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Loss of Dnmt3a impairs hematopoietic homeostasis and myeloid cell skewing via the PI3Kinase pathway
Lakshmi Reddy Palam, Baskar Ramdas, Katelyn Pickerell, Santhosh Kumar Pasupuleti, Rahul Kanumuri, Annamaria Cesarano, Megan Szymanski, Bryce Selman, Utpal P. Dave, George Sandusky, Fabiana Perna, Sophie Paczesny, Reuben Kapur
Lakshmi Reddy Palam, Baskar Ramdas, Katelyn Pickerell, Santhosh Kumar Pasupuleti, Rahul Kanumuri, Annamaria Cesarano, Megan Szymanski, Bryce Selman, Utpal P. Dave, George Sandusky, Fabiana Perna, Sophie Paczesny, Reuben Kapur
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Research Article Hematology

Loss of Dnmt3a impairs hematopoietic homeostasis and myeloid cell skewing via the PI3Kinase pathway

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Abstract

Loss-of-function mutations in the DNA methyltransferase 3A (DNMT3A) are seen in a large number of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with normal cytogenetics and are frequently associated with poor prognosis. DNMT3A mutations are an early preleukemic event, which — when combined with other genetic lesions — result in full-blown leukemia. Here, we show that loss of Dnmt3a in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSC/Ps) results in myeloproliferation, which is associated with hyperactivation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) pathway. PI3Kα/β or the PI3Kα/δ inhibitor treatment partially corrects myeloproliferation, although the partial rescue is more efficient in response to the PI3Kα/β inhibitor treatment. In vivo RNA-Seq analysis on drug-treated Dnmt3a–/– HSC/Ps showed a reduction in the expression of genes associated with chemokines, inflammation, cell attachment, and extracellular matrix compared with controls. Remarkably, drug-treated leukemic mice showed a reversal in the enhanced fetal liver HSC-like gene signature observed in vehicle-treated Dnmt3a–/– LSK cells as well as a reduction in the expression of genes involved in regulating actin cytoskeleton-based functions, including the RHO/RAC GTPases. In a human PDX model bearing DNMT3A mutant AML, PI3Kα/β inhibitor treatment prolonged their survival and rescued the leukemic burden. Our results identify a potentially new target for treating DNMT3A mutation–driven myeloid malignancies.

Authors

Lakshmi Reddy Palam, Baskar Ramdas, Katelyn Pickerell, Santhosh Kumar Pasupuleti, Rahul Kanumuri, Annamaria Cesarano, Megan Szymanski, Bryce Selman, Utpal P. Dave, George Sandusky, Fabiana Perna, Sophie Paczesny, Reuben Kapur

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Figure 12

PI3K inhibitor treatment of mice bearing human AML cells bearing DNMT3A mutation enhances their survival.

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PI3K inhibitor treatment of mice bearing human AML cells bearing DNMT3A ...
(A) Secondary recipients of Dnmt3a–/– BM cells were prepared for the survival study by injecting 2 × 106 of Dnmt3a–/– cells from primary BM transplants of Dnmt3a–/– cells. Six weeks after transplantation, these mice were treated with the PI3K inhibitor (Bay1082439) for 21 days (75 mg/kg body weight). As seen in A, all mice belonging to the vehicle group succumbed by day 70 after transplant, whereas none of the drug-treated mice died within this time period. n = 9, log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test, P < 0.003. (B) Patient-derived AML cells (1 million) bearing DNMT3A mutation were transplanted into NSG-cyto mice to generate AML-PDX. Starting day 20 after transplant, these mice were treated with vehicle or PI3K αβ inhibitor for 21 days. As seen in B, all mice belonging to the vehicle group succumbed by day 45 after transplant, whereas none of the drug-treated mice died within this time period. n = 5, log-rank (Mantel-Cox) test, P < 0.001. (C) Images of spleens derived from drug- and vehicle-treated mice. (D) Quantitative analysis of spleen weights from vehicle- and drug-treated AML-PDX mice. n = 5, mean ± SEM, unpaired t test (2-tailed), P < 0.001. (E and F) Quantitative analysis of the number of monocytes in vehicle- versus drug-treated mice. n = 8, mean ± SEM, unpaired t test (2-tailed), *P = 0.05, **P = 0.005. (G and H) Quantitative assessment of percent engraftment of murine and human CD45 cells in the PB and spleen of vehicle- and drug-treated mice as assessed by flow cytometry. n = 5–8, 2-way ANOVA, *P = 0.05, **P = 0.005. The boxes shown with lower and upper quartiles separated by the median (horizontal line), and the whiskers extend to the minimum and maximum values. (I) Model illustrating the role of PI3K signaling in Dnmt3a loss–induced myeloid malignancy. PI3Kαβ specific inhibitor blocks the Dnmt3a loss–induced malignant characteristics and improves survival.

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