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Qin Q, Zhou Y, Guo J, Chen Q, Tang W, Li Y, You J, Li Q. Conserved methylation signatures associate with the tumor immune microenvironment and immunotherapy response. Genome Med 2024; 16:47. [PMID: 38566132 PMCID: PMC10985907 DOI: 10.1186/s13073-024-01318-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Aberrant DNA methylation is a major characteristic of cancer genomes. It remains unclear which biological processes determine epigenetic reprogramming and how these processes influence the variants in the cancer methylome, which can further impact cancer phenotypes. METHODS We performed pairwise permutations of 381,900 loci in 569 paired DNA methylation profiles of cancer tissue and matched normal tissue from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and defined conserved differentially methylated positions (DMPs) based on the resulting null distribution. Then, we derived independent methylation signatures from 2,465 cancer-only methylation profiles from the TCGA and 241 cell line-based methylation profiles from the Genomics of Drug Sensitivity in Cancer (GDSC) cohort using nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF). We correlated DNA methylation signatures with various clinical and biological features, including age, survival, cancer stage, tumor immune microenvironment factors, and immunotherapy response. We inferred the determinant genes of these methylation signatures by integrating genomic and transcriptomic data and evaluated the impact of these signatures on cancer phenotypes in independent bulk and single-cell RNA/methylome cohorts. RESULTS We identified 7,364 differentially methylated positions (2,969 Hyper-DMPs and 4,395 Hypo-DMPs) in nine cancer types from the TCGA. We subsequently retrieved three highly conserved, independent methylation signatures (Hyper-MS1, Hypo-MS1, and Hypo-MS4) from cancer tissues and cell lines based on these Hyper and Hypo-DMPs. Our data suggested that Hypo-MS4 activity predicts poor survival and is associated with immunotherapy response and distant tumor metastasis, and Hypo-MS4 activity is related to TP53 mutation and FOXA1 binding specificity. In addition, we demonstrated a correlation between the activities of Hypo-MS4 in cancer cells and the fractions of regulatory CD4 + T cells with the expression levels of immunological genes in the tumor immune microenvironment. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrated that the methylation signatures of distinct biological processes are associated with immune activity in the cancer microenvironment and predict immunotherapy response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qingqing Qin
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Institute of Hematology, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361003, China
- School of Medicine, National Institute for Data Science in Health and Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China
- Department of Pediatrics, Women and Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361003, China
| | - Ying Zhou
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Institute of Hematology, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361003, China
- School of Medicine, National Institute for Data Science in Health and Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China
- Department of Pediatrics, Women and Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361003, China
| | - Jintao Guo
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Institute of Hematology, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361003, China
- School of Medicine, National Institute for Data Science in Health and Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China
- Department of Pediatrics, Women and Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361003, China
| | - Qinwei Chen
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Institute of Hematology, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361003, China
- School of Medicine, National Institute for Data Science in Health and Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China
| | - Weiwei Tang
- Department of Medical Oncology, School of Medicine, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Institute of Hematology, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361003, China
- Xiamen Key Laboratory of Antitumor Drug Transformation Research, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, The School of Clinical Medicine of Fujian, Medical University, Xiamen, 361003, China
| | - Yuchen Li
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Institute of Hematology, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361003, China
- School of Medicine, National Institute for Data Science in Health and Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China
- Department of Pediatrics, Women and Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361003, China
| | - Jun You
- Department of Gastrointestinal Oncology Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University, Cancer Center, Xiamen, 361003, China
| | - Qiyuan Li
- Department of Hematology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xiamen University and Institute of Hematology, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361003, China.
- School of Medicine, National Institute for Data Science in Health and Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361102, China.
- Department of Pediatrics, Women and Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, 361003, China.
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Salmerón-Bárcenas EG, Zacapala-Gómez AE, Torres-Rojas FI, Antonio-Véjar V, Ávila-López PA, Baños-Hernández CJ, Núñez-Martínez HN, Dircio-Maldonado R, Martínez-Carrillo DN, Ortiz-Ortiz J, Jiménez-Wences H. TET Enzymes and 5hmC Levels in Carcinogenesis and Progression of Breast Cancer: Potential Therapeutic Targets. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:272. [PMID: 38203443 PMCID: PMC10779134 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
Breast Cancer (BC) was the most common female cancer in incidence and mortality worldwide in 2020. Similarly, BC was the top female cancer in the USA in 2022. Risk factors include earlier age at menarche, oral contraceptive use, hormone replacement therapy, high body mass index, and mutations in BRCA1/2 genes, among others. BC is classified into Luminal A, Luminal B, HER2-like, and Basal-like subtypes. These BC subtypes present differences in gene expression signatures, which can impact clinical behavior, treatment response, aggressiveness, metastasis, and survival of patients. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the epigenetic molecular mechanism of transcriptional regulation in BC, such as DNA demethylation. Ten-Eleven Translocation (TET) enzymes catalyze the oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) on DNA, which in turn inhibits or promotes the gene expression. Interestingly, the expression of TET enzymes as well as the levels of the 5hmC epigenetic mark are altered in several types of human cancers, including BC. Several studies have demonstrated that TET enzymes and 5hmC play a key role in the regulation of gene expression in BC, directly (dependent or independent of DNA de-methylation) or indirectly (via interaction with other proteins such as transcription factors). In this review, we describe our recent understanding of the regulatory and physiological function of the TET enzymes, as well as their potential role as biomarkers in BC biology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Genaro Salmerón-Bárcenas
- Departamento de Biomedicina Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México C.P. 07360, Mexico; (E.G.S.-B.); (P.A.Á.-L.)
