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Sajibu S, Sonder E, Tiwari A, Orjuela S, Parker HR, Frans OT, Gubler C, Marra G, Robinson MD. Validation of hypermethylated DNA regions found in colorectal cancers as potential aging-independent biomarkers of precancerous colorectal lesions. BMC Cancer 2023; 23:998. [PMID: 37853362 PMCID: PMC10585861 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-023-11487-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Accepted: 10/06/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND We previously identified 16,772 colorectal cancer-associated hypermethylated DNA regions that were also detectable in precancerous colorectal lesions (preCRCs) and unrelated to normal mucosal aging. We have now conducted a study to validate 990 of these differentially methylated DNA regions (DMRs) in a new series of preCRCs. METHODS We used targeted bisulfite sequencing to validate these 990 potential biomarkers in 59 preCRC tissue samples (41 conventional adenomas, 18 sessile serrated lesions), each with a patient-matched normal mucosal sample. Based on differential DNA methylation tests, a panel of candidate DMRs was chosen on a subset of our cohort and then validated on the remaining part of our cohort and two publicly available datasets with respect to their stratifying potential between preCRCs and normal mucosa. RESULTS Strong statistical significance for the difference in methylation levels was observed across the full set of 990 investigated DMRs. From these, a selected candidate panel of 30 DMRs correctly identified 58/59 tumors (area under the receiver operating curve: 0.998). CONCLUSIONS These validated DNA hypermethylation markers can be exploited to develop more accurate noninvasive colorectal tumor screening assays.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sija Sajibu
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Emanuel Sonder
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland
- Institute for Neuroscience, Department of Health Sciences and Technology, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Amit Tiwari
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stephany Orjuela
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Hannah R Parker
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Christoph Gubler
- Division of Gastroenterology, Triemli Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Giancarlo Marra
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mark D Robinson
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich, 8057, Switzerland.
- SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Vaud, Switzerland.
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Orjuela S, Parker HR, Sajibu S, Cereatti F, Sauter M, Buffoli F, Robinson MD, Marra G. Disentangling tumorigenesis-associated DNA methylation changes in colorectal tissues from those associated with ageing. Epigenetics 2021; 17:677-694. [PMID: 34369258 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2021.1952375] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Physiological ageing and tumorigenesis are both associated with epigenomic alterations in human tissue cells, the most extensively investigated of which entails de novo cytosine methylation (i.e., hypermethylation) within the CpG dinucleotides of CpG islands. Genomic regions that become hypermethylated during tumorigenesis are generally believed to overlap regions that acquire methylation in normal tissues as an effect of ageing. To define the extension of this overlap, we analysed the DNA methylomes of 48 large-bowel tissue samples taken from women of different ages during screening colonoscopy: 18 paired samples of normal and lesional tissues from donors harbouring a precancerous lesion and 12 samples of normal mucosa from tumour-free donors. Each sample was subjected to targeted, genome-wide bisulphite sequencing of ~2.5% of the genome, including all CpG islands. In terms of both its magnitude and extension along the chromatin, tumour-associated DNA hypermethylation in these regions was much more conspicuous than that observed in the normal mucosal samples from older (vs. younger) tumour-free donors. 83% of the ageing-associated hypermethylated regions (n = 2501) coincided with hypermethylated regions observed in tumour samples. However, 86% of the regions displaying hypermethylation in precancerous lesions (n = 16,772) showed no methylation changes in the ageing normal mucosa. The tumour-specificity of this latter hypermethylation was validated using published sets of data on DNA methylation in normal and neoplastic colon tissues. This extensive set of genomic regions displaying tumour-specific hypermethylation represents a rich vein of putative biomarkers for the early, non-invasive detection of colorectal tumours in women of all ages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephany Orjuela
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich and SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Switzerland
| | - Hannah R Parker
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich and SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Switzerland
| | - Sija Sajibu
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Matthias Sauter
- Division of Gastroenterology, Triemli Hospital Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Mark D Robinson
- Department of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich and SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Switzerland
| | - Giancarlo Marra
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Switzerland
