Mutant ASXL1 Drives Transcriptional Activation and Repression in Human Hematopoiesis

Abstract Mutations in the epigenetic regulator ASXL1 are common in myeloid malignancies and portend a near-universally poor prognosis. While multiple mechanisms for mutant ASXL1-dependent oncogenesis have been proposed, none have been functionally validated in the context of the human hematopoietic stem cell, where these mutations almost certainly arise. Here, we extensively characterized a CRISPR-engineered human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell model of ASXL1 mutations. In this context, mutant ASXL1 expression decreases differentiation, increases clonogenicity in serial replating experiments, and improves engraftment in immunodeficient mice. We also show that endogenous truncating mutations in ASXL1 drive protein stabilization and confirm that mutant ASXL1 is resistant to proteasomal degradation. At the transcriptional level, these phenotypes are driven by significant repression of the stress-response genes and by increased expression of bromodomain and extra-terminal family protein targets. Using protein-interaction screens, genomic and functional approaches, we link the positive transcriptional changes in ASXL1-mutant cells to BRD4-dependent RNA polymerase II pause release and identify a mechanism for transcriptional repression via a previously uncharacterized interaction with the transcription factor MECOM. Finally, we demonstrate that ASXL1-mutant AML exhibits increased MECOM activity consistent with our gene-editing models. Collectively, these studies highlight a highly reproducible model of mutant ASXL1 in the appropriate cell context. Further, they are the first to functionally describe the mutant ASXL1 interactome in the context of the human HSC, identifying new dependencies with therapeutic potential. Competing Interest Statement JEM receives research funding from Blueprint Medicines and Kura Oncology. TPB receives research support and consulting fees from Blueprint Medicines, research support from AstraZeneca, research support from Sellas Life Sciences, and consulting fees from Novartis. The other authors declare no competing financial interests. ACA is a scientific advisor to 10x Genomics and is an author of intellectual property associated with the s3 technology used in this study. These potential conflicts are managed by the Office of Research Integrity at OHSU. Footnotes Conflict of Interest Disclosures JEM receives research funding from Blueprint Medicines and Kura Oncology. TPB receives research support and consulting fees from Blueprint Medicines, research support from AstraZeneca, research support from Sellas Life Sciences, and consulting fees from Novartis. The other authors declare no competing financial interests. ACA is a scientific advisor to 10x Genomics and is an author of intellectual property associated with the s3 technology used in this study. These potential conflicts are managed by the Office of Research Integrity at OHSU.