Browsing by Author "Cai, Wenjie"

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Author Correction: Mutant p53 drives clonal hematopoiesis through modulating epigenetic pathway
    (Nature Publishing Group, 2020-07-28) Chen, Sisi; Wang, Qiang; Yu, Hao; Capitano, Maegan L.; Vemula, Sasidhar; Nabinger, Sarah C.; Gao, Rui; Yao, Chonghua; Kobayashi, Michihiro; Geng, Zhuangzhuang; Fahey, Aidan; Henley, Danielle; Liu, Stephen Z.; Barajas, Sergio; Cai, Wenjie; Wolf, Eric R.; Ramdas, Baskar; Cai, Zhigang; Gao, Hongyu; Luo, Na; Sun, Yang; Wong, Terrence N.; Link, Daniel C.; Liu, Yunlong; Boswell, H. Scott; Mayo, Lindsey D.; Huang, Gang; Kapur, Reuben; Yoder, Mervin C.; Broxmeyer, Hal E.; Gao, Zhonghua; Liu, Yan; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine
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    Bmi1 Regulates Wnt Signaling in Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells
    (Springer, 2021) Yu, Hao; Gao, Rui; Chen, Sisi; Liu, Xicheng; Wang, Qiang; Cai, Wenjie; Vemula, Sasidhar; Fahey, Aidan C.; Henley, Danielle; Kobayashi, Michihiro; Liu, Stephen Z.; Qian, Zhijian; Kapur, Reuben; Broxmeyer, Hal E.; Gao, Zhonghua; Xi, Rongwen; Liu, Yan; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Polycomb group protein Bmi1 is essential for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal and terminal differentiation. However, its target genes in hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells are largely unknown. We performed gene expression profiling assays and found that genes of the Wnt signaling pathway are significantly elevated in Bmi1 null hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Bmi1 is associated with several genes of the Wnt signaling pathway in hematopoietic cells. Further, we found that Bmi1 represses Wnt gene expression in HSPCs. Importantly, loss of β-catenin, which reduces Wnt activation, partially rescues the HSC self-renewal and differentiation defects seen in the Bmi1 null mice. Thus, we have identified Bmi1 as a novel regulator of Wnt signaling pathway in HSPCs. Given that Wnt signaling pathway plays an important role in hematopoiesis, our studies suggest that modulating Wnt signaling may hold potential for enhancing HSC self-renewal, thereby improving the outcomes of HSC transplantation.
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    Polycomb group protein Mel18 inhibits hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal through repressing the transcription of self-renewal and proliferation genes
    (Springer Nature, 2025) Cai, Wenjie; Liu, Xicheng; Barajas, Sergio; Xiao, Shiyu; Vemula, Sasidhar; Chen, Hongxia; Yang, Yuxia; Bochers, Christopher; Henley, Danielle; Liu, Sheng; Jia, Yuzhi; Hong, Michelle; Mays, Tiffany M.; Capitano, Maegan L.; Liu, Huiping; Ji, Peng; Gao, Zhonghua; Pasini, Diego; Wan, Jun; Yue, Feng; Platanias, Leonidas C.; Xi, Rongwen; Chen, Sisi; Liu, Yan; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine
    Polycomb group (PcG) proteins play important roles in hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) self-renewal. Mel18 and Bmi1 are homologs of the PCGF subunit within the Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1). Bmi1 (PCGF4) enhances HSC self-renewal and promotes terminal differentiation. However, the role of Mel18 (PCGF2) in hematopoiesis is not fully understood and how Mel18 regulates gene transcription in HSCs remains elusive. We found that acute deletion of Mel18 in the hematopoietic compartment significantly increased the frequency of functional HSCs in the bone marrow. Furthermore, we demonstrate that Mel18 inhibits HSC self-renewal and proliferation. RNA-seq studies revealed that HSC self-renewal and proliferation gene signatures are enriched in Mel18-/- hematopoietic stem and progenitors (HSPCs) compared to Mel18+/+ HSPCs. Notably, ATAC-seq revealed increased chromatin accessibility at genes important for HSC self-renewal, whereas CUT&RUN showed decreased enrichment of H2AK119ub1 at genes important for proliferation, leading to increased expression of both Hoxb4 and Cdk4 in Mel18-/- HSPCs. Thus, we demonstrate that Mel18 inhibits hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal through repressing the transcription of genes important for HSC self-renewal and proliferation.
