DNA methylation-activated full-length EMX1 facilitates metastasis through EMX1-EGFR-ERK axis in hepatocellular carcinoma.

ABSTRACT: Altered DNA methylation is a crucial epigenetic event in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development and progression. Through methylation-transcriptomic analysis, we identified a set of sixty potential DNA methylation-based epidriver genes. In this set of genes, we focused on the hypermethylation of EMX1, which is frequently observed in hepatobiliary tumors. Despite of its frequent occurrence, the function of EMX1 remains largely unknown. By utilizing bisulfite-next-generation sequencing, we have detected EMX1 DNA hypermethylation on the gene body, which is positively correlated with EMX1 mRNA expression. Further analysis revealed that EMX1 mRNA terminal exon splicing in HCC generated two protein isoforms: EMX1 full length (EMX1-FL) and alternative terminal exon splicing isoform (EMX1-X1).

SUBMITTER: Wen DS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10676392 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature