First Author | Wagner K | Year | 2006 |
Journal | Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A | Volume | 103 |
Issue | 16 | Pages | 6338-43 |
PubMed ID | 16606850 | Mgi Jnum | J:109033 |
Mgi Id | MGI:3625630 | Doi | 10.1073/pnas.0508143103 |
Citation | Wagner K, et al. (2006) Absence of the transcription factor CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha results in loss of myeloid identity in bcr/abl-induced malignancy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 103(16):6338-43 |
abstractText | The lineage-determining transcription factor CCAAT enhancer binding protein alpha (C/EBPalpha) is required for myeloid differentiation. Decreased function or expression of C/EBPalpha is often found in human acute myeloid leukemia. However, the precise impact of C/EBPalpha deficiency on the maturation arrest in leukemogenesis is not well understood. To address this question, we used a murine transplantation model of a bcr/abl-induced myeloproliferative disease. The expression of bcr/abl in C/EBPalphapos fetal liver cells led to a chronic myeloid leukemia-like disease. Surprisingly, bcr/abl-expressing C/EBPalpha-/- fetal liver cells failed to induce a myeloid disease in transplanted mice, but caused a fatal, transplantable erythroleukemia instead. Accordingly, increased expression of the transcription factors SCL and GATA-1 in hematopoietic precursor cells of C/EBPalpha-/-R01-EY-11298 ) fetal livers was found. The mechanism for the lineage shift from myeloid to erythroid leukemia was studied in a bcr/abl-positive cell line. Consistent with findings of the transplant model, expression of C/EBPalpha and GATA-1 was inversely correlated. Id1, an inhibitor of erythroid differentiation, was identified as a critical direct target of C/EBPalpha. Down-regulation of Id1 by RNA interference impaired C/EBPalpha-induced granulocytic differentiation. Taken together, our study provides evidence that myeloid lineage identity of malignant hematopoietic progenitor cells requires the residual expression of C/EBPalpha. |