5-hydroxymethylcytosine marks promoters in colon that resist DNA hypermethylation in cancer.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The discovery of cytosine hydroxymethylation (5hmC) as a mechanism that potentially controls DNA methylation changes typical of neoplasia prompted us to investigate its behaviour in colon cancer. 5hmC is globally reduced in proliferating cells such as colon tumours and the gut crypt progenitors, from which tumours can arise.

Results

Here, we show that colorectal tumours and cancer cells express Ten-Eleven-Translocation (TET) transcripts at levels similar to normal tissues. Genome-wide analyses show that promoters marked by 5hmC in normal tissue, and those identified as TET2 targets in colorectal cancer cells, are resistant to methylation gain in cancer. In vitro studies of TET2 in cancer cells confirm that these promoters are resistant to methylation gain independ

SUBMITTER: Uribe-Lewis S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4380107 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature