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Nuclear FGFR2 Interacts with the MLL-AF4 Oncogenic Chimera and Positively Regulates <i>HOXA9</i> Gene Expression in t(4;11) Leukemia Cells
oleh: Tiziana Fioretti, Armando Cevenini, Mariateresa Zanobio, Maddalena Raia, Daniela Sarnataro, Fabio Cattaneo, Rosario Ammendola, Gabriella Esposito
Format: | Article |
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Diterbitkan: | MDPI AG 2021-04-01 |
Deskripsi
The chromosomal translocation t(4;11) marks an infant acute lymphoblastic leukemia associated with dismal prognosis. This rearrangement leads to the synthesis of the MLL-AF4 chimera, which exerts its oncogenic activity by upregulating transcription of genes involved in hematopoietic differentiation. Crucial for chimera’s aberrant activity is the recruitment of the AF4/ENL/P-TEFb protein complex. Interestingly, a molecular interactor of AF4 is fibroblast growth factor receptor 2 (FGFR2). We herein analyze the role of FGFR2 in the context of leukemia using t(4;11) leukemia cell lines. We revealed the interaction between MLL-AF4 and FGFR2 by immunoprecipitation, western blot, and immunofluorescence experiments; we also tested the effects of FGFR2 knockdown, FGFR2 inhibition, and FGFR2 stimulation on the expression of the main MLL-AF4 target genes, i.e., <i>HOXA9</i> and <i>MEIS1</i>. Our results show that FGFR2 and MLL-AF4 interact in the nucleus of leukemia cells and that FGFR2 knockdown, which is associated with decreased expression of <i>HOXA9</i> and <i>MEIS1</i>, impairs the binding of MLL-AF4 to the <i>HOXA9</i> promoter. We also show that stimulation of leukemia cells with FGF2 increases nuclear level of FGFR2 in its phosphorylated form, as well as <i>HOXA9</i> and <i>MEIS1</i> expression. In contrast, preincubation with the ATP-mimetic inhibitor PD173074, before FGF2 stimulation, reduced FGFR2 nuclear amount and <i>HOXA9</i> and <i>MEIS1</i> transcript level, thereby indicating that MLL-AF4 aberrant activity depends on the nuclear availability of FGFR2. Overall, our study identifies FGFR2 as a new and promising therapeutic target in t(4;11) leukemia.