Epigenetic regulation of WTH3 in primary and cultured drug-resistant breast cancer cells

Salivary DNA methylation markers for cancer of oral cavity

PURPOSE: Aberrant DNA methylation plays a crucial role in oral carcinogenesis. Our previous study demonstrated hypermethylation of DAPK1, LRPPRC, RAB6C, and ZNF471 promoters in patients with tongue squamous cell carcinoma compared with normal samples. Methylation profiling using salivary DNA is considered a non-invasive alternative to tissue samples. Hence, the present study tested the DNA methylation status of these four promoters as indicators of oral cancer progression. METHODS: We performed the bisulfite-based targeted next-generation sequencing of four candidate genes in saliva and tissue DNA from normal, premalignant, and squamous cell carcinoma subjects. The clinicopathological association, diagnostic, and prognostic utility of aberrant DNA methylation were evaluated using the TCGA-HNSCC dataset. Using the Xgboost algorithm and logistic regression, CpG sites were prioritized, and Receiver Operating Characteristic was generated. By Log-rank test and Kaplan-Meier (KM) curves, an association between methylation and overall survival (OS), disease-free interval (DFI), and progression-free interval (PFI) were computed. RESULTS: We identified all four genes as significantly hypermethylation in premalignant and malignant samples compared with normal samples. The methylation levels were comparable between saliva and tissue samples with an r-value of 0.6297 to 0.8023 and 0.7823 to 0.9419 between premalignant tissue vs. saliva and OC vs. saliva, respectively. We identified an inverse correlation between DAPK1, LRPPRC, RAB6C, and ZNF471 promoter methylation with its expression. A classifier of 8 differentially methylated CpG sites belonging to DAPK1, RAB6C, and ZNF471 promoters was constructed, showing an AUC of 0.984 to differentiate tumors from normal samples. The differential methylation status of DAPK1, LRPPRC, and ZNF71 promoters was prognostically important. Abnormal expression of all four genes was associated with immune infiltration. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, methylation analysis of these candidate CpG sites from saliva can be helpful as a non-invasive tool for the clinical management of OC.

Morphology-oriented epigenetic research

Cytosine methylation plays a major role in the regulation of sequential and tissue-specific expression of genes. De novo aberrant DNA methylation and demethylation are also crucial processes in tumorigenesis and tumor progression. The mechanisms of how and when such aberrant methylation and demethylation occur in tumor cells are still obscure, however. To evaluate subtle epigenetic alteration among minor subclonal populations, morphology-oriented epigenetic analysis is requisite, especially where heterogeneity and flexibility are as notable as in the process of cancer progression and cellular differentiation at critical stages. Therefore, establishment of reliable morphology-oriented epigenetic studies has become increasingly important in not only the experimental but also the diagnostic field. By selecting a subset of cells based on characteristic morphological features disclosed by microdissection or in situ hybridization, we discovered how methylation at certain CpG sites outside of CpG islands would play a crucial epigenetic role in the versatility and flexibility of gene expression during cancer progression. In this review, we first introduce technical aspects of two morphology-oriented epigenetic studies: (1) histoendonuclease-linked detection of methylated sites of DNA (HELMET), and (2) padlock probe and rolling circle amplification (RCA) for in situ identification of methylated cytosine in a sequence-dependent manner. We then present our observation of a novel MeCP2-mediated gene-silencing mechanism through the addition of methylation to a single-CpG-locus upstream of the TATA-box of the receptor activator of NF-κB ligand (RANKL) and of secreted frizzled-related protein 4 (SFRP4) gene promoters.

Frequent silencing of protocadherin 8 by promoter methylation, a candidate tumor suppressor for human gastric cancer

The cadherins are a family of cell surface glycoproteins responsible for cell adhesion which play an important role in cell morphology, contact inhibition and signal transduction during tumorigenesis. Protocadherin 8 (PCDH8), a member of the cadherin family, has been reported to act as a tumor suppressor involved in oncogenesis in breast cancer. In this study, we aimed to investigate the epigenetic inactivation of PCDH8 and its tumor suppressor function in gastric cancer. The expression of PCDH8 was markedly reduced or silenced in gastric cancer cell lines compared with normal gastric cells or tissues. Methylation of the PCDH8 gene promoter was observed in 100% (4/4) of cell lines and 55.38% (36/65) of the primary gastric cancer by methylation-specific PCR, but not in normal gastric mucosa (0/10). Methylated PCDH8 was significantly associated with lymph node metastasis in a logistic regression analysis. The demethylation reagent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine was able to restore or upregulate PCDH8 expression in gastric cancer cell lines. Ectopic expression of PCDH8 in silenced gastric cancer cells significantly inhibited cell migration and induced apoptosis. For the first time, our study demonstrates the epigenetic inactivation of PCDH8 by promoter methylation and its tumor suppressor function in human gastric cancer. Thus, PCDH8 could be identified as a candidate tumor suppressor in human gastric cancer.

Cancer stem-like cells enriched with CD29 and CD44 markers exhibit molecular characteristics with epithelial-mesenchymal transition in squamous cell carcinoma

Increasing evidences have indicated that only a phenotypic subset of cancer cells, termed as the cancer stem cells (CSCs), is capable of initiating tumor growth and provide a reservoir of cells that cause tumor recurrence after therapy. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT), a cell type change from an epithelial cobblestone phenotype to an elongated fibroblastic phenotype, plays a critical role not only in tumor metastasis but also in tumor recurrence and contributes to drug resistance. Accumulating evidence has shown that cells with an EMT phenotype are rich sources for CSCs, suggesting a biological link between EMT and CSCs; thus study on the link will help understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms of tumor metastasis and drug resistance. CD29 is involved in EMT through cross-talk with cadherins and CD44 has been reported as a successful used marker for CSCs. Here, we try to address whether combination of CD29 and CD44 could be used to identify cancer stem-like cells undergoing EMT in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and compare the molecular differences between CD29high/CD44high and CD29low/CD44low cells in SCC. Expression pattern of CD29 and CD44 was analyzed in tissues of skin SCC and cultured A431 cells by immunostaining. Subtype cells of CD29high/CD44high and CD29low/CD44low A431 were sorted by fluorescence-activated cell sorting and proliferating abilities were assayed by cell counting, colony forming and tumorigenicity in NOD/SCID mice. Finally, to probe more deeply into the molecular differences between CD29high/CD44high and CD29low/CD44low A431 cells, gene microarray analysis was applied to compare gene expression profiling. Staining of CD29 and CD44 showed similar heterogeneous expression pattern with positive cells located in the invasion front of SCC tissue as well as in cultured A431 cells. Sorted CD29high/CD44high A431 cells had higher proliferating ability in vitro and in NOD/SCID mice as compared with CD29low/CD44low cells. Gene profiling identified differentiated gene expressions between CD29high/CD44high and CD29low/CD44low A431 cells. These genes are involved in cell cycle, cell malignant transformation, metastasis, drug resistance and EMT, implying that CD29high/CD44high cells have properties of CSCs and EMT. Our present results demonstrated heterogeneous gene expression patterns and different biological behavior in SCC. Combination of CD29 and CD44 can be used as markers to enrich CSCs in human SCC. Moreover, CD29high/CD44high cells exhibit molecular characteristics of EMT, suggesting that CSC-associated pathways were involved in EMT. Studies on correlation of CSCs and the cells undergoing EMT may explain some aspects of tumor progression and drug resistance.

Elevated level of lysine 9-acetylated histone H3 at the MDR1 promoter in multidrug-resistant cells

Failure of chemotherapy in breast cancer presents a major problem and is often due to elevated expression of ATP binding cassette (ABC)-type transporters, such as MDR1 protein. It has been shown that MDR1/ABCB1 gene expression is regulated at the chromatin level by DNA methylation and histone acetylation. However, the modified histone residues have not been identified and the role of various histone acetyl transferases (HATs) is not fully understood. By studying a breast carcinoma model cell line and its MDR1-overexpressing derivative, we show that the histone 3 lysine 9 (H3K9) acetylation level is elevated 100-fold in the promoter and first exon of the MDR1 gene in the drug-resistant cell line compared to the drug-sensitive cell line. The acetylation level of the other examined lysine residues (H3K4, H3K14, H4K8, and H4K12) is weakly or not at all elevated in the MDR1 locus, although their acetylation is generally increased genome-wide in the drug-resistant cell. Downregulation of the expression of HATs PCAF and GCN5 by RNAi effectively reduces the expression of MDR1. Unexpectedly, treatment with a p300-selective inhibitor (HAT inhibitor II) further increases MDR1 expression and drug efflux in the drug-resistant cells. Our data suggest that repeated exposure to chemotherapy may result in deregulated histone acetylation genome-wide and in the MDR1 promoter.

