The Oncogenic Transcription Factor RUNX1/ETO Corrupts Cell Cycle regulation to Drive Leukemic Transformation [ChIP]

Oncogenic transcription factors such as the leukaemic fusion protein RUNX1/ETO constitute cancer-specific but highly challenging therapeutic targets, whose functions depend on pharmacologically tractable downstream pathways. Here we interrogated the transcriptional network of RUNX1/ETO in an in vitro/in vivo RNAi screen and identified Cyclin D2 (CCND2) as a crucial transmitter of RUNX1/ETO-driven leukemic propagation. RUNX1/ETO drives CCND2 expression by binding to a regulatory element upstream of the CCND2 promoter. Both knockdown of CCND2 and treatment with the CDK4/6 inhibitor palbociclib inhibited leukemic expansion patient-derived AML cells and impaired engraftment of immunodeficient murine hosts. Our data demonstrate that RUNX1/ETO drives leukaemia by directly promoting cell cycle progression and establish inhibition of G1 CCND-CDK complexes as a promising therapeutic strategy for RUNX1/ETO-driven AML. ChIP-seq exprement before and after RUNX1/ETO knock-down is used in this study