Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) remains a devasting disease. Progress has been made to define molecular mechanisms underlying disease pathogenesis due, in part, to the near-complete understanding of AML genome. Nonetheless, functional studies are necessary to assess the significance of AML-associated mutations and devise urgently needed
therapies. Genome-wide knockout screening, employing CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, is a powerful tool in functional genomics. In this study, genome-wide CRISPR screening was performed using mouse
leukemia cell lines developed in our Center, followed by in vivo screening. Among 20,611 genes, 130 AML essential genes were identified, including clinically actionable candidates. It was shown that
mRNA decapping enzyme scavenger (DCPS), an
enzyme implicated in mRNA decay pathway, is essential for AML survival.
ShRNA-mediated gene knockdown and DCPS inhibitor (
RG3039) were employed to validate findings.
RG3039 induced cell-cycle arrest and apoptosis in vitro. Furthermore, mass spectrometry analysis revealed an association between DCPS and
RNA metabolic pathways, and
RNA-Seq showed that
RG3039 treatment induced aberrant
mRNA splicing in AML cells. Importantly,
RG3039 exhibited anti-
leukemia effects in PDX models. These findings identify DCPS as a novel therapeutic target for AML, shedding new light on the
nuclear RNA metabolic pathway in leukemogenesis.