title: Gradient of E2A activity in B-cell development.
abstract: The E2A locus is a frequent target of chromosomal translocations in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL). E2A encodes two products, E12 and E47, that are part of the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family of transcription factors and are central in B lineage differentiation. E2A haplo-insufficiency hinders progression through three major checkpoints in B-cell development: commitment into the B lineage, at the pro-B to pre-B transition, and in the induction of immunoglobulin M (IgM) expression required for a functional BCR. These observations underscore the importance of E2A gene dosage in B-cell development. Here we show that a higher proportion of pro-B cells in E2A(+/-) mice is in the cell cycle compared to that in wild-type littermates. This increase correlates with lower p21(waf/cip1) levels, indicating that E2A has an antiproliferative function in B-cell progenitors. Ectopic expression in the B lineage of SCL/Tal1, a tissue-specific bHLH factor that inhibits E2A function, blocks commitment into the B lineage without affecting progression through later stages of differentiation. Furthermore, ectopic SCL expression exacerbates E2A haplo-insufficiency in B-cell differentiation, indicating that SCL genetically interacts with E2A. Taken together, these observations provide evidence for a gradient of E2A activity that increases from the pre-pro-B to the pre-B stage and suggest a model in which low levels of E2A (as in pro-B cells) are sufficient to control cell growth, while high levels (in pre-B cells) are required for cell differentiation. The antiproliferative function of E2A further suggests that in B-ALL associated with t(1;19) and t(17;19), the disruption of one E2A allele contributes to leukemogenesis, in addition to other anomalies induced by E2A fusion proteins.
authors.affiliation: The Clinical Research Institute of Montréal, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Herblot
authors.forename: Peter D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Aplan
authors.forename: Trang
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hoang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D001483:Base Sequence; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D002453:Cell Cycle; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000502:physiology; D004247:DNA / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015536:Down-Regulation; D018628:Gene Dosage; D018257:Helix-Loop-Helix Motifs; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D000073942:T-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Protein 1; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000378:metabolism; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D004247:DNA; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000073942:T-Cell Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia Protein 1; D014157:Transcription Factors; C407909:TCF3 protein, human; C489366:Tal1 protein, mouse; C067143:TAL1 protein, human