Down-regulation of the RUNX1-target gene NR4A3 contributes to hematopoiesis deregulation in familial platelet disorder/acute myelogenous leukemia

RUNX1 encodes a DNA-binding α subunit of the core-binding factor, a heterodimeric transcription factor. RUNX1 is a master regulatory gene in hematopoiesis and its disruption is one of the most common aberrations in acute leukemia. Inactivating or dominant-negative mutations in the RUNX1 gene have been also identified in pedigrees of familial platelet disorders with a variable propensity to develop acute myeloid leukemia (FPD/AML). We performed analysis of hematopoiesis from 2 FPD/AML pedigrees with 2 distinct RUNX1 germline mutations, that is, the R139X in a pedigree without AML and the R174Q mutation in a pedigree with AML. Both mutations induced a marked increase in the clonogenic potential of immature CD34(+)CD38(-) progenitors, with some self-renewal capacities observed only for R174Q mutation. This increased proliferation correlated with reduction in the expression of NR4A3, a gene previously implicated in leukemia development. We demonstrated that NR4A3 was a direct target of RUNX1 and that restoration of NR4A3 expression partially reduced the clonogenic potential of patient progenitors. We propose that the down-regulation of NR4A3 in RUNX1-mutated hematopoietic progenitors leads to an increase in the pool of cells susceptible to be hit by secondary leukemic genetic events.