Daxx maintains endogenous retroviral silencing and restricts cellular plasticity in vivo

Amanda R. Wasylishen, Chang Sun, Sydney M. Moyer, Yuan Qi, Gilda P. Chau, Neeraj K. Aryal, Florencia McAllister, Michael P. Kim, Michelle C. Barton, Jeannelyn S. Estrella, Xiaoping Su, Guillermina Lozano

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Scopus citations

Abstract

Tumor sequencing studies have emphasized the role of epigenetics and altered chromatin homeostasis in cancer. Mutations in DAXX, which encodes a chaperone for the histone 3.3 variant, occur in 25% of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PanNETs). To advance our understanding of physiological functions of Daxx, we developed a conditional Daxx allele in mice. We demonstrate that Daxx loss is well tolerated in the pancreas but creates a permissive transcriptional state that cooperates with environmental stress (inflammation) and other genetic lesions (Men1 loss) to alter gene expression and cell state, impairing pancreas recovery from inflammatory stress in vivo. The transcriptional changes are associated with dysregulation of endogenous retroviral elements (ERVs), and dysregulation of endogenous genes near ERVs is also observed in human PanNETs with DAXX mutations. Our results reveal a physiologic function of DAXX, provide a mechanism associated with impaired tissue regeneration and tumorigenesis, and expand our understanding of ERV regulation in somatic cells.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbereaba8415
JournalScience Advances
Volume6
Issue number32
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 2020

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General

MD Anderson CCSG core facilities

  • Advanced Technology Genomics Core
  • Bioinformatics Shared Resource
  • Genetically Engineered Mouse Facility
  • Research Animal Support Facility

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