Epigenetic silencing of PTEN and epi-transcriptional silencing of MDM2 underlied resistance to hypomethylating agents in myelodysplastic syndrome

Background: In myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), resistance to hypomethylating agents (HMA) portends a poor prognosis, underscoring the importance of understanding the molecular mechanisms leading to HMA-resistance. Methods: In this study, P39 and Kasumi-1 cells and their azacitidine-resistant and decitabine-resistant sublines were evaluated comparatively with transcriptomic and methylomic analyses. Results: Expression profiling and genome-wide methylation microarray showed downregulation of PTEN associated with DNA hypermethylation in P39 cell lines resistant to azacitidine and decitabine. This pattern of PTEN dysregulation was also confirmed in a cohort of patients failing treatment with HMA. DNA hypomethylation of MDM2 was detected with downregulation of MDM2 in HMA resistant cell lines. Long-read sequencing revealed significant RNA hypomethylation of MDM2 resulting in alternative splicing and production of a truncated MDM2 transcript in azacitidine-resistant P39 cells. The expression of this MDM2 truncated transcript was also significantly increased in HMA-resistant patients compared with HMA-responsive patients. Conclusions: In conclusion, epigenetic and epi-transcriptomic dysregulation of PTEN and MDM2 were associated with resistance to hypomethylating agents.