Project description:Melanoma genomes are often characterized by large numbers of sunlight-induced mutations. However, epigenetic alterations, in the form of aberrant DNA methylation patterns, are also abundant. Using MIRA-seq, we have carried out a comprehensive characterization of the DNA methylome in a series of metastatic melanoma samples and catalogued the methylation changes relative to normal melanocytes, the presumed cells of origin for these tumors. Individual melanoma tumors contained up to several thousand hypermethylated regions. We discovered 179 tumor-specific methylation peaks that were present in all (27/27) melanomas and may lend themselves as effective disease biomarkers, and 3124 methylation peaks were present in >40% of the tumors. We specifically examined the relationship between presence of the Polycomb mark, H3K27me3 in melanocytes and tumor-specific DNA methylation in melanoma. We found that 150 of the approximately 1,200 tumor-associated methylation peaks near transcription start sites (TSS) were H3K27me3-marked in melanocytes. Notably, DNA methylation in melanoma was specific for distinct H3K27me3 peaks rather than for H3K27me3-enriched regions with broad genomic coverage. Yet, there were also numerous H3K27me3 peak-associated TSS regions that were completely resistant to DNA methylation in tumors. Furthermore, a rather large group of genes became methylated in melanoma but lacked H3K27me3 in melanocytes. There was no relationship between presence of BRAF V600 mutations and the number of methylation peaks in individual tumors. Gene expression analysis showed a strong signature of upregulated immune response genes in melanomas presumably as a result of lymphocyte infiltration. Genes down-regulated in tumors were enriched for melanocyte differentiation and pigmentation factors. Overall, there was limited correlation between tumor-associated DNA methylation changes and changes in gene expression although distinct melanocyte differentiation genes including KIT, PAX3 and SOX10 became methylated and downregulated in melanoma. Using MIRA-Seq, DNA methylation profiles of 27 malignant melanomas and 3 primary cultured melanocyte samples were determined
Project description:Gene methylation profiling of immortalized human mesenchymal stem cells comparing HPV E6/E7-transfected MSCs cells with human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT)- and HPV E6/E7-transfected MSCs. hTERT may increase gene methylation in MSCs. Goal was to determine the effects of different transfected genes on global gene methylation in MSCs.
Project description:Gene methylation profiling of immortalized human mesenchymal stem cells comparing HPV E6/E7-transfected MSCs cells with human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT)- and HPV E6/E7-transfected MSCs. hTERT may increase gene methylation in MSCs. Goal was to determine the effects of different transfected genes on global gene methylation in MSCs. Two-condition experiment, KP MSCs vs. 3A6 MSCs.
Project description:Melanoma genomes are often characterized by large numbers of sunlight-induced mutations. However, epigenetic alterations, in the form of aberrant DNA methylation patterns, are also abundant. Using MIRA-seq, we have carried out a comprehensive characterization of the DNA methylome in a series of metastatic melanoma samples and catalogued the methylation changes relative to normal melanocytes, the presumed cells of origin for these tumors. Individual melanoma tumors contained up to several thousand hypermethylated regions. We discovered 179 tumor-specific methylation peaks that were present in all (27/27) melanomas and may lend themselves as effective disease biomarkers, and 3124 methylation peaks were present in >40% of the tumors. We specifically examined the relationship between presence of the Polycomb mark, H3K27me3 in melanocytes and tumor-specific DNA methylation in melanoma. We found that 150 of the approximately 1,200 tumor-associated methylation peaks near transcription start sites (TSS) were H3K27me3-marked in melanocytes. Notably, DNA methylation in melanoma was specific for distinct H3K27me3 peaks rather than for H3K27me3-enriched regions with broad genomic coverage. Yet, there were also numerous H3K27me3 peak-associated TSS regions that were completely resistant to DNA methylation in tumors. Furthermore, a rather large group of genes became methylated in melanoma but lacked H3K27me3 in melanocytes. There was no relationship between presence of BRAF V600 mutations and the number of methylation peaks in individual tumors. Gene expression analysis showed a strong signature of upregulated immune response genes in melanomas presumably as a result of lymphocyte infiltration. Genes down-regulated in tumors were enriched for melanocyte differentiation and pigmentation factors. Overall, there was limited correlation between tumor-associated DNA methylation changes and changes in gene expression although distinct melanocyte differentiation genes including KIT, PAX3 and SOX10 became methylated and downregulated in melanoma. Examination of H3K27me3 histone modification in human normal melanocytes.
Project description:Analysis of cross talk of epigenetic marks in HBEC by using tilling arrays chr19. In Human Bronchial epithelia cells (HBEC), H3K9me3, H4K20me3, H3K4me3, H3K27me3, H3K36me3 and DNA methylation were profiled. In these cells, DNA methylation status was analyzed by MIRA and UnmethylCollector (UMC). Study of epigenetic changes in HCT116 DNMT1-/- and DNMT3b -/- (HCT116-DKO) in comparison to intact HCT116. In HCT116 and HCT116-DKO, H3K9me3, H3K36me3 and DNA methylation were profiled. In these cells, DNA methylation status was analyzed by MIRA. Analysis of epigenetic changes caused by siRNA for SED2 transcript in HBEC. In HBEC and SETD2 siRNA HBEC, H3K36me3 and DNA methylation were profiled. In these cells, DNA methylation status was analyzed by MIRA.
Project description:SPO11-promoted DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) formation is a crucial step for meiotic recombination, and it is indispensable to detect the broken DNA ends accurately for dissecting the molecular mechanisms behind. Here, we report a novel technique, named DEtail-seq (DNA End tailing followed by sequencing), that can directly and quantitatively capture the meiotic DSB 3’ overhang hotspots at single-nucleotide resolution.
Project description:Gene expression profiling of immortalized human mesenchymal stem cells with hTERT/E6/E7 transfected MSCs. hTERT may change gene expression in MSCs. Goal was to determine the gene expressions of immortalized MSCs.