Epigenetic inactivation of DNA repair in breast cancer

The study of epigenetic mechanisms in cancer, such as DNA methylation and histone modifications, has revealed a plethora of events that contribute to cancer through stable changes in the expression of genes critical to transformation pathways. In this mini review we look at the different epigenetic modifications prevalent in this neoplastic phenotype, focusing on breast cancer. Most encouragingly, research in epigenetics has led to improved survival of patients with certain forms of lymphoma and leukemia through the use of drugs that alter DNA methylation and histone acetylation. Thus, we look at the clinical utility of targeting epigenetic pathways. In addition, we explore numerous other clinical applications of epigenetics, in areas such as cancer screening and early detection, prevention, classification for epidemiology and prognostic purposes, and predicting outcomes after standard therapy.     

Epigenetic inactivation of Betaig-h3 gene in human cancer cells

Gene silencing by CpG island methylation in the promoter region is one of the mechanisms by which tumor suppressor genes are inactivated in human cancers. It has been shown previously that Betaig-h3 gene, which encodes an extracellular matrix protein involved in cell adhesion and tumorigenesis, is down-regulated or silenced in a variety of human cancer cell lines. To unravel the underlying molecular mechanism(s) for this phenomenon, DNA methylation patterns of Betaig-h3 CpG island were examined in normal, immortalized, and cancer cell lines derived from lung, prostate, mammary, and kidney. A good correlation was observed between promoter hypermethylation and lost expression of Betaig-h3 gene, which was supported by the data that demethylation of promoter by 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine reactivated Betaig-h3 and restored its expression in Betaig-h3-silenced tumor cell lines. This result was further substantiated by a luciferase reporter assay, showing the restoration of promoter activities and increased response to transforming growth factor-beta treatment in Betaig-h3-negative 293T cells when transfected with unmethylated Betaig-h3 promoter. In contrast, activity of Betaig-h3 promoter was completely inactivated by in vitro methylation. Furthermore, CpG methylation of Betaig-h3 promoter was also shown in primary lung tumors that expressed decreased level of Betaig-h3 protein. These results suggest that promoter methylation plays a critical role in promoter silencing of the Betaig-h3 gene in human tumor cells.     

Epigenetic inactivation of the CHFR gene in cervical cancer contributes to sensitivity to taxanes

A relationship between inactivation of mitotic checkpoint genes and sensitivity of cancer cells to anticancer agents has been reported. We investigated the effect of epigenetic inactivation by aberrant hypermethylation of the mitotic checkpoint gene CHFR (checkpoint with forkhead and ring finger) on the sensitivity of cervical cancer cells to taxanes. Methylation-specific PCR (MSP) of cervical smears showed aberrant methylation of CHFR in 12.3% (2/14) of adenocarcinoma specimens. In contrast, aberrant DNA methylation was not detected in normal cervical cells or squamous cell carcinoma cells. Aberrant methylation of CHFR was also analyzed in 6 human cervical carcinoma-derived cell lines and was observed in SKG-IIIb and HeLa cells. These cell lines showed high sensitivity to taxanes, but became taxane-resistant upon treatment with 5-azacytidine. Furthermore, suppression of CHFR expression in siRNA-transfected SKG-IIIa cells caused increased sensitivity to taxanes. In conclusion, aberrant methylation of the CHFR gene may be useful as a molecular marker for selection of therapy for patients with cervical adenocarcinoma with a poor prognosis, and may also suggest a new therapeutic strategy of targeting CHFR in cervical cancer. To our knowledge, this study is the first to examine epigenetic inactivation by aberrant hypermethylation of CHFR in cervical cancer.     

Epigenetic inactivation of the dioxin-responsive cytochrome P4501A1 gene in human prostate cancer

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD; dioxin) is a toxic environmental contaminant that works through dioxin response elements (DRE) to activate gene expression. We tested the hypothesis that cancer-related epigenetic changes suppress dioxin activation of the cytochrome P4501A1 (CYP1A1) gene. 5-Aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-CdR), an inhibitor of DNA methylation, increases TCDD-inducible CYP1A1 mRNA expression in cancerous LNCaP cells but not in noncancerous PWR-1E and RWPE-1 cells (all human prostate cell lines). Bisulfite DNA sequencing shows that the TCDD-responsive CYP1A1 enhancer is highly methylated in LNCaP cells but not in RWPE-1 cells. In vivo footprinting experiments reveal that unmethylated DRE sites do not bind protein in response to TCDD in LNCaP cells, whereas inducible DRE occupancy occurs in RWPE-1 cells. Pretreatment of LNCaP cells with 5-aza-CdR partially restores TCDD-inducible DRE occupancy, showing that DNA methylation indirectly suppresses DRE occupancy. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments reveal that LNCaP cells lack trimethyl histone H3 lysine 4, a mark of active genes, on the CYP1A1 regulatory region, whereas this histone modification is prevalent in PWR-1E and RWPE-1 cells. We also analyzed CYP1A1 enhancer methylation in human prostate tissue DNA. We do not detect CYP1A1 enhancer methylation in 30 DNA samples isolated from noncancerous prostate tissue. In contrast, 11 of 30 prostate tumor DNA samples have detectable CYP1A1 enhancer methylation, indicating that it is hypermethylated in prostate tumors. This is the first report that shows that CYP1A1 is aberrantly hypermethylated in human prostate cancer and has an altered, inaccessible chromatin structure that suppresses its dioxin responsiveness.     

