Concurrent loss of Ezh2 and Tet2 cooperates in the pathogenesis of myelodysplastic disorders.
Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are essential regulators of hematopoietic stem cells. Recent extensive mutation analyses of the myeloid malignancies have revealed that inactivating somatic mutations in PcG genes such as EZH2 and ASXL1 occur frequently in patients with myelodysplastic disorders including myelodysplastic syndromes (MDSs) and MDS/myeloproliferative neoplasm (MPN) overlap disorders (MDS/MPN). In our patient cohort, EZH2 mutations were also found and often coincided with tet methylcytosine dioxygenase 2 (TET2) mutations. Consistent with these findings, deletion of Ezh2 alone was enough to induce MDS/MPN-like diseases in mice. Furthermore, concurrent depletion of Ezh2 and Tet2 established more advanced myelodysplasia and markedly accelerated the development of myelodysplastic disorders including both MDS and MDS/MPN. Comprehensive genome-wide analyses in hematopoietic progenitor cells revealed that upon deletion of Ezh2, key developmental regulator genes were kept transcriptionally repressed, suggesting compensation by Ezh1, whereas a cohort of oncogenic direct and indirect polycomb targets became derepressed. Our findings provide the first evidence of the tumor suppressor function of EZH2 in myeloid malignancies and highlight the cooperative effect of concurrent gene mutations in the pathogenesis of myelodysplastic disorders.
Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine and 2 Department of Clinical Cell Biology and Medicine, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba 260-8670, Japan.
Tomoya
T
Muto
Goro
G
Sashida
Motohiko
M
Oshima
George R
GR
Wendt
Makiko
M
Mochizuki-Kashio
Yasunobu
Y
Nagata
Masashi
M
Sanada
Satoru
S
Miyagi
Atsunori
A
Saraya
Asuka
A
Kamio
Genta
G
Nagae
Chiaki
C
Nakaseko
Koutaro
K
Yokote
Kazuya
K
Shimoda
Haruhiko
H
Koseki
Yutaka
Y
Suzuki
Sumio
S
Sugano
Hiroyuki
H
Aburatani
Seishi
S
Ogawa
Atsushi
A
Iwama
D000818:Animals; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics*; D049308:Dioxygenases; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D000071221:Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein; D055106:Genome-Wide Association Study; D006410:Hematopoiesis / Q000235:genetics; D006412:Hematopoietic Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D009154:Mutation; D009190:Myelodysplastic Syndromes / Q000209:etiology* / Q000235:genetics; D009196:Myeloproliferative Disorders / Q000235:genetics; D063151:Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics*; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins / Q000172:deficiency / Q000235:genetics*; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics
D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; D011518:Proto-Oncogene Proteins; D025521:Tumor Suppressor Proteins; D049308:Dioxygenases; C541081:TET2 protein, human; C551914:Tet2 protein, mouse; C498409:EZH2 protein, human; D000071221:Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein; C498408:Ezh1 protein, mouse; C498410:Ezh2 protein, mouse; D063151:Polycomb Repressive Complex 2