A novel G6PC3 gene mutation in severe congenital neutropenia: pancytopenia and variable bone marrow phenotype can also be part of this syndrome

2014 ◽  
Vol 94 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-82 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tugba Arikoglu ◽  
Necdet Kuyucu ◽  
Manuela Germeshausen ◽  
Semanur Kuyucu
Blood ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 136 (Supplement 1) ◽  
pp. 22-22
Author(s):  
Malte U Ritter ◽  
Benjamin Secker ◽  
Masoud Nasri ◽  
Maksim Klimiankou ◽  
Benjamin Dannenmann ◽  
...  

Patients with the rare pre-leukemia bone marrow failure syndrome severe congenital neutropenia (CN) have markedly reduced numbers of neutrophils in peripheral blood (<500/μl), leading to frequent infections and requiring chronic granulocyte stimulating factor (G-CSF) treatment. Approximately 7 % of CN patients carry homozygous loss-of-function mutations in the HAX1 gene. 25 % of HAX1-CN patients develop MDS or AML. The only curative therapy for CN patients with overt MDS/AML is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation with its associated risks. A clinical need for gene therapy for CN patients is imminent. Here, we describe for the first time the application of CRISPR/Cas9 gene-editing in combination with recombinant adeno associated virus 6 (rAAV6)-based delivery of the template for homology-directed repair (HDR) for the mutated HAX1 gene in primary bone marrow mononuclear CD34+ cells (HSPCs) of HAX1-CN patients. We selected HAX1 mutation p.W44X as the most frequently described mutation in HAX1-CN. We established the delivery of the chemically modified sgRNA in combination with SpCas9 V3 in primary HSPCs using electroporation. The HDR template was generated by PCR from healthy donor HSPCs and cloned into pRC6 vector for the production of high titer rAAV6 (>12x1012 viral copies per ml). Our gene-editing protocol produced on average 79,7 % (± 8,62 %) of total editing (TE) in healthy donor HSPCs (n=6). When we transduced healthy donor HSPCs with rAAV6 containing the template at MOI 105 after electroporation with CRISPR/Cas9 RNP, we achieved 38,1 % (± 1,3 %) knock-in (KI) efficiency and 82,3 % (± 8,2 %) TE (n=2). We further applied this approach to primary HSPCs from 5 CN patients harboring the p.W44X HAX1 mutation. We achieved 84,4 % (± 4,2 %) TE and 65,8 % (± 7,12 %) KI. Too proof, that our editing reintroduced HAX1 protein expression, we performed Western Blot analysis of edited cells (n=2) and were able to detect relevant amounts of HAX1 protein. To assess the effect of HAX1 correction on the neutropenic phenotype in vitro, we performed a liquid culture differentiation assay of edited HSPCs to neutrophils. HSPCs from the same patients that were edited in the AAVS1 safe harbor were used as isogenic controls. In the AAVS1 locus the editing efficiency was 76,74 % (± 17,07 %) total indels. By morphological assessment of Wright-Giemsa stained cytospins of edited cells derived on day 14 of differentiation revealed significant (p = 0,005) increases of mature neutrophils for all five edited HAX1-CN patient samples, as compared to the respective controls. This phenotype correction was also observed in flow cytometry by a significant (p = 0,011) increase of mature CD34-CD45+ CD15+CD16+ neutrophils (n=5). To investigate if the HAX1 mutation correction and reinforced expression of HAX1 protein improved the sensitivity of HSPCs to oxidative stress as described by Klein et al. 2007, we performed live-cell imaging of caspase3/7 activation. Live-cell imaging revealed a substantial reduction of H2O2-induced apoptosis in corrected HAX1-CN patients derived HSPCs (n=3). Furthermore, the corrected differentiated cells were investigated for functional hallmarks of granulocytes. We could observe that HAX1 gene-edited HSPCs showed comparable chemotaxis, phagocytosis and no defects in ROS production to isogenic control edited cells. Taken together, we established a protocol for efficient selection-free correction of HAX1 p.W44X mutation in primary HSPCs using CRISPR/Cas9 and rAVV6 HDR repair templates. Our gene-editing reintroduced HAX1 protein expression in primary HSPCs from HAX1-CN patients. Neutrophils derived from corrected cells showed functional improvements in survival to oxidative stress and general neutrophil functions. We believe that these results are enticing to be investigated further for potential clinical translation as an autologous stem cell therapy for HAX1-CN patients. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 3070-3070
Author(s):  
Andrew A. Aprikyan ◽  
Tomas Vaisar ◽  
Vahagn Makaryan ◽  
Jay Heinecke

Abstract Severe congenital neutropenia (SCN; Kostmann’s syndrome or infantile genetic agranulocytosis) defines an inheritable hematopoietic disorder of impaired neutrophil production due to a “maturation arrest” at the promyelocytic stage of differentiation in the bone marrow. SCN patients have recurring severe infections and often develop acute myelogenous leukemia. We and others reported accelerated apoptosis and cell cycle arrest of bone marrow-derived myeloid progenitor cells in SCN patients with autosomal dominant and autosomal recessive inheritance. Heterozygous mutations in the neutrophil elastase (NE) gene encoding a serine protease, are present in a majority of SCN patients, but not in healthy members of the family, thus indicating a key role of mutant NE in pathogenesis of this disorder. To date, there are no animal or cellular models of SCN as both the knock-in of mutant NE as well as the knock-out of normal NE failed to result in neutropenia phenotype in mice. The molecular mechanisms of mutant NE-mediated severe neutropenia remain largely unknown. We hypothesized that mutations in NE expose the protease to a new range of substrates. To explore this proposal, we established a cellular model of SCN based on tetracycline-regulated expression of mutant NE in human promyelocytic tet-off HL-60 cells that very closely recapitulated the human phenotype. Mutant NE expression resulted in a characteristic block of myeloid differentiation - the cellular hallmark of SCN. Expression of the mutant product was associated with a significant reduction in phosphatidylinosytol-3-kinase and phosphorylated PKB/Akt levels and an imbalance of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and pro-apoptotic Bax. These alterations contributed to observed dissipation of mitochondrial membrane potential as determined by FACS analysis, aberrant release of cytochrome C, and accelerated apoptosis. Marked changes in actin cytoskeleton that made the cells more rigid appeared to stem from a reduced level of alpha-actinin and elevated level of Rho GTPase. Immunoprecipitation of cell lysates with elastase-specific monoclonal antibodies followed by mass spectrometric analysis revealed that NE interacted with histone H2B, one of the key components of the nucleosome core of the chromatin. Interestingly, the expression level of histone H2B was substantially reduced in cells expressing mutant NE, therefore supporting the notion of altered substrate specificity of mutant NE. Thus, these observations provide the first evidence that mutant NE affects specific signaling pathways that lead to alterations in cytoskeleton and chromatin reorganization, subsequent apoptosis, and a block of myeloid differentiation in SCN. This cellular model of SCN should provide an invaluable tool for screening potential therapeutic agents capable of preventing maturation arrest and leukemogenesis in subjects suffering from severe congenital neutropenia.


Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 1279-1279
Author(s):  
Takashi Sato ◽  
Masakazu Habara ◽  
Hiroki Kihara ◽  
Hiroshi Kawaguchi ◽  
Mizuka Miki ◽  
...  

Abstract Mutations in the ELA2 gene encoding neutrophil elastase (NE) in patients with severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) are involved in the pathogenesis of this disorder, possibly due to the abnormal protein trafficking and accelerated apoptosis of myeloid cells. In this study we precisely examined the localization of NE in neutrophils and myeloid precursor cells in bone marrow in patients with SCN using immunofluorescence microscopy equipped with three-dimensional analysis program. Three patients with SCN were enrolled in this study. All patients with SCN showed heterozygous mutation in the ELA2 gene. In normal subjects the pattern of localization of NE in mature neutrophils was almost similar to those of myeloperoxidase (MPO), proteinase 3, lysosomal associated membrane protein 2 (LAMP2). Administration of G-CSF to normal subjects did not affect the pattern of the localization of these proteins in neutrophils. In contrast, mature neutrophils elicited by the administration of G-CSF in patients with SCN NE predominantly localized to the plasma membranes. A small part of NE was detected in the cytoplasmic compartment. The pattern of localization of NE was significantly different from those of MPO, proteinase 3, and LAMP2 in SCN patients, suggesting the abnormal traffic of NE to granules. Adaptor proteins 3 (AP3) specifically shuttles transmembrane cargo proteins from the trans-Golgi to lysosomes. AP3 of myeloid progenitor cells enriched for CD33-positive cells in normal bone marrow was localized in both cytoplasm and plasma membranes. The localization pattern of AP3 was completely consistent with those of NE, MPO, and LAMP2. The localization of AP3 of promyelocytes in patients with SCN was observed in both plasma membranes and cytoplasm. This finding was completely similar to that in normal myeloid precursor cells. However, the localization of NE of promyelocytes in SCN patients was predominantly in plasma membrane. The figures merged apparently presented the different localization of NE and AP3. This result was confirmed by the 3-dimensional analysis with histogram. The localizations of other constituents of primary granules, MPO, poteinase 3, and LAMP2, were consistent with those of AP3. These observations suggest that the mislocalization of NE in myeloid precursor cells in SCN patients does not result from a generalized impairment of protein trafficking but is specific to the mutant NE. The abnormal localization of NE may be involved in the pathogenesis of SCN associated with ELA2 mutation.


Blood ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 114 (22) ◽  
pp. 3206-3206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip S. Rosenberg ◽  
Cornelia Zeidler ◽  
Audrey Anna Bolyard ◽  
Blanche P. Alter ◽  
Mary Ann Bonilla ◽  
...  

Abstract Abstract 3206 Poster Board III-143 BACKGROUND G-CSF therapy reduces sepsis mortality in patients with severe congenital neutropenia (SCN), but effective therapy has revealed a high syndromic predisposition to myelodysplastic syndrome and acute myeloid leukemia (MDS/AML), particularly in patients who require higher doses of G-CSF. Although the long-term risk of MDS/AML after 10 or more years on therapy remains uncertain, prior data on the limited number of patients with long-term follow-up suggested the hazard rate might be as high as 8%/year after 12 years on G-CSF. METHODS We updated prospective follow-up of 374 well-characterized patients with SCN on long-term G-CSF enrolled in the Severe Chronic Neutropenia International Registry (Blood. 2006 Jun 15; 107(12):4628-35). We ascertained event-free time, deaths from sepsis, and MDS/AML events that accrued since our previous report. Follow-up was censored for patients who received a bone marrow transplant. RESULTS The update yielded 3590 person-years of follow-up versus 2043 in the prior report; among patients treated for 10 or more years, there were 849 person-years versus just 67 previously. In all, there were 61 MDS/AML events and 29 deaths from sepsis, versus prior totals of 44 and 19, respectively. After including up-to-date follow-up, the estimated annual hazard of death from sepsis remained qualitatively stable, at 0.81%/year (95% Confidence Interval, CI: 0.56 – 1.16%/year). Similarly, during the first five years after the start of G-CSF therapy, the updated estimate of the hazard curve for MDS/AML showed the same increasing trend as the previous estimate. However, in contrast to the prior estimate that showed a subsequent increasing trend over time (with a large margin of error), the updated hazard curve attained a plateau: after 10 years on G-CSF, the estimated hazard of MDS/AML was 2.3%/year (95% CI: 1.7 – 2.9%/year). Although this aspect of the natural history appears less dire than first suggested, after 15 years on G-CSF, the cumulative incidence was 10% (95% CI: 6 – 14%) for death from sepsis and 22% (95% CI: 17 – 28%) for MDS/AML. Furthermore, for the subset of patients who failed to achieve at 6 months an absolute neutrophil count at or above the median value for the cohort (2188 cells/μL) despite doses of G-CSF at or above the median (8 μg/kg/day), the cumulative incidence after 15 years on G-CSF was 18% (95% CI: 7 – 28%) for death from sepsis and 34% (95% CI: 21 – 47%) for MDS/AML. With additional follow-up, the association of G-CSF dose at 6 months with the relative hazard of MDS/AML became more strongly statistically significant (P = 0.003 versus P = 0.024; the hazard of MDS/AML increased by 1.24-fold (95% CI: 1.08-1.43-fold) per doubling of the dose of G-CSF). CONCLUSIONS For SCN patients maintained on G-CSF therapy, the hazard of MDS/AML over the long-term falls significantly below the range suggested by preliminary data. The updated hazard estimate of 2.3%/year after 10 years on G-CSF (which includes both MDS and AML events) is similar to that for other inherited bone marrow failure syndromes with a high intrinsic risk of AML, notably Fanconi anemia and dyskeratosis congenita. Nonetheless, the cumulative incidence of both MDS/AML and sepsis death rises to very high levels, and the data continue to support the hypothesis that SCN patients with higher G-CSF requirements are also at higher risk of leukemia. Disclosures Boxer: Amgen Inc.: Equity Ownership. Dale:Amgen Inc.: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding, Speaker.


Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (21) ◽  
pp. 2239-2239
Author(s):  
Chinavenmeni Subramani Velu ◽  
Avedis Kazanjian ◽  
Clemencia Colmenares ◽  
H. Leighton Grimes

Abstract Abstract 2239 The Growth factor independent -1 (Gfi1) transcriptional repressor regulates both hematopoietic stem cell self renewal and myeloid differentiation. Humans with severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) display mutations in GFI1 that generate dominant negative acting proteins. Moreover, GFI1-mutant SCN patients and Gfi1-/- mice display a unique accumulation of myeloid progenitors. Recently we showed that Gfi1 regulation of HoxA9, Pbx1 and Meis1 underlies these phenomena, in that the Gfi1-Hox transcriptional circuit controls the accumulation of myeloid progenitors in vivo. We have also shown that Gfi1 regulates miR-21 during myelopoiesis, and that miR-21 is deregulated by Gfi1N382S expression. Our new data link these concepts by demonstrating that forced expression of miR-21 in bone marrow cells results in the accumulation of myeloid progenitors in transplant recipients. Moreover, miR-21 directly targets the Ski oncoprotein, and Ski-/- bone marrow cells show an accumulation of myeloid progenitors. Thus, Gfi1-/-, miR-21 overexpressing-, and Ski-/- myeloid progenitors accumulate in the marrow. Strikingly, Ski is dramatically reduced in miR-21 overexpressing Lin- bone marrow cells. Nearly undetectable Ski expression in Gfi1-/- bone marrow cells can be completely rescued by antagonizing miR-21 activity. Since Ski is a corepressor and Gfi1 is a transcriptional repressor, we next tested whether the two proteins physically interact. Indeed, endogenous Ski and Gfi1 can be coimmunoprecipitated. Synthetic Ski and Gfi1 proteins reveal that the interaction is mediated through Ski carboxy-terminal and Gfi1 zinc-finger domains. Chromatin immunoprecipitation reveals Ski and Gfi1 co-occupy several Gfi1 target genes (including HoxA9), which are derepressed upon Gfi1 or Ski knockdown. However, while Gfi1 binds and regulates the miR-21 gene, Ski is not bound to the miR-21 gene, and Ski knockdown has no effect upon miR-21 levels. Thus, the data point to a novel feed-forward transcriptional circuit. Gfi1N382S deregulation of miR-21 amplifies the dominant-negative effect of Gfi1N382S through miR-21 targeting of Ski, leading to further derepression of Gfi1-Ski target genes. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Blood ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 128 (22) ◽  
pp. 3688-3688
Author(s):  
Yoko Mizoguchi ◽  
Mizuka Miki ◽  
Aya Furue ◽  
Shiho Nishimura ◽  
Maiko Shimomura ◽  
...  

