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Cugliari G. FKBP5, a Modulator of Stress Responses Involved in Malignant Mesothelioma: The Link between Stress and Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:ijms24098183. [PMID: 37175892 PMCID: PMC10179631 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24098183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare tumour characterized by a long latency period after asbestos exposure and poor survival [...].
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Affiliation(s)
- Giovanni Cugliari
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy
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2
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Allione A, Viberti C, Cotellessa I, Catalano C, Casalone E, Cugliari G, Russo A, Guarrera S, Mirabelli D, Sacerdote C, Gentile M, Eichelmann F, Schulze MB, Harlid S, Eriksen AK, Tjønneland A, Andersson M, Dollé MET, Van Puyvelde H, Weiderpass E, Rodriguez-Barranco M, Agudo A, Heath AK, Chirlaque MD, Truong T, Dragic D, Severi G, Sieri S, Sandanger TM, Ardanaz E, Vineis P, Matullo G. Blood cell DNA methylation biomarkers in preclinical malignant pleural mesothelioma: The EPIC prospective cohort. Int J Cancer 2023; 152:725-737. [PMID: 36305648 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.34339] [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: 02/03/2022] [Revised: 09/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Abstract
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and aggressive cancer mainly caused by asbestos exposure. Specific and sensitive noninvasive biomarkers may facilitate and enhance screening programs for the early detection of cancer. We investigated DNA methylation (DNAm) profiles in MPM prediagnostic blood samples in a case-control study nested in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and nutrition (EPIC) cohort, aiming to characterise DNAm biomarkers associated with MPM. From the EPIC cohort, we included samples from 135 participants who developed MPM during 20 years of follow-up and from 135 matched, cancer-free, controls. For the discovery phase we selected EPIC participants who developed MPM within 5 years from enrolment (n = 36) with matched controls. We identified nine differentially methylated CpGs, selected by 10-fold cross-validation and correlation analyses: cg25755428 (MRI1), cg20389709 (KLF11), cg23870316, cg13862711 (LHX6), cg06417478 (HOOK2), cg00667948, cg01879420 (AMD1), cg25317025 (RPL17) and cg06205333 (RAP1A). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed that the model including baseline characteristics (age, sex and PC1wbc) along with the nine MPM-related CpGs has a better predictive value for MPM occurrence than the baseline model alone, maintaining some performance also at more than 5 years before diagnosis (area under the curve [AUC] < 5 years = 0.89; AUC 5-10 years = 0.80; AUC >10 years = 0.75; baseline AUC range = 0.63-0.67). DNAm changes as noninvasive biomarkers in prediagnostic blood samples of MPM cases were investigated for the first time. Their application can improve the identification of asbestos-exposed individuals at higher MPM risk to possibly adopt more intensive monitoring for early disease identification.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Clara Viberti
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | | | - Chiara Catalano
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | | | | | - Alessia Russo
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Simonetta Guarrera
- IIGM-Italian Institute for Genomic Medicine, c/o IRCCS, Turin, Italy
- Candiolo Cancer Institute, FPO-IRCCS, Candiolo, Italy
| | - Dario Mirabelli
- Cancer Epidemiology Unit, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- Interdepartmental Center for Studies on Asbestos and Other Toxic Particulates "G. Scansetti", University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Carlotta Sacerdote
- Unit of Cancer Epidemiology, Città Della Salute e Della Scienza University-Hospital and Center for Cancer Prevention (CPO), Turin, Italy
| | | | - Fabian Eichelmann
- Department of Molecular Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Matthias B Schulze
- Department of Molecular Epidemiology, German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke, Nuthetal, Germany
- University of Potsdam, Institute of Nutritional Science, Nuthetal, Germany
| | - Sophia Harlid
- Department of Radiation Sciences, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Anne Kirstine Eriksen
- Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Diet, Genes and Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Anne Tjønneland
- Danish Cancer Society Research Center, Diet, Genes and Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Martin Andersson
- Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Sustainable Health, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Martijn E T Dollé
- Centre for Health Protection National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, The Netherlands
| | - Heleen Van Puyvelde
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organisation, Lyon, France
| | - Elisabete Weiderpass
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, World Health Organisation, Lyon, France
| | - Miguel Rodriguez-Barranco
- Escuela Andaluza de Salud Pública (EASP), Granada, Spain
- Instituto de Investigación Biosanitaria ibs.GRANADA, Granada, Spain
- CIBER in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
| | - Antonio Agudo
- Unit of Nutrition and Cancer, Catalan Institute of Oncology-ICO, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
- Nutrition and Cancer Group, Epidemiology, Public Health, Cancer Prevention and Palliative Care Program, Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute-IDIBELL, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alicia K Heath
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - María-Dolores Chirlaque
- CIBER in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Department of Epidemiology, Regional Health Council, IMIB-Arrixaca, Murcia University, Murcia, Spain
| | - Thérèse Truong
- Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, Inserm, CESP U1018, "Exposome, Heredity, Cancer and Health" Team, Paris, France
| | - Dzevka Dragic
- Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, Inserm, CESP U1018, "Exposome, Heredity, Cancer and Health" Team, Paris, France
- Centre de Recherche sur le Cancer de l'Université Laval, Département de Médecine Sociale et Préventive, Faculté de Médecine, Québec, Canada
