FLT3-ITDs Introduce a Myeloid Differentiation and Transformation Bias to Multipotent Lympho-Myeloid Progenitors

Abstract 1380

Although the growth factor receptor (GFR) FLT3 has a crucial role in normal early B- and T-lymphoid development, constitutively activating internal tandem duplications (ITDs) of FLT3 are almost entirely restricted to patients with adverse-risk acute myeloid leukemia. We used a murine knock-in model of FLT3-ITD myeloproliferative disease (MPD) to gain a better understanding of the cellular and molecular basis for the myeloid-bias of FLT3-ITD-induced hematological malignancies.

As Flt3 cell surface expression is lacking in homozygous Flt3-itd mice, we used CD48 and CD150 expression to investigate the distribution of multipotent progenitors (MPPs) and hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) within the primitive Lin-Sca1+Kit+ (LSK) compartment. Notably, phenotypic (LSKCD150+CD48-) and functional HSCs were markedly reduced in adult Flt3-itd mice. Competitive transplantation experiments using fetal liver confirmed that HSC numbers were reduced (20-fold reduction) by Flt3-ITDs, in a cell-extrinsic manner. Rather, LSKCD48+150- cells (MPPs) were expanded 2.7-fold in Flt3-itd mice comprising >90% of LSK cells. Similarly to Flt3^high wild type (WT) lymphoid-primed multipotent progenitors (LMPPs), nanofluidic gene-expression analysis demonstrated that WT MPPs and Flt3-itd MPPs were myeloid-primed (Csf1r, Csf2r, Cebpa, Mpo) with loss of megakaryocyte and erythroid (MkE) priming (Eklf, Epor, Vwf, Gata1). In contrast, the lymphoid (Il7r, Rag1, sIgH) transcriptional priming of WT MPPs was downregulated in Flt3-itd MPPs. In agreement with this, Flt3-itd MPPs sustained extensive GM potential in vitro, with no MkE potential and, unlike WT MPPs, considerably reduced lymphoid potential. Furthermore, microarray analysis demonstrated global upregulation of the myeloid program in Flt3-itd MPPs. These findings demonstrate that primitive lympho-myeloid MPPs, are expanded and biased towards myeloid development by Flt3-ITDs.

In agreement with reduced lymphoid-priming of Flt3-itd MPPs, analysis of early thymic development demonstrated a 10-fold reduction of early thymic progenitors (DN1 Kit+) in Flt3-itd mice. Subsequent stages of thymic development were also reduced, as was overall thymic cellularity. Interestingly, expression of the chemokine receptor CCR9 was 5.5-fold reduced in Flt3-itd MPPs suggesting that thymic seeding progenitors in the bone marrow are suppressed by FLT3-ITDs.

Previous studies have suggested that the earliest stage of B-cell development, pre-pro-B cells, retain both B-cell and myeloid potential. Lin-CD19-CD24-AA4.1+CD43+B220+ pre-pro-B cells were expanded 13.7-fold in Flt3-itd mice, whereas subsequent stages of CD19+ B-lymphopoiesis were all reduced. The expanded pre-pro-B cells in Flt3-itd mice were myeloid biased at the transcriptional level with markedly reduced expression of lymphoid genes.

Pu1 is a master-regulator of myeloid commitment in early hematopoiesis and a STAT3 target gene. As FLT3-ITDs are known to activate STAT3, unlike WT FLT3, we therefore investigated Pu1 expression in Flt3-itd mice using a Pu1-YFP reporter. Expression of Pu1 was significantly increased in LSK cells (1.4 fold) and in pre-pro-B cells (2.6 fold) in Flt3-itd mice. Furthermore, other STAT3 target genes (Cish, Id1, Pim1, Socs1, Junb) were also upregulated in these cell populations in Flt3-itd mice. Moreover, gene-set enrichment analysis in MPPs demonstrated upregulation of Pu1 target genes in Flt3-itd mice, thus providing a link between aberrant ITD signaling and the observed myeloid bias.

In order to determine the functional relevance of this myeloid-bias of Flt3-itd MPPs for disease transformation, we targeted a conditional Aml1-ETO fusion-gene to the earliest B-cell progenitors in Flt3-itd mice using Mb1-Cre. Expression of AML1-ETO in WT mice did not induce any phenotype. However, Mb1-Cre induced AML1-ETO expression in Flt3-itd mice led to a high-penetrance, short latency acute leukaemia. All leukaemias expressed myeloid markers (Mac1 and Gr1) but lacked CD19 and B220 expression.

These data demonstrate that Flt3-ITDs expand primitive MPPs with a myeloid lineage bias at the molecular and cellular level, at the expense of HSCs and early lymphoid development. This provides insight into the mechanisms by which mutations resulting in activation of a GFR introduce a lineage bias of resulting hematological malignancies.