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The three mammalian TET dioxygenases oxidize the methyl group of 5-methylcytosine in DNA, and the oxidized methylcytosines are essential intermediates in all known pathways of DNA demethylation. To define the in vivo consequences of complete TET deficiency, we inducibly deleted all three Tet genes in the mouse genome. Tet1/2/3-inducible TKO ( iTKO ) mice succumbed to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) by 4 to 5 wk. Single-cell RNA sequencing of Tet iTKO bone marrow cells revealed the appearance of new myeloid cell populations characterized by a striking increase in expression of all members of the stefin/cystatin gene cluster on mouse chromosome 16. In patients with AML, high stefin/cystatin gene expression correlates with poor clinical outcomes. Increased expression of the clustered stefin/cystatin genes was associated with a heterochromatin-to-euchromatin compartment switch with readthrough transcription downstream of the clustered stefin/cystatin genes as well as other highly expressed genes, but only minor changes in DNA methylation. Our data highlight roles for TET enzymes that are distinct from their established function in DNA demethylation and instead involve increased transcriptional readthrough and changes in three-dimensional genome organization.

Hematopoiesis occurs within a unique bone marrow (BM) microenvironment, which consists of various niche cells, cytokines, growth factors, and extracellular matrix components. These multiple components directly or indirectly regulate the maintenance and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Here we report that BAP1 in BM mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) is critical for the maintenance of HSCs and B lymphopoiesis. Mice lacking BAP1 in MSCs show aberrant differentiation of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, impaired B lymphoid differentiation, and expansion of myeloid lineages. Mechanistically, BAP1 loss in distinct endosteal MSCs, expressing PRX1 but not LEPR, leads to aberrant expression of genes affiliated with BM niche functions. BAP1 deficiency leads to a reduced expression of pro-hematopoietic factors such as Scf caused by increased H2AK119-ub1 and H3K27-me3 levels on the promoter region of these genes. On the other hand, the expression of myelopoiesis stimulating factors including Csf3 was increased by enriched H3K4-me3 and H3K27-ac levels on their promoter, causing myeloid skewing. Notably, loss of BAP1 substantially blocks B lymphopoiesis and skews the differentiation of hematopoietic precursors toward myeloid lineages in vitro, which is reversed by G-CSF neutralization. Thus, our study uncovers a key role for BAP1 expressed in endosteal MSCs in controlling normal hematopoiesis in mice by modulating expression of various niche factors governing lymphopoiesis and myelopoiesis via histone modifications.

β-adrenergic receptor (β-AR) signaling plays predominant roles in modulating energy expenditure by triggering lipolysis and thermogenesis in adipose tissue, thereby conferring obesity resistance. Obesity is associated with diminished β3-adrenergic receptor (β3-AR) expression and decreased β-adrenergic responses, but the molecular mechanism coupling nutrient overload to catecholamine resistance remains poorly defined. Ten-eleven translocation (TET) proteins are dioxygenases that alter the methylation status of DNA by oxidizing 5-methylcytosine to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine and further oxidized derivatives. Here, we show that TET proteins are pivotal epigenetic suppressors of β3-AR expression in adipocytes, thereby attenuating the responsiveness to β-adrenergic stimulation. Deletion of all three Tet genes in adipocytes led to increased β3-AR expression and thereby enhanced the downstream β-adrenergic responses, including lipolysis, thermogenic gene induction, oxidative metabolism, and fat browning in vitro and in vivo. In mouse adipose tissues, Tet expression was elevated after mice ate a high-fat diet. Mice with adipose-specific ablation of all TET proteins maintained higher levels of β3-AR in both white and brown adipose tissues and remained sensitive to β-AR stimuli under high-fat diet challenge, leading to augmented energy expenditure and decreased fat accumulation. Consequently, they exhibited improved cold tolerance and were substantially protected from diet-induced obesity, inflammation, and metabolic complications, including insulin resistance and hyperlipidemia. Mechanistically, TET proteins directly repressed β3-AR transcription, mainly in an enzymatic activity-independent manner, and involved the recruitment of histone deacetylases to increase deacetylation of its promoter. Thus, the TET–histone deacetylase–β3-AR axis could be targeted to treat obesity and related metabolic diseases.

Stable expression of Foxp3 is ensured by demethylation of CpG motifs in the Foxp3 intronic element, the conserved non-coding sequence 2 (CNS2), which persists throughout the lifespan of regulatory T cells (Tregs). However, little is known about the mechanisms on how CNS2 demethylation is sustained. In this study, we found that Ten-Eleven-Translocation (Tet) DNA dioxygenase protects the CpG motifs of CNS2 from re-methylation by DNA methyltransferases (Dnmts) and prevents Tregs from losing Foxp3 expression under inflammatory conditions. Upon stimulation of Tregs by interleukin-6 (IL6), Dnmt1 was recruited to CNS2 and induced methylation, which was inhibited by Tet2 recruited by IL2. Tet2 prevented CNS2 re-methylation by not only the occupancy of the CNS2 locus but also by its enzymatic activity. These results show that the CNS2 methylation status is dynamically regulated by a balance between Tets and Dnmts which influences the expression of Foxp3 in Tregs.

Background Vitamin C suppresses leukaemogenesis by modulating Tet methylcytosine dioxygenase (TET) activity. However, its beneficial effect in the treatment of patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) remains controversial. In this study, we aimed to identify a potential predictive biomarker for vitamin C treatment in AML. Methods Gene expression patterns and their relevance to the survival of AML patients were analysed with The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) database cases. In vitro experiments were performed on AML cell lines, a SLC2A3-knockdown cell line and patient-derived primary AML cells. Results SLC2A3 expression was significantly decreased in leukaemic blast cells. Below-median SLC2A3 expression was associated with poor overall survival. Low SLC2A3 expression was associated with less effective demethylation, and a diminished vitamin C effect in the AML and lymphoma cell lines. SLC2A3 knockdown in the KG-1 cell line decreased the response of vitamin C. In patient-derived primary AML cells, vitamin C only restored TET2 activity when SLC2A3 was expressed. Conclusion SLC2A3 could be used as a potential biomarker to predict the effect of vitamin C treatment in AML.

