Somatic mutations in CREBBP occur frequently in B-cell lymphoma. Here, we show that loss of CREBBP facilitates development of germinal center derived lymphomas in mice. In both human and murine lymphomas CREBBP loss of function resulted in focal depletion of enhancer H3K27 acetylation and aberrant transcriptional silencing of genes that regulate B-cell signaling and immune responses including class II MHC. Mechanistically, CREBBP regulated enhancers are counter-regulated by the BCL6 transcriptional repressor in a complex with SMRT and HDAC3, which we find bind extensively to MHC class II loci. HDAC3 loss of function rescued repression of these enhancers and corresponding genes including MHC class II, and more profoundly suppress CREBPP mutant lymphomas in vitro and in vivo. Hence CREBBP loss of function contributes to lymphomagenesis by enabling unopposed suppression of enhancers by BCL6/SMRT/HDAC3 complexes, suggesting HDAC3 targeted therapy as a precision approach for CREBBP mutant lymphomas.

The key role played by Fgf10 during early lung development is clearly illustrated in Fgf10 knockout mice, which exhibit lung agenesis. However, Fgf10 is continuously expressed throughout lung development suggesting extended as well as additional roles for FGF10 at later stages of lung organogenesis. We previously reported that the enhancer trap Mlcv1v-nLacZ-24 transgenic mouse strain functions as a reporter for Fgf10 expression and displays decreased endogenous Fgf10 expression. In this paper, we have generated an allelic series to determine the impact of Fgf10 dosage on lung development. We report that 80% of the newborn Fgf10 hypomorphic mice die within 24 h of birth due to respiratory failure. These mutant mouse lungs display severe hypoplasia, dilation of the distal airways and large hemorrhagic areas. Epithelial differentiation and proliferation studies indicate a specific decrease in TTF1 and SP-B expressing cells correlating with reduced epithelial cell proliferation and associated with a decrease in activation of the canonical Wnt signaling in the epithelium. Analysis of vascular development shows a reduction in PECAM expression at E14.5, which is associated with a simplification of the vascular tree at E18.5. We also show a decrease in alpha-SMA expression in the respiratory airway suggesting defective smooth muscle cell formation. At the molecular level, these defects are associated with decrease in Vegfa and Pdgfa expression likely resulting from the decrease of the epithelial/mesenchymal ratio in the Fgf10 hypomorphic lungs. Thus, our results indicate that FGF10 plays a pivotal role in maintaining epithelial progenitor cell proliferation as well as coordinating alveolar smooth muscle cell formation and vascular development.

We previously demonstrated that Fibroblast Growth Factor 10 (FGF10) and its receptor FGFR2b play a key role in controlling the very early stages of mammary gland development during embryogenesis [Mailleux, A.A., Spencer-Dene, B., Dillon, C., Ndiaye, D., Savona-Baron, C., Itoh, N., Kato, S., Dickson, C., Thiery, J.P., and Bellusci, S. (2002). Role of FGF10/FGFR2b signaling during mammary gland development in the mouse embryo. Development 129, 53-60. Veltmaat, J. M., Relaix, F., Le, L.T., Kratochwil, K., Sala, F.G., van Veelen, W., Rice, R., Spencer-Dene, B., Mailleux, A.A., Rice, D.P., Thiery, J.P., and Bellusci, S. (2006). Gli3-mediated somitic Fgf10 expression gradients are required for the induction and patterning of mammary epithelium along the embryonic axes. Development 133, 2325-35.]. However, the role of FGFR2b signaling in postnatal mammary gland development is still elusive. We show that FGF10 is expressed at high level throughout the adipose tissue in the mammary gland of young virgin female mice whereas its main receptor FGFR2 is found mostly in the epithelium. Using a rtTA transactivator/tetracycline promoter approach allowing inducible and reversible attenuation of the FGFR2b signaling throughout the adult mouse, we are now reporting that FGFR2b signaling is also critical during postnatal mammary gland development. Ubiquitous attenuation of FGFR2b signaling in the postnatal mouse for 6 weeks starting immediately after birth is not lethal and leads to minor defects in the animal. Upon dissection of the mammary glands, a 40% reduction in size compared to the WT control is observed. Further examination shows a rudimentary mammary epithelial tree with completely absent terminal end buds (TEBs), compared to a well-branched structure observed in wild type. Transplantation of mammary gland explants into cleared fat pad of wild type mouse recipients indicates that the observed abnormal branching results from defective FGFR2b signaling in the epithelium. We also demonstrate that this rudimentary tree reforms TEBs and resumes branching upon removal of doxycycline suggesting that the regenerative capacities of the mammary epithelial progenitor cells were still functional despite long-term inactivation of the FGFR2b pathway. At the cellular level, upon FGFR2b attenuation, we show an increase in apoptosis associated with a decrease in the proliferation of the mammary luminal epithelium. We conclude that during puberty, there is a differential requirement for FGFR2b signaling in ductal vs. TEBs epithelium. FGFR2b signaling is crucial for the survival and proliferation of the mammary luminal epithelial cells, but does not affect the regenerative potential of the mammary epithelial progenitor cells.

SUMMARYRodent incisors regenerate throughout the lifetime of the animal owing to the presence of epithelial and mesenchymal stem cells in the proximal region of the tooth. Enamel, the hardest component of the tooth, is continuously deposited by stem cell-derived ameloblasts exclusively on the labial, or outer, surface of the tooth. The epithelial stem cells that are the ameloblast progenitors reside in structures called cervical loops at the base of the incisors. Previous studies have suggested that FGF10, acting mainly through fibroblast growth factor receptor 2b (FGFR2b), is crucial for development of the epithelial stem cell population in mouse incisors. To explore the role of FGFR2b signaling during development and adult life, we used an rtTA transactivator/tetracycline promoter approach that allows inducible and reversible attenuation of FGFR2b signaling. Downregulation of FGFR2b signaling during embryonic stages led to abnormal development of the labial cervical loop and of the inner enamel epithelial layer. In addition, postnatal attenuation of signaling resulted in impaired incisor growth, characterized by failure of enamel formation and degradation of the incisors. At a cellular level, these changes were accompanied by decreased proliferation of the transitamplifying cells that are progenitors of the ameloblasts. Upon release of the signaling blockade, the incisors resumed growth and reformed an enamel layer, demonstrating that survival of the stem cells was not compromised by transient postnatal attenuation of FGFR2b signaling. Taken together, our results demonstrate that FGFR2b signaling regulates both the establishment of the incisor stem cell niches in the embryo and the regenerative capacity of incisors in the adult.