IL-1β–mediated inflammatory signaling drives ineffective erythropoiesis in early-stage myelodysplastic syndromes

Abstract

ABSTRACTMyelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are a group of incurable hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) neoplasms characterized by peripheral blood cytopenias and a high risk of progression to acute myeloid leukemia. MDS represent the final stage in a continuum of HSCs’ genetic and functional alterations and are preceded by a premalignant phase, clonal cytopenia of undetermined significance (CCUS). Dissecting the mechanisms of CCUS maintenance may uncover therapeutic targets to delay or prevent malignant transformation.Here, we demonstrate thatDNMT3AandTET2mutations, the most frequent mutations in CCUS, induce aberrant HSCs’ differentiation towards the myeloid lineage at the expense of erythropoiesis by upregulating IL-1β–mediated inflammatory signaling and that canakinumab rescues red blood cell transfusion dependence in early-stage MDS patients with driver mutations inDNMT3AandTET2.This study illuminates the biological landscape of CCUS and offers an unprecedented opportunity for MDS intervention during its initial phase, when expected survival is prolonged.