Michael G. Kharas: Publications

Research Articles

Inherited resilience to clonal hematopoiesis by modifying stem cell RNA regulation. Agarwal G, Antoszewski M, Xie X, Pershad Y, Arora UP, Poon CL, Lyu P, Lee AJ, Guo CJ, Ye T, Norford LB, Neehus AL, Della Volpe L, Wahlster L, Ranasinghe D, Ho TC, Barlowe TS, Chow A, Schurer A, Taggart J, Durham BH, Abdel-Wahab O, McGraw KL, Allan JM, Soldatov R, Bick AG, Kharas MG, Sankaran VG. Science. 2026 Jan;391(6780):52-58. doi: 10.1126/science.adx4174. Epub 2026 Jan 1. PMID: 41477881; PMCID: PMC12850507.

SON is an essential m6A target for hematopoietic stem cell fate. Luo H, Cortés-López M, Tam CL, Xiao M, Wakiro I, Chu KL, Pierson A, Chan M, Chang K, Yang X, Fecko D, Han G, Ahn EE, Morris QD, Landau DA, Kharas MG. Cell Stem Cell. 2023 Dec 7;30(12):1658-1673.e10. doi: 10.1016/j.stem.2023.11.006. PMID: 38065069; PMCID: PMC10752439.

N6-Methyladenosine on mRNA facilitates a phase-separated nuclear body that suppresses myeloid leukemic differentiation. Cheng Y, Xie W, Pickering BF, Chu KL, Savino AM, Yang X, Luo H, Nguyen DT, Mo S, Barin E, Velleca A, Rohwetter TM, Patel DJ, Jaffrey SR, Kharas MG. Cancer Cell. 2021 Jul 12;39(7):958-972.e8. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2021.04.017. Epub 2021 May 27. PMID: 34048709; PMCID: PMC8282764.

The N6-methyladenosine (m6A)-forming enzyme METTL3 controls myeloid differentiation of normal hematopoietic and leukemia cells. Vu LP, Pickering BF, Cheng Y, Zaccara S, Nguyen D, Minuesa G, Chou T, Chow A, Saletore Y, MacKay M, Schulman J, Famulare C, Patel M, Klimek VM, Garrett-Bakelman FE, Melnick A, Carroll M, Mason CE, Jaffrey SR, Kharas MG. Nat Med. 2017 Nov;23(11):1369-1376. doi: 10.1038/nm.4416. Epub 2017 Sep 18. PMID: 28920958; PMCID: PMC5677536.

High Fructose Drives the Serine Synthesis Pathway in Acute Myeloid Leukemic Cells. Jeong S, Savino AM, Chirayil R, Barin E, Cheng Y, Park SM, Schurer A, Mullarky E, Cantley LC, Kharas MG, Keshari KR. Cell Metab. 2021 Jan 5;33(1):145-159.e6. doi: 10.1016/j.cmet.2020.12.005. Epub 2020 Dec 22. PMID: 33357456; PMCID: PMC8168776.

 

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ZFP36L2 orchestrates stress-adaptive plasticity in regeneration and cancer. Jiang Q, Raghavan MS, Rodriguez AM, Lallo M, Tam CL, Hartner S, Forsyth B, Mahmoud A, Zincke F, Zhao H, Moorman A, Balkaran S, Luckett K, Pintar J, Romin Y, Chan E, Santella A, Mödl B, Shah F, Baali I, Kharas MG, de Stanchina E, Urganci N, Shia J, Pe’er D, Sanchez-Vega F, Koche R, Morris Q, Chan JM, Ganesh K. Nature. 2026 Aug 5. doi: 10.1038/s41586-026-10890-0. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42557330.

Kitlo hematopoietic stem cells exhibit distinct lymphoid-primed chromatin landscapes that enhance thymic reconstitution. Elias HK, Mitra S, da Silva MB, Rajagopalan A, Gipson B, Lee N, Kousa AI, Ali MAE, Grassmann S, Raghuraman R, Zhang XC, DeWolf S, Smith M, Andrlova H, Argyropoulos KV, Sharma R, Fei T, Sun JC, Dunbar CE, Park CY, Leslie CS, Bhandoola A, Kharas MG, van den Brink MRM. Nat Commun. 2025 Jul 4;16(1):6170. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-61125-1. PMID: 40615375; PMCID: PMC12227609.