Maintenance of the balance of DNA methylation and demethylation is fundamental for normal cellular development and function. Members of the Ten-Eleven-Translocation (TET) family proteins are Fe(II)-dependent and 2-oxoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases that catalyze sequential oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) and subsequent oxidized derivatives in DNA. In addition to their roles as intermediates in DNA demethylation, these oxidized methylcytosines are novel epigenetic modifications of DNA. DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation profiles are markedly disrupted in a wide range of cancers but how these changes are related to the pathogenesis of cancers is still ambiguous. In this review, we discuss the current understanding of TET protein functions in normal and malignant hematopoietic development and the ongoing questions to be resolved.

Mutations in the epigenetic modifiers DNMT3A and TET2 non-randomly co-occur in lymphoma and leukemia despite their epistasis in the methylation-hydroxymethylation pathway. Using Dnmt3a and Tet2 double-knockout mice in which the development of malignancy is accelerated, we show that the double-knockout methylome reflects regions of independent, competitive and cooperative activity. Expression of lineage-specific transcription factors, including the erythroid regulators Klf1 and Epor, is upregulated in double-knockout hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). DNMT3A and TET2 both repress Klf1, suggesting a model of cooperative inhibition by epigenetic modifiers. These data demonstrate a dual role for TET2 in promoting and inhibiting HSC differentiation, the loss of which, along with DNMT3A, obstructs differentiation, leading to transformation.

During the process of B cell development, transcription factors, such as E2A and Ebf1, have been known to play key roles. Although transcription factors and chromatin regulators work in concert to direct the expression of B lineage-specific genes, little is known about the involvement of regulators for chromatin structure during B lymphopoiesis. In this article, we show that deletion of Srg3/mBaf155, a scaffold subunit of the SWI/SNF-like BAF complex, in the hematopoietic lineage caused defects at both the common lymphoid progenitor stage and the transition from pre–pro-B to early pro-B cells due to failures in the expression of B lineage-specific genes, such as Ebf1 and Il7ra, and their downstream target genes. Moreover, mice that were deficient in the expression of Brg1, a subunit of the complex with ATPase activity, also showed defects in early B cell development. We also found that the expression of Ebf1 and Il7ra is directly regulated by the SWI/SNF-like BAF complex. Thus, our results suggest that the SWI/SNF-like BAF complex facilitates early B cell development by regulating the expression of B lineage-specific genes.

TET-family dioxygenases oxidize 5-methylcytosine (5mC) in DNA, and exert tumour suppressor activity in many types of cancers. Even in the absence of TET coding region mutations, TET loss-of-function is strongly associated with cancer. Here we show that acute elimination of TET function induces the rapid development of an aggressive, fully-penetrant and cell-autonomous myeloid leukaemia in mice, pointing to a causative role for TET loss-of-function in this myeloid malignancy. Phenotypic and transcriptional profiling shows aberrant differentiation of haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells, impaired erythroid and lymphoid differentiation and strong skewing to the myeloid lineage, with only a mild relation to changes in DNA modification. We also observe progressive accumulation of phospho-H2AX and strong impairment of DNA damage repair pathways, suggesting a key role for TET proteins in maintaining genome integrity., TET dioxygenases are known to have tumour suppressor activity. Here, An et al. show that Tet2/Tet3 double conditional mutant mice develop aggressive myeloid leukaemia, and suggest that rather than increased DNA methylation, aberrant gene expression and defects in DNA damage response and repair are the major drivers of myeloid leukaemogenesis upon TET loss-of-function.

TET2 is a close relative of TET1, an enzyme that converts 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) in DNA1,2. The gene encoding TET2 resides at chromosome 4q24, in a region showing recurrent microdeletions and copy-neutral loss of heterozygosity (CN-LOH) in patients with diverse myeloid malignancies3. Somatic TET2 mutations are frequently observed in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), MDS/MPN overlap syndromes including chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), acute myeloid leukemias (AML) and secondary AML (sAML)4–12. We show here that TET2 mutations associated with myeloid malignancies compromise TET2 catalytic activity. Bone marrow samples from patients with TET2 mutations displayed uniformly low levels of 5-hmC in genomic DNA compared to bone marrow samples from healthy controls. Moreover, small hairpin RNA (shRNA)-mediated depletion of Tet2 in mouse haematopoietic precursors skewed their differentiation towards monocyte/macrophage lineages in culture. There was no significant difference in DNA methylation between bone marrow samples from patients with high 5-hmC versus healthy controls, but samples from patients with low 5-hmC showed hypomethylation relative to controls at the majority of differentially-methylated CpG sites. Our results demonstrate that TET2 is important for normal myelopoiesis, and suggest that disruption of TET2 enzymatic activity favours myeloid tumorigenesis. Measurement of 5-hmC levels in myeloid malignancies may prove valuable as a diagnostic and prognostic tool, to tailor therapies and assess responses to anti-cancer drugs.

To understand the tumor-suppressing mechanism of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex, we investigated its molecular relationship with p53. Using the pREP4-luc episomal reporter, we first demonstrated that p53 utilizes the chromatin remodeling activity of the SWI/SNF complex to initiate transcription from the chromatin-structured promoter. Among the components of the SWI/SNF complex, we identified BAF60a as a mediator of the interaction with p53 by the yeast two-hybrid assay. p53 directly interacted only with BAF60a, but not with other components of the SWI/SNF complex, such as BRG1, SRG3, SNF5, or BAF57. We found out that multiple residues at the amino acid 108-150 region of BAF60a were involved in the interaction with the tetramerization domain of p53. The N-terminal fragment of BAF60a containing the p53-interacting region as well as small interfering RNA for baf60a inhibited the SWI/SNF complex-mediated transcriptional activity of p53. The uncoupling of p53 with the SWI/SNF complex resulted in the repression of both p53-dependent apoptosis and cell cycle arrest by the regulation of target genes. These results suggest that the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex is involved in the suppression of tumors by the interaction with p53.

