SOX11 stimulates γδ T-cell differentiation and synergizes with LMO2 and MYCN to drive γδ-like T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

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Abstract T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is a heterogeneous hematologic malignancy in which LMO2 γδ-like T-ALL represents a rare but clinically aggressive subtype associated with poor treatment response and inferior survival. Integrated transcriptomic analyses identified high SOX11 expression as a defining feature of high-risk LMO2 γδ-like T-ALL, where elevated SOX11 levels correlated with refractory disease and poor clinical outcome. To investigate the functional role of SOX11 in γδ T-cell biology and leukemogenesis, we generated a conditional R26-SOX11 mouse model enabling lineage-specific SOX11 overexpression in T-cell progenitors. SOX11 expression promoted expansion of the innate γδ T-cell compartment in thymus, spleen, and bone marrow, accompanied by transcriptional activation of γδ T-cell differentiation, activation, and cytotoxicity programs. However, SOX11 overexpression alone was insufficient to induce leukemia or confer thymocyte self-renewal capacity. In contrast, combined SOX11 and LMO2 overexpression markedly accelerated T-ALL development and strongly increased the incidence of γδ-like leukemias, thereby recapitulating the human high-risk LMO2 γδ-like T-ALL subtype. Mechanistically, SOX11 expanded the pre-leukemic DN3 thymocyte compartment in LMO2-driven mouse model while promoting differentiation toward the γδ lineage. Transcriptomic profiling identified activation of MYCN-associated transcriptional programs in SOX11/LMO2 pre-leukemic thymocytes. Consistently, MYCN was highly expressed in human LMO2 γδ-like T-ALL, and recurrent stabilizing MYCN P44L mutations were enriched in this subtype. Functional validation using genetic and transplantation-based mouse models demonstrated that SOX11 cooperates with MYCN to accelerate T-ALL onset. Together, these findings establish a cooperative SOX11–MYCN oncogenic axis driving γδ-like T-ALL and provide a novel preclinical model for investigating therapeutic vulnerabilities in this high-risk leukemia subtype.

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