Homologs of breast cancer genes in plants

Since the initial discovery of genes involved in hereditary breast cancer in humans, a vast wealth of information has been published. Breast cancer proteins were shown to work as tumor suppressors primarily through their involvement in DNA-damage repair. Surprisingly, homologs of these genes can be found in plant genomes, as well. Here, we want to give an overview of the identification and characterization of the biological roles of these proteins, in plants. In addition to the conservation of their function in DNA repair, new plant-specific characteristics have been revealed. BRCA1 is required for the efficient repair of double strand breaks (DSB) by homologous recombination in somatic cells of the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Bioinformatic analysis indicates that, whereas most homologs of key components of the different mammalian BRCA1 complexes are present in plant genomes, homologs of most factors involved in the recruitment of BRCA1 to the DSB cannot be identified. Thus, it is not clear at the moment whether differences exist between plants and animals at this important step. The most conserved region of BRCA1 and BARD1 homologs in plants is a PHD domain which is absent in mammals and which, in AtBARD1, might be involved in the transcriptional regulation of plant development. The presence of a plant-specific domain prompted us to reevaluate the current model for the evolution of BRCA1 homologs and to suggest a new hypothesis, in which we postulate that plant BRCA1 and BARD1 have one common predecessor that gained a PHD domain before duplication. Furthermore, work in Arabidopsis demonstrates that - as in animals - BRCA2 homologs are important for meiotic DNA recombination. Surprisingly, recent research has revealed that AtBRCA2 also has an important role in systemic acquired resistance. In Arabidopsis, BRCA2 is involved in the transcriptional regulation of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes via its interaction with the strand exchange protein RAD51.

Silence of HIN-1 expression through methylation of its gene promoter in gastric cancer

AIM: To clarify the role of high in normal-1 (HIN-1) gene promoter methylation during gastric cancer development.

METHODS: Gastric cancer cell lines and tissue specimens were analyzed for expression of HIN-1 mRNA and protein using the semi-quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry. The methylation of the HIN-1 gene promoter was detected in gastric carcinoma cells and tissues using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium cell viability assay and flow cytometry were used to assess the changes in behaviors of gastric cancer cells with or without 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine treatment.

RESULTS: HIN-1 was not expressed in 4 of 5 gastric cancer cell lines. The demethylation reagent 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine was able to induce or upregulate HIN-1 expression in gastric cancer cell lines, which is associated with reduction of tumor cell viability. Furthermore, methylation of the HIN-1 gene promoter was shown in 57.8% (26/45) of the primary gastric cancer and 42.1% (17/38) of adjacent tissue samples, but was not shown in normal gastric mucosa (0/10). From the clinicopathological data of the patients, methylation of the HIN-1 gene promoter was found to be associated with tumor differentiation (P = 0.000).

CONCLUSION: High methylation of HIN-1 gene promoter results in silence of HIN-1 expression in gastric cancer. 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine reverses HIN-1 methylation and reduces viability of gastric cancer cells.

High-definition DNA methylation profiles from breast and ovarian carcinoma cell lines with differing doxorubicin resistance

Acquired drug resistance represents a frequent obstacle which hampers efficient chemotherapy of cancers. The contribution of aberrant DNA methylation to the development of drug resistant tumor cells has gained increasing attention over the past decades. Hence, the objective of the presented study was to characterize DNA methylation changes which arise from treatment of tumor cells with the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin. DNA methylation levels from CpG islands (CGIs) linked to twenty-eight genes, whose expression levels had previously been shown to contribute to resistance against DNA double strand break inducing drugs or tumor progression in different cancer types were analyzed. High-definition DNA methylation profiles which consisted of methylation levels from 800 CpG sites mapping to CGIs around the transcription start sites of the selected genes were determined. In order to investigate the influence of CGI methylation on the expression of associated genes, their mRNA levels were investigated via qRT-PCR. It was shown that the employed method is suitable for providing highly accurate methylation profiles, comparable to those obtained via clone sequencing, the gold standard for high-definition DNA methylation studies. In breast carcinoma cells with acquired resistance against the double strand break inducing drug doxorubicin, changes in methylation of specific cytosines from CGIs linked to thirteen genes were detected. Moreover, similarities between methylation profiles obtained from breast and ovarian carcinoma cell lines with acquired doxorubicin resistance were found. The expression levels of a subset of analyzed genes were shown to be linked to the methylation levels of the analyzed CGIs. Our results provide detailed DNA methylation information from two separate model systems for acquired doxorubicin resistance and suggest the occurrence of similar methylation changes in both systems upon exposure to the drug.

