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Decreased expression of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7 in human colorectal carcinoma is related to DNA methylation.

PURPOSE: Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 7 (IGFBP-7) is considered a tumor suppressor in various cancers, but its role in colorectal cancer (CRC) is still uncertain. The aims of this study were to analyze the IGFBP-7 expression, and explore the mechanism responsible for the inactivation of IGFBP-7 in CRC. METHODS: mRNA expression was studied by RT-PCR and Northern blot analysis of cultured cells. Methylation status was analyzed by treatment with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine followed by sequencing of PCR products of sodium bisulfite-treated genomic DNA. IGFBP-7 protein expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry (IHC) on tissue microarrays. RESULTS: mRNA expression was lost in six out of eight CRC cell lines as compared to normal colon cells. DNA methylation was found in the region of exon 1 and intron 1 of IGFBP-7. In tumor tissue, 107 out of 279 samples showed a negative expression of IGFBP-7 by IHC, which was significantly associated with poor prognosis. The analysis of 37 paired cancerous and normal mucosa samples confirmed the downregulation in the tumors, but revealed variable basal expression levels of IGFBP-7 in normal mucosal samples. CONCLUSIONS: DNA methylation is a mechanism responsible for IGFBP-7 gene silencing providing a target for therapeutic intervention of this tumor suppressor gene.

Cell Line, Tumor↗

Purification and characterization of Pseudomonas putida histidine ammonia-lyase expressed in Escherichia coli.

Histidine ammonia-lyase (HAL) from Pseudomonas putida PRS1 contains a catalytically important electrophilic center reported to be dehydroalanine. Little is known about the origin of this group or its linkage to the protein. To initiate structural studies on this enzyme, P. putida HAL was purified from an Escherichia coli high-expression clone in which the HAL gene (hutH) was under the control of the lambda PL promoter on a plasmid vector. In this clone from 6 to 10% of the soluble cell protein after heat induction was HAL and approximately 200 mg of 95% pure HAL could be obtained from 120 g wet weight of cells in a 40 to 60% yield. The overexpressed protein was identical to P. putida HAL in native molecular weight (220 kDa), subunit composition (four identical subunits of 53 kDa each), affinity for substrate (L-histidine Km of 5.3 mM at pH 9.0), and its sensitivity to inactivation by cyanide and bisulfite. The N-terminal amino acid sequence was in agreement with the DNA-predicted sequence, indicating proper translational initiation. These features make this enzyme an appropriate candidate for protein structure investigations regarding the nature of the electrophilic center and its association with the protein.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Lack of a consistent relationship between demethylation of the CD44 promoter and CD44 expression.

Methylation of the CD44 promoter at one or more CpG dinucleotides has been proposed as being important in the control of CD44 expression. In vitro methylation of all CpGs occurring between bases -1 to -1374 upstream of the position of translation initiation repressed the promoter activity of mouse CD44 4.5- to 12-fold in transient transfection experiments. Assaying the methylation of these 29 CpGs by genomic sequencing using differential base modification by sodium bisulfite indicated that a cluster of three CpGs immediately upstream of the position of translation initiation was heavily methylated in the mouse CD44-negative T-cell lymphoma AKR1. All 19 CpGs between bases -4 and -447, including the cluster heavily methylated in AKR1, were demethylated in the CD44-positive T-cell lymphoma BW5147, while CpGs further upstream showed no change in methylation pattern. The cluster of heavily methylated CpGs remained methylated, however, when CD44 was activated by transient transfection of c-jun into an AKR1 subline expressing polyoma large-T or by treatment of this subline with sodium butyrate, and no significant demethylation of other CpGs was observed. It is concluded, therefore, that no consistent demethylation event in the promoter-containing region encompassing the 1374 base pairs upstream of the position of CD44 translation initiation is required for CD44 expression.

Animals↗

Abrogation of DUSP6 by hypermethylation in human pancreatic cancer.

Our previous study indicated that DUSP6/MKP-3/PYST1 could act as a tumor suppressor in human pancreatic cancer. DUSP6 was frequently underexpressed in primary pancreatic cancer tissues by an unknown mechanism. In this study, we demonstrated that hypermethylation of the expressional control region of DUSP6 could account for its abrogation in cultured human pancreatic cancer cells and in primary pancreatic cancer tissues. First, we checked intrinsic transcriptional expression levels of DUSP6 by a quantitative real time PCR assay in 16 cultured pancreatic cancer cell lines and found that the cells could be classified into four groups: very-low-level expression, low-level expression, high-level expression, and very-high-level expression. We observed restored expression of DUSP6 after treatment with 5-azacytidine and trichostatin A, a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor and a histone deacetylase inhibitor, respectively, in cells with intrinsically very-low-level and low-level expression of DUSP6. Using a sodium-bisulfite-modification assay, we found that CpG sequences in intron 1 of DUSP6 were heavily methylated in MIA PaCa-2 and PAN07JCK, both showing the very low level of intrinsic expression of the gene. On the other hand, no methylation in this region was detected in 14 other cell lines. We checked the methylation state of this region by a methylation-specific PCR method in 12 primary pancreatic cancer tissues and compared it with the expression state of DUSP6 investigated by immunohistochemistry. Methylation was detected in five of eight cases with abolished expressions of DUSP6, four of which were poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. On the other hand, none of the four cases with preserved expression of DUSP6 showed methylation. The methylation state significantly correlated with both the abolishment of protein expression (p = 0.038) and the histological subtype of adenocarcinoma (p = 0.023) by chi-square test. These results indicate that hypermethylation of the CpG islands in intron 1 may account for the strong suppression of DUSP6 expression. Other mechanism(s) and/or other CpG sites outside of our investigation may have some influence upon expressional suppression. Our combined results suggest that hypermethylation with modification of histone deacetylation play an important role in transcriptional suppression of DUSP6 in human pancreatic cancer.

Acetylation↗

Rapid detection of functional expression of C-5-DNA methyltransferases in yeast.

We have previously employed the cytosine-5-DNA methyltransferase (MTase), M. Sss I, as a probe for chromatin architecture in intact cells. Although M. Sss I offers the highest resolution of any currently available MTase, the difficulty in establishing stable, methylation-positive strains poses a barrier to its general utility as a chromatin probe. We describe a simple screen for M. Sss I-expressing strains that eliminates the purification of PCR products amplified from bisulfite-treated DNA, use of radioisotopes, polyacrylamide sequencing gel electrophoresis, and autoradiography. The high throughput of the method now makes it feasible to introduce M. Sss I into a variety of wild-type and mutant genetic backgrounds.

Base Sequence↗

Conserved methylation patterns of human papillomavirus type 16 DNA in asymptomatic infection and cervical neoplasia.

DNA methylation contributes to the chromatin conformation that represses transcription of human papillomavirus type16 (HPV-16), which is prevalent in the etiology of cervical carcinoma. In an effort to clarify the role of this phenomenon in the regulation and carcinogenicity of HPV-16, 115 clinical samples were studied to establish the methylation patterns of the 19 CpG dinucleotides within the long control region and part of the L1 gene by bisulfite modification, PCR amplification, DNA cloning, and sequencing. We observed major heterogeneities between clones from different samples as well as between clones from individual samples. The methylation frequency of CpGs was measured at 14.5%. In addition, 0.21 and 0.23%, respectively, of the CpA and CpT sites, indicators of de novo methylation, were methylated. Methylation frequencies exceeded 30% in the CpGs overlapping with the L1 gene and were about 10% for most other positions. A CpG site located in the linker between two nucleosomes positioned over the enhancer and promoter of HPV-16 had minimal methylation. This region forms part of the HPV replication origin and is close to binding sites of master-regulators of transcription during epithelial differentiation. Methylation of most sites was highest in carcinomas, possibly due to tandem repetition and chromosomal integration of HPV-16 DNA. Methylation was lowest in dysplasia, likely reflecting the transcriptional activity in these infections. Our data document the efficient targeting of HPV genomes by the epithelial methylation machinery, possibly as a cellular defense mechanism, and suggest involvement of methylation in HPV oncogene expression and the early-late switch.

Cell Line, Tumor↗

Increasing methylation of the CDKN2A gene is associated with the progression of adult T-cell leukemia.

