TET2 deficiency increases the competitive advantage of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells through upregulation of thrombopoietin receptor signaling.

Abstract

Ten-Eleven Translocation-2 (TET2) mutations drive the expansion of mutant hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) in clonal hematopoiesis (CH). However, the precise mechanisms by which TET2 mutations confer a competitive advantage to HSCs remain unclear. Here, through an epigenetic drug screen, we discover that inhibition of disruptor of telomeric silencing 1-like (DOT1L), a H3K79 methyltransferase, selectively reduces the fitness of Tet2 knockout (Tet2^KO) hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). Mechanistically, we find that TET2 deficiency increases H3K79 dimethylation and expression of Mpl, which encodes the thrombopoietin receptor (TPO-R). Correspondingly, TET2 deficiency is associated with a higher proportion of primitive Mpl-expressing (Mpl⁺) cells in the HSC compartment. Importantly, inhibition of Mpl expression or the signaling downstream of TPO-R is sufficient to reduce the competitive advantage of murine and human TET2-deficient HSPCs. Our findings demonstrate a critical role for aberrant TPO-R signaling in TET2 mutation-driven CH and uncover potential therapeutic strategies against this condition.