- Axe Oncologie, Centre de Recherche du CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Québec, Canada
| | - Gianluca Severi
- Université Paris-Saclay, UVSQ, Inserm, CESP U1018, "Exposome, Heredity, Cancer and Health" Team, Paris, France
- Department of Statistics, Computer Science and Applications "G. Parenti" (DISIA), University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Sabina Sieri
- Epidemiology and Prevention Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori di Milano Via Venezian, Milan, Italy
| | - Torkjel M Sandanger
- Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway
| | - Eva Ardanaz
- CIBER in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain
- Navarra Public Health Institute, Pamplona, Spain
- IdiSNA, Navarra Institute for Health Research, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Paolo Vineis
- MRC Centre for Environment and Health, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Giuseppe Matullo
- Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- Interdepartmental Center for Studies on Asbestos and Other Toxic Particulates "G. Scansetti", University of Turin, Turin, Italy
- Medical Genetics Unit, AOU Città della Salute e Della Scienza, Turin, Italy
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3
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Araúzo-Bravo MJ, Erichsen L, Ott P, Beermann A, Sheikh J, Gerovska D, Thimm C, Bendhack ML, Santourlidis S. Consistent DNA Hypomethylations in Prostate Cancer. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 24:ijms24010386. [PMID: 36613831 PMCID: PMC9820221 DOI: 10.3390/ijms24010386] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2022] [Revised: 12/14/2022] [Accepted: 12/22/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
With approximately 1.4 million men annually diagnosed with prostate cancer (PCa) worldwide, PCa remains a dreaded threat to life and source of devastating morbidity. In recent decades, a significant decrease in age-specific PCa mortality has been achieved by increasing prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening and improving treatments. Nevertheless, upcoming, augmented recommendations against PSA screening underline an escalating disproportion between the benefit and harm of current diagnosis/prognosis and application of radical treatment standards. Undoubtedly, new potent diagnostic and prognostic tools are urgently needed to alleviate this tensed situation. They should allow a more reliable early assessment of the upcoming threat, in order to enable applying timely adjusted and personalized therapy and monitoring. Here, we present a basic study on an epigenetic screening approach by Methylated DNA Immunoprecipitation (MeDIP). We identified genes associated with hypomethylated CpG islands in three PCa sample cohorts. By adjusting our computational biology analyses to focus on single CpG-enriched 60-nucleotide-long DNA probes, we revealed numerous consistently differential methylated DNA segments in PCa. They were associated among other genes with NOTCH3, CDK2AP1, KLK4, and ADAM15. These can be used for early discrimination, and might contribute to a new epigenetic tumor classification system of PCa. Our analysis shows that we can dissect short, differential methylated CpG-rich DNA fragments and combinations of them that are consistently present in all tumors. We name them tumor cell-specific differential methylated CpG dinucleotide signatures (TUMS).
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcos J. Araúzo-Bravo
- Computational Biology and Systems Biomedicine, Biodonostia Health Research Institute, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain
- IKERBASQUE, Basque Foundation for Science, 48009 Bilbao, Spain
- Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Medicine and Nursing, University of Basque Country (UPV/EHU), 48940 Leioa, Spain
| | - Lars Erichsen
- Epigenetics Core Laboratory, Medical Faculty, Institute of Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Pauline Ott
- Epigenetics Core Laboratory, Medical Faculty, Institute of Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Agnes Beermann
- Epigenetics Core Laboratory, Medical Faculty, Institute of Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Jamal Sheikh
- Epigenetics Core Laboratory, Medical Faculty, Institute of Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Daniela Gerovska
- Computational Biology and Systems Biomedicine, Biodonostia Health Research Institute, 20014 San Sebastián, Spain
| | - Chantelle Thimm
- Medical Faculty, Institute for Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
| | - Marcelo L. Bendhack
- Department of Urology, University Hospital, Positivo University, Curitiba 80420-011, Brazil
| | - Simeon Santourlidis
- Epigenetics Core Laboratory, Medical Faculty, Institute of Transplantation Diagnostics and Cell Therapeutics, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf, 40225 Düsseldorf, Germany
- Correspondence:
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Lamare FA, Khongsti S, Marthong L, Ghosh S, Chenkual S, Dkhar H, Maitra A, Ghosh S. Genome-wide DNA methylation profiling of stomach cancer in the ethnic population of Mizoram, North East India. Genomics 2022; 114:110478. [PMID: 36064073 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygeno.2022.110478] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2022] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Stomach cancer is the fifth most common cancer in terms of prevalence and incidence and the fourth leading cause of mortality in men and women worldwide. It is well-established that aberrant DNA methylation in cells can lead to carcinogenesis. The primary objective of our study was to investigate the aberrant DNA methylation status of genes associated with stomach cancer with a particular reference to the ethnic population of Mizoram, North East India. The site-level analysis identified 2883 CpG sites differentially methylated, representing ~922 genes. Out of which 476 Differentially Methylated Positions (DMPs) were promoter-associated, 452 DMPs were hypermethylated, and 24 were hypomethylated. The region-level analysis identified 462 Differentially Methylated Regions (DMRs) corresponding to ~320 genes, of which ~281 genes were hypermethylated and ~ 40 genes were hypomethylated. TCGA analysis showed that some of the genes had been previously implicated in other cancers including stomach cancer. Five hypermethylated genes were selected as candidate genes for further investigations and they have shown to be novel and could serve as candidate hypermethylation biomarkers for stomach cancer in this particular ethnic group.