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    PRL2 phosphatase enhances oncogenic FLT3 signaling via dephosphorylation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase CBL at tyrosine 371
    (American Society of Hematology, 2023) Chen, Hongxia; Bai, Yunpeng; Kobayashi, Michihiro; Xiao, Shiyu; Cai, Wenjie; Barajas, Sergio; Chen, Sisi; Miao, Jinmin; Nguele Meke, Frederick; Vemula, Sasidhar; Ropa, James P.; Croop, James M.; Boswell, H. Scott; Wan, Jun; Jia, Yuzhi; Liu, Huiping; Li, Loretta S.; Altman, Jessica K.; Eklund, Elizabeth A.; Ji, Peng; Tong, Wei; Band, Hamid; Huang, Danny T.; Platanias, Leonidas C.; Zhang, Zhong-Yin; Liu, Yan; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive blood cancer with poor prognosis. FMS-like tyrosine kinase receptor-3 (FLT3) is one of the major oncogenic receptor tyrosine kinases aberrantly activated in AML. Although protein tyrosine phosphatase PRL2 is highly expressed in some subtypes of AML compared with normal human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, the mechanisms by which PRL2 promotes leukemogenesis are largely unknown. We discovered that genetic and pharmacological inhibition of PRL2 significantly reduce the burden of FLT3-internal tandem duplications-driven leukemia and extend the survival of leukemic mice. Furthermore, we found that PRL2 enhances oncogenic FLT3 signaling in leukemia cells, promoting their proliferation and survival. Mechanistically, PRL2 dephosphorylates the E3 ubiquitin ligase CBL at tyrosine 371 and attenuates CBL-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of FLT3, leading to enhanced FLT3 signaling in leukemia cells. Thus, our study reveals that PRL2 enhances oncogenic FLT3 signaling in leukemia cells through dephosphorylation of CBL and will likely establish PRL2 as a novel druggable target for AML.
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    PRL2 Phosphatase Promotes Oncogenic KIT Signaling in Leukemia Cells through Modulating CBL Phosphorylation
    (American Association for Cancer Research, 2024) Chen, Hongxia; Bai, Yunpeng; Kobayashi, Michihiro; Xiao, Shiyu; Barajas, Sergio; Cai, Wenjie; Chen, Sisi; Miao, Jinmin; Meke, Frederick Nguele; Yao, Chonghua; Yang, Yuxia; Strube, Katherine; Satchivi, Odelia; Sun, Jianmin; Rönnstrand, Lars; Croop, James M.; Boswell, H. Scott; Jia, Yuzhi; Liu, Huiping; Li, Loretta S.; Altman, Jessica K.; Eklund, Elizabeth A.; Sukhanova, Madina; Ji, Peng; Tong, Wei; Band, Hamid; Huang, Danny T.; Platanias, Leonidas C.; Zhang, Zhong-Yin; Liu, Yan; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Receptor tyrosine kinase KIT is frequently activated in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). While high PRL2 (PTP4A2) expression is correlated with activation of SCF/KIT signaling in AML, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. We discovered that inhibition of PRL2 significantly reduces the burden of oncogenic KIT-driven leukemia and extends leukemic mice survival. PRL2 enhances oncogenic KIT signaling in leukemia cells, promoting their proliferation and survival. We found that PRL2 dephosphorylates CBL at tyrosine 371 and inhibits its activity toward KIT, leading to decreased KIT ubiquitination and enhanced AKT and ERK signaling in leukemia cells. Implications: Our studies uncover a novel mechanism that fine-tunes oncogenic KIT signaling in leukemia cells and will likely identify PRL2 as a novel therapeutic target in AML with KIT mutations.
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    Role of p53 in regulation of hematopoiesis in health and disease
    (Wolters Kluwer, 2022) Barajas, Sergio; Cai, Wenjie; Liu, Yan; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine
    Purpose of review: Human aging is associated with an exponential increase in the occurrence of clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP). CHIP is associated with increased risks of de novo and therapy-related hematologic neoplasms and serves as a reservoir for leukemic relapse. Somatic mutations in the TP53 gene, which encodes the tumor suppressor protein p53, rank in the top five among genes that were mutated in CHIP. TP53 mutations in CHIP are associated with an increased incidence of myeloid neoplasms such as myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). This review focuses on mechanisms by which mutant p53 promotes CHIP progression and drives the pathogenesis of MDS and AML. We will also discuss potential therapeutic approaches that can target mutant p53 and improve treatment outcomes of MDS and AML. Recent findings: TP53 was frequently mutated in individuals with CHIP as well as in patients with MDS and AML. While clinical studies suggest that p53 mutant hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell expansion may predispose the elderly to hematologic neoplasms, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Recent findings suggest that mutant p53 may utilize both cell autonomous and noncell autonomous mechanisms to promote CHIP development. Furthermore, we and others have demonstrated that several gain-of-function mutant p53 proteins have enhanced oncogenic potential beyond dominant-negative and loss-of-function effects. Notably, TP53 allelic state has important implications for genome stability, clinical presentation, and outcomes in MDS. Some small molecules reactivating wild-type p53 tumor suppressor activity show promising effects on some human MDS and AML cells with TP53 mutations in preclinical and early phases of clinical studies. Summary: TP53 mutations in MDS and AML are correlated with advanced disease, poor prognosis, reduced overall survival, and dismal outcomes. Deep understanding of the functions of mutant p53 proteins is essential to devise effective therapies for patients with myeloid neoplasms and other human cancers with TP53 mutations. Targeting mutant p53 directly or pathways regulated by mutant p53 holds great potential in preventing CHIP progression and treating MDS and AML patients with TP53 mutations.
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    Role of Polycomb Group Protein Mel18 in Hematopoietic Stem Cell Maintenance
    (2025-05) Cai, Wenjie; Wek, Ronald; Zhang, Ji; Capitano, Maegan; Wan, Jun; Ren, Hongxia; Liu, Yan
    Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are epigenetic gene silencers that have been implicated in stem cell maintenance and cancer development. Genetic and biochemical studies indicate that Polycomb group proteins exist in at least two protein complexes, Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) and Polycomb repressive complex 1 (PRC1). PRC2 complex deposits the mono-, di-, and tri- methylation on histone 3 lysine 27, whereas PRC1 introduces mono-ubiquitination on histone 2A lysine 119 (H2AK119ub1). PRC1 can also regulate 3D chromatin structure. Bmi1 (PCGF4) and Mel18 (PCGF2) are two major homologs of the PCGF subunit within the canonical PRC1 complex. While Bmi1 is a positive regulator of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and leukemia stem cells (LSCs) self-renewal, the role of Mel18 in normal and malignant hematopoiesis is not fully understood. Based upon our previous studies and the literature, I hypothesized that Mel18 inhibits HSC self-renewal and proliferation but promotes HSC senescence. To test my hypothesis, I examined HSC behavior in Mel18 conditional knockout mice (Mel18f/f-Mx1Cre+). I found that acute deletion of Mel18 enhances the repopulating potential of HSCs and increases the number of functional HSCs, without affecting HSC homing. Loss of Mel18 decreased hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPCs) senescence. In addition, loss of Mel18 promotes cell cycle progression in HSPCs. Therefore, I demonstrated that loss of Mel18 enhances the repopulating potential of HSCs, promotes cell cycle progression in HSCs, but reduces HSC senescence. Mechanistically, loss of Mel18 increases the chromatin accessibility to genes important for HSC self-renewal and ex vivo expansion such as homeobox gene Hoxb4. CUT&RUN sequencing assays revealed that loss of Mel18 reduces the H2AK119ub1 enrichment at the promoter regions of Cdk4 and Cdk6, leading to their enhanced expression in HSPCs. Furthermore, I identified a Mel18-specific chromatin loop at the S100a9 locus, a gene important for senescence and inflammation, using Hi-C assays, Collectively, these findings demonstrated that Mel18 plays an important role in hematopoietic stem cell maintenance. Mel18 inhibits HSC self-renewal and proliferation but promotes HSC senescence through modulating histone modifications, chromatin accessibility, and 3D chromatin structure in HSCs.
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    SIRT6 Protects Against Liver Fibrosis by Deacetylation and Suppression of SMAD3 in Hepatic Stellate Cells
    (Elsevier, 2020-04-17) Zhong, Xiaolin; Huang, Menghao; Kim, Hyeong-Geug; Zhang, Yang; Chowdhury, Kushan; Cai, Wenjie; Saxena, Romil; Schwabe, Robert F.; Liangpunsakul, Suthat; Dong, X. Charlie; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine