H3K5me3 modifications in OCI-LY19 cells with and without SETD1B mutations.
The translocation t(14;18) activates BCL2 and is considered the initiating genetic lesion in most follicular lymphomas (FL). Surprisingly, FL patients fail to respond to the BCL2 inhibitor, Venetoclax. We show that mutations and deletions affecting the histone lysine methyltransferase SETD1B (KMT2G) occur in 7% of FLs and in 16% of diffuse large B cell lymphomas (DLBCL). Deficiency in SETD1B confers striking resistance to Venetoclaxand to an experimental MCL-1 inhibitor. SETD1B also acts as a tumor suppressor andcooperates with loss ofKMT2Din lymphoma development in vivo. Consistently, loss of SETD1B in human lymphomas typically coincides with loss of KMT2D. Mechanistically, SETD1B is required for the expression of several pro-apoptotic BCL2 family proteins. Conversely, inhibitors of the KDM5 histoneH3K4demethylases restore BIM and BIK expression and synergize with Venetoclax inSETD1B-deficient lymphomas. Overall design: Chromatin Immunoprecipitation DNA-sequencing (ChIP-seq) for histone modifications H3K5me3 in OCI-LY19 cells with and without mutations in SETD1B.