Retroviral insertional mutagenesis identifies Zeb2 activation as a novel leukemogenic collaborating event in CALM-AF10 transgenic mice

Blood. 2010 Feb 11;115(6):1194-203. doi: 10.1182/blood-2009-04-216184. Epub 2009 Dec 9.

Abstract

The t(10;11) translocation results in a CALM-AF10 fusion gene in a subset of leukemia patients. Expression of a CALM-AF10 transgene results in leukemia, with prolonged latency and incomplete penetrance, suggesting that additional events are necessary for leukemic transformation. CALM-AF10 mice infected with the MOL4070LTR retrovirus developed acute leukemia, and ligation-mediated polymerase chain reaction was used to identify retroviral insertions at 19 common insertion sites, including Zeb2, Nf1, Mn1, Evi1, Ift57, Mpl, Plag1, Kras, Erg, Vav1, and Gata1. A total of 26% (11 of 42) of the mice had retroviral integrations near Zeb2, a transcriptional corepressor leading to overexpression of the Zeb2-transcript. A total of 91% (10 of 11) of mice with Zeb2 insertions developed B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia, suggesting that Zeb2 activation promotes the transformation of CALM-AF10 hematopoietic precursors toward B-lineage leukemias. More than half of the mice with Zeb2 integrations also had Nf1 integrations, suggesting cooperativity among CALM-AF10, Zeb2, and Ras pathway mutations. We searched for Nras, Kras, and Ptpn11 point mutations in the CALM-AF10 leukemic mice. Three mutations were identified, all of which occurred in mice with Zeb2 integrations, consistent with the hypothesis that Zeb2 and Ras pathway activation promotes B-lineage leukemic transformation in concert with CALM-AF10.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Intramural

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Blotting, Southern
  • Blotting, Western
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Homeodomain Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Homeodomain Proteins / genetics
  • Homeodomain Proteins / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Immunophenotyping
  • Leukemia, B-Cell / genetics
  • Leukemia, B-Cell / metabolism
  • Leukemia, B-Cell / pathology
  • Leukemia, Experimental / genetics*
  • Leukemia, Experimental / metabolism
  • Leukemia, Experimental / pathology
  • Mice
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • Mutagenesis, Insertional*
  • Mutation / genetics
  • Oncogene Proteins, Fusion / genetics*
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / genetics*
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / metabolism
  • Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / pathology
  • RNA, Messenger / genetics
  • RNA, Messenger / metabolism
  • RNA, Small Interfering / pharmacology
  • Repressor Proteins / antagonists & inhibitors
  • Repressor Proteins / genetics
  • Repressor Proteins / metabolism*
  • Retroviridae / genetics*
  • Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
  • Signal Transduction
  • Zinc Finger E-box Binding Homeobox 2
  • ras Proteins / genetics

Substances

  • AF10-CALM fusion protein, human
  • Homeodomain Proteins
  • Oncogene Proteins, Fusion
  • RNA, Messenger
  • RNA, Small Interfering
  • Repressor Proteins
  • ZEB2 protein, mouse
  • Zinc Finger E-box Binding Homeobox 2
  • ras Proteins