In this study, we examined the methylation status of the CDKN2A gene in patients with different forms of adult T-cell leukemia (ATL) using Southern blot analysis, methylation-specific PCR (MSPCR), and nucleotide sequencing. We found that the CDKN2A gene was more frequently methylated in fresh tumor cells isolated from patients with acute ATL (47%) or lymphoma-type ATL (73%) than in those with less malignant chronic (17%) and smoldering (17%) ATL. In addition, deletions of the CDKN2A gene were found in 24% of acute ATL patients; thus, abnormalities of the CDKN2A gene totaled 71% in acute ATL patients. In contrast, no CDKN2A gene methylation was found in asymptomatic carriers or uninfected individuals. Methylation of the p15 gene was not found in any samples from 36 ATL patients. Direct sequencing of the CDKN2A gene after sodium bisulfite treatment of genomic DNA revealed that the methylation of CpG sites had occurred in 24 of 32 ATL cases (75%) including chronic and smoldering ATL, even when MSPCR and the Southern blot had failed to detect CDKN2A gene methylation. Among fresh ATL samples with methylation, methylation was detected in the promoter region and exon in 17 of 24 cases, and methylation in the exon without promoter region was detected in 7 of 24 cases. In one case, the pattern of methylation proved to be different between peripheral blood cells and lymph node cells, suggesting the presence of multiple subclones with regard to methylation patterns, despite the same HTLV-I integration site. Quantitative PCR showed a marked decrease in CDKN2A mRNA expression in the cells with a methylated CDKN2A gene, especially if the promoter region was methylated. These findings suggest that CpG methylation decreases CDKN2A expression and represents a critical factor in the disease progression of ATL.

Blotting, Southern↗

Methylthioadenosine phosphorylase gene is silenced by promoter hypermethylation in human lymphoma cell line DHL-9: another mechanism of enzyme deficiency.

Methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP) involved in the metabolism of purine and polyamine has been known to be deficient in a variety of tumors. Although this enzyme deficiency was reportedly caused by partial or total deletion of the MTAP gene, human MTAP-deficient lymphoma cell line DHL-9 has the intact MTAP gene. In order to determine the mechanism of MTAP deficiency in DHL-9, we carried out methylation-specific PCR analysis of sodium bisulfite-treated genomic DNA followed by DNA sequence analysis. Following incubation with various concentrations of 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine, DHL-9 cells were subjected to RT-PCR and an immunoblot analysis for MTAP expression. MTAP promoter in DHL-9 cells was methylated at cytosine of all CpG dinucleotides analyzed. Moreover, 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine treatment induced DHL-9 cells to express MTAP mRNA and protein. Taken together, MTAP deficiency in DHL-9 was caused by transcriptional silencing due to promoter methylation. Promoter methylation of the MTAP gene was also found in DNA samples from adult T-cell leukemia patients. These results indicated that promoter hypermethylation is another mechanism of MTAP deficiency in human malignancy. Thus, immunological diagnostics will be needed for an accurate evaluation of MTAP expression at the protein level.

Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic↗

A genomic sequencing protocol that yields a positive display of 5-methylcytosine residues in individual DNA strands.

The modulation of DNA-protein interactions by methylation of protein-binding sites in DNA and the occurrence in genomic imprinting, X chromosome inactivation, and fragile X syndrome of different methylation patterns in DNA of different chromosomal origin have underlined the need to establish methylation patterns in individual strands of particular genomic sequences. We report a genomic sequencing method that provides positive identification of 5-methylcytosine residues and yields strand-specific sequences of individual molecules in genomic DNA. The method utilizes bisulfite-induced modification of genomic DNA, under conditions whereby cytosine is converted to uracil, but 5-methylcytosine remains nonreactive. The sequence under investigation is then amplified by PCR with two sets of strand-specific primers to yield a pair of fragments, one from each strand, in which all uracil and thymine residues have been amplified as thymine and only 5-methylcytosine residues have been amplified as cytosine. The PCR products can be sequenced directly to provide a strand-specific average sequence for the population of molecules or can be cloned and sequenced to provide methylation maps of single DNA molecules. We tested the method by defining the methylation status within single DNA strands of two closely spaced CpG dinucleotides in the promoter of the human kininogen gene. During the analysis, we encountered in sperm DNA an unusual methylation pattern, which suggests that the high methylation level of single-copy sequences in sperm may be locally modulated by binding of protein factors in germ-line cells.

5-Methylcytosine↗

Construction and characterization of a library of metallothionein coding sequence mutants.

New possibilities for experimental investigation of the metallothionein system at the DNA, RNA, and protein levels are now available via a library of metallothionein coding sequence mutants. Appropriate treatment in vitro with sodium bisulfite of the sense or antisense DNA strands in M13 phage vectors and propagation in Escherichia coli BD1528 (ung-) produced two unique collections in the library containing either C to T or G to A transition mutations in the codons at low and high frequencies. The strategy for mutagenesis takes advantage of degeneracy in the genetic code so that no cysteine codons are replaced in the CT mutants while all are subject to change in the GA collection. Two hundred and sixty-four clones from the library have been sequenced and G to A transitions affecting each of the 20 cysteine codons in metallothionein have been detected. Other mutations in codons for amino acids proposed to be important for metallothionein function have also been identified.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Simultaneous detection of CpG methylation and single nucleotide polymorphism by denaturing high performance liquid chromatography.

