1. Hes1 Potentiates T Cell Lymphomagenesis by Up-Regulating a Subset of Notch Target Genes
- Author
-
Xiao Hong Sun, Darryll D. Dudley, and Hong Cheng Wang
- Subjects
congenital, hereditary, and neonatal diseases and abnormalities ,endocrine system ,T cell ,Transgene ,T-cell leukemia ,Notch signaling pathway ,lcsh:Medicine ,Mice, Transgenic ,Biology ,Lymphoma, T-Cell ,Polymerase Chain Reaction ,Mice ,medicine ,Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factors ,Cytotoxic T cell ,Animals ,IL-2 receptor ,HES1 ,lcsh:Science ,DNA Primers ,Homeodomain Proteins ,Multidisciplinary ,Base Sequence ,Receptors, Notch ,lcsh:R ,Hematology/Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia ,Flow Cytometry ,Molecular biology ,Cell biology ,Up-Regulation ,medicine.anatomical_structure ,embryonic structures ,Transcription Factor HES-1 ,lcsh:Q ,Hematology/Lymphomas and Chronic Lymphoblastic Leukemia ,Immunology/Leukocyte Development ,CD8 ,Research Article - Abstract
Background Hairy/Enhancer of Split (Hes) proteins are targets of the Notch signaling pathway and make up a class of basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) proteins that function to repress transcription. Data from Hes1 deficient mice suggested that Hes1, like Notch1, is necessary for the progression of early T cell progenitors. Constitutive activation of Notch is known to cause T cell leukemia or lymphoma but whether Hes1 has any oncogenic activity is not known. Methodology/Principal Findings We generated mice carrying a Hes1 transgene under control of the proximal promote of the lck gene. Hes1 expression led to a reduction in numbers of total thymocytes, concomitant with the increased percentage and number of immature CD8+ (ISP) T cells and sustained CD25 expression in CD4+CD8+ double positive (DP) thymocytes. Hes1 transgenic mice develop thymic lymphomas at about 20 weeks of age with a low penetrance. However, expression of Hes1 significantly shortens the latency of T cell lymphoma developed in Id1 transgenic mice, where the function of bHLH E proteins is inhibited. Interestingly, Hes1 increased expression of a subset of Notch target genes in pre-malignant ISP and DP thymocytes, which include Notch1, Notch3 and c-myc, thus suggesting a possible mechanism for lymphomagenesis. Conclusions/Significance We have demonstrated for the first time that Hes1 potentiates T cell lymphomagenesis, by up-regulating a subset of Notch target genes and by causing an accumulation of ISP thymocytes particularly vulnerable to oncogenic transformation.
- Published
- 2009