PRC2 is required for acute myeloid leukemias initiated by MLL-AF9

The transcriptional activating and repressive functions performed by Trithorax and Polycomb group complexes, respectively, are critical for to maintain cellular fates in ontogeny and in cancer. Here we report that leukemias initiated by a Trithorax-related oncogene, MLL-AF9, depend upon the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) to sustain a transformed cellular state. RNAi mediated suppression of PRC2 subunits is sufficient to inhibit proliferation of MLL-AF9 leukemias, with little impact on growth of non-transformed cells. This requirement is partly due to PRC2-mediated transcriptional repression of several anti-self-renewal regulators, including Cdkn2a. These results suggest that, unlike the classical antagonism generally observed between Polycomb and Trithorax group proteins during development, the activities of these two pathways can cooperate to promote myeloid neoplasia.

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Shi J, Wang E, Zuber J, Rappaport A, Taylor M, Johns C, Lowe SW, Vakoc CR