype together with their roles in determining the GCB phenotype of DLBCL and their contributions to the performance of the Hans algorithm. Sixty-five cases of DLBCL-not otherwise specified, 40 cases of follicular lymphoma (FL), and 19 non-GC-derived lymphoma cases were included in this study. The DLBCL cases were grouped as CD10+ (Group A) or only MUM1+ (Group B), and the remaining cases constituted the intermediate group (Group C). GCET1, HGAL, and LMO2 expressions were evaluated. In the FL group, GCET1, HGAL, and LMO2 were positive in 85%, 77.5%, and 100% of the cases, respectively. Among the non-GC-derived lymphoma cases, all three markers were negative in cases of small lymphocytic lymphoma, plasmablastic lymphoma, peripheral T-cell lymphoma, and anaplastic large cell lymphoma. GCET1 and HGAL were negative in cases of marginal zone lymphoma (MZL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Two of the 3 MZL and 2 of the 4 MCL cases were positive for LMO2. In the DLBCL group, the number of cases with GCET1, HGAL, and LMO2 positivity was 18 (90%), 17 (85%), and 20 (100%), respectively, in Group A and 0 (0%), 2 (13.3%), and 2 (13.3%), respectively, in Group B. Considering these rates, when the cases in the intermediate group were evaluated, it was concluded that 13 cases typed as non-GCB according to the Hans algorithm may have the GCB phenotype. GCET1, HGAL, and LMO2 are highly sensitive markers for determining the germinal center cell phenotype and can increase the accuracy of the subclassification of DLBCL cases, especially for cases that are negative for CD10.

Establishment and Clinical Significance of Prognostic Nomogram Model for Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Based on Immunohistochemistry Markers and International Prognostic Index Scores

To retrospectively analyze clinical characteristics and survival time of patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), detect prognosis-related markers, and establish a nomogram prognostic model of clinical factors combined with biomarkers. One hundred and thirty-seven patients with DLBCL were included in this study from January 2014 to March 2019 in the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University. The expression of GCET1, LMO2, BCL-6, BCL-2 and MYC protein were detected by immunohistochemistry (IHC), then the influences of these proteins on the survival and prognosis of the patients were analyzed. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to gradually screen the prognostic factors in nomogram model. Finally, nomogram model was established according to the result of multivariate analysis. The positive expression of GCET1 protein was more common in patients with Ann Arbor staging I/II (P =0.011). Compared with negative patients, patients with positive expression of LMO2 protein did not often show B symptoms (P =0.042), and could achieve better short-term curative effect (P =0.005). The overall survival (OS) time of patients with positive expression of LMO2 protein was significantly longer than those with negative expression of LMO2 protein (P =0.018), though the expression of LMO2 protein did not correlate with progression-free survival (PFS) (P >0.05). However, the expression of GCET1 protein had no significant correlation with OS and PFS. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that nomogram model consisted of 5 prognostic factors, including international prognostic index (IPI), LMO2 protein, BCL-2 protein, MYC protein and rituximab. The C-index applied to the nomogram model for predicting 4-year OS rate was 0.847. Moreover, the calibrated curve of 4-year OS showed that nomogram prediction had good agreement with actual prognosis. The nomogram model incorporating clinical characteristics and IHC biomarkers has good discrimination and calibration, which provides a useful tool for the risk stratification of DLBCL.

Transcription factor Zbtb1 interacts with bridging factor Lmo2 and maintains the T-lineage differentiation capacity of lymphoid progenitor cells

Hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells can differentiate into all types of blood cells. Regulatory mechanisms underlying pluripotency in progenitors, such as the ability of lymphoid progenitor cells to differentiate into T-lineage, remain unclear. We have previously reported that LIM domain only 2 (Lmo2), a bridging factor in large transcriptional complexes, is essential to retain the ability of lymphoid progenitors to differentiate into T-lineage. However, biochemical characterization of Lmo2 protein complexes in physiological hematopoietic progenitors remains obscure. Here, we identified approximately 600 Lmo2-interacting molecules in a lymphoid progenitor cell line by two-step affinity purification with LC-MS/MS analysis. Zinc finger and BTB domain containing 1 (Zbtb1) and CBFA2/RUNX1 partner transcriptional corepressor 3 (Cbfa2t3) were found to be the functionally important binding partners of Lmo2. We determined CRISPR/Cas9-mediated acute disruption of Zbtb1 or Cbfa2t3 in the lymphoid progenitor or bone marrow–derived primary hematopoietic progenitor cells causes significant defects in the initiation of T-cell development when Notch signaling is activated. Our transcriptome analysis of Zbtb1- or Cbfa2t3-deficient lymphoid progenitors revealed that Tcf7 was a common target for both factors. Additionally, ChIP-seq analysis showed that Lmo2, Zbtb1, and Cbfa2t3 cobind to the Tcf7 upstream enhancer region, which is occupied by the Notch intracellular domain/RBPJ transcriptional complex after Notch stimulation, in lymphoid progenitors. Moreover, transduction with Tcf7 restored the defect in the T-lineage potential of Zbtb1-deficient lymphoid progenitors. Thus, in lymphoid progenitors, the Lmo2/Zbtb1/Cbfa2t3 complex directly binds to the Tcf7 locus and maintains responsiveness to the Notch-mediated inductive signaling to facilitate T-lineage differentiation.

Biochemical Feature of LMO2 Interactome and LMO2 Function Prospect.

