TET2 lesions enhance the aggressiveness of CEBPA-mutant acute myeloid leukemia by rebalancing GATA2 expression

The myeloid transcription factor CEBPA is recurrently biallelically mutated (i.e., double mutated; CEBPA(DM)) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with a combination of hypermorphic N-terminal mutations (CEBPA(NT)), promoting expression of the leukemia-associated p30 isoform, and amorphic C-terminal mutations. The most frequently co-mutated genes in CEBPA(DM) AML are GATA2 and TET2, however the molecular mechanisms underlying this co-mutational spectrum are incomplete. By combining transcriptomic and epigenomic analyses of CEBPA-TET2 co-mutated patients with models thereof, we identify GATA2 as a conserved target of the CEBPA-TET2 mutational axis, providing a rationale for the mutational spectra in CEBPA(DM) AML. Elevated CEBPA levels, driven by CEBPA(NT), mediate recruitment of TET2 to the Gata2 distal hematopoietic enhancer thereby increasing Gata2 expression. Concurrent loss of TET2 in CEBPA(DM )AML induces a competitive advantage by increasing Gata2 promoter methylation, thereby rebalancing GATA2 levels. Of clinical relevance, demethylating treatment of Cebpa-Tet2 co-mutated AML restores Gata2 levels and prolongs disease latency.

Automated summary

The myeloid transcription factor CEBPA is frequently mutated in acute myeloid leukemia, and its co-mutation with GATA2 and TET2 is common. This study reveals the molecular mechanisms of these co-mutations, showing that CEBPA(NT) enhances GATA2 expression while loss of TET2 increases Gata2 promoter methylation in CEBPA(DM) AML, leading to balanced GATA2 levels. Demethylating treatment can restore Gata2 levels and prolong disease latency in CEBPA-TET2 co-mutated AML.