Biomedical subjects

Maarten van Lohuizen

Publications and source records attributed to Maarten van Lohuizen.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2003

Bmi-1 regulation of INK4A-ARF is a downstream requirement for transformation of hematopoietic progenitors by E2a-Pbx1.

Loss-of-function alterations of INK4A are commonly observed in lymphoid malignancies, but are consistently absent in pre-B cell leukemias induced by the chimeric oncoprotein E2a-Pbx1 created by t(1;19) chromosomal translocations. We report here that experimental induction of E2a-Pbx1 enhances expression of BMI-1, a lymphoid oncogene whose product functions as a transcriptional repressor of the INK4A-ARF tumor suppressor locus. Bmi-1-deficient hematopoietic progenitors are resistant to transformation by E2a-Pbx1; however, the requirement for Bmi-1 is alleviated in cells deficient for both Bmi-1 and INK4A-ARF. Furthermore, the adverse effects of E2a-Pbx1 on pre-B cell survival and differentiation are partially bypassed by forced expression of p16(Ink4a). These results link E2a-Pbx1 with Bmi-1 on an oncogenic pathway that is likely to play a role in the pathogenesis of human lymphoid leukemias through downregulation of the INK4A-ARF gene.

Apoptosis↗

PubMed2003

Transcriptional coactivator Cited2 induces Bmi1 and Mel18 and controls fibroblast proliferation via Ink4a/ARF.

Cited2 (CBP/p300 interacting transactivator with ED-rich tail 2) is required for embryonic development, coactivation of transcription factor AP-2, and inhibition of hypoxia-inducible factor 1 transactivation. Cited2 is induced by multiple growth factors and cytokines and oncogenically transforms cells. Here, we show that the proliferation of Cited2(-/-) mouse embryonic fibroblasts ceases prematurely. This is associated with a reduction in growth fraction, senescent cellular morphology, and increased expression of the cell proliferation inhibitors p16(INK4a), p19(ARF), and p15(INK4b). Deletion of INK4a/ARF (encoding p16(INK4a) and p19(ARF)) completely rescued the defective proliferation of Cited2(-/-) fibroblasts. However, the deletion of INK4a/ARF did not rescue the embryonic malformations observed in Cited2(-/-) mice, indicating that INK4a/ARF-independent pathways are likely to be involved here. We found that Cited2(-/-) fibroblasts had reduced expression of the polycomb-group genes Bmi1 and Mel18, which function as INK4a/ARF and Hox repressors. Complementation with CITED2-expressing retrovirus enhanced proliferation, induced Bmi1/Mel18 expression, and decreased INK4a/ARF expression. Bmi1- and Mel18-expressing retroviruses enhanced the proliferation of Cited2(-/-) fibroblasts, indicating that they function downstream of Cited2. Our results provide genetic evidence that Cited2 controls the expression of INK4a/ARF and fibroblast proliferation, at least in part via the polycomb-group genes Bmi1 and Mel18.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Genome-wide retroviral insertional tagging of genes involved in cancer in Cdkn2a-deficient mice.

We have used large-scale insertional mutagenesis to identify functional landmarks relevant to cancer in the recently completed mouse genome sequence. We infected Cdkn2a(-/-) mice with Moloney murine leukemia virus (MoMuLV) to screen for loci that can participate in tumorigenesis in collaboration with loss of the Cdkn2a-encoded tumor suppressors p16INK4a and p19ARF. Insertional mutagenesis by the latent retrovirus was synergistic with loss of Cdkn2a expression, as indicated by a marked acceleration in the development of both myeloid and lymphoid tumors. We isolated 747 unique sequences flanking retroviral integration sites and mapped them against the mouse genome sequence databases from Celera and Ensembl. In addition to 17 insertions targeting gene loci known to be cancer-related, we identified a total of 37 new common insertion sites (CISs), of which 8 encode components of signaling pathways that are involved in cancer. The effectiveness of large-scale insertional mutagenesis in a sensitized genetic background is demonstrated by the preference for activation of MAP kinase signaling, collaborating with Cdkn2a loss in generating the lymphoid and myeloid tumors. Collectively, our results show that large-scale retroviral insertional mutagenesis in genetically predisposed mice is useful both as a system for identifying genes underlying cancer and as a genetic framework for the assignment of such genes to specific oncogenic pathways.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Polycomb repression: from cellular memory to cellular proliferation and cancer.

