B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (B-NHL) comprises biologically and clinically distinct diseases whose pathogenesis is associated with genetic lesions affecting oncogenes and tumor-suppressor genes. We report here that the two most common types, follicular lymphoma (FL) and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), harbor frequent structural alterations inactivating CREBBP and, more rarely, EP300, two highly related histone and non-histone acetyltransferases (HATs) that act as transcriptional co-activators in multiple signaling pathways. Overall, ~39% of DLBCL and 41% of FL cases display genomic deletions and/or somatic mutations that remove or inactivate the HAT coding domain of these two genes. These lesions commonly affect one allele, suggesting that reduction in HAT dosage is important for lymphomagenesis. We demonstrate specific defects in acetylation-mediated inactivation of the BCL6 onco-protein and activation of the p53 tumor-suppressor. These results identify CREBBP/EP300 mutations as a major pathogenetic mechanism shared by common forms of B-NHL, and have direct implications for the use of drugs targeting acetylation/deacetylation mechanisms.
The c-Myc proto-oncogene encodes a transcription factor that is essential for cell growth and proliferation and is broadly implicated in tumorigenesis. However, the biological functions required by c-Myc to induce oncogenesis remain elusive. Here we show that c-Myc has a direct role in the control of DNA replication. c-Myc interacts with the pre-replicative complex and localizes to early sites of DNA synthesis. Depletion of c-Myc from mammalian (human and mouse) cells as well as from Xenopus cell-free extracts, which are devoid of RNA transcription, demonstrates a non-transcriptional role for c-Myc in the initiation of DNA replication. Overexpression of c-Myc causes increased replication origin activity with subsequent DNA damage and checkpoint activation. These findings identify a critical function of c-Myc in DNA replication and suggest a novel mechanism for its normal and oncogenic functions.
Upon antigenic challenge, B cells enter the dark-zone (DZ) of germinal-centers (GC) to proliferate and hypermutate their immunoglobulin genes. Mutants with increased affinity are positively selected in the light-zone (LZ) to either differentiate into plasma and memory cells, or re-enter the DZ. The molecular circuits governing GC positive selection are not known. We show that the GC reaction requires the biphasic regulation of c-MYC expression, involving its transient induction during early GC commitment, its repression by BCL6 in DZ B cells, and its re-induction in B cells selected for DZ re-entry. Inhibition of MYC in vivo leads to GC collapse, indicating an essential role in GCs. These results have implications for the mechanism of GC selection and the role of MYC in lymphomagenesis.
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