BackgroundLMO2 belongs to the LIM-Only group of LIM domain protein superfamily. It is ubiquitously expressed in different types of tissues and locates either in the nucleus or in the cytoplasm depending on the tissue type. Till now the unique function of LMO2 was considered to be serving as a bridging or blocking molecule that mediates extensive protein-protein interactions. However, the exactly biological features of LMO2 interactome as well as LMO2 function spectrum remain largely unclear.Material/MethodsIn this study, yeast 2-hybrid assay was firstly performed using LMO2 as the bait and the characteristic of LMO2 protein interactome was analyzed according to the yeast 2-hybrid data and other relative biological information primarily using bioinformatic method.ResultsOur data indicated that LMO2 favored interacting with peptides containing β-sheet structure and having relatively unstable confirmation. Moreover, several LMO2 favored interacting domains were identified, including WD40 repeat, coiled-coil, Ankyrin repeat, Zinc finger, PDZ, and SH3, and functions of these domain-containing members were dramatically enriched in some types of cancers.ConclusionsOur results revealed a LMO2 favored protein-interaction pattern in both secondary structure and domain level, and concentrated LMO2 function in kinds of cytoplasmic metabolism pathways as well as multiple types of cancers.

Clinical Interest of LMO2 Testing in Aggressive Large B-Cell Lymphomas

Introduction: MYC rearrangements (MYCr) occur in 5 to 15% of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCL) and 20 to 35% of high-grade B-cell lymphoma, NOS (HGBL-NOS), are a defining criterion of the category HGBL with rearrangements of MYC and/or BCL2/BCL6 (HGBL, with MYCr and BCL2/BCL6), and may be present in 90% of Burkitt lymphoma. The current WHO classification considers cytogenetic techniques as the appropriate tool to detect MYCr but does not define how to approach to the identification of such alteration. As the global incidence of MYCr in large B-cell lymphomas (LBCL) is low, it is necessary to clarity whether FISH or other cytogenetic methods have to be applied to all LBCL or only in selected cases. We previously identified LMO2 as a potential surrogate marker of MYCr in LBCL (Colomo L, Am J Surg Pathol 2017). Our aim with this study is to confirm this observation and evaluate the clinical impact of this marker in the survival of patients with LBCL. Methods: We have prospectively studied between September 2014 and July 2019 a new series of 180 LBCL including patients with DLBCL, HGBL, with HGBL, with MYCr and BCL2/BCL6, HGBL-NOS and transformed low-grade lymphomas into DLBCL (tDLBCL) diagnosed according to WHO criteria. LMO2 (clone 1A9-1), MYC (clone Y69) and a common immunohistochemistry (IHC) panel of B and T-cell markers have been used for the histological categorization of the cases, using whole tissue sections. The cutoff for LMO2 and MYC were 30% and 40%, respectively. MYC and BCL6 genes were studied using break apart probes, and BCL2 gene using dual-color dual-fusion probes (IGH/BCL2), all from Vysis-Abbott. We have statistically correlated the loss of expression of LMO2 and the overexpression of MYC with the presence or absence of MYCr. Moreover, we performed survival analyses assessing the clinical impact of LMO2 in a series of 162 LBCL patients (112 DLBCL, 20 HGBL, with MYCr and BCL2/BCL6, 4 HGBL-NOS and 26 tDLBCL). The survival series included cases diagnosed before 2014 with IHC and FISH data. Results: The prospective series included 132 patients with DLBCL (78M/52F; median age 67 years, range 35-95), 9 HGBL, with MYCr and BCL2/BCL6 (5M/4F; median age 67 years, range 42-85), 4 HGBL-NOS (2M/2F; median age 58 years, range 42-89), and 35 tDLBCL (31 transformed follicular lymphomas, 3 marginal zone lymphoma and 1 lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma; 23M/20F; median age 64 years, range 40-82). LMO2 and MYC were expressed as follows, respectively: 84/130 (65%) and 46/132 (35%) in DLBCL; 1/9 (11%) and 8/9 (89%) in HGBL, with MYCr and BCL2/BCL6; 0/4 and 3/4 (75%) HGBL-NOS; 25/34 (73%) and 7/33 (21%) tDLBCL. MYCr were identified in 9/132 (7%) DLBCL; all HGBL, with MYCr and BCL2/BCL6; 4/4 HGBL-NOS; 7/35 (20%) tDLBCL. The table shows the comparisons between LMO2 and MYC protein expression for the identification of the presence of MYCr in the series of LBCL. Whereas in the whole series LMO2 and MYC had similar results, among CD10-positive cases, LMO2 had better results than MYC and identified better the presence of MYCr than MYC protein expression. The 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) according the diagnostic categories was 59% for DLBCL, 28% for HGBL, with MYCr and BCL2/BCL6, 25% for HGBL-NOS and 22% for tDLBCL (P=0.015). In addition, PFS was significantly lower for the presence of MYCr (26% vs 53%, P=0.02) and MYC IHC expression (35% vs 53%, P=0.005), and showed a positive trend for LMO2 loss of expression (39% vs 52%, P=0.1). The 5-year overall survival (OS) according the diagnostic categories was 67% for DLBCL, 23% for HGBL, with MYCr and BCL2/BCL6, 50% for HGBL-NOS and 77% for tDLBCL (P<0.001). In addition, OS was significantly shorter for the presence of MYCr (37% vs 71%, P=0.002), MYC protein expression (46% vs 75%, P=0.001), and for LMO2 loss of expression (46% vs 74%, P=0.005). In a Cox regression survival analysis including IPI and LMO2 for the 68 CD10-positive cases, IPI (HR: 1.61 P=0.03) was the most important variable for predicting OS, and LMO2 showed a significant trend (HR: 0.44 P=0.06). However, the addition of MYC IHC and MYCr did not add predictive accuracy to IPI score (HR: 1.6 P=0.31; HR: 1.8 P=0.19, respectively). Conclusions: LMO2 detection by IHC is a useful tool to detect MYCr in aggressive LBCL, particularly in CD10-positive cases. Moreover, LMO2 protein expression captures the prognostic significance of the different diagnostic histological categories and the presence of MYCr in this group of lymphomas. Disclosures Sanchez-Gonzalez: Alexion: Consultancy, Honoraria; Gilead: Consultancy, Honoraria; Shire: Consultancy, Honoraria; Amgen: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Takeda: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Salar:Celgene: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Janssen: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau.

LMO2 Confers Synthetic Lethality to PARP Inhibition in DLBCL

Deficiency in DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair mechanisms has been widely exploited for the treatment of different malignances, including homologous recombination (HR)-deficient breast and ovarian cancers. Here we demonstrate that diffuse large B cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) expressing LMO2 protein are functionally deficient in HR-mediated DSB repair. Mechanistically, LMO2 inhibits BRCA1 recruitment to DSBs by interacting with 53BP1 during repair. Similar to BRCA1-deficient cells, LMO2-positive DLBCLs and Tcell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cells exhibit a high sensitivity to poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. Furthermore, chemotherapy and PARP inhibitors synergize to inhibit the growth of LMO2-positive tumors. Together, our results reveal that LMO2 expression predicts HR deficiency and the potential therapeutic use of PARP inhibitors in DLBCL and T-ALL.

Molecular Features of Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma in a Large Tissue Microarray

Molecular Features of Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma in a Large Tissue Microarray

Overexpression of Lhx2 suppresses proliferation of human T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia-derived cells, partly by reducing LMO2 protein levels

T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a malignant cancer with poor prognosis. The transcriptional co-factor LIM domain only 2 (LMO2) and its target gene HHEX are essential for self-renewal of T cell precursors and T-ALL etiology. LMO2 directly associates with LDB1 in a large DNA-containing nuclear complex and controls the transcription of T-ALL-related genes. Recently, we reported that overexpression of the LIM-homeodomain transcription factor, Lhx2, results in liberation of the Lmo2 protein from the Lmo2-Ldb1 complex, followed by ubiquitin proteasome mediated degradation. Here, we found that proliferation of five human T-ALL-derived cell lines, including CCRF-CEM, was significantly suppressed by retroviral overexpression of Lhx2. The majority of Lhx2-transduced CCRF-CEM cells arrested in G0 phase and subsequently underwent apoptosis. Expression of LMO2 protein as well as HHEX, ERG, HES1 and MYC genes was repressed in CCRF-CEM cells by transduction with Lhx2. Lhx2-mediated growth inhibition was partially rescued by simultaneous overexpression of Lmo2; however, both the C-terminal LIM domain and the homeodomain of Lhx2 were required for its growth-suppressive activity. These data indicate that Lhx2 is capable of blocking proliferation of T-ALL-derived cells by both LMO2-dependent and -independent means. We propose Lhx2 as a new molecular tool for anti-T-ALL drug development.

LMO2-negative Expression Predicts the Presence of MYC Translocations in Aggressive B-Cell Lymphomas

MYC translocation is a defining feature of Burkitt lymphoma (BL), and the new category of high-grade B-cell lymphomas with MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 translocations, and occurs in 6% to 15% of diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs). The low incidence of MYC translocations in DLBCL makes the genetic study of all these lymphomas cumbersome. Strategies based on an initial immunophenotypic screening to select cases with a high probability of carrying the translocation may be useful. LMO2 is a germinal center marker expressed in most lymphomas originated in these cells. Mining gene expression profiling studies, we observed LMO2 downregulation in BL and large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) with MYC translocations, and postulated that LMO2 protein expression could assist to identify such cases. We analyzed LMO2 protein expression in 46 BLs and 284 LBCL. LMO2 was expressed in 1/46 (2%) BL cases, 146/268 (54.5%) DLBCL cases, and 2/16 (12.5%) high-grade B-cell lymphoma cases with MYC and BCL2 and/or BCL6 translocations. All BLs carried MYC translocation (P<0.001), whereas LMO2 was only positive in 6/42 (14%) LBCL with MYC translocation (P<0.001). The relationship between LMO2 negativity and MYC translocation was further analyzed in different subsets of tumors according to CD10 expression and cell of origin. Lack of LMO2 expression was associated with the detection of MYC translocations with high sensitivity (87%), specificity (87%), positive predictive value and negative predictive value (74% and 94%, respectively), and accuracy (87%) in CD10 LBCL. Comparing LMO2 and MYC protein expression, all statistic measures of performance of LMO2 surpassed MYC in CD10 LBCL. These findings suggest that LMO2 loss may be a good predictor for the presence of MYC translocation in CD10 LBCL.

