NOTCH1 directly regulates c-MYC and activates a feed-forward-loop transcriptional network promoting leukemic cell growth

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Nov 28;103(48):18261-6. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0606108103. Epub 2006 Nov 17.

Abstract

The NOTCH1 signaling pathway directly links extracellular signals with transcriptional responses in the cell nucleus and plays a critical role during T cell development and in the pathogenesis over 50% of human T cell lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) cases. However, little is known about the transcriptional programs activated by NOTCH1. Using an integrative systems biology approach we show that NOTCH1 controls a feed-forward-loop transcriptional network that promotes cell growth. Inhibition of NOTCH1 signaling in T-ALL cells led to a reduction in cell size and elicited a gene expression signature dominated by down-regulated biosynthetic pathway genes. By integrating gene expression array and ChIP-on-chip data, we show that NOTCH1 directly activates multiple biosynthetic routes and induces c-MYC gene expression. Reverse engineering of regulatory networks from expression profiles showed that NOTCH1 and c-MYC govern two directly interconnected transcriptional programs containing common target genes that together regulate the growth of primary T-ALL cells. These results identify c-MYC as an essential mediator of NOTCH1 signaling and integrate NOTCH1 activation with oncogenic signaling pathways upstream of c-MYC.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cell Line
  • Cell Proliferation
  • Feedback, Physiological
  • Gene Expression Profiling
  • Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic
  • Humans
  • Leukemia / genetics
  • Leukemia / metabolism*
  • Leukemia / pathology*
  • Promoter Regions, Genetic / genetics
  • Protein Engineering
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / genetics
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc / metabolism*
  • Receptor, Notch1 / genetics
  • Receptor, Notch1 / metabolism*
  • Signal Transduction
  • Transcription, Genetic / genetics*

Substances

  • NOTCH1 protein, human
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-myc
  • Receptor, Notch1