ChromaFold predicts the 3D contact map from single-cell chromatin accessibility. Gao VR, Yang R, Das A, Luo R, Luo H, McNally DR, Karagiannidis I, Rivas MA, Wang ZM, Barisic D, Karbalayghareh A, Wong W, Zhan YA, Chin CR, Noble WS, Bilmes JA, Apostolou E, Kharas MG, Béguelin W, Viny AD, Huangfu D, Rudensky AY, Melnick AM, Leslie CS. Nat Commun. 2024 Nov 1;15(1):9432. doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-53628-0. Erratum in: Nat Commun. 2025 Jan 15;16(1):684. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-56017-3. PMID: 39487131; PMCID: PMC11530433.

RNA binding protein SYNCRIP maintains proteostasis and self-renewal of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells. Herrejon Chavez F, Luo H, Cifani P, Pine A, Chu EL, Joshi S, Barin E, Schurer A, Chan M, Chang K, Han GYQ, Pierson AJ, Xiao M, Yang X, Kuehm LM, Hong Y, Nguyen DTT, Chiosis G, Kentsis A, Leslie C, Vu LP, Kharas MG. Nat Commun. 2023 Apr 21;14(1):2290. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-38001-x. PMID: 37085479; PMCID: PMC10121618.

Dual IKZF2 and CK1α degrader targets acute myeloid leukemia cells.  Park SM, Miyamoto DK, Han GYQ, Chan M, Curnutt NM, Tran NL, Velleca A, Kim JH, Schurer A, Chang K, Xu W, Kharas MG, Woo CM.  Cancer Cell. 2023 Apr 10;41(4):726-739.e11. doi: 10.1016/j.ccell.2023.02.010. Epub 2023 Mar 9. PMID: 36898380.

Serine synthesis pathway flux is essential for acute myeloid leukemia cells to proliferate in fructose-rich conditions.  Jeong S, Savino AM, Chirayil R, Cheng Y, Barin E, Park SM, Schurer A, Mullarky E, Cantley LC, Kharas MG*, Keshari KR*.  Cell Metab. 5 January 2021, Pages 145-159.

TP53 mutations and RNA binding protein MUSASHI2 drive resistance to PRMT5-targeted therapy in B-cell lymphoma.  Erazo T, Evans CM, Zakheim D, Chu KL, Refermat AY, Asgari Z, Yang Z, Ferreira MD, Mehta S, Russo MV, Knezevic A, Zhang XP, Chen Z, Fennell M, Garippa R, Seshan V, de Stanchina E, Barbash O, Batlevi CL, Melnick AM, Younes A*, Kharas MG*. Nat Comm 2022 September 27. 13(5626).

N6-methyladenosine on mRNA facilitates a phase-separated nuclear body that suppresses myeloid leukemic differentiation.  Cheng Y*, Xie W*, Pickering BF, Chu KL, Savino AM, Yang X, Luo H, Nguyen DTT, Mo S, Barin E, Velleca A, Rohwetter T, Patel DJ, Jaffrey SR, Kharas MG*.  Cancer Cell. July 2021.

Transcriptional control of CBX5 by the RNA binding proteins RBMX/L1 maintain chromatin state in myeloid leukemia. Prieto C, Nguyen DTT, Liu Z,Wheat J, Perez A, Gourkanti S, Chou T, Barin E, Velleca A, Rohwetter T, Barin E, Chow A, Taggart J, Hoskova K, Dhodapkar M, Schurer A, Barlowe TS, Vu LP, Leslie C, Steidl U, Rabadan R, Kharas MG*.  Nat Cancer. July 2021. 5: 741-757.