Foamy Virus Backbone Has Insulator Properties Which Remarkably Reduce Its Genotoxicity Potential

Strong viral enhancers in γ-retrovirus vectors (GV) have caused cellular proto-oncogene activation and leukemia in gene therapy trials, necessitating the use of cellular promoters in enhancer-less integrating vectors. However, data is now emerging that inadequate transgene expression from cellular promoters may limit successful correction. Vectors derived from foamy virus (FV), a nonpathogenic retrovirus, have a higher preference for non-genic integrations than GV/lentiviral vectors (LV), and may be less genotoxic. We constructed GV, LV and FV driven either by the spleen focus forming virus (SFFV) or the murine stem cell virus (MSCV) enhancer/promoters, all driving eGFP expression, and compared their relative genotoxicity using an in vitro immortalization assay on primary hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPC). In this assay, integration near a protooncogene/gene promoting cell proliferation results in quantifiable HSPC immortalization. Strong viral enhancer/promoters from SFFV or MSCV in FV caused a remarkably low immortalization of HSPC compared to analogous LV or GV: compared to the immortalization frequency of HSPC with the SFFV-GV in this assay, SFFV-LV and MSCV-LV had 12- and 14-fold lower immortalization frequency, while the SFFV-FV and MSCV-FV showed a 155- and 414-fold lower immortalization frequency, respectively. Immortalized clones had multiple (3-10) integrated copies. Integration site analysis of FV immortalized clones revealed a majority of integrants in non-gene regions; those in genic regions targeted cell proliferation or proto-oncogenes, as previously reported. FV has been previously reported to have 2-fold higher insertions in non-genic regions and higher, but nearly half the propensity to target promoters compared to GV. However, this remarkably reduced genotoxicity with FV was not explained by the integration pattern. We therefore hypothesized that FV backbone may contain sequences that have an enhancer blocking/insulator effect. Studies on chromatin insulators have shown that enhancer-blocking property of insulators is mediated via binding of CTCF to its consensus sequences within the insulator. Indeed, an in silico analysis for CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) binding sites in the vector backbone sequences showed more predicted CTCF binding sites in the FV than in GV or LV (26, 8, and 6, respectively). To functionally validate the enhancer-blocking effect of the FV backbone and ensure that only effects of the vector backbone would be measured, without the confounding influence of integration site or the enhancer/promoter/transgene, we inserted SFFV-GV, SFFV-LV and SFFV-FV into a clinically relevant proto-oncogene, LMO2, using CRISPR/Cas9, and assessed LMO2 expression. LMO2 upregulation has previously resulted in leukemias in the X-linked severe combined immune-deficiency and Wiscott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) GV-mediated gene transfer trials; notably SFFV-GV was used in the WAS trial and caused leukemias in 8 of 10 patients from insertional oncogenesis. HeLa cells were transfected with the proviral donor plasmids and the guide-RNA/spCas9 plasmids and GFP+ cells sorted and cloned. Nearly all clones derived had one intact LMO2 allele, while the other alleles had GV/LV/FV proviral insertions. We next assessed LMO2 mRNA and protein expression in these clones. We found a minimal increase in LMO2 mRNA expression with SFFV-FV, in sharp contrast to significantly increased LMO2 expression with SFFV-GV and SFFV-LV by qRT-PCR (Figure 1A). Overall, the SFFV enhancer in GV demonstrated the greatest fold-increase in LMO2 expression (median increase of 280+/-23-fold over unmodified HeLa cells), followed by the SFFV enhancer in LV (median 200+/-27-fold increase). However, the same SFFV enhancer in FV only showed a 45+/-7-fold median increase in expression. Western blot analysis for LMO2 protein expression in three clones for each vector showed no detectable LMO2 expression in SFFV-FV clones, which was similar to baseline in mock (non-targeted) HeLa cells (Figure 1B). However, significantly higher LMO2 protein was detectable in GV and LV clones. Hence, the remarkably low genotoxic potential of FV, even those carrying strong viral enhancers appears to be, in large part, from an insulator property of FV sequences, making FV ideal for situations where high transgene expression, necessitating strong enhancers is required for a therapeutic effect. [Display omitted] DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Growth Suppressing Activity of Lhx2 in Human T Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (T-ALL)-Derived Cells and Large-Scale Screening of a Lead Compounds Targeting T-ALL

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is one of the most frequently occurring cancers in infants and young children. For patients suffering from CD20-positive B-cell ALL (B-ALL) and Ph-positive ALL, overall survival rates have been greatly improved after clinical introduction of rituximab and imatinib, respectively. However, T-cell ALL (T-ALL) patients still exhibit poor prognosis, since there is no such an efficient molecular-targeted drug.It is known that LIM-only transcriptional co-factor LMO2 and its target gene HHEX are essential for self-renewal of T cell precursors and onset of T-ALL. LMO2 directly associates with LDB1 in a large DNA-containing nuclear complex and controls the transcription of T-ALL-related downstream genes. Recently, we reported that overexpression of LIM-homeodomain transcription factor Lhx2 results in liberation of Lmo2 protein from the Lmo2-Ldb1 complex followed by degradation by ubiquitin-proteasome system. We found that proliferation of 5 different human T-ALL-derived cell lines including CCRF-CEM was significantly suppressed by retroviral overexpression of Lhx2. In contrast, enforced overexpression of Lhx2 did not reduce the growth rate of B lymphoma-derived cell line Raji, oral cancer-derived cell line HSC-3, and osteosarcoma-derived cell line Saos-2. Majority of the Lhx2-transduced CCRF-CEM cells was arrested in G0 phase and subsequently underwent apoptosis. Expression of LMO2 protein and HHEX mRNA was repressed by the Lhx2 transduction. Importantly, the Lhx2-mediated growth inhibition was partially rescued by the simultaneous overexpression of Lmo2. However, both C-terminal LIM-domain and homeodomain of Lhx2 were required for the growth-suppressive activity. These data indicated that Lhx2 is capable to blocking proliferation of T-ALL-derived cells in LMO2-dependent and independent fashions. Lhx2 would be a useful molecular tool for designing a new type of anti-T-ALL drug.In order to develop a new drug that mimics the aforementioned activity of Lhx2, we performed large-scale screening of natural compound libraries to find out a compound that suppresses the proliferation of T-ALL cell line CCRF-CEM, but does not inhibit the growth of B lymphoma cell line Raji. Among 150,000 different compounds, we successfully identified 3 low-molecular-weight compounds (44D-L008, 31D-F005, 21D-D016) that fulfilled the above criteria. 44D-L008 and 31D-F005 possessed a common chemical structure. In the presence of 5μM of 44D-L008 and 31D-F005, proliferation of 5 human T-ALL cell lines including CCRF-CEM was severely blocked. On the other hand, Raji, HSC-3 and Saos-2 were completely resistant to both compounds in the same experimental settings. Intriguingly, 44D-L008 decreased viability of human skin fibroblasts in culture, whereas 31D-F005 displayed no such negative effects on skin fibroblasts, peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and peripheral blood T cells of human origin. These results indicated that small differences in the chemical structure between 44D-L008 and 31D-F005 are responsible for the side effect on normal cells. Finally, we collaborated with a hospital and found that 0.5 μM of 31D-F005 efficiently suppressed the in vitro growth of primary cancer cells of a T-ALL patient. Taken together, theses data demonstrated that 31D-F005 is a promising lead compound for a new anti-T-ALL drug. DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

