title: HOXA9 modulates its oncogenic partner Meis1 to influence normal hematopoiesis.
abstract: While investigating the mechanism of action of the HOXA9 protein, we serendipitously identified Meis1 as a HOXA9 regulatory target. Since HOXA9 and MEIS1 play key developmental roles, are cooperating DNA binding proteins and leukemic oncoproteins, and are important for normal hematopoiesis, the regulation of Meis1 by its partner protein is of interest. Loss of Hoxa9 caused downregulation of the Meis1 mRNA and protein, while forced HOXA9 expression upregulated Meis1. Hoxa9 and Meis1 expression was correlated in hematopoietic progenitors and acute leukemias. Meis1(+/-) Hoxa9(-/-) deficient mice, generated to test HOXA9 regulation of endogenous Meis1, were small and had reduced bone marrow Meis1 mRNA and significant defects in fluorescence-activated cell sorting-enumerated monocytes, mature and pre/pro-B cells, and functional B-cell progenitors. These data indicate that HOXA9 modulates Meis1 during normal murine hematopoiesis. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis did not reveal direct binding of HOXA9 to Meis1 promoter/enhancer regions. However, Creb1 and Pknox1, whose protein products have previously been reported to induce Meis1, were shown to be direct targets of HOXA9. Loss of Hoxa9 resulted in a decrease in Creb1 and Pknox1 mRNA, and forced expression of CREB1 in Hoxa9(-/-) bone marrow cells increased Meis1 mRNA almost as well as HOXA9, suggesting that CREB1 may mediate HOXA9 modulation of Meis1 expression.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA.
authors.forename: Yu-Long
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Steve
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fong
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ferrell
authors.forename: Corey
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Largman
authors.forename: Wei-Fang
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Shen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001835:Body Weight; D003433:Crosses, Genetic; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein / Q000378:metabolism; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D010064:Embryo Implantation; D005260:Female; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D015973:Gene Expression Regulation, Leukemic; D052138:Genes, Neoplasm; D006410:Hematopoiesis; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism; D006579:Heterozygote; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007951:Leukemia, Myeloid / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D000075064:Myeloid Ecotropic Viral Integration Site 1 Protein; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D054448:Precursor Cells, B-Lymphoid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: C492004:Creb1 protein, mouse; D017362:Cyclic AMP Response Element-Binding Protein; D018398:Homeodomain Proteins; C000616391:MEIS1 protein, human; C000616392:Meis1 protein, mouse; D000075064:Myeloid Ecotropic Viral Integration Site 1 Protein; D009363:Neoplasm Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; C097899:homeobox protein HOXA9