Genome-wide in vivo CRISPR screens identify GATOR1 complex as a tumor suppressor in Myc-driven lymphoma

Abstract

Identifying tumor suppressor genes is predicted to inform on the development of novel strategies for cancer therapy. To identify new lymphoma driving processes that cooperate with oncogenic MYC, which is abnormally highly expressed in ~70% of human cancers, we use a genome-wide CRISPR gene knockout screen in Eµ-Myc;Cas9 transgenic hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells in vivo. We discover that loss of any of the GATOR1 complex components - NPRL3, DEPDC5, NPRL2 - significantly accelerates c-MYC-driven lymphoma development in mice. MYC-driven lymphomas lacking GATOR1 display constitutive mTOR pathway activation and are highly sensitive to mTOR inhibitors, both in vitro and in vivo. These fin..