RUNX1 colludes with NOTCH1 to reprogram chromatin in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) is oncogenic in diverse types of leukemia and epithelial cancers where its expression is associated with poor prognosis. Current models suggest that RUNX1 cooperates with other oncogenic factors (e.g., NOTCH1, TAL1) to drive the expression of proto-oncogenes in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) but the molecular mechanisms controlled by RUNX1 and its cooperation with other factors remain unclear. Integrative chromatin and transcriptional analysis following inhibition of RUNX1 and NOTCH1 revealed a surprisingly widespread role of RUNX1 in the establishment of global H3K27ac levels and that RUNX1 is required by NOTCH1 for cooperative transcription activation of key NOTCH1 target genes including MYC, DTX1, HES4, IL7R, and NOTCH3. Super-enhancers were preferentially sensitive to RUNX1 knockdown and RUNX1-dependent super-enhancers were disrupted following the treatment of a pan-BET inhibitor, I-BET151.