RAB6C is a retrogene that encodes a centrosomal protein involved in cell cycle progression

Rab-GTPases are key regulators of membrane transport, and growing evidence indicates that their expression levels are altered in certain human malignancies, including cancer. Rab6C, a newly identified Rab6 subfamily member, has attracted recent attention because its reduced expression might confer a selective advantage to drug-resistant breast cancer cells. Here, we report that RAB6C is a primate-specific retrogene derived from a RAB6A' transcript. RAB6C is transcribed in a limited number of human tissues including brain, testis, prostate, and breast. Endogenous Rab6C is considerably less abundant and has a much shorter half-life than Rab6A'. Comparison of the GTP-binding motifs of Rab6C and Rab6A', homology modeling, and GTP-blot overlay assays indicate that amino acid changes in Rab6C have greatly reduced its GTP-binding affinity. Instead, the noncanonical GTP-binding domain of Rab6C mediates localization of the protein to the centrosome. Overexpression of Rab6C results in G1 arrest, and its specific depletion generates tetraploid cells with supernumerary centrosomes, revealing a role of Rab6C in events related to the centrosome and cell cycle progression. Thus, RAB6C is a rare example of a recently emerged retrogene that has acquired the status of a new gene, encoding a functional protein with altered characteristics compared to Rab6A'.

Histone deacetylase inhibitors induce a very broad, pleiotropic anticancer drug resistance phenotype in acute myeloid leukemia cells by modulation of multiple ABC transporter genes

PURPOSE

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi) are being studied in clinical trials with the aim to induce cellular differentiation, growth arrest, and apoptosis of tumor cells. Recent reports suggest that the multidrug resistance-1 (MDR1) gene is regulated by epigenetic mechanisms. To investigate whether additional drug transporters are regulated by HDACi and how this affects cytotoxicity, acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells were examined.

EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

AML cells were cultured in the presence of phenylbutyrate, valproate, suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid, or trichostatin A and analyzed for drug transporter expression and function as well as sensitivity to anticancer drugs.

RESULTS

MDR1, breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP), and multidrug resistance-associated proteins (MRP) 7 and 8 were induced in a dose- and time-dependent manner as shown by semiquantitative PCR. The pattern of gene induction was cell line specific. Phenylbutyrate induced P-glycoprotein and BCRP expression and the efflux of drugs as determined with labeled substrates. KG-1a cells treated with phenylbutyrate developed resistance to daunorubicin, mitoxantrone, etoposide, vinblastine, paclitaxel, topotecan, gemcitabine, and 5-fluorouracil; as a result drug-induced apoptosis was impaired. Chromatin immunoprecipitation revealed the hyperacetylation of histone proteins in the promoter regions of MDR1, BCRP, and MRP8 on valproate treatment. Furthermore, an alternative MRP8 promoter was induced by HDACi treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

Exposure of AML cells to HDACi induces a drug resistance phenotype broader than the "classic multidrug resistance," which might negatively affect treatment effectiveness.

Methylation of WTH3, a possible drug resistant gene, inhibits p53 regulated expression

BACKGROUND

Previous results showed that over-expression of the WTH3 gene in MDR cells reduced MDR1 gene expression and converted their resistance to sensitivity to various anticancer drugs. In addition, the WTH3 gene promoter was hypermethylated in the MCF7/AdrR cell line and primary drug resistant breast cancer epithelial cells. WTH3 was also found to be directly targeted and up regulated by the p53 gene. Furthermore, over expression of the WTH3 gene promoted the apoptotic phenotype in various host cells.

METHODS

To further confirm WTH3's drug resistant related characteristics, we recently employed the small hairpin RNA (shRNA) strategy to knockdown its expression in HEK293 cells. In addition, since the WTH3 promoter's p53-binding site was located in a CpG island that was targeted by methylation, we were interested in testing the possible effect this epigenetic modification had on the p53 transcription factor relative to WTH3 expression. To do so, the in vitro methylation method was utilized to examine the p53 transgene's influence on either the methylated or non-methylated WTH3 promoter.

RESULTS

The results generated from the gene knockdown strategy showed that reduction of WTH3 expression increased MDR1 expression and elevated resistance to Doxorubicin as compared to the original control cells. Data produced from the methylation studies demonstrated that DNA methylation adversely affected the positive impact of p53 on WTH3 promoter activity.

CONCLUSION

Taken together, our studies provided further evidence that WTH3 played an important role in MDR development and revealed one of its transcription regulatory mechanisms, DNA methylation, which antagonized p53's positive impact on WTH3 expression.

Differential methylation of TSP50 and mTSP50 genes in different types of human tissues and mouse spermatic cells

Earlier studies identified human TSP50 as a testis-specific gene that encoded a threonine protease. Most importantly, TSP50 could be a cancer/testis antigen since there was a high frequency of reactivation in breast cancer biopsies. It was also found to be negatively regulated by the p53 gene. To further characterize this gene, we recently examined the DNA methylation patterns of the TSP50 gene promoter in normal human testis, as well as breast tissue and a testicular embryonic carcinoma cell line (HTECCL). Bisulfite genomic sequencing results demonstrated that the promoter exhibited mixed DNA methylation patterns in normal human testis, mainly non-methylation versus slight methylation, which could be attributed to the different stages spermatic cells go through during spermatogenesis. In contrast, it was methylated to a much greater extent in both breast tissue and HTECCL. To find out whether DNA methylation status was related to spermatogenesis stages, we analyzed DNA methylation patterns of the mTSP50 (the mouse ortholog of TSP50) promoter in spermatocytes and spermatozoa isolated from sexually mature mice. The results clearly demonstrated that each group of cells exhibited its preferential DNA methylation pattern that apparently was consistent with the gene expression status observed before. Taken together, our findings suggested that DNA methylation might regulate the TSP50 and mTSP50 gene expressions in different types of tissues and spermatic cells.

Epigenetic silencing of the tumor suppressor cystatin M occurs during breast cancer progression

Cystatin M is a secreted inhibitor of lysosomal cysteine proteases. Several lines of evidence indicate that cystatin M is a tumor suppressor important in breast malignancy; however, the mechanism(s) that leads to inactivation of cystatin M during cancer progression is unknown. Inspection of the human cystatin M locus uncovered a large and dense CpG island within the 5' region of this gene (termed CST6). Analysis of cultured human breast tumor lines indicated that cystatin M expression is either undetectable or in low abundance in several lines; however, enhanced gene expression was measured in cells cultured on the DNA demethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC). Increased cystatin M expression does not correlate with a cytotoxic response to 5-aza-dC; rather, various molecular approaches indicated that the CST6 gene was aberrantly methylated in these tumor lines as well as in primary breast tumors. Moreover, 60% (12 of 20) of primary tumors analyzed displayed CST6 hypermethylation, indicating that this aberrant characteristic is common in breast malignancies. Finally, preinvasive and invasive breast tumor cells were microdissected from nine archival breast cancer specimens. Of the five tumors displaying CST6 gene methylation, four tumors displayed methylation in both ductal carcinoma in situ and invasive breast carcinoma lesions and reduced expression of cystatin M in these tumors was confirmed by immunohistochemistry. In summary, this study establishes that the tumor suppressor cystatin M is a novel target for epigenetic silencing during mammary tumorigenesis and that this aberrant event can occur before development of invasive breast cancer.

The histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A downregulates human MDR1 (ABCB1) gene expression by a transcription-dependent mechanism in a drug-resistant small cell lung carcinoma cell line model

Tumour drug-resistant ABCB1 gene expression is regulated at the chromatin level through epigenetic mechanisms. We examined the effects of the histone deacetylase inhibitor trichostatin A (TSA) on ABCB1 gene expression in small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) drug-sensitive (H69WT) or etoposide-resistant (H69VP) cells. We found that TSA induced an increase in ABCB1 expression in drug-sensitive cells, but strongly decreased it in drug-resistant cells. These up- and downregulations occurred at the transcriptional level. Protein synthesis inhibition reduced these modulations, but did not completely suppress them. Differential temporal patterns of histone acetylation were observed at the ABCB1 promoter: increase in H4 acetylation in both cell lines, but different H3 acetylation with a progressive increase in H69WT cells but a transient one in H69VP cells. ABCB1 regulations were not related with the methylation status of the promoter -50GC, -110GC, and Inr sites, and did not result in further changes to these methylation profiles. Trichostatin A treatment did not modify MBD1 binding to the ABCB1 promoter and similarly increased PCAF binding in both H69 cell lines. Our results suggest that in H69 drug-resistant SCLC cell line TSA induces downregulation of ABCB1 expression through a transcriptional mechanism, independently of promoter methylation, and MBD1 or PCAF recruitment.