Abstract Severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) is a rare heterogeneous genetic disorder characterized by severe chronic neutropenia, with absolute neutrophil counts below 0.5×109/L, and by recurrent bacterial infections from early infancy. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is widely used for the treatment of neutropenia in patients with SCN. However, the long-term G-CSF therapy has a relative risk of developing myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The only curative treatment available for SCN patients is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Recently, HSCTs with reduced intensity conditioning (RIC) regimens have been applied to the treatment of SCN patients without malignant transformation who have become G-CSF refractory. However, the optimal conditions of HSCT for SCN patients have not been established. In this study, we conducted bone marrow cell transplantations (BMT) in ten patients with SCN using an immunosuppressive conditioning regimen to minimize early and late transplant-related morbidity in Hiroshima University Hospital. Ten patients with a total of 11 HSCT procedures in our institution (performed from 2007 to 2015) were enrolled in this study. Four of the ten patients had experienced engraftment failure of the initial HSCT and three of them were referred to our hospital for re-transplantation. Heterozygous mutation inthe ELANE gene was identified in nine of ten patients. These nine patients received BMT less than 10 years of age. All ten patients had recurrently experienced moderate to severe bacterial or fungal infection before HSCT and received temporal or regular administration of G-CSF. Bone marrow cells (BM) were obtained from five HLA-matched related (MRD), three HLA-matched unrelated (MUD), and three HLA-mismatched unrelated (7/8) donors (MMUD), respectively. The conditioning regimen basically consisted of fludarabine (100 to 125 mg/m2), cyclophosphamide (100 to 150 mg/kg), melphalan (70 to 90 mg/m2), total body irradiation (3 to 3.6 Gy), and/or anti-thymocyte globulin (10 to 12 mg/kg). Short-term methotrexate and tacrolimus were administered for the prophylaxis of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Engraftment of neutrophils was successfully observed within 24 days of post-transplantation in all patients. All patients achieved complete chimerism at the time of engraftment. Two patients who underwent BMT from MRD and one patient who underwent BMT from MUD showed the gradual decrease of donor-derived cells. Donor lymphocyte infusion treatment successfully achieved the complete chimerism or stable mixed chimerism in these 3 patients. Although 3 patients experienced the acute GVHD (Grade I-II), the addition of glucocorticoids to tacrolimus prevented the extension of acute GVHD. Only one patient developed mild chronic GVHD presenting limited type of skin involvement. All patients are alive for 9 months to 9 years after HSCT with no signs of severe infections or transplantation-related morbidity. Our results demonstrate that BMT together with a sufficient immunosuppressive conditioning regimen may be a feasible and effective treatment for SCN patients, irrespective of initial engraftment failure. Although our results through the small number of cohort is limited to conclude, the BMT with the optimal donors may lead to the increased opportunity for lower risk of SCN patients especially at younger age as a curative treatment. The further analyses of accumulated cases are necessary to assess the efficacy, safety, and less late adverse effects related to HSCT including fertility. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


Blood ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 96 (10) ◽  
pp. 3647-3649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sima Jeha ◽  
Ka Wah Chan ◽  
Andrew G. Aprikyan ◽  
W. Keith Hoots ◽  
Steven Culbert ◽  
...  

Leukemia is observed with increased frequency in patients with severe congenital neutropenia (SCN). In the past decade, recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rh G-CSF) has prolonged the survival of patients with SCN increasingly reported to have leukemias. In this communication acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) associated with a mutation of the G-CSF receptor (G-CSF-R) developed in a patient with SCN maintained on long-term G-CSF therapy. The blast count in the blood and bone marrow fell to undetectable levels twice on withholding G-CSF and without chemotherapy administration, but the mutant G-CSF-R was detectable during this period. The patient subsequently underwent successful allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. After transplantation, the patient's neutrophil elastase (ELA-2) mutation and G-CSF-R mutation became undetectable by polymerase chain reaction. This report provides novel insights on leukemia developing in congenital neutropenia.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 457-457
Author(s):  
David S. Grenda ◽  
Fulu Liu ◽  
Michael Richards ◽  
Daniel C. Link

