FAT1 expression in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) modulates proliferation and WNT signaling

FAT atypical cadherin 1 (FAT1), a transmembrane protein, is frequently mutated in various cancer types and has been described as context-dependent tumor suppressor or oncogene. The FAT1 gene is mutated in 12–16% of T-cell acute leukemia (T-ALL) and aberrantly expressed in about 54% of T-ALL cases contrasted with absent expression in normal T-cells. Here, we characterized FAT1 expression and profiled the methylation status from T-ALL patients. In our T-ALL cohort, 53% of patient samples were FAT1 positive (FAT1pos) compared to only 16% FAT1 positivity in early T-ALL patient samples. Aberrant expression of FAT1 was strongly associated with FAT1 promotor hypomethylation, yet a subset, mainly consisting of TLX1-driven T-ALL patient samples showed methylation-independent high FAT1 expression. Genes correlating with FAT1 expression revealed enrichment in WNT signaling genes representing the most enriched single pathway. FAT1 knockdown or knockout led to impaired proliferation and downregulation of WNT pathway target genes (CCND1, MYC, LEF1), while FAT1 overexpressing conveyed a proliferative advantage. To conclude, we characterized a subtype pattern of FAT1 gene expression in adult T-ALL patients correlating with promotor methylation status. FAT1 dependent proliferation and WNT signaling discloses an impact on deeper understanding of T-ALL leukemogenesis as a fundament for prospective therapeutic strategies.