WTH3 is a direct target of the p53 protein

Previous results showed that overexpression of the WTH3 gene in multidrug resistance (MDR) cells reduced MDR1 gene expression and converted their resistance to sensitivity to various anticancer drugs. The WTH3 gene promoter was found to be differentially regulated in paired MDR vs non-MDR MCF7 cells owing to epigenetic modifications and transcription factor modulations. To understand further the mechanisms that govern WTH3's differential expression, we uncovered a p53-binding site in its promoter, which indicated that WTH3 could be regulated by the p53 gene. This hypothesis was then tested by different strategies. The resulting data revealed that (1) the WTH3 promoter was upregulated by the p53 transgene in diverse host cells; (2) there was a correlation between WTH3 expression levels and p53 gene status in a cell line panel; (3) a WTH3 promoter region was directly targeted by the p53 protein in vitro and in vivo. In addition, overexpression of the WTH3 gene promoted the apoptotic phenotype in host cells. On the basis of these findings, we believe that the negative role played by the WTH3 gene in MDR development is through its proapoptotic potential that is regulated by multiple mechanisms at the transcription level, and one of these mechanisms is linked to the p53 gene.

Epigenetic profiling of multidrug-resistant human MCF-7 breast adenocarcinoma cells reveals novel hyper- and hypomethylated targets

The successful treatment of cancer requires a clear understanding of multiple interacting factors involved in the development of drug resistance. Presently, two hypotheses, genetic and epigenetic, have been proposed to explain mechanisms of acquired cancer drug resistance. In the present study, we examined the alterations in epigenetic mechanisms in the drug-resistant MCF-7 human breast cancer cells induced by doxorubicin (DOX) and cisplatin (cisDDP), two chemotherapeutic drugs with different modes of action. Despite this difference, both of the drug-resistant cell lines displayed similar pronounced changes in the global epigenetic landscape showing loss of global DNA methylation, loss of histone H4 lysine 20 trimethylation, increased phosporylation of histone H3 serine 10, and diminished expression of Suv4-20h2 histone methyltransferase compared with parental MCF-7 cells. In addition to global epigenetic changes, the MCF-7/DOX and MCF-7/cisDDP drug-resistant cells are characterized by extensive alterations in region-specific DNA methylation, as indicated by the appearance of the number of differentially methylated DNA genes. A detailed analysis of hypo- and hypermethylated DNA sequences revealed that the acquisition of drug-resistant phenotype of MCF-7 cells to DOX and cisDDP, in addition to specific alterations induced by a particular drug only, was characterized by three major common mechanisms: dysfunction of genes involved in estrogen metabolism (sulfatase 2 and estrogen receptor alpha), apoptosis (p73, alpha-tubulin, BCL2-antagonist of cell death, tissue transglutaminase 2 and forkhead box protein K1), and cell-cell contact (leptin, stromal cell-derived factor receptor 1, activin A receptor E-cadherin) and showed that two opposing hypo- and hypermethylation processes may enhance and complement each other in the disruption of these pathways. These results provided evidence that epigenetic changes are an important feature of cancer cells with acquired drug-resistant phenotype and may be a crucial contributing factor to its development. Finally, deregulation of similar pathways may explain the existence and provide mechanism of cross-resistance of cancer cells to different types of chemotherapeutic agents.

TSP50 encodes a testis-specific protease and is negatively regulated by p53

Earlier studies suggested that TSP50 is a testis-specific gene that encodes a protein, which is homologous to serine proteases but differs in that threonine replaces serine in its catalytic triad. Most importantly, it was abnormally reactivated in many breast cancer biopsies tested. While further investigating its biochemical and cell biological natures, we found that TSP50 exhibited enzyme activity and was located in the endoplasmic reticulum and cytosol membrane. During our studies to elucidate the regulatory mechanisms related to its differential expression, we discovered a putative p53-binding site and several Sp1-binding sites in the TSP50 promoter, which led us to test if it was regulated by the p53 gene. We found that the p53 transgene negatively regulated the TSP50 promoter in diverse types of cell lines. This result was consistent with other observations: (a) p53 overexpression reduced endogenous TSP50 expression; and (b) breast cancer cell lines containing mutated p53, such as MCF7/Adr, or normal p53, such as MCF7, produced high or low levels of TSP50 transcripts, which was consistent with the fact that TSP50 promoter activity was much higher in MCF7/Adr than that in MCF7 cells. We also found that the quantity of Sp1 transcription factor was lower in MCF7/Adr than in MCF7 cells, which suggested that another mechanism (i.e., transcription factor modulation) was also involved in TSP50 differential expression.

