SRSF2-P95Hdelays Myelofibrosis Development through Altered JAK/STAT Signaling in JAK2-V617F Megakaryocytes

Background: The gain-of-function JAK2 ^V617F mutant is the most common driver mutation identified in myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs). Additional somatic variants, also found in other malignant hemopathies, are detected in primary myelofibrosis (MF) and supposed to contribute to fibrosis or leukemia development. One of these mutations affects SRSF2, a gene encoding a component of the splicing machinery. SRSF2 heterozygous mutation mainly affects the proline 95 residue of the protein. Its association with JAK2 ^V617F correlates with a reduced leukemia free survival. Whether and how SRSF2 ^P95 variants could favor fibrosis development in JAK2 ^V617F cells remained unknown.

Methods & Results: To investigate how homozygous Jak2 ^V617F and heterozygous Srsf2 ^P95H could interact in the hematopoietic tissue, we generated conditional knock-in mice in which the CreERt recombinase expression was driven by the HSC-Scl promoter leading to Jak2 ^V617F and/or Srsf2 ^P95H hematopoietic-specific expression upon tamoxifen induction.

Srsf2 ^P95H mutation initially exhibited limited effect on Jak2 ^V617F-induced polycythemia vera (PV) only slightly reducing erythrocytosis and leukocytosis (through a previously described decrease in B220 ⁺ B cell number). The expansion of hematopoietic stem cells (SLAM), multipotent progenitors (MPP) and megakaryocyte progenitors (MKP) observed in Jak2 ^V617F mice was not affected by Srsf2 status. However, while platelet count was decreasing in Jak2 ^V617F alone mice at later time point due to fibrosis development, Srsf2 ^P95H/Jak2 ^V617F combination further increased platelet counts correlating with a significant delay in the development of myelofibrosis. Bone marrow cells (BM) were transplanted into lethally irradiated recipient mice together with GFP-positive wild-type competitor cells and tamoxifen was administrated after transplantation. Double mutant cells initially demonstrated a limited competitive advantage over wild-type cells as compared to Jak2 ^V617F-only cells. However, serial transplantation revealed a rapid exhaustion of Jak2 ^V617F single mutant cells leading to lethal pancytopenia, which was not observed in animals transplanted with Jak2 ^V617F/Srsf2 ^P95H double mutant cells.

As both monocytes and megakaryocytes (MK) were involved in fibrosis development, we further explored the role of these two cell populations. Spectral flow analysis of monocyte subsets in peripheral blood and BM failed to detect any significant change in double compared to single mutant animals. In contrast, double-mutant mice presented a significant delay in MK maturation with normalized expression of c-Mpl and ploidy. Using mass cytometry, we found ex vivo a higher proportion of MKP and MK expressing high levels of P-Stat5 in Jak2 ^V617F mice, which the addition of Srsf2 ^P95H tend to reduce, suggesting an altered Mpl/Jak2 signaling pathway.

To validate the hypothesis that Srsf2 ^P95H negatively interfere with Jak2-mediated signaling in MK, we injected high dose of the thrombopoietin-mimetic romiplostim in mice transplanted with wild-type or Srsf2 ^P95H BM. Both thrombocytosis and myelofibrosis were significantly reduced in Srsf2 ^P95H transplanted animals.

To further decipher the mechanism by which Srsf2 ^P95H could alter cell signaling, we performed bulk RNA sequencing on sorted MK. Pathway analysis using gene set enrichment analysis identified mostly a down-regulation of signaling pathways, including JAK/STAT signaling, in Jak2 ^V617F/Srsf2 ^P95H compared to Jak2 ^V617F single mutant cells. Further analysis of splicing events in Srsf2 ^P95H mutant cells identified an increased exon 14 skipping in Jak2, which was validated by RT-qPCR.

Summary: Contrary to EZH2 mutation that promotes JAK2 ^V617F-induced myelofibrosis in mouse models, heterozygous Srsf2 ^P95H delays myelofibrosis development in Jak2 ^V617F-transgenic mice. Srsf2 ^P95H co-mutation prevents the clonal exhaustion induced by serial transplantation of JAK2 ^V617F BM cells. This effect is associated with a reduced signaling in MK, which may involve abnormal splicing of signaling components including Jak2 exon 14 skipping.