Session: 603. Lymphoid Oncogenesis: Basic: Poster III
Hematology Disease Topics & Pathways:
Research, Fundamental Science, Lymphomas, Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, B Cell lymphoma, Immunology, Lymphoid Malignancies, Molecular biology, Animal model
We have established two separate and tissue-specific mouse models of EZH2Y641F/+ and EZH2OE that serve as the foundation of this work. We use conditional alleles for both Ezh2Y641F/+ and Ezh2OE that are activated upon Cre-mediated recombination. We crossed each conditional allele with CD19-Cre, which induces the alleles in the B lineage at the pro-B cell stage. To study normal B cell populations before lymphoma onset, we evaluated cells in the bone marrow, spleen, and peripheral blood of 3-month-old adult mice using flow cytometry. We observed minimal differences in the bone marrow and blood populations at this age. In the spleen, both CD19-Cre;Ezh2Y641F/+ and CD19-Cre;Ezh2OE cause an increase in follicular B cells compared to CD19-Cre controls. CD19-Cre;Ezh2Y641F/+ also causes an increase in marginal zone B cells. In summary, each EZH2 gain-of-function event increases the B cell populations in the spleen by early adulthood in mice.
Because EZH2Y641F/+ and EZH2OE occur in GC B cell-derived lymphomas, we then investigated how these events impact GC cells specifically. We crossed the Ezh2Y641F/+ and Ezh2OE alleles to the GC-specific Cγ1-Cre. Using the two Cre cohorts together, we can model Ezh2Y641F/+ and Ezh2OE as both early and late events in the B lineage. To stimulate GC cells, we immunized adult mice across each CD19-Cre and Cγ1-Cre genotype with sheep red blood cells and analyzed their GC populations by flow cytometry. Intriguingly, early and late activation of Ezh2Y641F/+ cause opposite impacts on GC expansion. CD19-Cre;Ezh2Y641F/+ mice display a striking decrease in the GC population compared to CD19-Cre control, while Cγ1-Cre;Ezh2Y641F/+ increases this population compared to Cγ1-Cre control. In contrast, neither early nor late activation of Ezh2OE changes the overall GC population compared to Cre-only control. These results suggest that the timing of EZH2Y641F/+ in the B lineage influences its activity and provide evidence that EZH2Y641F/+ and EZH2OE are functionally distinct events in the development of B cell lymphoma.
In summary, we modeled EZH2Y641F/+ and EZH2OE as early and late events in the B lineage and found that they both increase splenic B cell populations. In response to antigen stimulation, EZH2Y641F/+ impacts overall GC expansion depending on the timing of EZH2Y641F/+ in the B lineage. The results so far support the hypothesis that EZH2Y641F/+ and EZH2OE promote B cell lymphoma by distinct mechanisms. Ongoing progress includes investigating how these alterations impact gene expression and chromatin methylation patterns, using RNA-sequencing and ChIP-sequencing, respectively. By completing this work, we will elucidate the oncogenic mechanisms that distinguish EZH2Y641F/+ and EZH2OE in B cells through multiple angles and identify downstream targets that may lead to new therapeutic approaches in patients with these alterations.
Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.