Savino AM, Fernandes SI, Olivares O, Zemlyansky A, Cousins A, Markert EK, Barel S, Geron I, Frishman L, Birger Y, Eckert C, Tumanov S, MacKay G, Kamphorst JJ, Herzyk P, Fernández-García J, Abramovich I, Mor I, Bardini M, Barin E, Janaki-Raman S, Cross JR, Kharas MG, Gottlieb E, Izraeli S, Halsey C Metabolic adaptation of acute lymphoblastic leukemia to the central nervous system microenvironment is dependent on Stearoyl CoA desaturase..Nat Cancer. 2020 Oct;1(10):998-1009. doi: 10.1038/s43018-020-00115-2. Epub 2020 Sep 28.

Cheng Y, Luo H, Izzo F, Pickering BF, Nguyen D, Byers R, Schurer A, Gourkanti S, Bruning J, Vu L, Jaffrey S, Landau D, Kharas MG*. RNA methylation maintains hematopoietic stem cell identity and symmetric commitment. Cell Reports. 2019 August 13. 7:1703-11716

Cheng Y, Luo H, Kharas MG. Rubbing Out Leukemia Stem Cells by Erasing the Eraser. Cell Stem Cell.2020 Jul 2;27(1):3-5.

Nguyen DTT, Lu Y, Chu KL, Yang X, Park SM, Choo ZN, Chin CR, Prieto C, Schurer A, Barin E, Savino AM, Gourkanti S, Patel P, Vu LP, Leslie CS, Kharas MG. HyperTRIBE uncovers increased MUSASHI-2 RNA binding activity and differential regulation in leukemic stem cells. Nat Commun. 2020 Apr 24;11(1):2026.

Cheng Y, Luo H, Izzo F, Pickering BF, Nguyen D, Byers R, Schurer A, Gourkanti S, Bruning J, Vu L,Jaffrey S, Landau D, Kharas MG*. RNA methylation maintains hematopoietic stem cell identity and symmetric commitment. Cell Reports. 2019 August 13. 7:1703-11716.

Minuesa G, Albanese SK, Wei X, Kazansky Y, Worroll D, Chow A, Schurer A, Park S-M, Rotsides CZ, Taggart J, Rizzi A, Naden LN, Chou T, Gourkanti S, Cappel D, Passarelli MC, Fairchild L, Adura C, Glickman JF, Schulman J, Famulare C, Patel M, Eibl JK, Ross GM, Bhattacharya S, Tan D, Leslie C, Beuming T, Patel DJ, Goldgur Y, Chodera JD, Kharas MG*. Small-molecule targeting of MUSASHI RNA-binding activity in acute myeloid leukemia. Nat. Comm. 2019 June 19; 10.

Park SM, Cho H, Thornton AM, Barlowe TS, Chou T, Chhangawala S, Fairchild L, Taggart J, Chow A, Schurer A, Gruet A, Witkin MD, Kim JH, Shevach EM, Krivtsov A, Armstrong SA, Leslie C, Kharas MG.IKZF2 Drives Leukemia Stem Cell Self-Renewal and Inhibits Myeloid Differentiation. Cell Stem Cell.2019 Jan 3;24(1):153-165.e7.

Park S-M, Choo H, Thornton A, Barlowe TS, Chou T, Chhangawala S, Fairchild L, Taggart J, Chow A, Schurer A, Witkin M, Shevach EM, Krivtsov A, Armstrong SA, Leslie C, Kharas MG*. IKZF2 drives leukemia stem cell self-renewal and inhibits myeloid differentiation. Cell Stem Cell. 2018 Nov 13; 24: 1-13

Bhagat TD, Chen SI, Bartenstein M, Barlowe AT, Tivnan P, Amin E, Marcondesz M, Sanders MA, Hoogenboezem RM, Will B, Giricz O, Kambhampati S, Ramachandra N, Mantzaris I, Sukrithan V, Sohal D, Wickrema A, Yeung C, Gritsman K, Aplan P, Hochedlinger K, Yu Y, Pradhan K, Greally JM, Mukherjee S, Pellagatti A, Boultwood J, Steidl U, Raaijmakers MHGP, Deeg HJ, Kharas MG*, Verma A*. Epigenetically Aberrant Stroma In MDS Propagates Disease Via Wnt/-Catenin Activation. Cancer Research. 2017 July 6: doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.

