Homoharringtonine Promotes FTO Degradation to Suppress LILRB4-Mediated Immune Evasion in Acute Monocytic Leukaemia

Abstract

Acute monocytic leukaemia, a subtype of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), is a highly aggressive malignancy characterised by a poor prognosis, primarily due to the ability of leukaemic cells to evade immune surveillance. In this study, we demonstrate that homoharringtonine (HHT), an FDA-approved therapeutic agent for chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML), inhibits this immune evasion by targeting the FTO/m6A/LILRB4 signalling pathway in monocytic AML. Utilising RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and various functional assays, we reveal that HHT treatment significantly reduces LILRB4 expression at both the RNA and protein levels, suggesting that the effects of HHT on LILRB4 are distinct from its well-established role as a protein synthesis inhibitor. Mechanistically, HHT treatment markedly increases global levels of RNA m6A in THP-1 cells by promoting the degradation of FTO, which subsequently diminishes the expression of its downstream targets, MLL1 and LILRB4. Furthermore, in vitro and in vivo analyses employing monocytic AML cell lines, mouse-derived AML xenograft models, and patient samples collectively support the conclusion that HHT suppresses immune evasion in monocytic AML by reducing LILRB4 expression. Importantly, the downregulation of LILRB4 resulting from HHT treatment enhances the susceptibility of THP-1 cells to CD8⁺ T cell cytotoxicity, accompanied by increased markers of immune activation. Overall, our findings position HHT as a promising clinical agent for enhancing CD8⁺ T cell-based cancer immunotherapy by mitigating immune evasion in monocytic AML.

Keywords

acute monocytic leukaemia / fat mass and obesity-associated (FTO) / homoharringtonine (HHT) / immune evasion / leukocyte immunoglobulin-like receptor B4 (LILRB4) / N6-methyladenosine (m6A)

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2025 The Author(s). Cell Proliferation published by Beijing Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.