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Elucidating genetic aberrations in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) provides insight in biology and may impact on risk-group stratification and clinical outcome. This study aimed to detect such aberrations in a selected series of samples without known (cyto)genetic aberration using molecular profiling. A cohort of 161 patients was selected from various study groups: DCOG, BFM, SJCRH, NOPHO and AEIOP. Samples were analyzed using RNA sequencing (n=152), whole exome (n=135) and/or whole genome sequencing (n=100). In 70 of 156 patients (45%), of whom RNA sequencing or whole genome sequencing was available, rearrangements were detected, 22 of which were novel; five involving ERG rearrangements and four NPM1 rearrangements. ERG rearrangements showed self-renewal capacity in vitro, and a distinct gene expression pattern. Gene set enrichment analysis of this cluster showed upregulation of gene sets derived from Ewing sarcoma, which was confirmed comparing gene expression profiles of AML and Ewing sarcoma. Furthermore, NPM1-rearranged cases showed cytoplasmic NPM1 localization and revealed HOXA/B gene overexpression, as described for NPM1 mutated cases. Single-gene mutations as identified in adult AML were rare. Patients had a median of 24 coding mutations (range, 7-159). Novel recurrent mutations were detected in UBTF (n=10), a regulator of RNA transcription. In 75% of patients an aberration with a prognostic impact could be detected. Therefore, we suggest these techniques need to become standard of care in diagnostics.

The Mediator complex regulates transcription by connecting enhancers to promoters. Here, the authors purify Mediator from neural stem cells (NSCs), identify 75 novel protein-protein interaction partners and characterize the Mediator-interacting network that regulates transcription and establishes NSC identity.

SMPD4 is a neutral sphingomyelinase implicated in a specific type of congenital microcephaly. Although not intensively studied, SMPD4 deficiency has also been found to cause cell division defects. This suggests a role for SMPD4 in cell-cycle and differentiation. In order to explore this role, we used proximity ligation to identify the partners of SMPD4 in vivo in HEK293T cells. We found that these partners localize near the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the nuclear membrane. Using mass spectrometry, we could identify these partners and discovered that SMPD4 is closely associated with several nucleoporins, including NUP35, a nucleoporin directly involved in pore membrane curvature and pore insertion. This suggests that SMPD4 may play a role in this process.

In addition to its structural role in enclosing and protecting the genome, the nuclear envelope (NE) forms a highly adaptive communication interface between the cytoplasm and the nuclear interior in eukaryotic cells. The double membrane of the NE is perforated by nuclear pores lined with large multi-protein structures, called nuclear-pore complexes (NPCs), which selectively allow the bi-directional transport of ions and macromolecular cargo. In order to nucleate a pore, the inner and outer nuclear membrane have to fuse at the site of NPC insertion, a process requiring both lipid bilayers to be deformed into highly curved structures. How this curvature is achieved and which factors are involved in inducing and stabilizing membrane curvature at the nuclear pore remain largely unclear. In this review, we will summarize the molecular mechanisms thought to be involved in membrane curvature generation, with a particular emphasis on the role of lipids and lipid metabolism in shaping the nuclear pore membrane.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1006809.].

Integrator is an RNA polymerase II (RNAPII)-associated complex that was recently identified to have a broad role in both RNA processing and transcription regulation. Importantly, its role in human development and disease is so far largely unexplored. Here, we provide evidence that biallelic Integrator Complex Subunit 1 (INTS1) and Subunit 8 (INTS8) gene mutations are associated with rare recessive human neurodevelopmental syndromes. Three unrelated individuals of Dutch ancestry showed the same homozygous truncating INTS1 mutation. Three siblings harboured compound heterozygous INTS8 mutations. Shared features by these six individuals are severe neurodevelopmental delay and a distinctive appearance. The INTS8 family in addition presented with neuronal migration defects (periventricular nodular heterotopia). We show that the first INTS8 mutation, a nine base-pair deletion, leads to a protein that disrupts INT complex stability, while the second missense mutation introduces an alternative splice site leading to an unstable messenger. Cells from patients with INTS8 mutations show increased levels of unprocessed UsnRNA, compatible with the INT function in the 3'-end maturation of UsnRNA, and display significant disruptions in gene expression and RNA processing. Finally, the introduction of the INTS8 deletion mutation in P19 cells using genome editing alters gene expression throughout the course of retinoic acid-induced neural differentiation. Altogether, our results confirm the essential role of Integrator to transcriptome integrity and point to the requirement of the Integrator complex in human brain development.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

IKAROS family zinc finger 1/IKZF1 is a transcription factor important in lymphoid differentiation, and a known tumor suppressor in acute lymphoid leukemia. Recent studies suggest that IKZF1 is also involved in myeloid differentiation. To investigate whether IKZF1 deletions also play a role in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia, we screened a panel of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia samples for deletions of the IKZF1 locus using multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification and for mutations using direct sequencing. Three patients were identified with a single amino acid variant without change of IKZF1 length. No frame-shift mutations were found. Out of 11 patients with an IKZF1 deletion, 8 samples revealed a complete loss of chromosome 7, and 3 cases a focal deletion of 0.1–0.9Mb. These deletions included the complete IKZF1 gene (n=2) or exons 1–4 (n=1), all leading to a loss of IKZF1 function. Interestingly, differentially expressed genes in monosomy 7 cases (n=8) when compared to non-deleted samples (n=247) significantly correlated with gene expression changes in focal IKZF1-deleted cases (n=3). Genes with increased expression included genes involved in myeloid cell self-renewal and cell cycle, and a significant portion of GATA target genes and GATA factors. Together, these results suggest that loss of IKZF1 is recurrent in pediatric acute myeloid leukemia and might be a determinant of oncogenesis in acute myeloid leukemia with monosomy 7

Acute myeloid leukemia with t(6;9)(p22;q34) is listed as a distinct entity in the 2008 World Health Organization classification, but little is known about the clinical implications of t(6;9)-positive myeloid leukemia in children. This international multicenter study presents the clinical and genetic characteristics of 62 pediatric patients with t(6;9)/DEK-NUP214-rearranged myeloid leukemia; 54 diagnosed as having acute myeloid leukemia, representing

BICD2 is one of the two mammalian homologues of the Drosophila Bicaudal D, an evolutionarily conserved adaptor between microtubule motors and their cargo that was previously shown to link vesicles and mRNP complexes to the dynein motor. Here, we identified a G2-specific role for BICD2 in the relative positioning of the nucleus and centrosomes in dividing cells. By combining mass spectrometry, biochemical and cell biological approaches, we show that the nuclear pore complex (NPC) component RanBP2 directly binds to BICD2 and recruits it to NPCs specifically in G2 phase of the cell cycle. BICD2, in turn, recruits dynein-dynactin to NPCs and as such is needed to keep centrosomes closely tethered to the nucleus prior to mitotic entry. When dynein function is suppressed by RNA interference-mediated depletion or antibody microinjection, centrosomes and nuclei are actively pushed apart in late G2 and we show that this is due to the action of kinesin-1. Surprisingly, depletion of BICD2 inhibits both dynein and kinesin-1-dependent movements of the nucleus and cytoplasmic NPCs, demonstrating that BICD2 is needed not only for the dynein function at the nuclear pores but also for the antagonistic activity of kinesin-1. Our study demonstrates that the nucleus is subject to opposing activities of dynein and kinesin-1 motors and that BICD2 contributes to nuclear and centrosomal positioning prior to mitotic entry through regulation of both dynein and kinesin-1.