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Generation of human embryonic stem cell models to exploit the EWSR1-CREB fusion promiscuity as a common pathway of transformation in human tumors

Oncogene volume 40, pages 5095–5104 (2021)Cite this article

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Abstract

Chromosomal translocations constitute driver mutations in solid tumors and leukemias. The mechanisms of how related or even identical gene fusions drive the pathogenesis of various tumor types remain elusive. One remarkable example is the presence of EWSR1 fusions with CREB1 and ATF1, members of the CREB family of transcription factors, in a variety of sarcomas, carcinomas and mesotheliomas. To address this, we have developed in vitro models of oncogenic fusions, in particular, EWSR1-CREB1 and EWSR1-ATF1, in human embryonic stem (hES) cells, which are capable of multipotent differentiation, using CRISPR-Cas9 technology and HDR together with conditional fusion gene expression that allows investigation into the early steps of cellular transformation. We show that expression of EWSR1-CREB1/ATF1 fusion in hES cells recapitulates the core gene signatures, respectively, of angiomatoid fibrous histiocytoma (AFH) and gastrointestinal clear cell sarcoma (GI-CCS), although both fusions lead to cell lethality. Conversely, expression of the fusions in hES cells differentiated to mesenchymal progenitors is compatible with prolonged viability while maintaining the core gene signatures. Moreover, in the context of a mesenchymal lineage, the proliferation of cells expressing the EWSR1-CREB1 fusion is further extended by deletion of the tumor suppressor TP53. We expect the generation of isogenic lines carrying oncogenic fusions in various cell lineages to expand our general understanding of how those single genetic events drive tumorigenesis while providing valuable resources for drug discovery.

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Fig. 1: Gene expression signatures of human AFH and CCS.
Fig. 2: Gene expression signature of GI-CCS tumors expressing EWSR1-CREB1 and EWSR1-ATF1 fusions.
Fig. 3: Generation and expression of EWSR1-CREB1 and EWSR1-ATF1 fusions in hES cells.
Fig. 4: Impaired proliferation of hES cells upon EWSR1(ex7)-CREB1(ex7) or EWSR1(ex7)-ATF1(ex5) fusion expression.
Fig. 5: Viability of hES-derived mesenchymal cells expressing EWSR1-CREB1 and EWSR1-ATF1 while maintaining the AFH and CCS core gene signatures.
Fig. 6: Prolonged viability of hES-derived mesenchymal cells expressing EWSR1-CREB1 in TP53−/− background.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Chew-Li Soh and Xian Zhang for technical assistance and reagents; members of the Jasin Laboratory for discussions and suggestions; and Rohit Prakash, Travis White and Pei Xin Lim for critical reading of the manuscript. This work was supported in part by: R35 CA253174 (MJ), P50 CA140146 (CRA), P50 CA217694 (CRA), Cycle for Survival (CRA), Kristin Ann Carr Foundation (CRA), St Baldrick Foundation (CRA). Core facilities at MSK are supported by the Cancer Center Support Grant (NIH P30 CA008748).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    Fabio Vanoli, Brigita Meskauskaite, Laurie Herviou, William Mallen, Yun-Shao Sung, Yumi Fujisawa, Lei Zhang, Steven Simon & Cristina R. Antonescu

  2. Developmental Biology Program, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA

    Danwei Huangfu & Maria Jasin

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Contributions

FV, MJ and CRA conceived the project, designed experiments, and supervised the research. FV, BM, LH, WM, YF, SS and LZ performed experiments. YSS analyzed the Affymetrix U133A and the RNA sequencing data. DH provided reagents. FV, MJ and CRA wrote the paper with input from DH.

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Correspondence to Maria Jasin or Cristina R. Antonescu.

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Vanoli, F., Meskauskaite, B., Herviou, L. et al. Generation of human embryonic stem cell models to exploit the EWSR1-CREB fusion promiscuity as a common pathway of transformation in human tumors. Oncogene 40, 5095–5104 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41388-021-01843-0

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