Elucidating the Mechanisms of Leukemogenesis Driven By FBXO11 Depletion

Mutations in SKP1 and CUL1 (Zhang et. al. Oncol Lett 2018), which encode components of the SKP1-CUL1-F-BOX (SCF) ubiquitin E3-ligase complex, have previously been reported or characterized in AML. FBXO11, which encodes the substrate recognizing component, however, has not been studied in AML. We performed whole exome sequencing and RNA-seq on140 clinical AML samples and identified recurrent inactivating mutations in FBXO11. Of the components of the SCF FBXO11 complex, FBXO11 transcript expression is most significantly reduced in AML samples compared to normal. We show that loss of FBXO11 drives leukemogenesis through dysregulation of the novel target, LONP1, by reducing mitochondrial potential and promoting self-renewal.