Sustained induction of epithelial to mesenchymal transition activates DNA methylation of genes silenced in basal-like breast cancers.

ABSTRACT: The active acquisition of epigenetic changes is a poorly understood but important process in development, differentiation, and disease. Our work has shown that repression of the p16/pRb pathway in human epithelial cells, a condition common to stem cells and many tumor cells, induces dynamic epigenetic remodeling resulting in the targeted methylation of a selected group of CpG islands. We hypothesized that cells in this epigenetically plastic state could be programmed by the microenvironment to acquire epigenetic changes associated with tumorigenesis. Here, we describe an in vitro model system where epigenetically plastic cells were placed in an environment that induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and led to a program of acquired de novo DNA methylation at targeted sites. In

SUBMITTER: Dumont N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2567459 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature