MECOM is a master repressor of myeloid differentiation through dose control of CEBPA in acute myeloid leukemia Open Access

• In AML with 3q26 rearrangements MECOM/CTBP complex represses CEBPA transcription through binding to the +42kb enhancer

• CEBPA transcription is increased and myeloid differentiation induced in AML with 3q26 rearrangements upon MECOM degradation

The transcription factor MECOM, located at 3q26, is essential for hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in healthy individuals. Enhancer translocations, due to 3q26 rearrangements, drive out-of-context MECOM expression in one of the most aggressive subtypes of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Aberrantly expressed MECOM is essential for the survival and immature phenotype of these leukemia cells. Direct depletion of MECOM using an endogenous auxin-inducible degron immediately upregulates expression of CEBPA, encoding a transcription factor required for neutrophil development which is frequently mutated in other AML subtypes. MECOM depletion is accompanied by a severe loss of CD34 and gain of mature myeloid cell surface marker CD15. MECOM exerts its inhibitory effect on differentiation by binding to the +42kb CEBPA enhancer. This is partially dependent on the interaction between MECOM and its co-repressor CTBP2. We demonstrate that CEBPA overexpression can bypass the MECOM-mediated block of differentiation. In addition, AML patients with MECOM overexpression through enhancer hijacking show significantly reduced CEBPA levels. Our study directly connects two major players in normal and malignant hematopoiesis, MECOM and CEBPA, and unveils how MECOM maintains self-renewal by repressing CEBPA-induced differentiation.