We report here a novel method to simultaneously detect CpG methylation and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using denaturing high performance liquid chromatography (DHPLC). PCR products of bisulfite-modified CpG islands were separated using DHPLC. BstUI digestion and DNA sequencing were used in confirmation studies. Consistent with the BstUI digestion assay, the 294 bp PCR product of the modified hMLH1 promoter showed different retention times between the methylated cell lines (RKO and Cla, 6.7 min) and the unmethylated cell lines (PACM82 and MGC803, 6.2 min). No hMLH1 methylation was observed in 13 primary gastric carcinomas and their matched normal tissues. One hMLH1 SNP was detected in gastric cancer patients, in both cancer and normal tissues. DNA sequencing revealed that the SNP is a G-->A variation at -93 nt of the hMLH1 promoter. A two-peak chromatogram was also obtained in the 605 bp PCR product of the Cox-2 promoter of the AGS, HEK293 and MKN45 cell lines by DHPLC. Another peak corresponding to methylated CpG islands was observed on the chromatogram of the Cox-2-methylated AGS cell line after bisulfite treatment. In conclusion, methylation in homoallelic and heteroallelic CpG islands could be detected rapidly and reliably by bisulfite-DHPLC. A SNP in the target sequence could also be detected at the same time.

Adaptor Proteins, Signal Transducing↗

COBRA: a sensitive and quantitative DNA methylation assay.

We report here on a quantitative technique called COBRA to determine DNA methylation levels at specific gene loci in small amounts of genomic DNA. Restriction enzyme digestion is used to reveal methylation-dependent sequence differences in PCR products of sodium bisulfite-treated DNA as described previously. We show that methylation levels in the original DNA sample are represented by the relative amounts of digested and undigested PCR product in a linearly quantitative fashion across a wide spectrum of DNA methylation levels. In addition, we show that this technique can be reliably applied to DNA obtained from microdissected paraffin-embedded tissue samples. COBRA thus combines the powerful features of ease of use, quantitative accuracy, and compatibility with paraffin sections.

Base Sequence↗

Differential DNA methylation between fetus and mother as a strategy for detecting fetal DNA in maternal plasma.

BACKGROUND: Fetal DNA has been detected in maternal plasma by the use of genetic differences between mother and fetus. We explore the possibility of using epigenetic markers for the specific detection of fetal DNA in maternal plasma. METHODS: A differentially methylated region in the human IGF2-H19 locus and a single-nucleotide polymorphism in this region were chosen for the study. The methylation status in this region is maintained in such a way that the paternal allele is methylated and the maternal allele is unmethylated. The single-nucleotide polymorphism was typed by direct sequencing of PCR products. The methylation status of this region was ascertained by bisulfite conversion and methylation-specific PCR. Differentially methylated fetal alleles were detected in maternal plasma by direct sequencing and a primer-extension assay. RESULTS: Women in the second (n = 21; 17-21 weeks) and third (n = 18; 37-42 weeks) trimesters of pregnancy were recruited. Among these 39 volunteers, the 16 who were heterozygous for the single-nucleotide polymorphism were chosen for further analysis. In 11 of these 16 cases, paternally inherited methylated fetal alleles were different from the methylated alleles of the respective mothers. Using direct sequencing, we detected paternally inherited methylated fetal DNA in 6 of 11 (55%) cases. In 8 of the 16 heterozygous cases, the fetuses possessed an unmethylated maternally inherited allele that was different from the unmethylated allele of the mother. Using a primer-extension assay, we detected fetal-derived maternally inherited alleles in maternal plasma of four of eight (50%) cases. CONCLUSIONS: These results represent the first use of fetal epigenetic markers in noninvasive prenatal analysis. These data may also have implications for the investigation of other types of chimerism.

DNA↗

DNA methylation patterns and sequence transitions of the CpG island of mouse Hprt during early embryogenesis.

