Sox4 is a key oncogenic target in C/EBPa mutant Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Mus musculus

Mutation or epigenetic silencing of the transcription factor C/EBPa is observed in ~10% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In both cases, a common global gene expression profile is observed, but down-stream targets relevant for leukemogenesis are not known. Here we identify Sox4 as a direct target of C/EBPa whereby its expression is inversely correlated with C/EBPa activity. Downregulation of Sox4 abrogated increased self-renewal of leukemic cells and restored their differentiation. Gene expression profiles of leukemia initiating cells (LICs) from both Sox4 overexpression and murine mutant C/EBPa AML models clustered together, but differed from other types of AML. Our data demonstrate that Sox4 overexpression resulting from C/EBPa inactivation contributes to the development of leukemias with a distinct LIC phenotype. Overall design: A ChIP-seq sample of C/EBPa in Macrophages is used in this study