DNMT1 Cxxc Domain Can Functionally Substitute In An MLL Fusion Protein

Abstract 4193

The MLL gene encodes a multi-domain protein that is involved in the maintenance of Hox gene expression during development and hematopoiesis, and was first identified through its involvement in chromosome translocations that cause leukemia. The CXXC domain of MLL, which is retained in leukemic MLL fusion proteins, is a cysteine rich DNA binding domain, with specificity for binding nonmethylated CpG-containing DNA, and is essential for MLL fusion proteins' oncogenic properties.

We performed domain swap experiments in which CXXC domains from other proteins were swapped in to replace MLL's CXXC domain in the context of an oncogenic MLL fusion. CXXC domains from DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1), CpG binding protein (CGBP), and methyl-CpG binding domain protein 1 (MBD1), as well as a methyl binding domain (MBD) from MBD1 were swapped into the MLL-AF9 fusion. These particular domains were chosen because their described CpG DNA binding capacity is either similar or different from that described for MLL. In vitro colony assays on isolated murine bone marrow progenitor cells infected with domain swapped or wild type MLL-AF9 fusion genes were performed in order to determine whether CpG binding domains from other proteins would affect the ability of MLL-AF9 to give an enhanced proliferative capacity to bone marrow progenitor cells. In vivo murine studies determined whether the different CpG binding domains alter the ability of MLL fusion proteins to cause leukemia. We predicted that the different CpG binding domains would change the strength or specificity of MLL binding to DNA, which would affect the ability of MLL-AF9 to cause leukemia.

The results of both in vitro replating assays and in vivo leukemogenesis experiments have shown significant differences between the ability of various CpG DNA binding domains to function in the context of an MLL-AF9 fusion protein. MLL-AF9 containing the DNMT1 CXXC domain shows robust in vitro colony forming activity and in vivo leukemogenesis activity, similar to the oncogenic MLL-AF9 fusion. However, MLL-AF9 containing either the CXXC domain from CGBP or MBD1, or the MBD domain of MBD1 all show reduced colony forming ability and leukemogenicity in vivo. In vitro DNA binding experiments are currently being performed to directly measure and compare the DNA binding affinity of the CXXC domain from MLL to the other domain swap proteins. Preliminary data suggests that MLL CXXC has a stronger DNA binding affinity to non-methylated DNA compared to the other CXXC domains. Furthermore, the DNMT and CGBP CXXC domains both show lower affinity DNA binding compared to MLL CXXC, but they have different effects in MLL-AF9. This suggests that CXXC domain properties in addition to DNA binding affinity, perhaps including protein recruitment, also contribute to an MLL fusion protein's leukemogenic properties.