Cyclin-Dependent Kinase Phosphorylation of RUNX1/AML1 on Three Sites Increases Trans-Activation Potency and Stimulates Cell Proliferation.

RUNX1/AML1 regulates lineage-specific genes during hematopoiesis and also stimulates G1 cell cycle progression. CBFβ-SMMHC or AML1-ETO dominantly inhibit RUNX1 and slow G1 progression in hematopoietic cell lines or in murine or human marrow progenitors, cdk4, cyclin D2, or c-Myc overcome inhibition of proliferation by these CBF oncoproteins, exogenous RUNX1 stimulates G1 progression, and stimulation of G1 via deletion of p16INK4a or expression of E7 cooperates with CBFβ-SMMHC or TEL-AML1 to induce acute leukemia in mice. Induction of cdk4 or cyclin D3 transcription may underlie stimulation of G1 progression by RUNX1. Remarkably, the C. elegans ortholog of RUNX1, RNT-1, also stimulates G1 progression and couples stem cell proliferation with differentiation. Not only does RUNX1 regulate cell cycle progression, but in addition RUNX1 levels increase as hematopoietic cells progress from G1 to S and from S to G2/M. Within RUNX1, S48, S303, and S424 fit the cdk phosphorylation consensus, (S/T)PX(R/K). Phosphorylation of RUNX1 by cyclin dependent kinases on serine 303 was shown to mediate destabilization of RUNX1 in G2/M. We now find that S48 and S424 are also phosphorylated by cdk1 or cdk6. S48, S303, or S424 phosphopeptide antiserum that we developed specifically recognized kinased GST-RUNX1 and interacted with RUNX1 expressed in 293T cells or in the Ba/F3 hematopoietic cell line. S48 phosphorylation of RUNX1 paralleled total RUNX1 levels during cell cycle progression, S303 was more effectively phosphorylated in G2/M, and S424 in G1. Single, double, and triple mutation to alanine or to the partially phosphomimetic aspartic acid progressively diminished or increased trans-activation, such that the tripleA mutant activated a RUNX1 reporter 5-fold less potently than the tripleD mutant. Aspartic acid does not perfectly mimic serine phosphorylation, as illustrated by the much greater affinity of our antisera for wild-type RUNX1 versus RUNX1(tripleD), suggesting that the biologic effect of RUNX1 cdk phosphorylation is even more significant. The p300 co-activator retained interaction with the tripleA variant. The tripleD RUNX1 mutant rescued Ba/F3 cells from inhibition of proliferation by CBFβ-SMMHC more effectively than the tripleA mutant. Cdk phosphorylation of RUNX1 on three sites increases its ability to active transcription and to stimulate proliferation, potentially coupling entry of stem/progenitors into cycle with induction of genes required for hematopoietic lineage progression, such as those encoding myeloperoxidase, neutrophil elastase, the M-CSF receptor, and PU.1.