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Orjuela S, Machlab D, Menigatti M, Marra G, Robinson MD. DAMEfinder: a method to detect differential allele-specific methylation. Epigenetics Chromatin 2020; 13:25. [PMID: 32487212 PMCID: PMC7268773 DOI: 10.1186/s13072-020-00346-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 05/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Background DNA methylation is a highly studied epigenetic signature that is associated with regulation of gene expression, whereby genes with high levels of promoter methylation are generally repressed. Genomic imprinting occurs when one of the parental alleles is methylated, i.e., when there is inherited allele-specific methylation (ASM). A special case of imprinting occurs during X chromosome inactivation in females, where one of the two X chromosomes is silenced, to achieve dosage compensation between the sexes. Another more widespread form of ASM is sequence dependent (SD-ASM), where ASM is linked to a nearby heterozygous single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP). Results We developed a method to screen for genomic regions that exhibit loss or gain of ASM in samples from two conditions (treatments, diseases, etc.). The method relies on the availability of bisulfite sequencing data from multiple samples of the two conditions. We leverage other established computational methods to screen for these regions within a new R package called DAMEfinder. It calculates an ASM score for all CpG sites or pairs in the genome of each sample, and then quantifies the change in ASM between conditions. It then clusters nearby CpG sites with consistent change into regions. In the absence of SNP information, our method relies only on reads to quantify ASM. This novel ASM score compares favorably to current methods that also screen for ASM. Not only does it easily discern between imprinted and non-imprinted regions, but also females from males based on X chromosome inactivation. We also applied DAMEfinder to a colorectal cancer dataset and observed that colorectal cancer subtypes are distinguishable according to their ASM signature. We also re-discover known cases of loss of imprinting. Conclusion We have designed DAMEfinder to detect regions of differential ASM (DAMEs), which is a more refined definition of differential methylation, and can therefore help in breaking down the complexity of DNA methylation and its influence in development and disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephany Orjuela
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences and SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.,Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Dania Machlab
- Friedrich Miescher Institute for Biomedical Research, Maulbeerstrasse 66, 4058, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Mirco Menigatti
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Giancarlo Marra
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mark D Robinson
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences and SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
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Orjuela S, Menigatti M, Schraml P, Kambakamba P, Robinson MD, Marra G. The DNA hypermethylation phenotype of colorectal cancer liver metastases resembles that of the primary colorectal cancers. BMC Cancer 2020; 20:290. [PMID: 32252665 PMCID: PMC7137338 DOI: 10.1186/s12885-020-06777-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Identifying molecular differences between primary and metastatic colorectal cancers-now possible with the aid of omics technologies-can improve our understanding of the biological mechanisms of cancer progression and facilitate the discovery of novel treatments for late-stage cancer. We compared the DNA methylomes of primary colorectal cancers (CRCs) and CRC metastases to the liver. Laser microdissection was used to obtain epithelial tissue (10 to 25 × 106 μm2) from sections of fresh-frozen samples of primary CRCs (n = 6), CRC liver metastases (n = 12), and normal colon mucosa (n = 3). DNA extracted from tissues was enriched for methylated sequences with a methylCpG binding domain (MBD) polypeptide-based protocol and subjected to deep sequencing. The performance of this protocol was compared with that of targeted enrichment for bisulfite sequencing used in a previous study of ours. RESULTS MBD enrichment captured a total of 322,551 genomic regions (249.5 Mb or ~ 7.8% of the human genome), which included over seven million CpG sites. A few of these regions were differentially methylated at an expected false discovery rate (FDR) of 5% in neoplastic tissues (primaries: 0.67%, i.e., 2155 regions containing 279,441 CpG sites; liver metastases: 1%, i.e., 3223 regions containing 312,723 CpG sites) as compared with normal mucosa samples. Most of the differentially methylated regions (DMRs; 94% in primaries; 70% in metastases) were hypermethylated, and almost 80% of these (1882 of 2396) were present in both lesion types. At 5% FDR, no DMRs were detected in liver metastases vs. primary CRC. However, short regions of low-magnitude hypomethylation were frequent in metastases but rare in primaries. Hypermethylated DMRs were far more abundant in sequences classified as intragenic, gene-regulatory, or CpG shelves-shores-island segments, whereas hypomethylated DMRs were equally represented in extragenic (mainly, open-sea) and intragenic (mainly, gene bodies) sequences of the genome. Compared with targeted enrichment, MBD capture provided a better picture of the extension of CRC-associated DNA hypermethylation but was less powerful for identifying hypomethylation. CONCLUSIONS Our findings demonstrate that the hypermethylation phenotype in CRC liver metastases remains similar to that of the primary tumor, whereas CRC-associated DNA hypomethylation probably undergoes further progression after the cancer cells have migrated to the liver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephany Orjuela
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.,Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich and SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Mirco Menigatti
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Peter Schraml
- Department of Pathology and Molecular Pathology, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Patryk Kambakamba
- Division of Surgical Research, University of Zurich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Mark D Robinson
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich and SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Giancarlo Marra
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
