The Inv(16) Oncogene CBFB::MYH11 is Required for the Survival of Leukemia Cells in the Blood and Spleen, but Not the Bone Marrow

Inversion of chromosome 16 [inv(16)] generates the fusion gene CBFB::MYH11 (CM) and is one of the most common chromosomal rearrangements in Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Expression of CM is required for leukemia initiation. Patients with inv(16) at diagnosis invariably have the rearrangement at relapse, leading to the assumption that CM is also required after leukemic transformation. However, a role for CM in leukemia maintenance has yet to be shown experimentally. To address this, we used an inducible CM knockdown (KD) mouse model and found that decreased CM eliminated leukemia cells from the peripheral blood and spleen, but not the bone marrow, despite all populations exhibiting significantly decreased CM mRNA and protein. The surviving CM KD cells in the bone marrow showed decreased apoptosis and proliferation, and increased expression of autophagy related genes. Surprisingly, with prolonged KD of CM, ~40% of mice re-established disease despite maintaining decreased CM. Our work indicates that CM is required for leukemia survival in the spleen and peripheral blood, but in the bone marrow CM KD leukemia cells can survive and re-establish disease independent of the fusion protein. These findings imply that targeting CM alone has potential to reduce leukemic burden but not cure the disease.