ALBERT

Description: The Promyelocytic Leukemia Zinc Finger (PLZF) gene was identified in a rare case of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) with translocation t(11;17)(q23;q21) and resistance to therapy with all-trans-retinoic acid. Recent studies have indicated a critical role of PLZF in maintenance of spermatogonial stem cells. Prominent expression of PLZF in hematopoietic stem cells, suggest that it may also play a similar role in this compartment. The wild type PLZF protein is a DNA sequence-specific transcription repressor containing nine Krüppel-like C2-H2 zinc fingers and an N-terminal BTB/POZ repression domain. Transcriptional repression by PLZF is mediated through recruitment of the nuclear receptor co-repressor (N-CoR/SMRT)/histone deacetylase (HDAC) complexes to its target genes, such as c-MYC and HOX genes. We now show that transcriptional repression by PLZF is surprisingly also dependent on the histone acetyl transferase (HAT) activity of the p300 protein. PLZF associates with p300 in vivo and its ability to repress transcription is specifically dependent on acetylation of PLZF on lysines in its C-terminal C2-H2 zinc-finger motifs. Acetylation of PLZF enhances its ability to bind its cognate DNA binding site in vitro as determined by EMSA and in vivo as measured by chromatin immunoprecipitation. An acetylation site mutant of PLZF fails to repress transcription despite retaining its abilities to interact with co-repressor/HDAC complexes, due to inefficient DNA binding. Inhibitors of p300 abolish transcriptional repression by PLZF and mutants of PLZF that mimic acetylation were insensitive to these inhibitory effects. Acetylation of PLZF by p300 was specific since over-expression of another HAT, p/CAF or the selective inhibition of p/CAF had no effect on PLZF activity despite the ability of the proteins to associate with each other. Taken together, our results indicate that a histone deacetylase dependent transcriptional repressor can be positively regulated through acetylation and point to an unexpected role of a co-activator protein in transcriptional repression.

Description: Reversible acetylation of lysine residues on histone tails is associated with changes to chromatin structure and plays a key role in regulation of gene expression. In this process, histone hypoacetylation is generally associated with gene silencing and pharmacological inhibition of histone deacetylases (HDACs) leads usually to activation of gene expression. Decreased histone acetylation is a hallmark of cancer cells and increased HDAC expression or their mistargetting to specific gene promoters has been associated with a variety of tumors. In the past we have identified and cloned class IIa HDAC9. The HDAC9 gene is located in chromosome 7p21, which is frequently amplified in B-cell tumours such as mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) and in B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma cell lines. Consistently, initial analysis of patient samples and/or publicly available microarray data highlighted high levels of HDAC9 expression in chronic lymphocytic leukemia, folicullar lymphoma and MCL. Within the normal lymphoid system, HDAC9 is co-expressed with BCL-6 in germinal center B-cells (∼60% of cells). HDAC9 is also expressed in marginal zone B cells and a fraction of CD38 or CD27 positive subepithelial tonsilar cells. In order to examine the role of HDAC9 in the lymphoid development and pathogenesis of lymphoid malignancies we used Ig heavy chain enhancer (Eμ), which drives gene expression from early stages of B-cell development, to ectopically express HDAC9 in transgenic mice. Hemizygous and homozygous mice expressing Flag epitope tagged human HDAC9 (fHDAC9) transgene display throughout their lifespan altered B-cell development. Immunophenotypic analysis of B-cells isolated from bone marrow (BM) revealed an absence of cells expressing the pre-B/immature-B cell markers normally associated with C-E Hardy’s fractions. In vitro functional clonogenic assays for IL-7 responsive BM-derived B-cell progenitors demonstrated an increase (∼50%) in colony numbers in the transgenic BM. Moreover, morphologic and flow cytometric analyses of the transgenic colonies, but not those derived from normal BM, revealed the presence of granulocyte/macrophage colony forming units expressing the HDAC9 transgene, suggesting a lympho-myeloid lineage switch. This correlates with the finding that extramedullary myelopoiesis occurs in a fraction of mice presenting splenomegaly (44%). Furthermore, a subgroup of homozygous Eμ-fHDAC9 mice (n=16) developed tumours (81%) at middle age, and present with enlarged lymph nodes (6%) and abnormal hematopoietic elements in peripheral blood and BM. Taken together these data suggest that HDAC9 plays a role in B-cell maturation and its ectopic expression in early B-cells leads to perturbation of normal B-cell development, possibly predisposing transgenic mice to tumorigenesis.

