DOT1 (disruptor of telomeric silencing; also called Kmt4) was initially discovered in budding yeast in a genetic screen for genes whose deletion confers defects in telomeric silencing. Since the discovery ∼10 years ago that Dot1 and its mammalian homolog, DOT1L (DOT1-Like), possess histone methyltransferase activity toward histone H3 Lys 79, great progress has been made in characterizing their enzymatic activities and the role of Dot1/DOT1L-mediated H3K79 methylation in transcriptional regulation, cell cycle regulation, and the DNA damage response. In addition, gene disruption in mice has revealed that mouse DOT1L plays an essential role in embryonic development, hematopoiesis, cardiac function, and the development of leukemia. The involvement of DOT1L enzymatic activity in leukemogenesis driven by a subset of MLL (mixed-lineage leukemia) fusion proteins raises the possibility of targeting DOT1L for therapeutic intervention.

Background: Rupture and erosion of advanced atherosclerotic lesions with a resultant myocardial infarction or stroke are the leading worldwide cause of death. However, we have a limited understanding of the identity, origin, and function of many cells that make up late-stage atherosclerotic lesions, as well as the mechanisms by which they control plaque stability. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive single-cell RNA sequencing of advanced human carotid endarterectomy samples and compared these with single-cell RNA sequencing from murine microdissected advanced atherosclerotic lesions with smooth muscle cell (SMC) and endothelial lineage tracing to survey all plaque cell types and rigorously determine their origin. We further used chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq), bulk RNA sequencing, and an innovative dual lineage tracing mouse to understand the mechanism by which SMC phenotypic transitions affect lesion pathogenesis. Results: We provide evidence that SMC-specific Klf4- versus Oct4-knockout showed virtually opposite genomic signatures, and their putative target genes play an important role regulating SMC phenotypic changes. Single-cell RNA sequencing revealed remarkable similarity of transcriptomic clusters between mouse and human lesions and extensive plasticity of SMC- and endothelial cell-derived cells including 7 distinct clusters, most negative for traditional markers. In particular, SMC contributed to a Myh11 - , Lgals3 + population with a chondrocyte-like gene signature that was markedly reduced with SMC- Klf4 knockout. We observed that SMCs that activate Lgals3 compose up to two thirds of all SMC in lesions. However, initial activation of Lgals3 in these cells does not represent conversion to a terminally differentiated state, but rather represents transition of these cells to a unique stem cell marker gene–positive, extracellular matrix-remodeling, “pioneer” cell phenotype that is the first to invest within lesions and subsequently gives rise to at least 3 other SMC phenotypes within advanced lesions, including Klf4-dependent osteogenic phenotypes likely to contribute to plaque calcification and plaque destabilization. Conclusions: Taken together, these results provide evidence that SMC-derived cells within advanced mouse and human atherosclerotic lesions exhibit far greater phenotypic plasticity than generally believed, with Klf4 regulating transition to multiple phenotypes including Lgals3 + osteogenic cells likely to be detrimental for late-stage atherosclerosis plaque pathogenesis.

Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays have contributed greatly to our understanding of the role of histone modifications in gene regulation. However, a major limitation is that they do not permit analysis with single cell resolution thus confounding analyses of heterogeneous cell populations. Herein we present a new method which permits visualization of histone modifications of single genomic loci with single-cell resolution in formaldehyde-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue sections based on combined use of In Situ Hybridization (ISH) and Proximity Ligation Assays (PLA). Using this method we show that H3K4dime of the MYH11 locus is restricted to the smooth muscle cell (SMC) lineage in human and mouse tissue sections, and that the mark persists even in phenotypically modulated SMC within atherosclerotic lesions that show no detectable expression of SMC marker genes. This new methodology has promise for broad applications in the study of epigenetic mechanisms in complex multicellular tissues in development and disease.

Chromosomal translocations of the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene are a common cause of acute leukemias. The oncogenic function of MLL fusion proteins is, in part, mediated through aberrant activation of Hoxa genes and Meis1, among others. Here we demonstrate using a tamoxifen-inducible Cre-mediated loss of function mouse model that DOT1L, an H3K79 methyltransferase, is required for both initiation and maintenance of MLL-AF9-induced leukemogenesis in vitro and in vivo. Through gene expression and chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis we demonstrate that mistargeting of DOT1L, subsequent H3K79 methylation, and up-regulation of Hoxa and Meis1 genes underlie the molecular mechanism of how DOT1L contributes to MLL-AF9-mediated leukemogenesis. Our study not only provides the first in vivo evidence for the function of DOT1L in leukemia, but also reveals the molecular mechanism for DOT1L in MLL-AF9 mediated leukemia. Thus, DOT1L may serve as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of leukemia caused by MLL translocations.

Objective: Three distinct human monocyte subsets have been identified based on the surface marker expression of CD14 and CD16. We hypothesized that monocytes were likely more heterogeneous in composition. Approach and Results: We utilized the high dimensionality of mass cytometry together with the FlowSOM clustering algorithm to accurately identify and define monocyte subsets in blood of healthy human subjects and those with coronary artery disease (CAD). In order to study the behavior and functionality of the newly defined monocyte subsets, we performed RNA sequencing, transwell migration, and efferocytosis assays. Here, we identify 8 human monocyte subsets based on their surface marker phenotype. We found that 3 of these subsets fall within the CD16+ nonclassical monocyte population and 4 subsets belong to the CD14+ classical monocytes, illustrating significant monocyte heterogeneity in humans. As nonclassical monocytes are important in modulating atherosclerosis in mice, we studied the functions of our 3 newly identified nonclassical monocytes in subjects with CAD. We found a marked expansion of a Slan+CXCR6+ nonclassical monocyte subset in CAD subjects, which was positively correlated with CAD severity. This nonclassical subset can migrate towards CXCL16 and shows an increased efferocytosis capacity, indicating it may play an athero-protective role. Conclusions: Our data demonstrates that human nonclassical monocytes are a heterogeneous population, existing of several subsets with functional differences. These subsets have changed frequencies in the setting of severe CAD. Understanding how these newly identified subsets modulate CAD will be important for CAD-based therapies that target myeloid cells.

The histone H3 lysine 36 dimethylspecific demethylase KDM2b/JHDM1b, which is highly expressed in various human leukemias, was previously found to be important in regulating cell proliferation and cellular senescence. However, its functions in leukemia development and maintenance are unclear. Here, we demonstrate that ectopic expression of IntroductionPrevious studies have shown that human leukemic cells from the same patient are composed of heterogeneous cell populations with various proliferation capacities and differentiation status. In the proposed leukemia stem cell (LSC) model, a fraction of LSCs resides at the apex of leukemia cellular hierarchy. Similar to hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in normal blood development, LSCs can give rise to the entire cellular hierarchy and sustain leukemia expansion through an unlimited self-renewal capability. 1 This model is supported by studies in which LSC-enriched cell populations, such as the CD34 ϩ CD38 Ϫ leukemic cells in human acute myeloid leukemia (AML), transplanted into SCID mice are able to fully recapitulate the process of leukemia development. 2,3 LSCs can be derived from different cellular compartments according to the leukemia type and disease stage. In a Junb inactivation-induced chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) murine model, the CML-like disease can only develop from Junbinactivated HSCs but not progenitor cells, indicating that LSCs may derive from HSCs. 4 However, in the accelerated and myeloid blast crisis phases of human CML, only leukemic granulocytemacrophage progenitors can be expanded and display an aberrant self-renewing capacity in vitro in the methylcellulose replating assay. 5 In addition, the fact that certain murine AMLs can be induced by retroviral transduction of oncogenes, such as Mll fusion genes, into the granulocyte-macrophage progenitor population indicates that LSCs can originate from committed progenitor cells directly. 6,7 These studies suggest that the "stemness" program of LSCs could be activated by various oncogenic stimuli in different cellular contexts. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying LSC self-renewal is not well understood. 8 The leukemic stem cell model implies that epigenetic regulation at certain critical gene loci might be important in determining the phenotypic difference between self-renewing LSCs and their non-self-renewing progeny. 8 One example that supports this notion comes from the demonstration that the Ink4a-Arf-Ink4b locus, which encodes 3 tumor suppressors, including p16 Ink4a , p15 Ink4b , and p19 Arf is controlled by the Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1) in both normal HSCs and LSCs. 9,10 Biochemical analysis has shown that the PRC1 complex contains an ubiquitin E3 ligase activity and catalyzes the monoubiquitylation of histone H2A at lysine 119, which may serve as an epigenetic mark for the recruitment of other transcriptional repressors to the Ink4a-ArfInk4b locus. 11,12 Consistently, deletion of BMI-1, a component of the PRC1 complex, in LSCs leads to de-repression of Ink4a-Arf expression...

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Histone methylation plays an important role in regulating gene expression. One such methylation occurs at Lys 79 of histone H3 (H3K79) and is catalyzed by the yeast DOT1 (disruptor of telomeric silencing) and its mammalian homolog, DOT1L. Previous studies have demonstrated that germline disruption of Dot1L in mice resulted in embryonic lethality. Here we report that cardiac-specific knockout of Dot1L results in increased mortality rate with chamber dilation, increased cardiomyocyte cell death, systolic dysfunction, and conduction abnormalities. These phenotypes mimic those exhibited in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Mechanistic studies reveal that DOT1L performs its function in cardiomyocytes through regulating Dystrophin (Dmd) transcription and, consequently, stability of the Dystrophin-glycoprotein complex important for cardiomyocyte viability. Importantly, expression of a miniDmd can largely rescue the DCM phenotypes, indicating that Dmd is a major target mediating DOT1L function in cardiomyocytes. Interestingly, analysis of available gene expression data sets indicates that DOT1L is down-regulated in idiopathic DCM patient samples compared with normal controls. Therefore, our study not only establishes a critical role for DOT1L-mediated H3K79 methylation in cardiomyocyte function, but also reveals the mechanism underlying the role of DOT1L in DCM. In addition, our study may open new avenues for the diagnosis and treatment of human heart disease.