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Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive hematopoietic malignancy, characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation and differentiation arrest of myeloid progenitors. Chemotherapy has been the front-line treatment for decades and cure remains elusive for the majority of AML patients. Genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screens have previously identified KAT7 as an AML-specific cell-essential gene and therefore may represent a potential novel therapeutic target for AML. Here, I show that KAT7 loss leads to a rapid and dramatic global reduction in both H3K14ac and H4K12ac in association with reduced proliferation, increased apoptosis or enhanced differentiation of AML cells driven by the translocation of Mixed-lineage leukemia (MLL) gene. Mice transplantation with KAT7 knock-out AML cell line showed delayed disease progression and prolonged survival compared to those injected with the wild-type counterpart. The acetyltransferase activity of KAT7 is essential for MLL-fusion AML as the E508Q catalytic dead mutant is unable to sustain the leukemic programme. Using the auxin-inducible degron (AID) system to induce rapid KAT7 protein degradation, I showed that KAT7 is required for the recruitment of the MLL-fusion associated adaptor proteins such as BRD4 and AF4 to gene promoters, which are critical for the maintenance of the MLL-AF9 transcriptional programme. Although not found to be mutated among cases of AML, KAT7 is a plausible therapeutic target for this poor prognosis subtype of AML.

Exercise has been shown to be associated with health and it is related to decreased morbidity and mortality in the general population (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, USDHHS, 1996). Despite the multiple health benefits of exercise, relatively few people exercise. The present study examined factors that may influence exercise participation. Chinese undergraduate students from Beijing Normal University (n = 213) and American undergraduate students from Bowling Green State University (n = 213) were recruited to participate in the present study. This study examined how reasons for exercise were related to exercise stages of change among Chinese and American college students. Also examined were how reasons for exercise were related to exercise enjoyment and self-efficacy. In addition, cultural and gender differences were examined. The main results were as follows: (1) Women in different stages of change exercised for different reasons, with women in higher stages primarily exercise more for non-body related reasons than women in lower stages of change. (2) American college students exercised more for Weight Control, Fitness, and Physical Attractiveness, while Chinese college students exercised more for Health and Enjoyment. (3) Students who primarily exercised for Mood enjoyed exercise more than people who exercised for other reasons, and people who exercised for body-related reasons, such as Weight Control and Body Tone, enjoyed exercise the least. (4) Women exercising primarily for Mood had higher self-efficacy than women exercising for other reasons. In conclusion, certain reasons for exercise are related to stages of change, exercise enjoyment, and exercise self-efficacy.