Vu L, Prieto C, Amin EM, Chhangawala S, Krivtsov A, Calvo-Vidal MN, Chou T, Chow A, Minuesa G, Park SM, Barlowe TS, Taggart J, Tivnan P, Deering RP, Chu LP, Kwon J-A, Mayden C, Perales-Paton J, Arshi A, Gönen M, Paietta E, Tallman MS, Glass J, Bakelman FG, Melnick A, Levine R, Al-Shahrour F, Järås M, Hacohen N, Hwang A, Garippa R,. Lengner CJ, Armstrong SA, Cerchietti L, Cowley GS, Root D, Doench J, Leslie C, Ebert BL, Kharas MG*. Functional screen of MSI2 interactors identifies an essential role for SYNCRIP in myeloid leukemia stem cells. Nature genetics. 2017 Apr 24: doi:10.1038/ng.3854.

Kotini AG, Chang CJ, Chow A, Yuan H, Ho TC, Wang T, Vora S, Husser C, Olszewska M, Alexander S, Perumal D, Teruya-Feldstein J, Klimek VM, Spyridonidis A, Rampal R, Silverman L, Reddy EP, Papaemmanuil, E, Parekh S, Greenbaum B, Leslie C, Kharas MG*, Papapetrou EP*. Stage-specific induced pluripotent stem cells delineate a roadmap to myeloid transformation. Cell Stem Cell. 2017 Mar 2; 20:1-14.

Taggart J, Ho TZ, Amin E, Xu H, Barlowe T, Perez AR, Tivnan P, Okabe R, Lengner C, Verma A, Roboz GJ, Guzman ML, Leslie CS, Nimer SD and Kharas MG*. MSI2 Is Required for Maintaining the Activated Myelodysplastic Syndrome Stem Cell. Nat Comm. 2016 Feb 22; 7:10739, PMCID: PMC4764878.

Park SM, Gonen M, Vu L, Minuesa G, Tivnan P, Barlowe TS, Taggart J, Lu Y, Deering RP, Hacohen N, Figueroa ME, Paietta E,Tallman MS, Melnick A, Levine R, Leslie C, Lengner C and Kharas MG*. Musashi2 sustains the MLL leukemia stem cell regulatory program. J Clin Invest, 2015 Mar 2;125(3):1286-98. PMCID: PMC4362230.

Minuesa G, Antczak C, Shum D, Radu C, Bhinder B, Li Y, Djaballah H, Kharas MG*. A 1536-well Fluorescence Polarization Assay to Screen for Modulators of the MUSASHI Family of RNA-Binding Proteins. Comb Chem Hig Throughput Screen. 2014: 17(7):596-609. PMCID:PMC4135234.

Park SM, Deering RP, Lu Y, Tivnan P, Lianoglou S, Al-Shahrour F, Ebert BL, Hacohen N, Leslie C, Daley GQ, Lengner CJ, Kharas MG*. Musashi-2 controls cell fate, lineage bias, and TGF- β signaling in HSCs. J Exp Med. 2014 Jan 13;211(1):71-87. PMCID: PMC3892968.

Reviews

Luo H, Kharas MG, Jaffrey SR. N6-Methyladenosine: an RNA modification as a central regulator of cancer. Nat Rev Cancer. 2026 Feb;26(2):118-136. doi: 10.1038/s41568-025-00889-6. Epub 2025 Dec 8. PMID: 41360987; PMCID: PMC13142248.

Vu L, Cheng Y, Kharas MG. The Biology of m6A RNA Methylation in Normal and Malignant Hematopoiesis. Cancer Discovery. 2018 Dec 21: doi. 10.1158/2159-8290.CD-18-0959.

Kharas, MG*, Lengner, C*. Stem cells, cancer, and MUSASHI in blood and guts. Trends in Cancer. Invited review. 2017 Apr 9: doi: 10.1016/j.trecan.2017.03.007.