Sequential mutations in Notch1, Fbxw7, and Tp53 in radiation-induced mouse thymic lymphomas.

T-cell acute lymphoblastic lymphomas commonly demonstrate activating Notch1 mutations as well as mutations or deletions in Fbxw7. However, because Fbxw7 targets Notchi for degradation, genetic alterations in these genes are expected to be mutually exclusive events in lymphomagenesis. Previously, by using a radiation-induced Tp53-deficient mouse model for T-cell acute lymphoblastic lymphoma, we reported that loss of heterozygosity at the Fbxw7 locus occurs frequently in a Tp53-dependent manner. In the current study, we show that these thymic lymphomas also commonly exhibit activating Notch1 mutations in the proline-glutamic acidserine-threonine (PEST) domain. Moreover, concurrent activating Notch 1 PEST domain mutations and single-copy deletions at the Fbxw7 locus occur with high frequency in the same individual tumors, indicating that these changes are not mutually exclusive events. We further demonstrate that although Notch1 PEST domain mutations are independent of Tp53 status, they are completely abolished in mice with germline Fbxw7 haploinsufficiency. Therefore, Notch1 PEST domain mutations only occur when Fbxw expression levels are intact. These date suggest a temporal sequence of mutational events involving these importani cancer-related genes, with Notch1 PES1 domain mutations occurring first, followed by Fbxw7 deletion, and eventually by complete loss of Tp53. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]