The CREB Coactivator CRTC2 Is a Lymphoma Tumor Suppressor that Preserves Genome Integrity through Transcription of DNA Mismatch Repair Genes

The CREB-regulated transcription coactivator CRTC2 stimulates CREB target gene expression and has a well-established role in modulating glucose and lipid metabolism. Here, we find, unexpectedly, that loss of CRTC2, as well as CREB1 and its coactivator CREB-binding protein (CBP), results in a deficiency in DNA mismatch repair (MMR) and a resultant increased mutation frequency. We show that CRTC2, CREB1, and CBP are transcriptional activators of well-established MMR genes, including EXO1, MSH6, PMS1, and POLD2. Mining of expression profiling databases and analysis of patient samples reveal that CRTC2 and its target MMR genes are downregulated in specific T cell lymphoma sub-types, which are microsatellite unstable. The levels of acetylated histone H3 on the CRTC2 promoter are significantly reduced in lymphoma in comparison to normal tissue, explaining the decreased CRTC2 expression. Our results establish a role for CRTC2 as a lymphoma tumor suppressor gene that preserves genome integrity by stimulating transcription of MMR genes.