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Affiliation(s)
- F A Lamare
- Department of Zoology, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, India
| | - S Khongsti
- Department of Zoology, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, India
| | - L Marthong
- Department of Zoology, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, India
| | - S Ghosh
- National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG), Kalyani, West Bengal, India
| | | | - H Dkhar
- Nazareth Hospital, Shillong, India
| | - A Maitra
- National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (NIBMG), Kalyani, West Bengal, India
| | - S Ghosh
- Department of Zoology, North-Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, India.
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Pouliquen DL, Kopecka J. Malignant Mesothelioma. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13143447. [PMID: 34298661 PMCID: PMC8307269 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13143447] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L. Pouliquen
- Université d’Angers, Inserm, CRCINA, F-44000 Nantes, France
- Correspondence: (D.L.P.); (J.K.)
| | - Joanna Kopecka
- Department of Oncology, University of Turin, 10126 Turin, Italy
- Correspondence: (D.L.P.); (J.K.)
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Hiltbrunner S, Mannarino L, Kirschner MB, Opitz I, Rigutto A, Laure A, Lia M, Nozza P, Maconi A, Marchini S, D’Incalci M, Curioni-Fontecedro A, Grosso F. Tumor Immune Microenvironment and Genetic Alterations in Mesothelioma. Front Oncol 2021; 11:660039. [PMID: 34249695 PMCID: PMC8261295 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.660039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 05/25/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and fatal disease of the pleural lining. Up to 80% of the MPM cases are linked to asbestos exposure. Even though its use has been banned in the industrialized countries, the cases continue to increase. MPM is a lethal cancer, with very little survival improvements in the last years, mirroring very limited therapeutic advances. Platinum-based chemotherapy in combination with pemetrexed and surgery are the standard of care, but prognosis is still unacceptably poor with median overall survival of approximately 12 months. The genomic landscape of MPM has been widely characterized showing a low mutational burden and the impairment of tumor suppressor genes. Among them, BAP1 and BLM are present as a germline inactivation in a small subset of patients and increases predisposition to tumorigenesis. Other studies have demonstrated a high frequency of mutations in DNA repair genes. Many therapy approaches targeting these alterations have emerged and are under evaluation in the clinic. High-throughput technologies have allowed the detection of more complex molecular events, like chromotripsis and revealed different transcriptional programs for each histological subtype. Transcriptional analysis has also paved the way to the study of tumor-infiltrating cells, thus shedding lights on the crosstalk between tumor cells and the microenvironment. The tumor microenvironment of MPM is indeed crucial for the pathogenesis and outcome of this disease; it is characterized by an inflammatory response to asbestos exposure, involving a variety of chemokines and suppressive immune cells such as M2-like macrophages and regulatory T cells. Another important feature of MPM is the dysregulation of microRNA expression, being frequently linked to cancer development and drug resistance. This review will give a detailed overview of all the above mentioned features of MPM in order to improve the understanding of this disease and the development of new therapeutic strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanie Hiltbrunner
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Laura Mannarino
- Department of Oncology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Milano, Italy
| | | | - Isabelle Opitz
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Angelica Rigutto
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Alexander Laure
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michela Lia
- Mesothelioma Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy
| | - Paolo Nozza
- Department of Pathology, Azienda Ospedaliera SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy
| | - Antonio Maconi
- Infrastruttura Ricerca Formazione Innovazione (IRFI), Dipartimento Attività Integrate Ricerca e Innovazione (DAIRI), Azienda Ospedaliera SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy
| | - Sergio Marchini
- Department of Oncology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Milano, Italy
| | - Maurizio D’Incalci
- Department of Oncology, Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS), Milano, Italy
| | - Alessandra Curioni-Fontecedro
- Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Comprehensive Cancer Center Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Federica Grosso
- Mesothelioma Unit, Azienda Ospedaliera SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy
- Translational Medicine, Dipartimento Attività Integrate Ricerca e Innovazione (DAIRI), Azienda Ospedaliera SS. Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy
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Wadowski B, Bueno R, De Rienzo A. Immune Microenvironment and Genetics in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma. Front Oncol 2021; 11:684025. [PMID: 34178677 PMCID: PMC8226027 DOI: 10.3389/fonc.2021.684025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/28/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and aggressive malignancy with limited therapeutic options beyond surgery and cytotoxic chemotherapy. The success of immune checkpoint inhibition has been found to correlate with expression of immune-related genes such as CD274 (PD-L1) in lung and other solid cancers. However, only a small subset of MPM patients respond to checkpoint inhibition, and this response has been varied and unpredictable across several clinical trials. Recent advances in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology have improved our understanding of the molecular features of MPM, also with respect to its genetic signature and how this impacts the immune microenvironment. This article will review current evidence surrounding the interplay between MPM genetics, including epigenetics and transcriptomics, and the immune response.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin Wadowski
- Thoracic Surgery Oncology Laboratory and the International Mesothelioma Program, Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Raphael Bueno
- Thoracic Surgery Oncology Laboratory and the International Mesothelioma Program, Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Assunta De Rienzo
- Thoracic Surgery Oncology Laboratory and the International Mesothelioma Program, Division of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, United States
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New DNA Methylation Signals for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Risk Assessment. Cancers (Basel) 2021; 13:cancers13112636. [PMID: 34071989 PMCID: PMC8199167 DOI: 10.3390/cancers13112636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2021] [Revised: 05/24/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Our study investigated DNA methylation differences in easily accessible white blood cells (WBCs) between malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) cases and asbestos-exposed cancer-free controls. A multiple regression model highlighted that the methylation level of two single CpGs (cg03546163 in FKBP5 and cg06633438 in MLLT1) are independent MPM markers. The epigenetic changes at the FKBP5 and MLLT1 genes were robustly associated with MPM in asbestos-exposed subjects. Interaction analyses showed that MPM cases and cancer-free controls showed DNAm differences which may be linked to asbestos exposure. Abstract Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and aggressive neoplasm. Patients are usually diagnosed when current treatments have limited benefits, highlighting the need for noninvasive tests aimed at an MPM risk assessment tool that might improve life expectancy. Three hundred asbestos-exposed subjects (163 MPM cases and 137 cancer-free controls), from the same geographical region in Italy, were recruited. The evaluation of asbestos exposure was conducted considering the frequency, the duration and the intensity of occupational, environmental and domestic exposure. A genome-wide methylation array was performed to identify novel blood DNA methylation (DNAm) markers of MPM. Multiple regression analyses adjusting for potential confounding factors and interaction between asbestos exposure and DNAm on the MPM odds ratio were applied. Epigenome-wide analysis (EWAS) revealed 12 single-CpGs associated with the disease. Two of these showed high statistical power (99%) and effect size (>0.05) after false discovery rate (FDR) multiple comparison corrections: (i) cg03546163 in FKBP5, significantly hypomethylated in cases (Mean Difference in beta values (MD) = −0.09, 95% CI = −0.12|−0.06, p = 1.2 × 10−7), and (ii) cg06633438 in MLLT1, statistically hypermethylated in cases (MD = 0.07, 95% CI = 0.04|0.10, p = 1.0 × 10−6). Based on the interaction analysis, asbestos exposure and epigenetic profile together may improve MPM risk assessment. Above-median asbestos exposure and hypomethylation of cg03546163 in FKBP5 (OR = 20.84, 95% CI = 8.71|53.96, p = 5.5 × 10−11) and hypermethylation of cg06633438 in MLLT1 (OR = 11.71, 95% CI = 4.97|29.64, p = 5.9 × 10−8) genes compared to below-median asbestos exposure and hyper/hypomethylation of single-CpG DNAm, respectively. Receiver Operation Characteristics (ROC) for Case-Control Discrimination showed a significant increase in MPM discrimination when DNAm information was added in the model (baseline model, BM: asbestos exposure, age, gender and white blood cells); area under the curve, AUC = 0.75; BM + cg03546163 at FKBP5. AUC = 0.89, 2.1 × 10−7; BM + cg06633438 at MLLT1. AUC = 0.89, 6.3 × 10−8. Validation and replication procedures, considering independent sample size and a different DNAm analysis technique, confirmed the observed associations. Our results suggest the potential application of DNAm profiles in blood to develop noninvasive tests for MPM risk assessment in asbestos-exposed subjects.
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