DNA methylation is a well-characterized epigenetic modification that plays central roles in mammalian development, genomic imprinting, X-chromosome inactivation and silencing of retrotransposon elements. Aberrant DNA methylation pattern is a characteristic feature of cancers and associated with abnormal expression of oncogenes, tumor suppressor genes or repair genes. Ten-eleven-translocation (TET) proteins are recently characterized dioxygenases that catalyze progressive oxidation of 5-methylcytosine to produce 5-hydroxymethylcytosine and further oxidized derivatives. These oxidized methylcytosines not only potentiate DNA demethylation but also behave as independent epigenetic modifications per se. The expression or activity of TET proteins and DNA hydroxymethylation are highly dysregulated in a wide range of cancers including hematologic and non-hematologic malignancies, and accumulating evidence points TET proteins as a novel tumor suppressor in cancers. Here we review DNA demethylation-dependent and -independent functions of TET proteins. We also describe diverse TET loss-of-function mutations that are recurrently found in myeloid and lymphoid malignancies and their potential roles in hematopoietic transformation. We discuss consequences of the deficiency of individual Tet genes and potential compensation between different Tet members in mice. Possible mechanisms underlying facilitated oncogenic transformation of TET-deficient hematopoietic cells are also described. Lastly, we address non-mutational mechanisms that lead to suppression or inactivation of TET proteins in cancers. Strategies to restore normal 5mC oxidation status in cancers by targeting TET proteins may provide new avenues to expedite the development of promising anti-cancer agents.

DNA methylation has pivotal regulatory roles in mammalian development, retrotransposon silencing, genomic imprinting and X-chromosome inactivation. Cancer cells display highly dysregulated DNA methylation profiles characterized by global hypomethylation in conjunction with hypermethylation of promoter CpG islands (CGIs) that presumably lead to genome instability and aberrant expression of tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes. The recent discovery of Ten-Eleven-Translocation (TET) family dioxygenases that oxidize 5mC to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), 5-formylcytosine (5fC) and 5-carboxylcytosine (5caC) in DNA has led to profound progress in understanding the mechanism underlying DNA demethylation. Among the three TET genes, TET2 recurrently undergoes inactivating mutations in a wide range of myeloid and lymphoid malignancies. TET2 functions as a bona fide tumor suppressor particularly in the pathogenesis of myeloid malignancies resembling chronic myelomoncytic leukemia (CMML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) in human. Here we review diverse functions of TET proteins and the novel epigenetic marks that they generate in DNA methylation/demethylation dynamics and normal and malignant hematopoietic differentiation. The impact of TET2 inactivation in hematopoiesis and various mechanisms modulating the expression or activity of TET proteins are also discussed. Furthermore, we also present evidence that TET2 and TET3 collaborate to suppress aberrant hematopoiesis and hematopoietic transformation. A detailed understanding of the normal and pathological functions of TET proteins may provide new avenues to develop novel epigenetic therapies for treating hematological malignancies.

The ten-eleven translocation 2 gene (TET2) encodes a member of the TET family of DNA methylcytosine oxidases that converts 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) to initiate the demethylation of DNA within genomic CpG islands. Somatic loss-of-function mutations of TET2 are frequently observed in human myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), which is a clonal malignancy characterized by dysplastic changes of developing blood cell progenitors, leading to ineffective hematopoiesis. We used genome-editing technology to disrupt the zebrafish Tet2 catalytic domain. tet2(m/m) (homozygous for the mutation) zebrafish exhibited normal embryonic and larval hematopoiesis but developed progressive clonal myelodysplasia as they aged, culminating in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) at 24 months of age, with dysplasia of myeloid progenitor cells and anemia with abnormal circulating erythrocytes. The resultant tet2(m/m) mutant zebrafish lines show decreased levels of 5hmC in hematopoietic cells of the kidney marrow but not in other cell types, most likely reflecting the ability of other Tet family members to provide this enzymatic activity in nonhematopoietic tissues but not in hematopoietic cells. tet2(m/m) zebrafish are viable and fertile, providing an ideal model to dissect altered pathways in hematopoietic cells and, for small-molecule screens in embryos, to identify compounds with specific activity against tet2 mutant cells.

The SWI3-related gene product (SRG3), a component of the mouse SWI/SNF complex, has been suggested to have an alternative function. Here, we demonstrate that in the prostate transactivation of the androgen receptor (AR) is modulated by SRG3 in multiple ways. The expression of SRG3, which is developmentally regulated in the prostate, is induced by androgen through AR. SRG3 in turn enhances the transactivation of AR, providing a positive feedback regulatory loop. The SRG3 coactivation of AR transactivation is achieved through the recruitment of coactivator SRC-1, the protein level of which is upregulated by SRG3, providing another pathway of positive regulation. Interestingly, SRG3 coactivation of AR transactivation is fully functional in BRG1/BRM-deficient C33A cells and the AR/SRG3/SRC-1 complex formed in vivo contains neither BRG1 nor BRM protein, suggesting the possibility of an SRG3 function independent of the SWI/SNF complex. Importantly, the AR/SRG3/SRC-1 complex occupies androgen response elements on the endogenous SRG3 and PSA promoter in an androgen-dependent manner in mouse prostate and LNCaP cells, respectively, inducing gene expression. These results suggest that the multiple positive regulatory mechanisms of AR transactivation by SRG3 may be important for the rapid proliferation of prostate cells during prostate development and regeneration.

Activation of T cell antigen receptor (TCR) signaling inhibits glucocorticoid (GC)-induced apoptosis of T cells. However, the detailed mechanism regarding how activated T cells are protected from GC-induced apoptosis is unclear. Previously, we have shown that the expression level of SRG3, a murine homolog of BAF155 in humans, correlated well with the GC sensitivity of T cells either in vitro or in vivo. Intriguingly, the expression of SRG3 decreased upon positive selection in the thymus. Here we have shown that TCR signaling inhibits the SRG3 expression via Ras activation and thereby renders primary thymocytes and some thymoma cells resistant to GC-mediated apoptosis. By using pharmacological inhibitors, we have shown that Ras-mediated down-regulation of the SRG3 gene expression is mediated by MEK/ERK and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase pathways. Moreover, TCR signals repressed the SRG3 transcription through the putative binding sites for E proteins and Ets family transcription factors in the proximal region of the SRG3 promoter. Introduction of mutations in these elements rendered the SRG3 promoter immune to the Ras or TCR signals. Taken together, these observations suggest that TCR signals result in GC desensitization in immature T cells by repressing SRG3 gene expression via Ras activation.

