Med12 gain-of-function mutation causes leiomyomas and genomic instability

P Mittal, Y Shin, SA Yatsenko… - The Journal of …, 2015 - Am Soc Clin Investig
P Mittal, Y Shin, SA Yatsenko, CA Castro, U Surti, A Rajkovic
The Journal of clinical investigation, 2015Am Soc Clin Investig
Uterine leiomyomas are benign tumors that can cause pain, bleeding, and infertility in some
women. Mediator complex subunit 12 (MED12) exon 2 variants are associated with uterine
leiomyomas; however, the causality of MED12 variants, their genetic mode of action, and
their role in genomic instability have not been established. Here, we generated a mouse
model that conditionally expresses a Med12 missense variant (c. 131G> A) in the uterus and
demonstrated that this alteration alone promotes uterine leiomyoma formation and …
Uterine leiomyomas are benign tumors that can cause pain, bleeding, and infertility in some women. Mediator complex subunit 12 (MED12) exon 2 variants are associated with uterine leiomyomas; however, the causality of MED12 variants, their genetic mode of action, and their role in genomic instability have not been established. Here, we generated a mouse model that conditionally expresses a Med12 missense variant (c.131G>A) in the uterus and demonstrated that this alteration alone promotes uterine leiomyoma formation and hyperplasia in both WT mice and animals harboring a uterine mesenchymal cell–specific Med12 deletion. Compared with WT animals, expression of Med12 c.131G>A in conditional Med12–KO mice resulted in earlier onset of leiomyoma lesions that were also greater in size. Moreover, leiomyomatous, Med12 c.131G>A variant–expressing uteri developed chromosomal rearrangements. Together, our results show that the common human leiomyoma–associated MED12 variant can cause leiomyomas in mice via a gain of function that drives genomic instability, which is frequently observed in human leiomyomas.
The Journal of Clinical Investigation