High-Density Domain-Focused Crispr Screens Reveal Epigenetic Regulators Of Hox/Meis Gene Expression In Acute Myeloid Leukemia

The aberrant and constitutive activation of the HOXA cluster genes and the their-co-factor MEIS1 (HOX/MEIS) is a recurrent feature in several types of myeloid and lymphoid leukemias. Aberrant HOX/MEIS expression has been shown to drive limitless leukemia stem cell self-renewal and is therefore an attractive target for therapy in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, since HOX/MEIS genes encode DNA-binding transcription factors, small molecules targeting these proteins directly are lacking. Furthermore, targeting the HOX/MEIS network is complicated by the fact that these genes are coordinately regulated and have redundant functions in sustaining leukemic self-renewal. One way of therapeutically targeting aberrant HOX/MEIS transcription is the identification and pharmacologic inhibition of upstream chromatin regulators that coordinately modulate their expression.