The E protein family transcription factors encoded by the E2A and HEB genes are known to play critical roles in the coordinate regulation of lymphocyte development. Previous studies have shown that T cell receptor (TCR) signals rapidly induce Id3, a dominant negative antagonist of E2A activity and allow thymocytes to survive selection events in the thymus. Here we show that SRG3 acts as a novel downstream target of E2A/HeLa E box-binding (HEB) complex and modulates glucocorticoid (GC) susceptibility in thymocytes in response to TCR signals. We have identified a putative E box element in the SRG3 promoter that is required for optimal promoter activity. The transcription factors E2A and HEB specifically associate with the E box element. Moreover, E2A-HEB heterodimers cooperated to activate SRG3 transcription, which was inhibited by the expression of Id proteins. TCR-mediated signals rapidly induced Id3 via MEK/ERK activation and thereby kept the E2A/HEB complex from binding to the E box element in the SRG3 promoter. Retroviral transduction of Id3 also repressed the SRG3 expression by inhibiting the E box binding activity of the E2A/HEB complex. Intriguingly, enforced Id3 expression conferred thymocyte resistance to GCs, which could be overcome by the overexpression of SRG3. Taken together, these results suggest that Id3 may enhance the viability of immature thymocytes by at least rendering them resistant to GCs through SRG3 down-regulation.

The methylation of cytosine and subsequent oxidation constitutes a fundamental epigenetic modification in mammalian genomes, and its abnormalities are intimately coupled to various pathogenic processes including cancer development. Enzymes of the Ten-eleven translocation (TET) family catalyze the stepwise oxidation of 5-methylcytosine in DNA to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine and further oxidation products. These oxidized 5-methylcytosine derivatives represent intermediates in the reversal of cytosine methylation, and also serve as stable epigenetic modifications that exert distinctive regulatory roles. It is becoming increasingly obvious that TET proteins and their catalytic products are key regulators of embryonic development, stem cell functions and lineage specification. Over the past several years, the function of TET proteins as a barrier between normal and malignant states has been extensively investigated. Dysregulation of TET protein expression or function is commonly observed in a wide range of cancers. Notably, TET loss-of-function is causally related to the onset and progression of hematologic malignancy in vivo. In this review, we focus on recent advances in the mechanistic understanding of DNA methylation-demethylation dynamics, and their potential regulatory functions in cellular differentiation and oncogenic transformation.

The CXXC domains of TET2 (encoded by the distinct gene IDAX) and TET3 are found to have previously unknown roles in the regulation of TET proteins through the activation of caspases and subsequent reduction in TET catalytic activity; this regulation is dependent on DNA binding through the CXXC domain. TET family proteins modify the methylation status of DNA by oxidizing 5-methylcytosine to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC, sometimes called the 'fifth base' of DNA) and other intermediates. TET1 and TET3 contain a CXXC domain but the ancestral CXXC domain of TET2 is encoded by a distinct gene, IDAX (or CXXC4). This paper demonstrates that IDAX binds unmethylated CpG-rich DNA via its CXXC domain and recruits TET2. The separate and linked CXXC domains of TET2 and TET3 are shown to act as regulators of caspase activation and TET enzymatic activity. The authors suggest that future studies should focus on the genomic targets of TET2, IDAX and the IDAX-related protein CXXC5 in normal development and in cancer. TET (ten-eleven-translocation) proteins are Fe(ii)- and α-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenases1,2,3 that modify the methylation status of DNA by successively oxidizing 5-methylcytosine to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, 5-formylcytosine and 5-carboxycytosine1,3,4,5, potential intermediates in the active erasure of DNA-methylation marks5,6. Here we show that IDAX (also known as CXXC4), a reported inhibitor of Wnt signalling7 that has been implicated in malignant renal cell carcinoma8 and colonic villous adenoma9, regulates TET2 protein expression. IDAX was originally encoded within an ancestral TET2 gene that underwent a chromosomal gene inversion during evolution, thus separating the TET2 CXXC domain from the catalytic domain. The IDAX CXXC domain binds DNA sequences containing unmethylated CpG dinucleotides, localizes to promoters and CpG islands in genomic DNA and interacts directly with the catalytic domain of TET2. Unexpectedly, IDAX expression results in caspase activation and TET2 protein downregulation, in a manner that depends on DNA binding through the IDAX CXXC domain, suggesting that IDAX recruits TET2 to DNA before degradation. IDAX depletion prevents TET2 downregulation in differentiating mouse embryonic stem cells, and short hairpin RNA against IDAX increases TET2 protein expression in the human monocytic cell line U937. Notably, we find that the expression and activity of TET3 is also regulated through its CXXC domain. Taken together, these results establish the separate and linked CXXC domains of TET2 and TET3, respectively, as previously unknown regulators of caspase activation and TET enzymatic activity.

TET2 is mutated/deleted with high frequencies in multiple forms of myeloid malignancies including MDS, CMML, MPN, and AML. However, little is known regarding the biological function of TET2 and its role in the pathogenesis of myeloid malignancies. To study the function of TET2 in vivo, we generated a Tet2 knock out mouse model. Deletion of Tet2 in mice led to dramatic reduction in the 5-hydroxymethylcytosine levels and concomitant increase in the 5-methylcytosine levels in the genomic DNA of BM cells. The Tet2−/− mice contained an increased Lin−Sca-1+c-Kit+ (LSK) cell pool before the development of myeloid malignancies. A competitive reconstitution assay revealed that Tet2−/− LSK cells had an increased hematopoietic repopulating capacity with an altered cell differentiation skewing toward monocytic/granulocytic lineages. Approximately 1/3 of Tet2−/− and 8% of Tet2+/− mice died within 1 year of age because of the development of myeloid malignancies resembling characteristics of CMML, MPD-like myeloid leukemia, and MDS. Furthermore, transplantation of Tet2−/−, but not wild-type (WT) or Tet2+/− BM cells, led to increased WBC counts, monocytosis, and splenomegaly in WT recipient mice. These data indicate that Tet2-deficient mice recapitulate patients with myeloid malignancies, implying that Tet2 functions as a tumor suppressor to maintain hematopoietic cell homeostasis.

The Ten-Eleven-Translocation 2 ( TET2 ) gene encodes a member of TET family enzymes that alters the epigenetic status of DNA by oxidizing 5-methylcytosine to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). Somatic loss-of-function mutations of TET2 are frequently observed in patients with diverse myeloid malignancies, including myelodysplastic syndromes, myeloproliferative neoplasms, and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. By analyzing mice with targeted disruption of the Tet2 catalytic domain, we show here that Tet2 is a critical regulator of self-renewal and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Tet2 deficiency led to decreased genomic levels of 5hmC and augmented the size of the hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell pool in a cell-autonomous manner. In competitive transplantation assays, Tet2 -deficient HSCs were capable of multilineage reconstitution and possessed a competitive advantage over wild-type HSCs, resulting in enhanced hematopoiesis into both lymphoid and myeloid lineages. In vitro, Tet2 deficiency delayed HSC differentiation and skewed development toward the monocyte/macrophage lineage. Our data indicate that Tet2 has a critical role in regulating the expansion and function of HSCs, presumably by controlling 5hmC levels at genes important for the self-renewal, proliferation, and differentiation of HSCs.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are one of the most common and most difficult to treat of all hematologic malignancies. MDS are diverse clonal disorders of hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow that cause dysplastic differentiation in developing progenitors leading to ineffective hematopoiesis, dangerously low circulating blood counts, and evolution to acute myeloid leukemia (AML). We sought to create a faithful zebrafish model of MDS, to study the altered molecular pathways and mechanisms underlying this disease and to provide a means to identify synthetic lethal relationships that can be exploited with small molecule inhibitors to selectively eliminate the mutant cells. Somatic loss-of-function mutations of the Ten-ElevenTranslocation-2 (TET2) and Additional Sex Combs Like 1 (ASXL1) genes are the most frequent clonal somatically acquired genetic abnormalities that have been identified in human MDS and other myeloid malignancies, such as chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML). To generate a zebrafish model of MDS with tet2 and asxl1 loss, we used genome-editing technology to disrupt the zebrafish tet2 and asxl1 genes. The resultant tet2m/m mutant zebrafish are viable and fertile and exhibited normal embryonic and larval hematopoiesis, but developed myelodysplastic syndrome progressing to anemia at 24 months of age. asxl1 m/m mutant zebrafish are embryonic lethal with bone malformations. asxl1 m/m embryos show reduced numbers of hematopoietic and progenitor stem cells (HSPCs), a phenotype which is rescued by Tet2 loss. Combined loss of tet2 and asxl1 in the zebrafish leads to CMML at 5 months of age. These zebrafish lines provide animal models for small molecule and genetic screens in definitive HSPCs to identify synthetic lethal relationships and to dissect the pathways in hematopoietic cells that are altered by loss of function of tet2 and asxl1. Citation Format: Evisa Gjini, Marc Mansour, Jeffry Sander, Shuning He, Myunggon Ko, Yi Zhou, Scott Rodig, Keith Joung, Leonard Zon, Anjana Rao, Thomas Look. Zebrafish models of myeloid malignancies produced through tet2 and asxl1 genomic editing. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 106th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2015 Apr 18-22; Philadelphia, PA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):Abstract nr 5152. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2015-5152

Tet2 catalyzes the conversion of 5-methylcytosine to 5-hydroxylmethylcytosine (5hmC), which is considered the first step in active DNA demethylation. TET2 is frequently mutated in various hematopoietic malignancies. Mutations in TET2 and DNMT3A often co-occur in T cell lymphoma patients, though they work in the same DNA methylation-hydroxymethylation pathway. Here, we explored whether TET2 and DNMT3A could cooperate and how they interact in malignant hematopoiesis using an Mx1-cre+; Dnmt3af/f; Tet2-/- (DKO) mouse model, using as controls Mx1-cre; Dnmt3af/f (Dnmt3a KO) mice, Tet2-/- (Tet2 KO) mice and WT mice. We performed whole bone marrow transplantation of each genotype in competition with WT bone marrow to compare the competiveness of mutant stem cells. We found the order of engraftment activity to be: DKO > Tet2 KO > Dnmt3a KO, suggesting Dnmt3a loss-of-function augments the competitive advantage of Tet2 KO cells. Consistent with our results, DKO recipients showed a threefold increase in Lin-Sca1+cKit+ (LSK) population compared to Tet2 KO recipients 6 months after transplantation. There was also an increase in short-term hematopoietic stem cells, showing Dnmt3a loss can increase the stem cell and progenitor pool in Tet2 KO background. Forty weeks after transplantation, DKO recipients developed lethal B cell ALL characterized by leukocytosis and anemia, while Tet2 KO mice did not show signs of hematopoietic malignancy one year after transplantation. We then isolated genomic DNA and RNA from Tet2 KO and DKO long-term hematopoietic stem cells (Lin- cKit+Sca1+ CD48- CD150+) and performed whole genome bisulfite sequencing and RNA-seq. We compared the transcriptome and methylome of DKO, Tet2 KO, and Dnmt3a KO with that of WT HSCs, and we identified the differentially expressed transcripts and DMRs in the DKO that overlap with those in the single mutants, as well as those unique to the DKO. At the transcriptome level, the DKO HSCs overexpressed multiple transcription factors associated with differentiated lineage - lymphoid Ikzf1, Pax5, and Ebf1, myeloid Cebpa and Cebpe, and erythroid Klf1. Specifically, overexpression of the erythroid gene signature controlled by Klf1 was observed only in DKO HSCs. This signature is also found in AML patients carrying both DNMT3A and TET2 mutations, suggesting Klf1 overexpression in DKO HSCs could be the driving event of leukemogenesis. Further, we found the expression levels of Klf1 and Ikzf1 across the genotype in following order: DKO>Tet2 KO>WT>Dnmt3a KO, suggesting Tet2 represses these genes in wild type HSCs. At the methylome level, most hypomethylated differential methylated region (DMR) in DKO HSCs are already hypomethylated in Dnmt3a KO HSCs - evidence that Dnmt3a is upstream of Tet2 in the regulation of the methylome. We identified 9 major dynamic methylation patterns across the 3 genotypes, including one that indicates that Dnmt3a and Tet2 are counteractive. However, in about 15% of these DMRs, methylation levels in the DKO decreased to an average of 10%, while the same genomic regions of the Dnmt3a KO had average methylation levels of 50% (a 30% decrease compared with WT). This significant decrease in Dnmt3a KO indicates that Tet2 maintains the methylation at these DMRs in Dnmt3a KO HSCs. Further investigation shows that these DMRs are enriched in 5hmC in the Dnmt3a KO HSCs, which implies that Tet2 is hydroxymethylating the DMRs at these sites when Dnmt3a is lost. Both Klf1 and Ikzf1 harbor a DMR of this kind in their upstream promoter regions. The hypomethylated DMR associated with Klf1 is already hypomethylated in the Dnmt3a KO HSCs, but the methylation level further decreased in the DKO from 50% (Dnmt3a KO) to 0.02% (DKO). Elevated 5hmC is also observed in the DMRs of Klf1 and Ikzf1 in Dnmt3a KO HSCs. 5hmC is thought to be associated with both repressive and activating marks, and the expression of Klf1 and Ikzf1 is repressed in Dnmt3a KO HSCs but upregulated in Tet2 KO. Thus we propose that DNA methylation at regulatory regions of these factors decreases in Dnmt3a KO HSCs, but Tet2 represses their expression by hydroxylmethylation. The loss of both Tet2 and Dnmt3a is required for full activation of Klf1 and Ikzf1. Therefore, we conclude that in HSCs both Tet2 and Dnmt3a likely repress differentiation-associated transcriptional factors by hydroxymethylating and methylating at regulatory regions. Figure 1 Figure 1. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

The major function of the thymus is to eliminate developing thymocytes that are potentially useless or autoreactive, and select only those that bear functional T cell antigen receptors (TCRs) through fastidious screening. It is believed that glucocorticoids (GCs) are at least in part responsible for cell death during death by neglect. In this review, we will mainly cover the topic of the GC-induced apoptosis of developing thymocytes. We will also discuss how thymocytes that are fated to die by GCs can be rescued from GC-induced apoptosis in response to a variety of signals with antagonizing properties for GC receptor (GR) signaling. Currently, a lot of evidence supports the notion that the decision is made as a result of the integration of the multiple signal transduction networks that are triggered by GR, TCR, and Notch. A few candidate molecules at the converging point of these multiple signaling pathyways will be discussed. We will particularly describe the role of the SRG3 protein as a potent modulator of GC-induced apoptosis in the crosstalk.

Immature double-positive thymocytes are sensitive to glucocorticoid (GC)-induced apoptosis, whereas mature single-positive T cells are relatively resistant. Thymocytes seem to acquire resistance to GCs during differentiation into mature single-positive thymocytes. However, detailed knowledge concerning what determines the sensitivity of thymocytes to GCs and how GC sensitivity is regulated in thymocytes during development is lacking. We have previously reported that the murine SRG3 gene (for SWI3-related gene) is required for GC-induced apoptosis in a thymoma cell line. Herein, we provide results suggesting that the expression level of SRG3 protein determines the GC sensitivity of T cells in mice. SRG3 associates with the GC receptor in the thymus, but rarely in the periphery. Transgenic overexpression of the SRG3 protein in peripheral T cells induces the formation of the complex and renders the cells sensitive to GC-induced apoptosis. Our results also show that blocking the formation of the SRG3-GC receptor complex with a dominant negative mutant form of SRG3 decreases GC sensitivity in thymoma cells. In addition, mice overexpressing the SRG3 protein appear to be much more susceptible to stress-induced deletion of peripheral T cells than normal mice, which may result in an immunosuppressive state in an animal.

