Defining a chromatin pattern that characterizes DNA-hypermethylated genes in colon cancer cells.

ABSTRACT: Epigenetic gene regulation is a key determinant of heritable gene expression patterns and is critical for normal cellular function. Dysregulation of epigenetic transcriptional control is a fundamental feature of cancer, particularly manifesting as increased promoter DNA methylation with associated aberrant gene silencing, which plays a significant role in tumor progression. We now globally map key chromatin parameters for genes with promoter CpG island DNA hypermethylation in colon cancer cells by combining microarray gene expression analyses with chromatin immunoprecipitation-on-chip technology. We first show that the silent state of such genes universally correlates with a broad distribution of a low but distinct level of the PcG-mediated histone modification, methylation of lysine 27 of

SUBMITTER: McGarvey KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2706536 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature