Regulation of B cell linker protein transcription by PU.1 and Spi-B in murine B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

J Immunol. 2012 Oct 1;189(7):3347-54. doi: 10.4049/jimmunol.1201267. Epub 2012 Sep 5.

Abstract

B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is frequently associated with mutations or chromosomal translocations of genes encoding transcription factors. Conditional deletion of genes encoding the E26-transformation-specific transcription factors, PU.1 and Spi-B, in B cells (ΔPB mice) leads to B-ALL in mice at 100% incidence rate and with a median survival of 21 wk. We hypothesized that PU.1 and Spi-B may redundantly activate transcription of genes encoding tumor suppressors in the B cell lineage. Characterization of aging ΔPB mice showed that leukemia cells expressing IL-7R were found in enlarged thymuses. IL-7R-expressing B-ALL cells grew in culture in response to IL-7 and could be maintained as cell lines. Cultured ΔPB cells expressed reduced levels of B cell linker protein (BLNK), a known tumor suppressor gene, compared with controls. The Blnk promoter contained a predicted PU.1 and/or Spi-B binding site that was required for promoter activity and occupied by PU.1 and/or Spi-B as determined by chromatin immunoprecipitation. Restoration of BLNK expression in cultured ΔPB cells opposed IL-7-dependent proliferation and induced early apoptosis. We conclude that the tumor suppressor BLNK is a target of transcriptional activation by PU.1 and Spi-B in the B cell lineage.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / genetics*
  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / immunology
  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing / metabolism*
  • Animals
  • B-Lymphocytes / immunology*
  • B-Lymphocytes / metabolism
  • B-Lymphocytes / pathology
  • Cell Line, Tumor
  • Cell Lineage / genetics
  • Cell Lineage / immunology
  • Female
  • Male
  • Mice
  • Mice, Inbred C57BL
  • Mice, Knockout
  • Mice, Transgenic
  • NIH 3T3 Cells
  • Precursor B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / genetics*
  • Precursor B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / immunology
  • Precursor B-Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / metabolism*
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic / immunology
  • Protein Binding / genetics
  • Protein Binding / immunology
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins / physiology*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets / physiology*
  • Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell / physiology
  • Trans-Activators / physiology*
  • Transcriptional Activation / immunology*

Substances

  • Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing
  • B cell linker protein
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-ets
  • Receptors, Antigen, B-Cell
  • Spi-B protein, mouse
  • Trans-Activators
  • proto-oncogene protein Spi-1