LMO2 blocks the UBA6-USE1 interaction and downstream FAT10ylation by targeting the ubiquitin fold domain of UBA6

In eukaryotic cells, the post-translational modification of proteins by ubiquitin or ubiquitin-like proteins (UBLs) is the most common trigger for protein degradation and is involved in the regulation of a wide range of biological processes. FAT10 (HLA-F-adjacent transcript 10), which belongs to the UBL family, is activated specifically through the UBA6-USE1 cascade and targets substrates covalently for 26S proteasomal degradation. LMO2 is a well-recognized transcriptional regulator in hematopoietic and endothelial systems; however, it is predominantly located in the cytoplasm of epithelium-derived cells. The current study revealed that LMO2 protein interacted with the E1 ubiquitin-activating enzyme UBA6 at the C-terminal ubiquitin fold domain (UFD), which mediates the recognition and recruitment of the E2-conjugating enzyme USE1. Functionally, the LMO2-UBA6 interaction disturbed the interaction between UBA6 and USE1 and led to the decline of the overall cellular FAT10ylation level as well as the FAT10ylation and degradation of a known FAT10 substrate p62. Taken together, this study revealed a novel function of LMO2 involving in the regulatory hierarchy of UBA6-USE1-FAT10ylation pathway by targeting the E1 enzyme UBA6.

Original Research: Generation of non-deletional hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin β-globin locus yeast artificial chromosome transgenic mouse models: -175 Black HPFH and -195 Brazilian HPFH.

Fetal hemoglobin is a major genetic modifier of the phenotypic heterogeneity in patients with sickle cell disease and certain β-thalassemias. Normal levels of fetal hemoglobin postnatally are approximately 1% of total hemoglobin. Patients who have hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin, characterized by elevated synthesis of γ-globin in adulthood, show reduced disease pathophysiology. Hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin is caused by β-globin locus deletions (deletional hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin) or γ-globin gene promoter point mutations (non-deletional hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin). Current research has focused on elucidating the pathways involved in the maintenance/reactivation of γ-globin in adult life. To better understand these pathways, we generated new β-globin locus yeast artificial chromosome transgenic mice bearing the (A)γ-globin -175 T > C or -195 C > G hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin mutations to model naturally occurring hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin. Adult -175 and -195 mutant β-YAC mice displayed a hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin phenotype, as measured at the mRNA and protein levels. The molecular basis for these phenotypes was examined by chromatin immunoprecipitation of transcription factor/co-factor binding, including YY1, PAX1, TAL1, LMO2, and LDB1. In -175 HPFH versus wild-type samples, the occupancy of LMO2, TAL1 and LDB1 proteins was enriched in HPFH mice (5.8-fold, 5.2-fold and 2.7-fold, respectively), a result that concurs with a recent study in cell lines showing that these proteins form a complex with GATA-1 to mediate long-range interactions between the locus control region and the (A)γ-globin gene. Both hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin mutations result in a gain of (A)γ-globin activation, in contrast to other hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin mutations that result in a loss of repression. The mice provide additional tools to study γ-globin gene expression and may reveal new targets for selectively activating fetal hemoglobin.

The LMO2 protein overexpressed WPMY-1 prostatic stromal cells promote proliferation and invasion of PC-3/BPH-1 prostatic epithelial cells

Objective To investigate the effect of LMO2 gene, which is overexpressed in prostate peripheral zone than transitional zone, on proliferation and invasion of prostate cancer PC-3 cell line or normal prostate epithelial BPH-1 cell line. Methods Lentivirus overexpression system was used to establish the LMO2 protein overexpressed prostate WPMY-1 stromal cell line. The LMO2 mRNA and protein expression level of those cells was evaluated by qRT-PCR and western blot. The PC-3 or BPH-1 cells was co-cultured with prostate stromal cells and the in vitro proliferation and invasion activity were detected by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8), EdU and Matrigel invasive assays. Results The stable LMO2 overexpressed prostate stromal cells WPMY-1-LMO2 was successfully established. The results of CCK-8, EdU experiments indicated the proliferation and invasion activity of PC-3 or BPH-1 cells were both enhanced through co-cultured with WPMY-1-LMO2 cells. The proportion of EdU positive cells of PC-3 cultured in WPMY-1-LMO2 supernatant was (42.67±6.03)%, and the difference was significant compared with the control group (29.33±3.51)% (P<0.05). The BPH-1 cultured in the supernatant was (35.00±2.52)%, and the difference was significant compared with the control group (23.33±2.52)% (P<0.05). The number of invaded PC-3 or BPH-1 cells after co-cultured with WPMY-1-LMO2 cells was 38±5 and 43±3, respectively, which was significantly different compared with the control group (P<0.05). Conclusions The LMO2 overexpressed prostate stromal cells could induce proliferation and invasion of PC-3 or BPH-1 cells. The propensity of benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer at different zones may probably be related to distinctive gene expression between peripheral zone and transitional zone derived stromal cells. Key words: Prostatic neoplasms; Stromal cells; Epithelial cells; LMO2 gene

