IRF4 is a suppressor of C-Myc induced B cell leukemia

Interferon regulatory factor 4 (IRF4) is a critical transcriptional regulator in B cell development and function. We have previously shown that IRF4, together with IRF8, orchestrates pre-B cell development by limiting pre-B cell expansion and by promoting pre-B cell differentiation. Here, we report that IRF4 suppresses c-Myc induced leukemia in EμMyc mice. Our results show that c-Myc induced leukemia was greatly accelerated in the IRF4 heterozygous mice (IRF4 ^+/-Myc); the average age of mortality in the IRF4 ^+/-Myc mice was only 7 to 8 weeks but was 20 weeks in the control mice. Our results show that IRF4 ^+/-Myc leukemic cells were derived from large pre-B cells and were hyperproliferative and resistant to apoptosis. Further analysis revealed that the majority of IRF4 ^+/-Myc leukemic cells inactivated the wild-type IRF4 allele and contained defects in Arf-p53 tumor suppressor pathway. p27 ^kip is part of the molecular circuitry that controls pre-B cell expansion. Our results show that expression of p27 ^kip was lost in the IRF4 ^+/-Myc leukemic cells and reconstitution of IRF4 expression in those cells induced p27 ^kip and inhibited their expansion. Thus, IRF4 functions as a classical tumor suppressor to inhibit c-Myc induced B cell leukemia in EμMyc mice.