Identification of recurrent leukemia-associated mutations in genes encoding regulators of DNA methylation such as DNMT3A and TET2 have underscored the critical importance of DNA methylation in maintenance of normal physiology. To gain insight into how DNA methylation exerts the central role, we sought to determine the genome-wide pattern of DNA methylation in the normal precursors of leukemia cells: the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC), and investigate the factors that affect alterations in DNA methylation and gene expression. We performed whole genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) on purified murine HSCs achieving a total of 1,121M reads, resulting in a combined average of 40X coverage. Using Hidden Markov Model we identified 32,325 under-methylated regions (UMRs) with average proportion of methylation ≤ 10% and by inspecting the UMR size distribution, we discovered exceptionally large “methylation Canyons” which span highly conserved domains frequently containing transcription factors and are quite distinct from CpG islands and shores. Methylation Canyons are a distinct genomic feature that is stable, albeit with subtle differences, across cell-types and species. Canyon-associated genes showed a striking pattern of enrichment for genes involved in transcriptional regulation (318 genes, P=6.2 x 10-123), as well as genes containing a homeobox domain (111 genes, P=3.9 x 10-85). We compared Canyons with TF binding sites as identified from more than 150 ChIP-seq data sets across a variety of blood lineages (>10)19 and found that TF binding peaks for 10 HSC pluripotency TFs are significantly enriched in entirety of Canyons compared with their surrounding regions. Low DNA methylation is usually associated with active gene expression. However, half of Canyon genes associated with H3K27me3 showed low or no expression regardless of their H3K4me3 association while H3K4me3-only Canyon genes were highly expressed. Because DNMT3A is mutated in a high frequency of human leukemias24, we examined the impact of loss of Dnmt3a on Canyon size. Upon knockout of Dnmt3a, the edges of the Canyons are hotspots of differential methylation while regions inside of Canyon are relatively resistant. The methylation loss in Dnmt3a KO HSCs led Canyon edge erosion, Canyon size expansion and addition of 861 new Canyons for a total of 1787 Canyons. Canyons marked with H3K4me3 only were most likely to expand after Dnmt3a KO and the canyons marked only with H3K27me3 or with both marks were more likely to contract. This suggests Dnmt3a specifically is acting to restrain Canyon size where active histone marks (and active transcription) are already present. WGBS cannot distinguish between 5mC and 5hmC, so we determined the genome-wide distribution of 5hmC in WT and Dnmt3a KO HSCs using the cytosine-5-methylenesulphonate (CMS)-Seq method in which sodium bisulfate treatment convert 5hmC to CMS; CMS-containing DNA fragments are then immunoprecipitated using a CMS specific antiserum. Strikingly, 5hmC peaks were enriched specifically at the borders of Canyons. In particular, expanding Canyons, typically associated with highest H3K4me3 marking, were highly enriched at the edges for the 5hmC signal suggesting a model in which Tet proteins and Dnmt3a act concomitantly on Canyon borders opposing each other in alternately effacing and restoring methylation at the edges, particularly at sites of active chromatin marks. Using Oncomine data, we tested whether Canyon-associated genes were likely to be associated with hematologic malignancy development and found Canyon genes were highly enriched in seven signatures of genes over-expressed in Leukemia patients compared to normal bone marrow; in contrast, four sets of control genes were not similarly enriched. Further using TCGA data, we found that expressed canyon genes are significantly enriched for differentially expressed genes between patients with and without DNMT3A mutation (p value Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 462 In myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), mutations in genes affecting epigenetic regulation constitute a link between genomic and epigenetic instability. Previously, we and others described mutations in TET2, coding for a 2-oxyglutarate-dependent methylcytosine dioxygenase, which converts 5-methycytosine (5-mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC). Subsequently, dysfunction of wild type TET2 was mechanistically linked to neomorphic IDH mutations which deplete 2-oxyglutarate and produce a competitive inhibitor, 2-hydroxyglutarate. Previously, we established analytic tools to indirectly quantify 5-hmC content in leukemic genomes: in patients with myeloid malignancies 5-hmC levels are decreased as compared to healthy controls (p=1.8e-09). A decrease in 5-hmC levels correlated with dysfunction of TET2 as a consequence of inactivating hypomorphic mutations. Nevertheless, while in a majority of patients with decreased 5hmC levels TET2 mutations can be found, in a substantial minority of cases no explanation for the 5hmC deficiency has been found; down-modulation of TET2 mRNA and protein expression was absent and mutations in TET1 and TET3 have not been identified. Thus, other currently unidentified proteins may be directly or indirectly (via regulation of TET activity) involved in the deregulation of 5hmC levels in TET2 and IDH1/2-mutation-negative cases with low 5-hmC. To further investigate this issue we first characterized on a molecular levels patients with low 5-hmC using various approaches. SNP-A karyotyping failed to identify recurrent chromosomal defects in these patients that could point towards defects in pathogenic genes involved in the regulation of 5-hmC levels. We also screened 107 MDS patients to correlate of genomic 5-hmC content and the presence of recurrent mutations including IDH1/2, DNMT3A, ASXL1 and RUNX1 genes (as well as TET2). Within these genes, except for an association with TET2 mutations, a positive correlation with low 5-hmC levels was found only for IDH1/2 mutant cases (p=.05, n=5), whereas no correlation has been established for DNMT3A (p=.119, n=12), ASXL1 (p=.434, n=21) and RUNX1 (p=.602, n=22) mutant cases. While TET2 and IDH mutations were rarely seen together (n=1), none of the other studied gene mutations were mutually exclusive with TET2, suggesting contributions of defects in novel yet not identified genes. Several other genes similar to TET or IDH proteins, or hypothetically linked to DNA demethylation pathways could, at least theoretically, affect 5-hmC content, including for instance D2HGDH and the ELP gene family. However, no mutations were identified in these patients, except for identification of yet unknown SNPs in D2HGDH and ELP4 in some patients with unexplained low 5-hmC levels. In addition to the targeted approach we have also applied next generation sequencing technologies and sequenced whole exomes of malignant and non-affected cells (paired-end (2×100) Illumina HiSeq 2000) to identify novel acquired determinants of 5-mC hydroxymethylation in two representative patients. By using a selective algorithm, 18 overlapping potential somatic alterations in these patients were found in genes which could functionally affect 5-hmC content. In addition, several other mutated genes have been identified in each patient; these are being further investigated in other patients with low 5-hmC levels. Sanger sequencing was applied to confirm the presence of previously detected mutations in NF1 and KRAS, as well as all novel mutations, for instance in BRCC3 and SF3B1, in these patients. In sum, our results provide novel insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying MDS pathophysiology and describe the possibility that the TET family enzymes can act together with other putative proteins linked to DNA demethylation pathways. The use of high throughput sequencing technologies increase the probability of identification of novel changes which can be linked to functional consequences in these patients, ultimately furthering the understanding its role in genomic stability in MDS. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract SCI-32 TET family enzymes convert 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) in DNA. Somatic TET2 mutations are frequently observed in myeloid neoplasms in humans. Bone marrow samples from patients with mutant TET2, as well as some patients with wild type TET2, display low levels of 5hmC in genomic DNA compared to healthy controls. Measurement of 5hmC levels in myeloid malignancies may prove valuable as a diagnostic and prognostic tool to tailor therapies and assess responses to anticancer drugs. We have developed novel and specific approaches to profile the genomic localization of 5hmC and will describe their application to profiling 5hmC in mouse hematopoietic progenitor cells that express or lack Tet2. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 2354 Epigenetic alterations in cancer cells include aberrant DNA methylation and histone modifications. Specifically, cancer cells display global hypomethylation associated with genomic instability as well as promoter hypermethylation associated with inactivation of tumor suppressor, cell cycle or repair-related genes. In the hematopoietic system, whole-genome sequencing and other genetic analyses have led to the discovery of recurrent somatic alterations that contribute to the pathogenesis of a variety of myeloid malignancies by perturbing the epigenetic landscape of cancer cells. Ten-Eleven-Translocation (TET) family enzymes, TET1, TET2, and TET3 modify DNA methylation status by converting 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) in a 2-oxoglutarate and Fe2+-dependent manner. TET2 is located in chromosome 4q24, a region undergoing frequent microdeletions and uniparental disomy in patients with a wide spectrum of myeloid malignancies. Somatic mutations in TET2 are some of the most prevalent acquired mutations in myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS), myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN), MDS/MPN overlap syndromes including chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and secondary AML (sAML). We previously showed that missense mutations of TET2 in myeloid malignancies are loss-of-function mutations that compromise its dioxygenase activity. TET2 mutations correlate with decreased levels of 5hmC in patients. Tet2-depleted mouse hematopoietic precursor cells are preferentially committed to differentiation towards monocyte/ macrophage lineages in culture. The levels of DNA methylation in patients with high 5hmC versus healthy controls are similar, however, samples from patients with low 5hmC show hypomethylation relative to controls at the majority of differentially methylated CpG sites. Although it is postulated that impaired TET2 activity may potentiate myeloid transformation by influencing hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs), it has yet to be directly tested whether Tet2 mutations or deletions are implicated in abnormal hematopoiesis in vivo. To clarify the function of Tet2 in hematopoietic development, we generated mice with targeted disruption of the Tet2 catalytic domain and found that Tet2 is critical for self-renewal and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Ablation of Tet2 specifically repressed Tet2 expression with no effect on the other Tet family members, Tet1 and Tet3. Dot blot analysis showed that Tet2-deficient cells contain significantly diminished levels of genomic 5hmC in several organs examined. Tet2 deficiency augmented the frequency and absolute number of HSPC compartment in a cell-autonomous manner. In competitive transplantation assays, Tet2-deficient HSCs were capable of multi-lineage reconstitution and possessed a competitive advantage over wild type HSCs, resulting in enhanced hematopoiesis into both lymphoid and myeloid lineages. In vitro differentiation assays showed that Tet2 restrains HSCs from undergoing differentiation, as assessed by expression of lineage markers upon differentiation. Despite this antagonizing effect, however, the number of monocyte/ macrophage cells was greater in Tet2−/− cultures compared with controls, and immature Tet2−/− progenitor cells differentiated prematurely into the monocyte/macrophage lineage. These results indicate that Tet2 deficiency alters stem/progenitor cell properties to delay HSC differentiation and induce developmental skewing towards the monocyte/macrophage lineage. Taken together, these studies indicate that Tet2 has a critical role in regulating the expansion and self-renewal of HSCs. Our data suggest that cell fate decisions of HSPC are affected by TET2 mutations that decrease enzymatic activity, and that this phenomenon has a crucial role in the pathogenesis of diverse myeloid malignancies. We are testing whether Tet2 deficiency synergises with other recurrent mutations to promote myeloid malignancies. Because loss-of-function mutations in TET1 or TET3 have not been reported in most TET2-mutated cancer and TET2 loss-of-function seems to facilitate myeloid transformation because of impaired 5hmC production, it might be beneficial from the perspective of cancer therapies to develop strategies to activate the enzymatic activity of other TET proteins. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract 1 TET2 mutations are frequently found across broad spectrum of myeloid malignancies but how these mutations contribute to diseases is still unknown. Preliminary results from our laboratory have suggested that TET2 converts 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) and consequently, the levels of 5-hmC may be lower in genomes of mutant bone marrow cells. To facilitate study of TET2 function we developed a blot assay to detect 5-hmC in genomic DNA with a specific antiserum to 5-hmC. In a second improved assay with increased sensitivity and precision, we treated genomic DNA with bisulfite in order to convert 5-hmC to cytosine 5-methylenesulfonate (CMS) and measured 5-hmC levels indirectly using a specific anti-CMS serum. Based on the results of this technique we demonstrate here for the first time that indeed TET2 mutations in predicted catalytic residues and other positions compromised TET2 function. We studied 102 patients with various myeloid malignancies (4/28 MDS, 14%, 26/48 MDS/MPN, 54% and 1/4 MPN, 2% and primary 2/11 AML 18% and 3/11 sAML, 27% TET2 mutants, respectively) and compared to wt cases or controls (N=17). Mutations were found throughout the entire coding region and were mostly inactivating (33/45 TET2 mutations). The levels of 5-hmC in genomic DNA from TET2 mutants were significantly decreased in comparison to wt cases and controls (p=4.5e-08 and p=1.8e-09, respectively). Particularly low levels of 5-hmC were found in patients with homozygous (UPD)/hemizygous (deletion) TET2 mutations and those with biallelic mutations. Surprisingly, 18% of all TET2 WT patients also showed low levels of genomic 5-hmC (despite normal TET2 mRNA expression), suggesting that these patients may carry not yet identified variants/lesions in TET2 or other partner proteins involved in TET2-mediated catalysis. To further investigate the impact of TET2 mutations associated with myeloid malignancies we also introduced 9 different missense mutations corresponding to those found in patients into murine Tet2 cells; severe loss of enzymatic activity was observed in 7/9 cases as measured by greatly diminished 5-hmC levels. To study the role of Tet2 in normal hematopoiesis we depleted Tet2 in C57BL/6 mice by retrovirus-mediated transduction of shRNA against Tet2. Tet2 depletion is associated with skewing of hematopoietic differentiation towards the monocyte/macrophage lineage. To further investigate the function of TET2 we transduced the myeloid THP-1 cell line with lentiviral vector containing TET2 cDNA (TET2+) or an empty vector. This manipulation allowed us to select clones showing 19-fold increase in TET2 mRNA expression without significantly alterations of proliferation kinetics. Using this model we studied the impact of TET2 overexpression on resultant methylation pattern of CpG sites. We have applied Illumina Infinium HumanMethylation27 arrays (27,5K CpG sites/14.4K genes). Overexpression of TET2 resulted in a distinct promoter methylation patterns with 169 altered CpG sites with difference of averaged β>0.5 (considered significant as compared to control). Among these differentially methylated loci, 27 promoters were significantly hypomethylated while 42 were hypermethylated as compared to control cells. Change in methylation pattern observed through overexpression of TET2 in vitro prompted us to analyze methylation patterns in patients with and without TET2 mutations or those with decreased 5-hmC levels. Using methylation arrays a total of 62 cases were analyzed. When patients were grouped based on the levels of 5hmC, an associated methylation signature can be clearly discerned with 2512 differentially methylated loci and distinct skewing towards hypomethylation (2510 sites; e.g., TMEM102, ABCC11) vs. hypermethylation (2 sites, AIM2 and SP140), consistent with the observation made in the TET2+ cells line. In sum, our results provide strong evidence for TET2 as the first mutated gene in myeloid malignancies that is involved in conversion of 5-mC to 5-hmC in DNA, indicating the novel role of TET2 in a substantial component of epigenetic deregulation in myeloid malignancies. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Summary: Dioxygenases of the TET family impact genome functions by converting 5-methylcytosine (5mC) in DNA to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). Here, we identified TET2 as a crucial regulator of mast cell differentiation and proliferation. In the absence of TET2, mast cells showed disrupted gene expression and altered genome-wide 5hmC deposition, especially at enhancers and in the proximity of downregulated genes. Impaired differentiation of Tet2-ablated cells could be relieved or further exacerbated by modulating the activity of other TET family members, and mechanistically it could be linked to the dysregulated expression of C/EBP family transcription factors. Conversely, the marked increase in proliferation induced by the loss of TET2 could be rescued exclusively by re-expression of wild-type or catalytically inactive TET2. Our data indicate that, in the absence of TET2, mast cell differentiation is under the control of compensatory mechanisms mediated by other TET family members, while proliferation is strictly dependent on TET2 expression. : The impact of TET enzymes on gene expression and cell function is incompletely understood. Montagner et al. investigate the TET-mediated regulation of mast cell differentiation and function, uncover transcriptional pathways regulated by TET2, and identify both enzymatic activity-dependent and -independent functions of TET2. Keywords: differentiation, DNA hydroxymethylation, epigenetics, mast cells, proliferation, TET