SIRT2 Plays Essential Role in Early Hematopoiesis through Deacetylation of LMO2 Protein

Nicotinamide phosphoribosyltransferase (NAMPT) is known as a rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) and supplies NAD+ to sirtuins (SIRTs) that require NAD+ to activate their protein deacetylase functions. SIRTs are members of the NAD+-dependent class III histone deacetylase family. We already reported that NAMPT-NAD+-SIRT1 pathway is essential for granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF)-triggered granulopoiesis (Skokowa J, et al. Nat Med. 2009).In the present study, we analyzed the mechanism of NAMPT-NAD+ -SIRTs-triggered hematopoiesis and myelopoiesis using human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells model. We applied a serum- and feeder-free monolayer hematopoietic differentiation system of iPS cells by sequential incubation of iPS cells with combinations of mesoderm- and hematopoiesis-inducing cytokines. We found that addition of NAMPT to granulopoiesis-inducing iPS cells culture medium resulted in a marked increase of CD15+ and CD16+ myeloid and granulocytic cell numbers. These results are compatible with our published data in healthy donor derived CD34+ cells. To evaluate at which stage of hematopoietic differentiation NAMPT plays a role, we cultured iPS cells in the presence or absence of the specific inhibitor of NAMPT, FK866. Interestingly, we found marked reduction of VEGFR2+ CD34+ early hematopoietic progenitor cells at day 6 of differentiation after inhibition of NAMPT. These data argue for the requirement of NAMPT and its downstream effectors at early stages of hematopoietic differentiation. To evaluate which of the SIRTs is essential in this process, we tested early hematopoietic differentiation of iPS cells in the presence of specific inhibitors of several SIRTs. We found that inhibition of SIRT2 using its specific inhibitor AC93253 significantly suppressed differentiation into VEGFR2+ CD34+ early hematopoietic progenitor fraction. Furthermore, the emergence of CD43+ hematopoietic progenitor cells at day 13 was completely suppressed after inhibition of SIRT2. These results indicate that NAMPT-NAD+-SIRT2 signaling is needed for early hematopoiesis. We further evaluated downstream targets of NAMPT-NAD+-SIRT2. qRT-PCR analysis of well-known early hematopoietic genes (GATA2, RUNX1, LMO2, TAL1) revealed that mRNA expression of these factors was not down-regulated after NAMPT or SIRT2 inhibition. We therefore tested whether hematopoietic functions of these proteins might be affected by post-transcriptional modifications via NAMPT-NAD+-SIRT2-triggered deacetylation. We tested protein-protein interaction between SIRT2 and these candidate proteins in differentiated iPS cells on day 6 of culture using Duolink technique, which allows identification of protein complexes in single cells. We found that RUNX1, LMO2 and TAL1 proteins interact with SIRT2 protein. To identify if these proteins could be deacetylated by SIRT2, we compared the signals from total- and de-/acetylated- candidate proteins in differentiated iPS cells on day6 treated or not with SIRT2 inhibitor using Duolink-FACS, Duolink technique in combination with flow cytometry, as a readout method. This analysis revealed that only LMO2 is deacetylated by SIRT2. LMO2 is known as an essential transcriptional regulator in early hematopoiesis. It is a component of TAL1 complex, which consist of LMO2, TAL1, LDB1, E47 and GATA1/2 proteins and has transcriptional activity as a complex on hematopoiesis-specific target genes as KIT, GATA1, GYPA, KLF1 and KDR. Interestingly, mRNA expression levels of all these genes were markedly downregulated after inhibition of NAMPT or SIRT2, which was in line with severely reduced numbers of early hematopoietic progenitors.Overall, these results indicate that NAMPT, known to be essential for myeloid differentiation, induces early stages of hematopoietic differentiation by SIRT2-triggered deacetylation of LMO2. DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Generation of Non-Deletional Hereditary Persistence of Fetal Hemoglobin (HPFH) Beta-Yac Transgenic Mouse Models: -175 Black HPFH and -195 Brazilian HPFH