Description: Abstract 224 During hematopoiesis, all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), a natural derivative of vitamin A, has been shown to induce both myelomonocytic progenitor/stem cell differentiation and self-renewal. Although these opposing effects are likely to be partly due to developmental differences, it has been shown that pro- and anti-differentiation effects of ATRA are mediated by distinct retinoic acid receptor isotypes (RARα and RARγ, respectively). With the exception of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), ATRA treatment as a single agent has not been successful in other types of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We have previously hypothesized that one of the underlying reasons for poor response of non-APL AML to ATRA (pan-RAR agonist) is aberrant expression and/or activities of RAR isotypes favoring RARγ and cell growth versus differentiation. Consistently, we have reported that expression of RARα isoforms, particularly ATRA-inducible RARα2, are down-regulated in AML (Blood. 2008; 111:2374). Epigenetic analysis of patient samples revealed that relative to normal CD33+ cells, the loss of RARα2 in AML is associated with a diminution in levels of histone histone H3 lysine 4 dimethylation (H3K4me2) on the ATRA-responsive RARA2 promoter (a modification associated with transcriptional activation). Interestingly, the H3K4me1/me2 demethylase LSD1/KDM1 (AOF2) is highly expressed in AML patients (www.proteinatlas.org). A number of small molecules that target this enzyme (LSD1i) are in development and, collectively, these data predict that the use of LSD1i will facilitate induction of expression of genes that are required for differentiation of AML cells. In this study we used tranylcypromine (TCP, a monoamine oxidase used as an antidepressant and anxiolytic agent in the clinical treatment of mood and anxiety disorders, respectively), which functions a time-dependent, mechanism-based inhibitor of LSD1. Here we show that TCP unlocked the ATRA-driven therapeutic differentiation response in non-APL AML cell lines including the TEX cell line, which is derived from primitive human cord blood cells immortalized by expression of the TLS-ERG oncogene. TEX cells are 〉90% CD34+, respond poorly to ATRA and mimic features of primary human AML and leukemia initiating cells (Leukemia. 2005; 19:1794). Consistent with this, ATRA/TCP treatment increased differentiation in primary patient samples. ATRA alone had in general only small effects in primary AML samples and TCP showed minimal activity in most cases. Furthermore, shRNA-mediated knockdown of LSD1 confirmed a critical role for this enzyme in blocking the ATRA response in AML cells. The effects of ATRA/TCP on AML cell maturation were paralleled by enhanced induction of genes associated with myelomonocytic differentiation, including direct ATRA targets. LSD1i treatment did not lead to an increase in genome-wide H3K4me2, but did increase H3K4 dimethylation of myelomonocytic differentiation-associated genes. Importantly, treatment with ATRA/TCP dramatically diminished the clonogenic capacity of AML cells in vitro and engraftment of cells derived from AML patients in vivo, suggesting that ATRA/TCP may also target leukemic stem cells. These data strongly suggest that LSD1 may, at least in part, contribute to AML pathogenesis by inhibiting the normal function of ATRA in myelomonocytic development and pave the way for effective differentiation therapy of AML. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Description: Histone acetylation plays a key role in regulating chromatin structure and gene expression. The activities of histone deacetylases (HDAC), enzymes that remove acetyl groups from lysines located at the amino-terminal tails of core histones, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of hematological malignancies. Consequently, inhibitors of these enzymes (HDACi) are considered an important new class of drugs for use in anti-cancer therapy and are now in various stages of development and clinical trials. For example, depsipeptide has now been granted a fast track designation by the FDA for development as a treatment for CTCL. To date, eleven HDACs have been identified and grouped on the basis of sequence homology to class I (HDACs 1–3 and 8), IIa (4, 5, 7 and 9) and IIb (6, 10 and 11). Depsipeptide and other currently used HDACi lack class and enzyme specificities. Additionally, the contribution of each HDAC to the pathogenesis of a given malignant disease is poorly understood. Improvements in HDACi specificities, together with advances in the understanding of the roles that individual HDACs play in normal hematopoiesis and distinct hematological neoplasms, are required for an effective use of these agents in anti-cancer therapies. We have previously identified and characterized HDAC9 as a class IIa enzyme that within the hematopoietic system is preferentially expressed in the lymphoid lineage. HDAC9 appears to be overexpressed in B lymphoid malignancies and associates at physiological levels with the BCL6 oncoprotein (Petrie et al, JBC278:16059–72, 2003), a transcriptional repressor implicated in the pathogenesis of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, suggesting a role for this chromatin modifying enzyme in B-cell transformation. In order to examine the function of HDAC9 in lymphoid development and cancer, we have generated transgenic mice that express the protein throughout the B lymphoid compartment under the control of the immunoglobulin heavy chain enhancer (Eμ). Initial data show that at an average of seven months these mice display splenomegaly and alterations to the splenic and bone marrow lymphoid populations. The presence of immature lymphocytes was also detected in peripheral blood. Consistent with these results and the above hypothesis, knockdown of HDAC9 results in strong inhibition of cell growth. These data indicate that aberrant expression of HDAC9 confers a proliferative advantage and leads to a phenotype resembling a pre-malignant condition.

Description: Aberrant epigenetics leading to changes in chromatin structure and patterns of gene expression is an important factor in cancer pathogenesis. Histone Deacetylase 9 (HDAC9) is a class IIa chromatin-modifying enzyme that, within the haematopoietic system, is preferentially expressed in the B-cell lineage. Mice that constitutively express human HDAC9 from early stages of B-cell development, under the control of the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) enhancer, develop lymphoproliferative disorders, including germinal center (GC) and post-GC lymphomas, demonstrating an oncogenic role for HDAC9 in B-cells and highlighting its importance as a therapeutic target. In order to examine the relationship between disease observed in the mouse model and human primary lymphoma, we have examined, using immunohistochemistry (IHC) the expression of full length HDAC9 isoform in a panel of various B-cell malignancies. The study group included 59 non-Hodgkin lymphomas (NHL), and 3 classical HL. Non-HL consisted of 34 diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL), 9 follicular lymphoma (FL), 5 marginal zone lymphoma (MZL), 6 mantle cell lymphoma (MCL), and 2 small lymphocytic lymphomas (SLL). HDAC9 expression was assessed by IHC using tissue microarray and/or routine tissue sections. Protein expression was scored as negative (0), low (1), or high (2) depending on the staining signal intensity. Expression of HDAC9 in the nuclei of the tumor cells was compared with that seen in adenocarcinoma cells; if equal or higher, then expression of HDAC9 was considered high and if lower, then expression of HDAC9 was considered low. Five reactive lymph nodes were studied to assess the baseline expression of HDAC9. Rectal adenocarcinomas were used as positive controls. In reactive lymph nodes, HDAC9 was weakly expressed in a subset of germinal center cells, a subset of lymphoid cells in the paracortex as well as in endothelial cells. HDAC9 expression was detected in all subsets of B-cell lymphomas analyzed and in most cases with a level of expression higer than those seen in reactive lymph nodes. DLBCL and MCL tumors have the highest frequency of high HDAC9 expression among the B-cell lymphomas analyzed, 77 and 83% (Fisher’s exact test P=1,0), respectively. No differences in HDAC9 expression were detected in DLBCL of GC and non-GC type. In contrast, most (69%) of the low-grade B cell lymphomas show no or lower expression of HDAC9 (Fisher’s exact test P=0.004; as compared to DLBCL). Classical HL showed frequently low-expression of HDAC9 in the tumor cells. In summary, HDAC9 is frequently expressed in B-cell lymphomas with the highest level of expression found in the most aggressive lymphomas such as DLBCL and MCL. These findings support the biological role of HDAC9 in the pathobiology of aggressive B cell neoplasms. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Description: Abstract 3505 Histone Deacetylase 9 (HDAC9) is a class IIa enzyme that, within the hematopoietic system, is preferentially expressed in the B-cell lineage. Previously we have observed that, compared with normal cellular counterparts, expression of HDAC9 appears deregulated in B-lymphoid tumors (Petrie et al., JBC 278: 16059, 2003 and unpublished results). To examine the role of HDAC9 in B-cell transformation we generated a mouse model that constitutively expresses human HDAC9 from early stages of B-cell development under the control of the immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) enhancer (Eμ). We demonstrate that from six months of age (6–12 months), Eμ-HDAC9 transgenic mice displayed splenomegaly in a statistically significant fraction of cases (3/17, 18%), which was associated with histopathologic and immunophenotypic evidence of lymphoproliferative disease (LPD) (p

Description: Histone deacetylases (HDACs) perform key functions in transcriptional regulation by modifying the core histones of the nucleosome as well as non-histone targets. We have previously cloned and characterized HDAC9, a member of the Class IIa HDAC family, which also contains HDACs 4,5 and 7. These are characterized by the presence of a common N-terminal region, which mediates direct interactions with transcription factors such as BCL-6 or MEF2. The HDAC9 gene encodes multiple protein isoforms some of which display distinct cellular localization patterns and biological activities. The transcribed region of HDAC9 is very large, spanning more than 900 kilobases, with approximately 50% of these sequences being non-coding. Consistent with its size as well as the multiplicity and structural complexity of expressed HDAC9 isoforms, we report that HDAC9 expression is under the control of three independent promoter regions, one of which possesses a CpG island. This is in contrast to other HDAC genes thus far identified, each of which appears to possess a single CpG island-containing promoter. Transcripts initiating from the individual HDAC9 promoters are differentially expressed and encode specific HDAC9 isoforms. A comparison of the human and mouse HDAC9 genes reveals some important differences in both regulatory regions and coding sequences. Specifically, the human HDAC9 gene can express from its second promoter, which is not present in the mouse gene, hematopoietic-specific transcripts (i.e. only found in the lymph node, spleen and lymphocytes in normal tissue) that encode isoforms containing previously unidentified N-terminal sequences. In normal B cells, HDAC9 mRNA transcripts are initiated from the second and proximal promoters and stimulation of these cells with IL2, α-CD40 MoAb, Staphylococcus aureus Cowan strain 1, or arsenic trioxide had no appreciable affect on HDAC9 expression. However, due to a potentially abnormal differential promoter usage and alternative splicing, chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patient B-cells displayed HDAC9 isoform expression pattern that was dramatically distinct from that observed in normal B-cells. Specifically, there was significant expression from the distal (CpG island containing) promoter, which is not utilised in normal B cells, and overexpression from the second and proximal promoters. With regard to alternative splicing, the CLL patient cells lacked exon7, which contains a nuclear localization signal and exon12, which contains a site of sumoylation - a modification linked to deacetylase activity. Moreover, these changes were specific for full-length HDAC9, and not the MITR isoform that lacks catalytic domain. Stimulation of CLL patient B-cells with SAC/IL-2 caused a switch in promoter usage leading to the change in isoform specific expression to a pattern that is identical to that of normal B-cells. These results suggest that deregulation of HDAC9 expression may play a role in B-cell development and the pathogenesis of B-cell neoplasms. Given the need for development of better therapies for indolent B-cell malignancies such as CLL, the finding that HDAC9 expression in cancer cells is modulated by SAC/IL-2 points to a possible combinatorial therapy with HDAC inhibitors, which have been shown to induce apoptosis in CLL cells.