The timing and pattern of methylation of the CpG island in the X-chromosome gene, Hprt, was examined using bisulfite methods to assess the occurrence of DNA cytosine methylation at the onset of X-chromosome inactivation (XCI). The Hprt sequences were extensively methylated in 4.5 dpc blastocysts, and the levels of methylation progressively decreased to 7.5 dpc. Adult patterns of methylation were established in the embryonic tissues after 7.5 dpc. By contrast, methylation continued to decrease in extraembryonic lineages and at 13.5 days was not detectable on the paternal Hprt sequences in the yolk sac endoderm. In the bisulfite-treated coding strand, numerous G to A transitions and CpTpG methylations were observed that were unique to the methylated or nonmethylated Hprt sequences, respectively, in early development.

Animals↗

GnT-V expression and metastatic phenotypes in macrophage-melanoma fusion hybrids is down-regulated by 5-Aza-dC: evidence for methylation sensitive, extragenic regulation of GnT-V transcription.

Beta1,6-acetylglucosaminyltransferase V (GnT-V) forms beta1,6 branching on the trimannosyl terminus of N-glycans, allowing for the production of beta1,6Glc-NAc-bearing oligosaccharides. These are used by healthy myeloid cells and cancer cells alike for systemic migration. GnT-V has multiple glycoprotein substrates and thereby exerts global effects on cancer progression, characteristic of a master regulator of metastasis. Yet little is known of the regulation of GnT-V expression by tumor cells. It was previously reported that fusion of macrophages with Cloudman S91 mouse melanoma cells produced macrophage-melanoma hybrids with up-regulated GnT-V expression regarding mRNA and enzymatic activity. Majority of these hybrids showed increased chemotactic motility in vitro and elevated metastatic potential in vivo. Here we attempted to understand this at the molecular genetic level focusing on DNA hypermethylation as a potentially key step. Treatment of cells with 5-Aza-dC, an inhibitor of DNA methylation, resulted in decreased expression of GnT-V mRNA and beta1,6-branched oligosaccharides along with reduced glycosylation of LAMP-1, a major substrate for GnT-V. This was accompanied by reduced chemotactic motility of the cells. The results suggested that DNA hypermethylation in some fashion stimulated GnT-V expression. We thus investigated the promoter region of the GnT-V gene for hypermethylation of CpG islands, comparing macrophage-melanoma hybrids of low and high metastatic potential with the parental melanoma cell line. Genomic DNA after bisulfite modification amplified from this region showed identical sequences between the cell lines. The findings indicated that differential methylation of the promoter region of GnT-V gene was not responsible for its transcriptional control, rather, appeared to be controlled through a negative regulator, nm23, whose own expression was regulated by hypermethylation. Although our studies involved a highly experimental system, the results further suggest that by whatever mechanism, reduction of GnT-V activity through 5-Aza-dC treatment might provide a new approach towards prevention of metastatic progression.

Animals↗

Decrease with age in methylcytosines in the promoter region of receptor for advanced glycated end products (RAGE) gene in autopsy human cortex.

Changes with age in the methylation status of cytosines in the promoter region of the receptor for advanced glycated end products (RAGE) in autopsy human cortex were investigated, using the bisulfite method, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and direct sequencing of PCR products. The total number of methylcytosines significantly decreased with age. While the number of methylated cytosines at CpG dinucleotides was stable throughout adult life, that at sites other than CpG dinucleotides significantly decreased with age in cases >/=70 years old. Of 13 transcription factor binding sites, cytosines in CpG doublets in NF-IL6 and SP-1 binding sites were methylated in all cases, suggesting that these sites are repressed throughout adulthood. In contrast, the number of methylcytosines in AP-2 or SP-1 binding sites located at CpC, CpA, or CTG was significantly lower or at least tended to be lower in cases >/=70 years than <70 years old. These reductions in the number of methylcytosines at transcription factor binding sites may increase expression of RAGE, which may in turn play a role in aging of the brain.

5-Methylcytosine↗

The methylation status of cytosines in a tau gene promoter region alters with age to downregulate transcriptional activity in human cerebral cortex.

Changes with age in the methylation status of cytosines in a promoter region of the tau gene were investigated in autopsy human cerebral cortex, using the bisulfite method, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and direct sequencing of PCR products. While the total number of methylcytosines decreased with age, the changes in methylation status differed among transcription factor binding sites. Cytosines in the AP2-binding sites were never methylated in any of the cases studied at any age. Methylcytosines in the binding sites for Sp1, a transcriptional activator, significantly increased with age, whereas those in the binding sites for GCF, a repressor of GC-rich promoters, significantly decreased with age. These findings suggest that the methylation status of cytosines in the promoter region of the tau gene alters with age to decrease its transcriptional activity in the human cerebral cortex.

Adult↗