AUTHOR=Yang Haopeng , Green Michael R. 

TITLE=Epigenetic Programing of B-Cell Lymphoma by BCL6 and Its Genetic Deregulation

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology

VOLUME=7

YEAR=2019

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cell-and-developmental-biology/articles/10.3389/fcell.2019.00272

DOI=10.3389/fcell.2019.00272

ISSN=2296-634X

ABSTRACT=<p>B cell lymphoma is a clinically heterogeneous and pathologically diverse group of diseases with a strong epigenetic component. The B cell lymphoma 6 (<italic>BCL6</italic>) gene encodes a transcription factor that is critical for normal germinal center reaction B cell development by maintaining an epigenetic and transcriptional state that is permissive for cellular proliferation and DNA damage. The activity of BCL6 can be deregulated by a variety of mechanisms and contributes to the development of B-cell lymphoma. Here we review the direct and indirect mechanisms BCL6 dysregulation in B cell lymphoma, including transcriptional and post-translational regulation of BCL6 expression and activity, and the perturbation of BCL6-regulated epigenetic programs by cooperating chromatin modifying gene mutations. We underscore the critical importance of BCL6 and its associated epigenetic programs in the development of B-cell lymphoma, and discuss avenues for the therapeutic targeting of BCL6 in this context.</p>