Activation of a Subset of Evolutionarily Young Transposable Elements and Innate Immunity Are Linked to Clinical Responses to 5-Azacytidine.

ABSTRACT: The DNA methyltransferase inhibitors (DNMTi) 5-azacytidine and 5-aza-2-deoxycytidine have been approved for the treatment of different types of hematologic malignancies. However, only about 50% of patients respond to treatment. Therefore, a more comprehensive understanding of the molecular changes in patients treated with DNMTi is needed. Here, we examined gene expression profiles in a total of 150 RNA samples from two adult cohorts and one pediatric cohort with hematologic cancers taken before, during, and after treatment with 5-azacytidine (40 patients; 15 nonresponders, 25 responders). Using each patient as their own control, malignant cells showed preferential activation of a subset of evolutionarily young transposable elements (TE), including endogenous retroviral long terminal repeat

SUBMITTER: Ohtani H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7507765 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature