Tet2-mediated DNA demethylation regulates the proliferation and apoptosis of human leukemia K562 cells

Abstract Tet2 is one member of TET protein family which is responsible for active DNA demethylation, and mutations of Tet2 frequently lead to hematological malignancies. However, the relationship between Tet2-mediated demethylation and the occurrence of hematological malignancies is unclear. Human leukemia K562 cell line was an immortalized leukemia line that of served as an in vitro model of erythroleukemia. In this study, we investigated the effect of Tet2-mediated demethylation on apoptosis and proliferation of human leukemia K562 cells, and found that knockdown of Tet2 promoted the proliferation and inhibited the apoptosis of K562 cells, while enhancement of enzymic activity of TET2 with α-KG inhibited the proliferation and promoted apoptosis of K562. Therefore, Tet2 gene act as a potential target for the treatment of leukemia and small molecules that targeting for Tet2 gene may be used to screen for anti-tumor drugs in hematological malignancies.