| Abstract: |
Histone methyltransferase SETD1A is critical for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell survival, but the molecular mechanism driving SETD1A gene regulation remains elusive. To delineate the role of SETD1A, we utilize a protein degrader technology to induce rapid SETD1A degradation in AML cell lines. SETD1A degradation results in immediate downregulation of transcripts associated with DNA repair and heme biosynthesis pathways. CRISPR-based functional analyses and metabolomics reveal an essential role of SETD1A to maintain mitochondrial respiration in AML cells. These SETD1A targets are enriched in head-to-head (H2H) genes. SETD1A degradation disrupts a non-enzymatic SETD1A domain-dependent cyclin K function, increases the Ser5P RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) at the transcriptional start site (TSS), and induces the promoter-proximal pausing of RNAPII in a strand-specific manner. This study reveals a non-enzymatic role for SETD1A in transcriptional pause release and provides insight into the mechanism of RNAPII pausing and its function in cancer. © 2022 The Author(s) |