Fetal hemoglobin (HbF) is a major genetic modifier of the phenotypic heterogeneity in patients with the major β-globin disorders sickle cell disease (SCD) and β-thalassemia. Although the normal level of HbF postnatally is approximately 1% of total hemoglobin, some individuals have a condition known as hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH), characterized by elevated synthesis of γ-globin in adulthood. HPFH is caused by small or large deletions in the β-globin locus (deletional HPFH), or point mutations in the Aγ-globin or Gγ-globin gene promoters (non-deletional HPFH). Pharmacological agents such as butyrate, decitabine, and hydroxyurea are effective in inducing HbF in vitro and in vivo. To date, hydroxyurea is the only drug approved for clinical use in sickle cell patients, although the efficacy level is variable between patients and the long-term effects of this drug remain uncertain. Therefore, current research has focused on elucidating the pathways involved in the maintenance/reactivation of γ-globin gene expression in adult life. Many studies have demonstrated the role of stage-specific transcription factors in β-like globin gene switching, indicating their potential as therapeutic targets in the treatment of β-hemoglobinopathies. In order to better understand the molecular pathways involved in the regulating γ-globin gene expression, we used β-YAC transgenic mice, produced with a 213 Kb β-globin locus yeast artificial chromosome, containing a 187 Kb human chromosomal insert encompassing the entire 82 Kb β-globin locus from 5'HS5 of the LCR to 3'HS1, approximately 20 Kb downstream from the β-globin gene. Four different transgenic mouse lines were included in this study: 1) wild β-YAC mice, with the normal sequence of the human β-globin locus; 2) mutant β-YAC mice with the Aγ-globin -117 G>A HPFH mutation 3) mutant β-YAC mice with the Aγ-globin -175 T>C HPFH mutation, and 4) mutant β-YAC mice with the Aγ-globin -195 T>C HPFH mutation. Adult -175 and -195 mutant β-YAC mice displayed an HPFH phenotype with an increased level of HbF. As measured by HPLC, -175 HPFH mice had the highest average level of γ-globin chains [16.4% γ/(γ+β)], followed by -195 HPFH mice (8.4%). Wild-type β-YAC control mice averaged 2.8% and -117 Greek HPFH β-YAC control mice displayed an average of 7.4%. Measurement of Aγ-globin mRNA by RNase protection analysis (RNAP) supported the HPLC data; γ/(γ+β) was 34%, 12.1%, 14.1% and less than 0.5% for -175 HPFH, -195 HPFH, -117 HPFH and wild-type β-YAC animals, respectively. Relative mRNA levels as determined by RT-qPCR were consistent with the RNAP results. Currently, we are examining our -175 and -195 HPFH mice for pancellular versus heterocellular distribution of HbF. To examine the molecular basis for the -175 and 195 HPFH phenotypes, fetal livers of these animals were collected on day E18 of gestation, after the fetal-to-adult β-like globin switch occurred, for chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) analysis of transcription factor/co-factor binding, including YY1, PAX1, TAL1, LMO2 and LDB1. Previous unpublished DNA-protein array and ChIP data, comparing human primary erythroid cell cultures from normal donors and -195 HPFH individuals, showed a 6-fold enrichment of YY1 recruitment to the -195 region of the normal Aγ-globin promoter and a 5-fold enrichment of PAX1 recruitment to the HPFH mutant promoter, suggesting that YY1 may act as an A γ-globin gene repressor and PAX1 may be an activator when the -195 mutation is present. Preliminary ChIP experiments in β-YAC mice showed a similar pattern with YY1 enriched 2-fold in wild-type mice and PAX1 enriched 2-fold in -195 HPFH animals. Regarding -175 HPFH and wild-type β-YAC samples, we found occupancy enrichment of LMO2, TAL1 and LDB1 proteins (1.5-fold, 9-fold and 2.5-fold, respectively) in the -175 region of the Aγ-globin gene promoter in -175 HPFH β-YAC mice. Recently published studies in cell lines have shown that these three proteins form a complex with GATA-1 to mediate long-range interactions between the LCR and β-like globin genes. These mouse models provide additional tools for studying the regulation of γ-globin gene expression and may reveal new targets for selectively activating HbF. DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

LMO2 Regulates DNA Replication in Hematopoietic Cells

Oncogenic transcription factors are major drivers in acute leukemias. These oncogenes are believed to subvert normal cell identity via the establishment of gene expression programs that dictate cell differentiation and growth. The LMO2 oncogene, which is commonly activated in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), has a well-established function in transcription regulation. We and others previously demonstrated that LMO1 or LMO2 collaborate with the SCL transcription factor to activate a self-renewal program that converts non self-renewing progenitors into pre-leukemic stem cells. Here we demonstrate a non-transcriptional role of LMO2 in controlling cell fate by directly promoting DNA replication, a hitherto unrecognized mechanism that might also account for its oncogenic properties.To address the question whether LMO2 controls other functions via protein-protein interactions, we performed a proteome-wide screen for LMO2 interaction partners in Kit+ Lin- cells. In addition to known LMO2-interacting proteins such as LDB1 and to proteins associated with transcription, we unexpectedly identified new interactions with three essential DNA replication enzymes, namely minichromosome 6 (MCM6), DNA polymerase delta (POLD1) and DNA primase (PRIM1). First, we show that in Kit+ hematopoietic cells (TF-1), all components of the pre-replication complex co-immunoprecipitate with LMO2 but not with SCL, suggesting a novel SCL-independent function. Second, LMO2 is recruited to DNA replication origins in these cells together with MCM5. Third, tethering LMO2 to synthetic DNA sequences is sufficient to transform these into origins of replication. Indeed, we show by DNA capture that LMO2 fused to the DNA binding domain of GAL4 is sufficient to recruit DNA replication proteins to GAL4 binding sites on DNA. In vivo, this recruitment is sufficient to drive DNA replication in a manner which is dependent on the integrity of the GAL4 binding sites. These results provide unambiguous evidence for a role of LMO2 in directly controlling DNA replication.Cell cycle and cell differentiation are tightly coordinated during normal hematopoiesis, both during erythroid differentiation and during thymocyte development. We next addressed the functional importance of LMO2 in these two lineages. Erythroid cell differentiation proceeds through different stages from the CD71+Ter119- to the CD71-Ter119+. These stages are also distinguishable by morphological criteria. We observe that LMO2 protein levels directly correlate with the proportion of cells in S phase, i.e. both LMO2 levels and the proportions of cycling cells decrease with terminal erythroid differentiation. Strikingly, lowering LMO2 levels in fetal liver erythroid progenitors via shRNAs decreases the proportion of cells in S phase and arrests Epo-dependent cell growth. Despite a drastic decrease in the numbers of erythroid precursors, these cells differentiate readily to the CD71-Ter119+ stage. Therefore, LMO2 levels dictate cell fate in the erythroid lineage, by favoring DNA replication at the expense of terminal maturation.Conversely, ectopic expression in thymocytes induces DNA replication and drives cells into cell cycle, causing differentiation blockade. Our results define a novel role for the oncogenic transcription factor LMO2 in directly promoting DNA synthesis. To our knowledge, this is the first evidence for a non-transcriptional function of the LMO2 oncogene that drives cell cycle at the expense of differentiation, favouring progenitor cell expansion in the thymus, and causing T-ALL when ectopically expressed in the T lineage. We propose that the non-transcriptional control of DNA replication uncovered here for LMO2 may be a more common function of oncogenic transcription factors than previously appreciated. DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