Abstract Patients with severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) have a markedly increased risk of developing myelodysplasia (MDS) or acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Though the genetic basis for this increased susceptibility is unknown, gain-of-function mutations of the G-CSF receptor (G-CSFR) have been found in the great majority of patients with SCN who develop MDS/AML. These mutations are somatic and produce a truncated G-CSFR that, though remaining ligand dependent, transmits a hyperproliferative signal. We and others have shown that targeted transgenic mice expressing a representative G-CSFR mutation (termed d715) have markedly exaggerated neutrophil responses to G-CSF treatment. Based on these observations, it has been suggested that these gain-of-function G-CSFR mutations contribute to leukemogenesis. However, direct evidence supporting this hypothesis is scant. Moreover, it is unclear how hematopoietic cells expressing the mutant G-CSFR gain clonal dominance. Finally, it is not clear why these G-CSFR mutations are uniquely associated with SCN and rarely seen in de novo AML. To address these questions, we generated a series of bone marrow chimeras reconstituted with both wild type and d715 G-CSFR hematopoietic cells, thus reproducing, in part, the mixed bone marrow populations found in patients with SCN. Equal numbers of wild type or d715 G-CSFR bone marrow cells were transplanted into irradiated syngeneic hosts and donor chimerism periodically assessed by flow cytometry. At 5 weeks post-transplantation the contribution of d715 cells to the myeloid (percentage of d715 cells ± SD: 45.7 ± 12.0%, n=9), B-lymphocyte (63.5 ± 5.8%), and T-lymphocyte (46.6 ± 6.4%) lineages was near the expected level of 50%. Surprisingly, this level of chimerism was stable over the 6-month observation period, showing that the d715 G-CSFR does not confer a competitive advantage under basal conditions. In patients with SCN, systemic levels of G-CSF are elevated either due to increased endogenous production or exogenous G-CSF treatment. To simulate this condition, a cohort of chimeric mice was treated with G-CSF (10μg/kg/day) for 21 days. At the end of the treatment period, the contribution of d715 cells to the myeloid lineage in the blood increased to 97.6 ± 1.2% (n=5). Surprisingly, a marked increase in d715 donor chimerism in the B-lymphocyte lineage in the bone marrow also was observed (89.1 ± 5.7%). Remarkably, this shift in donor chimerism extended to the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) compartment as defined by Kit+ lineage− Sca+ (KLS) cells; the contribution of d715 to the KLS cell population in G-CSF treated mice was 97.8 ± 0.8% versus 53.3 ± 11.5% in untreated mice. Transplantation of bone marrow cells from these mice into secondary recipients showed that this brief (21 day) exposure to G-CSF was sufficient to significantly expand the d715 HSC. Collectively, these data show that expression of the d715 G-CSFR results in a strong competitive advantage at the HSC level, but only in the presence of an increased concentration of G-CSF. Furthermore, they provide an explanation for the association of these mutations with SCN since SCN is one of a small number of conditions in which systemic levels of G-CSF are chronically elevated. Finally, the effect of G-CSF signals on HSC function provides further evidence for the contributions of these mutations to leukemogenesis since it is the HSC compartment in which leukemia is thought to arise.


Blood ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 110 (11) ◽  
pp. 663-663
Author(s):  
Julia Skokowa ◽  
Kshama Gupta ◽  
Annette Mueller Brechlin ◽  
Johann Meyer ◽  
Malcolm A.S. Moore ◽  
...  