Methylation Status of a Single CpG Locus 3 Bases Upstream of TATA-Box of Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-κB Ligand (RANKL) Gene Promoter Modulates Cell- and Tissue-Specific RANKL Expression and Osteoclastogenesis

Receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappaB ligand (RANKL) expression is tissue specific and limited to certain subsets of T-lymphocytes and stromal/osteoblastic cells. Even among osteoblasts, RANKL is expressed on about 20% of osteoblasts of the normal mouse. To clarify the mechanism of population-specific RANKL expression, we analyzed the effect of CpG methylation on its transcription, mRNA and protein expression as well as on osteoclastogenesis. Subpopulations of ST2 cells were used: P9, which expresses RANKL and supports osteoclastogenesis, and P16, which does not. By sodium bisulfite mapping, the rate of CpG methylation of the -65/+350 region, especially of CpG locus no. 1 three bases upstream of the TATA-box, was higher in P16 than in P9 ST2 cells. ChIP and gel shift assay showed that methylated CpG locus no. 1 was a target of MeCP2 binding that, in turn, blocked the binding of the TATA-box binding protein to the TATA-box. In vitro methylation by SssI of the promoter construct reduced its transcriptional activity at the steady state and its response to 1alpha,25(OH)2 vitamin D3. Conversely, treatment with DNA methylase inhibitor, 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine, significantly restored RANKL expression and osteoclastogenesis in P16 cells. Except for primary cultured osteoblasts, CpG locus no. 1 was frequently methylated in various normal mouse tissues. We propose that the methylation status of the CpG locus three bases upstream of the TATA-box modulates the control of cell- and tissue-specific expression of RANKL gene and osteoclastogenesis. The heterogeneity of stromal/ osteoblastic cells in response to bone-resorbing stimuli may be attributed, in part, to the methylation status of the RANKL gene promoter.

Can the state of cancer chemotherapy resistance be reverted by epigenetic therapy?

BACKGROUND

Transcriptome analysis shows that the chemotherapy innate resistance state of tumors is characterized by: poorly dividing tumor cells; an increased DNA repair; an increased drug efflux potential by ABC-transporters; and a dysfunctional ECM. Because chemotherapy resistance involves multiple genes, epigenetic-mediated changes could be the main force responsible of this phenotype. Our hypothesis deals with the potential role of epigenetic therapy for affecting the chemotherapy resistant phenotype of malignant tumors.

PRESENTATION OF THE HYPOTHESIS

Recent studies reveal the involvement of DNA methylation and histone modifications in the reprogramming of the genome of mammalian cells in cancer. In this sense, it can be hypothesized that epigenetic reprogramming can participate in the establishment of an epigenetic mark associated with the chemotherapy resistant phenotype. If this were correct, then it could be expected that agents targeting DNA methylation and histone deacetylation would by reverting the epigenetic mark induce a global expression profile that mirror the observed in untreated resistant cells.

TESTING THE HYPOTHESIS

It is proposed to perform a detailed analysis using all the available databases where the gene expression of primary tumors was analyzed and data correlated with the therapeutic outcome to determine whether a transcriptome profiling of "resistance" is observed. Assuming an epigenetic programming determines at some level the intrinsic resistant phenotype, then a similar pattern of gene expression dictated by an epigenetic mark should also be found in cell acquiring drug resistance. If these expectations are meet, then it should be further investigated at the genomic level whether these phenotypes are associated to certain patterns of DNA methylation and chromatin modification. Once confirmed the existence of an epigenetic mark associated to either the intrinsic or acquired chemotherapy resistant phenotype, then a causal association should be investigated. These preclinical findings should also be tested in a clinical setting.

IMPLICATIONS OF THE HYPOTHESIS

Our hypothesis on the ability of epigenetic therapy to revert the epigenetic changes leading to a transcritome profile that defines the resistant state will eventually be a more rational and effective way to treat malignant tumors.