De Novo Acute Myeloid Leukemia in Adults: Suppression of MicroRNA-223 is Independent of LMO2 Protein Expression BUT Associate With Adverse Cytogenetic Profile and Undifferentiated Blast Morphology.

MicroRNA (MIR) signatures are critical to pathobiology and prognosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). MIR223 is expressed at low levels in progenitor cells, whereas high expression is induced by granulocytic differentiation. Novel-targeted therapies through epigenetic manipulation of MIR223 regulators are being explored in AML but correlative data between established clinical prognostic markers and MIR223 expression in AML is lacking. MIR223 has inverse relationship with LMO2 protein expression and our group has recently reported a close association between LMO2 protein expression and chromosomal findings in AML patients. In this study, we examined the expression of MIR223 in a large cohort of AML patients and correlated it with LMO2 protein expression, cytogenetic data, degree of differentiation [French-American and British (FAB)/World Health Organization classifications], and overall survival. MIR223 expression was upregulated in only a subset of patients (37%). Suppression of MIR223 was more frequent among patients with aneuploid karyotype compared with diploid karyotype (P=0.005). In AML, not otherwise specified category, AML with maturation (FAB-M2) showed higher levels of MIR223 when compared with either AML without maturation (FAB M0/M1) (P=0.001); AML with monoblastic differentiation (FAB M4/M5) (P=0.004) or AML with myelodysplasia-related changes (P=0.011). Among cytogenetic risk groups, suppression of MIR223 was universal (>95%) in high-risk group when compared with intermediate-risk group (P=0.004). No correlation between MIR223 and LMO2 protein expression was identified. In conclusion, we have shown that suppression of MIR223 expression, as compared with controls, is associated with lack of differentiation and adverse cytogenetic profile, but unrelated with LMO2 protein expression or overall survival.

445. A Delectable Lentiviral Vector System for Testing Oncogene Addiction in Hematological Malignancies

Mouse models of hematological malignancies can be established by overexpressing oncogenes in hematopoietic cells followed by transplantation. It is often unclear whether the oncogene is only necessary for initiating the malignancies or if it is also required for maintenance, known as oncogene addiction. An addicted oncogene could then serve as target for therapy. We have developed a dual lentiviral vector system to distinguish these possibilities. We chose the oncogene LMO2 as our model because it is involved in a number of leukemias caused by gamma-retroviral vector insertion in gene therapy of SCID-X1 and Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome. Our previous studies showed that overexpression of LMO2 using a gamma-retroviral vector in early thymic progenitors (ETP) caused a differentiation block at the DN2 stage of development and subsequent transplant of these cells gave rise to leukemia with 100% penetrance in mice. We inserted the LoxP sequence into the 3’ U3 region of a self-inactivating CL20 lentiviral backbone and subcloned a MSCV-LMO2-i-GFP expression cassette into the vector (Fig 1A) to make a CL20-tLMO2-i-GFP vector. To deliver Cre recombinase in an inducible fashion, we constructed a second lentiviral vector in which a MSCV-CreERT2-i-mCherry expression cassette is inserted. Vectors were made by transiently transfecting 293T cells and the unconcentrated titer of these vectors were 2E6 and 3E6 TU/ml, respectively. We first tested these vectors in NIH3T3 cells. NIH3T3 cells transduced with these two vectors were subsequently sorted for GFP+mCherry+ double positive cells. We then treated the cells with various concentrations of 4-hydroxytamoxifen (4-OHT) to induce nuclear entry of Cre recombinase in order to delete the MSCV-LMO2-i-GFP expression cassette. Seven days later, 79.3% of the cells lost GFP expression in the group that was treated with 100nM 4-OHT (Fig 1B), indicating efficient cassette deletion. The loss of LMO2 protein is also confirmed by Western blot (Fig 1C). We then transduced ETP cells with the CL20-tLMO2-i-GFP vector and cultured the cells on an OP9-DL1 stroma expressing the Delta-like ligand DL1 to induce differentiation. At day 14, 90.5% of the transduced cells were blocked at the DN2 stage, demonstrating that this deletable lentiviral vector was able to express sufficient levels of LMO2 to induce the DN2 block (Fig 1D). These cells have been transplanted into sublethally irradiated Rag2-/-IL2rg-/- mice to establish the leukemia. One leukemia has been established with a GFP+ tumor, enlarged spleen of 0.534g and an erythroid phenotype as analyzed via flow cytometry. Tumor cells have been transduced with CreERT2 vector for secondary transplant and treatment with tamoxifen to establish whether LMO2 is required for tumor maintainence. In summary, we have established a dual lentiviral vector system that can be used conveniently to study oncogene addiction in hematological malignancies. View Large Image | Download PowerPoint Slide