Epigenetic inactivation of the secreted frizzled-related protein-5 (SFRP5) gene in human breast cancer is associated with unfavorable prognosis

Disruption of the Wnt pathway is thought to be crucial in the development of human cancer. Pathway inhibitory members of the secreted frizzled-related protein (SFRP) family were found to be downregulated due to epigenetic inactivation in various malignancies. To date, only SFRP1 has been studied in human breast cancer and we questioned whether other SFRP genes may be implicated in the pathogenesis of this disease as well. An initial real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis of SFRP5 expression in normal human tissues (n = 9) revealed weak expression in most tissues, including breast. Malignant mammary cell lines showed further SFRP5 expression loss in five of six cases. Consistently, in matched pairs of primary breast tumor/normal breast tissue, this downregulation (>5-fold) could be confirmed (n = 8/13; 62%). We identified promoter methylation as the predominant mechanism of SFRP5 gene silencing since SFRP5 promoter methylation correlated significantly with loss of SFRP5 expression in cell lines (P = 0.040) and primary tumors (P = 0.003). Moreover, cancerous cell lines re-expressed SFRP5 messenger RNA following treatment with DNA-demethylating drugs. Of 168 primary breast carcinomas, 73% harbored a methylated SFRP5 promoter, whereas 27% were unaffected by epigenetic alteration. Most interestingly, SFRP5 methylation was associated with reduced overall survival (OS) (P = 0.045) and was an independent risk factor affecting OS in a multivariate Cox proportional hazard model (hazard ratio): 4.55; 95% confidence interval: 1.01-20.56; P = 0.049). In conclusion, SFRP5 is a target of epigenetic inactivation in human breast cancer, supporting the hypothesis of its role as tumor suppressor gene. SFRP5 methylation may be a novel DNA-based biomarker potentially useful in clinical breast cancer management.     

Epigenetic inactivation of TSLC1 gene in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Deletion of 11q23 is a common genetic aberration in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Multiple candidate tumor suppressor genes (TSG) were mapped to this region but few of them were investigated in NPC. TSLC1 (tumor suppressor in lung cancer) is recently reported to be a putative TSG on 11q23. This gene was found to be inactivated by promoter hypermethylation in non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC), liver cancer, and breast cancer. To study the role of TSLC1 gene in NPC tumorigenesis, we screened for mutations and aberrant methylation of TSLC1 gene in 5 NPC cell lines, 3 NPC xenografts, and 38 primary NPC cases. No somatic mutations of TSLC1 were detected in the NPC samples, but a 9-bp (CCACCACCA) deletion in exon 8 was found in a primary NPC and its corresponding blood sample. Bisulfite sequencing revealed aberrant methylation of TSLC1 promoter in four NPC cell lines. Loss of TSLC1 gene expression was found in two cell lines (HK-1 and CNE-2) with dense methylation. Expression of this gene was restored in these cell lines after treatment with demethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine. Our results showed that silencing of TSLC1 gene expression in NPC was associated with promoter hypermethylation. Promoter hypermethylation of TSLC1 gene was further illustrated in 34.2% (13/38) of primary NPCs. No aberrant promoter methylation was found in any of the four investigated normal nasopharyngeal epithelia. Frequent epigenetic inactivation of TSLC1 gene in NPC suggested that this gene is one of the target tumor suppressor genes of this endemic cancer.     

Epigenetic silencing and deletion of the BRCA1 gene in sporadic breast cancer

Introduction  

BRCA1 or BRCA2 germline mutations increase the risk of developing breast cancer. Tumour cells from germline mutation carriers have frequently lost the wild-type allele. This is predicted to result in genomic instability where cell survival depends upon dysfunctional checkpoint mechanisms. Tumorigenic potential could then be acquired through further genomic alterations. Surprisingly, somatic BRCA mutations are not found in sporadic breast tumours. BRCA1 methylation has been shown to occur in sporadic breast tumours and to be associated with reduced gene expression. We examined the frequency of BRCA1 methylation in 143 primary sporadic breast tumours along with BRCA1 copy number alterations and tumour phenotype.     