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Orjuela S, Huang R, Hembach KM, Robinson MD, Soneson C. ARMOR: An Automated Reproducible MOdular Workflow for Preprocessing and Differential Analysis of RNA-seq Data. G3 (Bethesda) 2019; 9:2089-2096. [PMID: 31088905 PMCID: PMC6643886 DOI: 10.1534/g3.119.400185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2019] [Accepted: 05/13/2019] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The extensive generation of RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) data in the last decade has resulted in a myriad of specialized software for its analysis. Each software module typically targets a specific step within the analysis pipeline, making it necessary to join several of them to get a single cohesive workflow. Multiple software programs automating this procedure have been proposed, but often lack modularity, transparency or flexibility. We present ARMOR, which performs an end-to-end RNA-seq data analysis, from raw read files, via quality checks, alignment and quantification, to differential expression testing, geneset analysis and browser-based exploration of the data. ARMOR is implemented using the Snakemake workflow management system and leverages conda environments; Bioconductor objects are generated to facilitate downstream analysis, ensuring seamless integration with many R packages. The workflow is easily implemented by cloning the GitHub repository, replacing the supplied input and reference files and editing a configuration file. Although we have selected the tools currently included in ARMOR, the setup is modular and alternative tools can be easily integrated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephany Orjuela
- SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute of Molecular Cancer Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Ruizhu Huang
- SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katharina M Hembach
- SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Quantitative Biomedicine, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Mark D Robinson
- SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Charlotte Soneson
- SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Parker HR, Orjuela S, Martinho Oliveira A, Cereatti F, Sauter M, Heinrich H, Tanzi G, Weber A, Komminoth P, Vavricka S, Albanese L, Buffoli F, Robinson MD, Marra G. The proto CpG island methylator phenotype of sessile serrated adenomas/polyps. Epigenetics 2018; 13:1088-1105. [PMID: 30398409 PMCID: PMC6342079 DOI: 10.1080/15592294.2018.1543504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Sessile serrated adenomas/polyps (SSA/Ps) are the putative precursors of the ~20% of colon cancers with the CpG island methylator phenotype (CIMP). To investigate the epigenetic phenotype of these precancers, we prospectively collected fresh-tissue samples of 17 SSA/Ps and 15 conventional adenomas (cADNs), each with a matched sample of normal mucosa. Their DNA was subjected to bisulfite next-generation sequencing to assess methylation levels at ~2.7 million CpGs located predominantly in gene regulatory regions and spanning 80.5Mb; RNA was sequenced to define the samples' transcriptomes. Compared with normal mucosa, SSA/Ps and cADNs exhibited markedly remodeled methylomes. In cADNs, hypomethylated regions were far more numerous (18,417 vs 4288 in SSA/Ps) and rarely affected CpG islands/shores. SSA/Ps seemed to have escaped this wave of demethylation. Cytosine hypermethylation in SSA/Ps was more pervasive (hypermethylated regions: 22,147 vs 15,965 in cADNs; hypermethylated genes: 4938 vs 3443 in cADNs) and more extensive (region for region), and it occurred mainly within CpG islands and shores. Given its resemblance to the CIMP typical of SSA/Ps' putative descendant colon cancers, we refer to the SSA/P methylation phenotype as proto-CIMP. Verification studies of six hypermethylated regions in an independent series of precancers demonstrated DNA methylation markers' high potential for predicting the diagnosis of SSA/Ps and cADNs. Surprisingly, proto-CIMP in SSA/Ps was associated with upregulated gene expression; downregulation was more common in cADNs. In conclusion, the epigenetic landscape of SSA/Ps differs markedly from that of cADNs. These differences are a potentially rich source of novel tissue-based and noninvasive biomarkers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah R Parker
- a Institute of Molecular Cancer Research , University of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Stephany Orjuela
- a Institute of Molecular Cancer Research , University of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland.,b Institute of Molecular Life Sciences and SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics , University of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland
| | | | - Fabrizio Cereatti
- c Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Unit , Hospital of Cremona , Cremona , Italy
| | - Matthias Sauter
- d Division of Gastroenterology , Triemli Hospital , Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Henriette Heinrich
- d Division of Gastroenterology , Triemli Hospital , Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Giulia Tanzi
- e Division of Pathology , Hospital of Cremona , Cremona , Italy
| | - Achim Weber
- f Institute of Surgical Pathology , University of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Paul Komminoth
- g Division of Pathology , Triemli Hospital , Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Stephan Vavricka
- d Division of Gastroenterology , Triemli Hospital , Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Luca Albanese
- a Institute of Molecular Cancer Research , University of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Federico Buffoli
- c Gastroenterology and Endoscopy Unit , Hospital of Cremona , Cremona , Italy
| | - Mark D Robinson
- b Institute of Molecular Life Sciences and SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics , University of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland
| | - Giancarlo Marra
- a Institute of Molecular Cancer Research , University of Zurich , Zurich , Switzerland
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