Description: Abstract 1046 Poster Board I-68 During hematopoiesis, all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA), a natural derivative of vitamin A, has been shown to induce both myelomonocytic progenitor/stem cell differentiation and self-renewal. Although these opposing effects are likely to be partly due to developmental differences, it has been shown that pro- and anti-differentiation effects of ATRA are mediated by distinct retinoic acid receptor isotypes (RARαa and RARγ, respectively). With the exception of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) ATRA treatment as a single agent has not been successful in other types of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We have hypothesized that one of the underlying reasons for poor response of non-APL AML to ATRA (pan-RAR agonist) is aberrant expression and/or activities of RAR isotypes favoring RARγ and cell growth versus differentiation. Consistently, we have reported that expression of RARαa isoforms, particularly ATRA-inducible RARαa2, are down-regulated in AML (Blood 2008; 111:2374). Epigenetic analysis of patient samples revealed that relative to normal CD33+ cells, the loss of RARαa2 in AML is associated with a diminution in histone H3K4me2 and an increase H3K27me3 on the RARA2 promoter (modifications associated with transcriptional activation and silencing, respectively). Interestingly, H3K4 demethylase LSD1 (AOF2) and the polycomb represive complex 2 (PCR2)-associated H3K27 methyltransferase EZH2 are highly expressed in AML (www.proteinatlas.org). Small molecules that target these enzymes are in development and, given the above results, we predict that the use of such agents in combination with ATRA will enhance the effects of ATRA-mediated induction of gene expression and differentiation of AML cells. To test this hypothesis, we used ATRA-responsive HL-60 AML cells and the TEX cell line. TEX cells are derived from primitive human cord blood cells immortalized by expression of the TLS-ERG oncogene. These cells, the ATRA-responsiveness of which is not known, mimic features of primary human AML and leukemia initiating cells (Leukemia. 2005; 19:1794). LSD1 activity was inhibited using monoaminoxidase inhibitor (MAOI) trans-2-phenylcyclopropylamine (Parnate, 1μM) in combination with pharmacological (1μM) and sub-optimal (0.1μM) concentrations of ATRA. Co-treatment with Parnate potentiated the HL-60 response to sub-optimal ATRA concentration. While ATRA appeared to be a less potent inducer of TEX cell differentiation, Parnate nevertheless enhanced their maturation at pharmacological ATRA concentrations and sensitized these cells to differentiation induction under sub-optimal ATRA levels. Additionally, we investigated the biguanide polyamine analogue 1,15-bis[N5-[3,3-(diphenyl) propyl]-N1-biguanido]-4,12-diazapentadecane (2d), which is structurally unrelated to Parnate, obtaining similar results. Biguanide polyamine analogue inhibitors of LSD1 may have several benefits over MAOIs, including DNA targeting due their cationic nature. We also tested 3-deazaneplanocin A (DZNep), which diminishes levels of H3K27 trimethylation via depletion of the EZH2 catalytic subunit of the PCR2. Consistent with our hypothesis and the above data, co-treatment of HL-60 and TEX cells with DZNep (0.05μM) and ATRA (0.1μM and/or 1μM) led to more robust differentiation response than when ATRA was used as a single agent. The use of ATRA in combination with DZNep and LSD1 inhibitors at the same time led to a better differentiation response, as measured by CD11b/CD11c expression, morphology and superoxide production (NBT assay), than when either drug alone was used with ATRA. The effects of these drug combinations on AML cell maturation were paralleled by synergistic induction of endogenous ATRA target genes and expected changes in the levels of H3K4/K27 methylation. At the concentrations used with ATRA neither Parnate, 2d nor DZNep induced differentiation when used as single agents, however, when used at higher concentrations both singly and in combination with ATRA, these drugs exerted cytotoxic effects. Importantly, the above described combination treatments were specific for AML blasts as they had no cytotoxic effects on normal CD33+/CD34+ cell populations. These data demonstrate existence of therapeutically relevant crosstalks between the ATRA-induced differentiation pathway and histone H3K4 and K27 methylation and that targeting LSD1 and/or EZH2 in combination with ATRA may represent a promising treatment for AML. Disclosures: Marton: Progen Pharmaceuticals: Employment. Woster:Progen Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Research Funding. Casero:Progen Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Research Funding.