Abstract Severe congenital neutropenia (CN) is a hematological disorder characterized by an early stage maturation arrest of granulopoiesis in bone marrow at promyelocytic stage. Previously we found that LEF-1 and its target gene C/EBPα are severely abrogated in promyelocytes of CN patients, which plays a decisive role in the pathomechanism of defective granulopoiesis (Skokowa J., et al., Nat. Med.2006;12:1191). Recently it has been shown that constitutively activated STAT5a inhibits myeloid differentiation of human CD34+ cells by downregulation of C/EBPα (Moore MA, et al., Exp. Hematol.2007;35:105). Therefore, we investigated whether the presence of constitutive activated STAT5a in CD34+ cells of healthy individuals leads to downregulation of LEF-1 and whether STAT5a is activated in myeloid progenitors of CN patients. A screen of the 10kb upstream region of LEF-1 gene revealed two putative STAT5a binding sites (−3913 bp to −3894 bp and −3728 bp to −3709 bp) and specificity of the STAT5a binding to the LEF-1 promoter in nuclear extracts of CD34+ cells was confirmed in a chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay. Additionally, our data demonstrated that introduction of retroviral constructs expressing IRES-GFP and cDNA of constitutively activated STAT5a (mutant of STAT5a, (STAT5A[1*6]) into CD34+ cells of healthy individuals resulted in 20-fold downregulation of LEF-1 mRNA expression. To compare G-CSF- dependent phosphorylation of STAT5 in CD33+ bone marrow myeloid progenitors of CN patients and healthy individuals, we treated these cells with G-CSF in vitro and measured phosphorylation of STAT5 by intracellular staining of cells with phosphoSTAT5 (Y694) antibody. We found that G-CSF stimulation resulted in a significantly higher phosphorylation of STAT5 in myeloid progenitors of four CN patients, as compared to four healthy volunteers (mean fluorescence intensity (MFI) 436 ± 57 in CN patients vs 212 ± 30 in healthy controls). Interestingly, augmented phosphorylation of STAT5 has been observed in both groups of CN patients carrying either ELA2 or HAX1 mutations. These data confirm the hypothesis that downregulation of LEF-1 and LEF-1 target gene C/EBPα is at least in part a consequence of increased activation of STAT5a in both CD34+ cells of healthy individuals and in patients with CN.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 313-313
Author(s):  
ChinavenMeni S. Velu ◽  
Avinash M Baktula ◽  
Tristan Bourdeau ◽  
H. Leighton Grimes

Abstract The zinc finger protein Growth factor independent-1 (Gfi1) is a transcriptional repressor that regulates hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) maintenance and granulocytic lineage differentiation. Humans with severe congenital neutropenia (SCN) display mutations in GFI1 (encoding GFI1N382S) which generate dominant negative acting proteins. GFI1N382S proteins sequester limiting cofactors to deregulate a subset of GFI1 target genes. Here we show that Gfi1 is a master regulator of microRNAs and suggest that that transcriptional control of microRNA genes is critical for GFI1N382S-associated SCN phenotypes. First, the expression of Gfi1 and miR21 and miR-196 is reciprocal: 1) in wild type and Gfi1−/− marrow cells, 2) during normal differentiation from common myeloid progenitors (CMP) to granulocyte monocyte progenitors (GMP), 3) during treatment-induced differentiation of human myeloid leukemia cell lines, and 4) upon conditional deletion of Gfi1 in primary sorted murine CMP and GMP. Biochemical analyses reveal that miR21 and miR-196 are direct transcriptional targets of Gfi1. Subsequently, forced expression of wild type Gfi1 rescues expression of microRNA in Gfi1−/− Lin- bone marrow cells, while forced expression of Gfi1N382S in wild type Lin- bone marrow cells significantly deregulates miR-21 and miR-196 expression. Similarly, we demonstrate elevated miR21 and miR196b levels in CD34+ cells from a GFI1N382S SCN patient. Flow cytometric analysis and colony assays reveal that the overexpression or knockdown of either miR induces changes in myeloid development, but that co-expression of both miR (as seen in Gfi1−/− mice and GFI1N382S SCN patients) completely blocks G-CSF-induced granulopoiesis. These data provide a molecular understanding of SCN disease pathogenesis.


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