Decitabine and Vitamin D3 differentially affect hematopoietic transcription factors to induce monocytic differentiation

Standard chemotherapy is not curative for many patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). New treatment strategies combining demethylating agents, such as decitabine, and drugs that induce myelomonocytic differentiation (i.e. Vitamin D3) may re-establish functional hematopoiesis in these patients. We studied the effects of decitabine alone or in combination with Vitamin D3 (VD3) on U937 cells and AML blasts. Preincubation with decitabine (0.1-1 µM) and subsequent exposure to VD3 (3 nM) synergistically induced monocytic differentiation. To elucidate the mechanisms of decitabine- and VD3-induced monocytic differentiation, we investigated the effects of the two drugs on transcription factors implicated in monocytic differentiation. Northern and Western blotting showed that decitabine induced transcription of c-jun but not PU.1, while VD3 increased PU.1, IRF8, and C/EBPbeta but not c-jun. Using electromobility shift assays, we demonstrated increased DNA binding of nuclear proteins from decitabine- and VD3-induced U937 cells to the CD11b promoter. In addition, we investigated whether the myeloid transcription factor Sp1 played a role in decitabine- and VD3-induced CD14 expression. Indeed, we found that mithramycin A, a specific inhibitor of Sp1, inhibited both VD3- and decitabine-induced upregulation of CD14, which is in line with previous data showing that Sp1 is critical for CD14 promoter activity. Induction of CD11b and/or CD14 by decitabine and/or VD3 was confirmed in primary AML patient samples at the time of diagnosis. In conclusion, decitabine synergizes with Vitamin D3 to induce CD11b and CD14 expression, likely by enhancing PU.1/c-jun and Sp1 transcriptional activity.