The transcriptional repressors of the Polycomb group (PcG), together with the counteracting Trithorax group (TrxG) proteins, establish a form of cellular memory by regulating gene expression in a heritable fashion at the level of chromatin. This cellular memory function is required for a correct cell fate/behavior, which is not only crucial during development for the generation of a correct body plan but also later in life to prevent cellular transformation. Here, we summarize the rapidly accumulating data that implicate several mammalian PcG members in the control of cellular proliferation and tumorigenesis.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Cooperative action of Tbx2 and Nkx2.5 inhibits ANF expression in the atrioventricular canal: implications for cardiac chamber formation.

During heart development, chamber myocardium forms locally from the embryonic myocardium of the tubular heart. The atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) gene is specifically expressed in this developing chamber myocardium and is one of the first hallmarks of chamber formation. We investigated the regulatory mechanism underlying this selective expression. Transgenic analysis shows that a small fragment of the ANF gene is responsible for the developmental pattern of endogenous ANF gene expression. Furthermore, this fragment is able to repress cardiac troponin I (cTnI) promoter activity selectively in the embryonic myocardium of the atrioventricular canal (AVC). In vivo inactivation of a T-box factor (TBE)- or NK2-homeobox factor binding element (NKE) within the ANF fragment removed the repression in the AVC without affecting its chamber activity. The T-box family member Tbx2, encoding a transcriptional repressor, is expressed in the embryonic myocardium in a pattern mutually exclusive to ANF, thus suggesting a role in the suppression of ANF. Tbx2 formed a complex with Nkx2.5 on the ANF TBE-NKE, and was able to repress ANF promoter activity. Our data provide a potential mechanism for chamber-restricted gene activity in which the cooperative action of Tbx2 and Nkx2.5 inhibits expression in the AVC.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

The T-box repressors TBX2 and TBX3 specifically regulate the tumor suppressor gene p14ARF via a variant T-site in the initiator.

The murine tumor suppressor p19(ARF) (p14(ARF) in humans) is thought to fulfill an important protective role in preventing primary cells from oncogenic transformation via its action in the p53 pathway. Several disease-implicated regulators of p19(ARF) are known to date, among which are the T-box genes TBX2, which resides on an amplicon in primary breast tumors, and TBX3, which is mutated in the human developmental disorder Ulnar-Mammary syndrome. Here we identify a variant T-site, matching 13 of 20 nucleotides of a consensus T-site, as the essential TBX2/TBX3-binding element in the human p14(ARF) promoter. Mutant analysis indicates that both the consensus T-box and a C-terminal conserved repression domain are essential for p14(ARF) repression. Whereas the core nucleotides required for interaction of the archetypal T-box protein Brachyury with a consensus T-site are conserved in the variant site, additional flanking nucleotides contribute to the specificity of TBX2 binding. This is illustrated by the inability of TBX1A or Xbra to activate via the variant p14(ARF) T-site. Importantly, this suggests a hitherto unsuspected level of specificity associated with T-box factors and corresponding recognition sites in regulating their target genes in vivo.

3T3 Cells↗

PubMed2002

RUNX: a trilogy of cancer genes.

The RUNX family of transcription factors plays pivotal roles during normal development and in neoplasias. Recent data involve RUNX3 as an important tumor suppressor in gastric cancers and pose interesting questions about how perturbed levels and interspecific competition among RUNX family members may contribute to tumorigenesis.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

TBX-3, the gene mutated in Ulnar-Mammary Syndrome, is a negative regulator of p19ARF and inhibits senescence.

Prolonged culturing of rodent cells in vitro activates p19(ARF) (named p14(ARF) in man), resulting in a p53-dependent proliferation arrest known as senescence. The p19(ARF)-Mdm2-p53 pathway also serves to protect primary cells against oncogenic transformation. We have used a genetic screen in mouse neuronal cells, conditionally immortalized by a temperature-sensitive mutant of SV40 large T antigen, to identify genes that allow bypass of senescence. Using retroviral cDNA expression libraries, we have identified TBX-3 as a potent inhibitor of senescence. TBX-3 is a T-box gene, which is found mutated in the human developmental disorder Ulnar-Mammary Syndrome. We have shown that TBX-3 potently represses expression of both mouse p19(ARF) and human p14(ARF). We have also shown here that point mutants of TBX-3, which are found in Ulnar-Mammary Syndrome, have lost the ability to inhibit senescence and fail to repress mouse p19(ARF) and human p14(ARF) expression. These data suggest that the hypoproliferative features of this genetic disorder may be caused, at least in part, by deregulated expression of p14(ARF).

Aging↗