乳腺癌HOXA4基因甲基化的检测及其临床意义

目的探讨乳腺癌患者HOXA4基因启动子甲基化的情况及其与临床病理特征的相关性。 方法运用NEBNext^? Ultra? RNA Library Prep Kit for Illumina^?进行基因表达芯片测序,运用随机数字表法选择2014年深圳市宝安区妇幼保健院收治的9例乳腺癌患者,分析癌组织与相应癌旁组织异常差异表达的基因。运用Illumina Infinium HD Methylation 450K Assay进行DNA甲基化测序,分析乳腺癌甲基化差异基因。基于肿瘤基因组图谱(The Cancer Genome Atlas,TCGA)数据库信息,分析乳腺癌的差异表达基因和差异甲基化基因。挑选显著高甲基化与低表达的基因,结合生物信息学,确定HOXA4为候选基因。运用随机数字表法收集2014—2017年深圳市宝安区妇幼保健院收治的另外86例乳腺癌患者,采用焦磷酸测序法和RT-PCR,检测乳腺癌组织及其癌旁乳腺组织中HOXA4基因甲基化率和mRNA表达,用Fisher确切概率法分析甲基化率与患者临床病理特征的关系。用Cox比例风险模型进行风险因素的单因素和多因素分析。分别用0、0.5、1、5、10、20 μmol/L的甲基化抑制剂RG108处理乳腺癌MCF-7细胞5 d后,检测HOXA4 mRNA的表达。 结果基因表达数据芯片分析发现在乳腺癌组织中有1 680个显著上调的基因和1 249个下调基因,整体水平上在不同区域乳腺癌患者甲基化水平较癌旁组织高(P均<0.001)。86例乳腺癌组织中HOXA4基因的甲基化率为94% (81/86),其中,30例高甲基化,52例低甲基化;而在对应癌旁组织中,HOXA4基因甲基化率为57%(49/86),其中49例低甲基化,无高甲基化(P<0.001)。有HOXA4甲基化组的癌组织样本中HOXA4 mRNA表达低于无HOXA4甲基化组的癌组织样本(P＝0.003)。HOXA4基因甲基化水平与乳腺癌淋巴结转移、ER表达有关(P＝0.039、0.017)。单因素分析结果显示患者的TNM分期、组织学分级、淋巴结转移及HOXA4甲基化是DFS的危险因素(RR＝4.008,95%CI＝1.296～12.393,P＝0.016;RR＝10.111,95%CI＝2.607～39.217,P＝0.001;RR＝4.588,95%CI＝1.201～17.523,P＝0.026;RR＝1.051,95%CI＝1.007～1.098,P＝0.024)。多因素分析显示组织学分级是乳腺癌患者DFS的独立预后因素(RR＝14.461,95%CI＝2.429～86.100,P＝0.003)。采用不同浓度的RG108来处理MCF-7细胞后,各组HOXA4 mRNA表达比较,差异有统计学意义(χ²＝4.472,P＝0.029)。 结论HOXA4基因启动子甲基化在乳腺癌的发生、发展中起着重要作用,有潜力作为新的分子生物学指标,用于乳腺癌临床诊断。     

Epigenetic inactivation of the RAS-effector gene RASSF2 in lung cancers

RASSF2, a member of the RAS association domain family 1 (RASSF1), is a candidate tumor suppressor gene (TSG) that is silenced by promoter hypermethylation in several human cancers. In this study, we examined the expression of RASSF2 mRNA and the promoter methylation status in lung cancer cell lines and in tumor samples of 106 primary non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLCs) by methylation-specific PCR. RASSF2 expression was absent in 26% of small cell lung cancers (SCLCs; n=27 lines) and 50% of NSCLCs (n=42 lines). Promoter methylation of RASSF2 was found in 18% of the SCLC cell lines (n=22) and 62% of the NSCLC cell lines (n=26), and the methylation status was tightly associated with the loss of RASSF2 expression. RASSF2 expression was restored by treatment with 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine and/or trichostatin-A in the NSCLC cell lines which were absent of the expression. RASSF2 methylation was found in 31% of primary NSCLC tumors, and methylation was more frequent in the specimens from non-smokers (18 of 40, 45%) than in the specimens from smokers (15 of 66, 23%, P=0.014). We also examined the association of RASSF2 methylation with mutations of KRAS and EGFR and with promoter hypermethylation of RASSF1A; however, we could not find a significant association between RASSF2 methylation and these genetic and epigenetic changes. Our results indicate that aberrant methylation of the RASSF2 gene with the subsequent loss of RASSF2 expression plays an important role in the pathogenesis of lung cancers.     

Epigenetic gene deregulation in cancer

A mini-review of the literature concerning epigenetic gene regulation in cancer.     

Epigenetic control of the basal-like gene expression profile via Interleukin-6 in breast cancer cells

Background  

Basal-like carcinoma are aggressive breast cancers that frequently carry p53 inactivating mutations, lack estrogen receptor-α (ERα) and express the cancer stem cell markers CD133 and CD44. These tumors also over-express Interleukin 6 (IL-6), a pro-inflammatory cytokine that stimulates the growth of breast cancer stem/progenitor cells.