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Springer Nature [academic journals on nature.com], Leukemia, 4(35), p. 1087-1099, 2020

DOI: 10.1038/s41375-020-01011-5

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RUNX1 mutations in blast-phase chronic myeloid leukemia associate with distinct phenotypes, transcriptional profiles, and drug responses

This paper is made freely available by the publisher.
This paper is made freely available by the publisher.

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Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

AbstractBlast-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (BP-CML) is associated with additional chromosomal aberrations,RUNX1mutations being one of the most common. Tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy has only limited efficacy in BP-CML, and characterization of more defined molecular subtypes is warranted in order to design better treatment modalities for this poor prognosis patient group. Using whole-exome and RNA sequencing we demonstrate thatPHF6andBCORL1mutations,IKZF1deletions, and AID/RAG-mediated rearrangements are enriched inRUNX1mutBP-CML leading to typical mutational signature. On transcriptional level interferon and TNF signaling were deregulated in primaryRUNX1mutCML cells and stem cell and B-lymphoid factors upregulated giving a rise to distinct phenotype. This was accompanied with the sensitivity ofRUNX1mutblasts to CD19-CAR T cells in ex vivo assays. High-throughput drug sensitivity and resistance testing revealed leukemia cells fromRUNX1mutpatients to be highly responsive for mTOR-, BCL2-, and VEGFR inhibitors and glucocorticoids. These findings were further investigated and confirmed in CRISPR/Cas9-edited homozygousRUNX1−/−and heterozygousRUNX1−/mutBCR-ABL positive cell lines. Overall, our study provides insights into the pathogenic role ofRUNX1mutations and highlights personalized targeted therapy and CAR T-cell immunotherapy as potentially promising strategies for treatingRUNX1mutBP-CML patients.