| | - Ana Elvira Zacapala-Gómez
- Laboratorio de Biomedicina Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Chilpancingo C. P. 39090, Guerrero, Mexico; (A.E.Z.-G.); (F.I.T.-R.); (V.A.-V.); (J.O.-O.)
| | - Francisco Israel Torres-Rojas
- Laboratorio de Biomedicina Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Chilpancingo C. P. 39090, Guerrero, Mexico; (A.E.Z.-G.); (F.I.T.-R.); (V.A.-V.); (J.O.-O.)
| | - Verónica Antonio-Véjar
- Laboratorio de Biomedicina Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Chilpancingo C. P. 39090, Guerrero, Mexico; (A.E.Z.-G.); (F.I.T.-R.); (V.A.-V.); (J.O.-O.)
| | - Pedro Antonio Ávila-López
- Departamento de Biomedicina Molecular, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados del Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Ciudad de México C.P. 07360, Mexico; (E.G.S.-B.); (P.A.Á.-L.)
| | - Christian Johana Baños-Hernández
- Instituto de Investigación en Ciencias Biomédicas, Centro Universitario de Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad de Guadalajara, Guadalajara C. P. 44340, Jalisco, Mexico;
| | - Hober Nelson Núñez-Martínez
- Departamento de Genética Molecular, Instituto de Fisiología Celular, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México C. P. 04510, Mexico;
| | - Roberto Dircio-Maldonado
- Laboratorio de Investigación Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Chilpancingo C. P. 39090, Guerrero, Mexico; (R.D.-M.); (D.N.M.-C.)
| | - Dinorah Nashely Martínez-Carrillo
- Laboratorio de Investigación Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Chilpancingo C. P. 39090, Guerrero, Mexico; (R.D.-M.); (D.N.M.-C.)
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Biomoléculas, Facultad de Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Chilpancingo C. P. 39090, Guerrero, Mexico
| | - Julio Ortiz-Ortiz
- Laboratorio de Biomedicina Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Chilpancingo C. P. 39090, Guerrero, Mexico; (A.E.Z.-G.); (F.I.T.-R.); (V.A.-V.); (J.O.-O.)
| | - Hilda Jiménez-Wences
- Laboratorio de Investigación Clínica, Facultad de Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Chilpancingo C. P. 39090, Guerrero, Mexico; (R.D.-M.); (D.N.M.-C.)
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Biomoléculas, Facultad de Ciencias Químico-Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero, Chilpancingo C. P. 39090, Guerrero, Mexico
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Liu J, Min S, Kim D, Park J, Park E, Koh Y, Shin DY, Kim TK, Byun JM, Yoon SS, Hong J. Epigenetic priming improves salvage chemotherapy in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma via endogenous retrovirus-induced cGAS-STING activation. Clin Epigenetics 2023; 15:75. [PMID: 37138342 PMCID: PMC10155448 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-023-01493-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although most patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) achieve complete remission after first-line rituximab-containing immunochemotherapy, up to 40% of patients relapse and require salvage therapy. Among those patients, a substantial proportion remain refractory to salvage therapy due to insufficient efficacy or intolerance of toxicities. A hypomethylating agent, 5-azacytidine, showed a chemosensitizing effect when primed before chemotherapy in lymphoma cell lines and newly diagnosed DLBCL patients. However, its potential to improve outcomes of salvage chemotherapy in DLBCL has not been investigated. RESULTS In this study, we demonstrated the mechanism of 5-azacytidine priming as a chemosensitizer in a platinum-based salvage regimen. This chemosensitizing effect was associated with endogenous retrovirus (ERV)-induced viral mimicry responses via the cGAS-STING axis. We found deficiency of cGAS impaired the chemosensitizing effect of 5-azacytidine. Furthermore, combining vitamin C and 5-azacytidine to synergistically activate STING could be a potential remedy for insufficient priming induced by 5-azacytidine alone. CONCLUSIONS Taken together, the chemosensitizing effect of 5-azacytidine could be exploited to overcome the limitations of the current platinum-containing salvage chemotherapy in DLBCL and the status of cGAS-STING has the potential to predict the efficacy of 5-azacytidine priming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Liu
- College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
- Center for Medical Innovation, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China
- Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Suji Min
- Center for Medical Innovation, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Dongchan Kim
- Center for Medical Innovation, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jihyun Park
- Center for Medical Innovation, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Eunchae Park
- Center for Medical Innovation, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Youngil Koh
- Center for Medical Innovation, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea
- Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Dong-Yeop Shin
- Center for Medical Innovation, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea
- Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae Kon Kim
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Internal Medicine, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Ja Min Byun
- Center for Medical Innovation, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea
- Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung-Soo Yoon
- Center for Medical Innovation, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea
- Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Junshik Hong
- Center for Medical Innovation, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
- Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University College of Medicine, 101 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, 03080, Republic of Korea.
- Biomedical Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
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