Carcinoma in situ testis displays permissive chromatin modifications similar to immature foetal germ cells.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The majority of testicular germ cell cancers develop through a pre-invasive carcinoma in situ (CIS) stage. The CIS cell is a neoplastic counterpart of foetal germ cells. During their development, foetal germ cells undergo extensive and essential epigenetic modifications, but little is known about epigenetic patterns in CIS cells.

Methods

Immunohistochemistry was used to investigate epigenetic patterns in CIS, germ cell tumours, normal adult and foetal testicular tissue.

Results

CIS cells show low levels of DNA methylation and repressive histone modifications H3K9me2 and H3K27me3, but high levels of H3K9 acetylation, H3K4 methylation and H2A.Z, which all are associated with an activated and accessible chromatin structure. Collectively this renders a permissi

SUBMITTER: Almstrup K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2967056 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature