Aberrant promoter methylation and expression of UTF1 during cervix carcinogenesis

ABSTRACT: Genome wide DNA methylation profiling of normal and squamous carcinoma of the cervix. The Illumina Infinium 27k Human DNA methylation Beadchip v1.2 was used to obtain DNA methylation profiles across approximately 27,000 CpGs in frozen cervical samples. Samples included 4 normal ectocervices (Ecto 1 to 4) and 5 squamous cell carcinoma of the cervix (SCC 1 to 5). In order to identify epigenetic biomarkers for early cervix cancer diagnosis, we performed a methylation screening using Illumina Infinium 27k Human DNA methylation Beadchip v1.2 of stem cell marker promoters during cervical carcinogenesis and demonstrated a strong hypermethylation of Undifferentiated cell Transcription Factor 1 (UTF1) promoter in squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) in comparison with normal ectocervix. Direct bisulfite pyrosequencing of DNA isolated from liquid-based cytological samples showed that UTF1 promoter methylation increases with lesion severity and is associated with higher expression. By RT-PCR, Western Blot and immunofluorescence, we demonstrated that UTF1 mRNA and protein are expressed in epithelial cancer cell lines, even in the absence of its two main described regulators Oct4A and Sox2. Methyl-Specific PCR experiments revealed that the inhibition of DNA methyltransferase by 5-aza-2’-deoxycytidine is associated with decreased UTF1 gene methylation and expression. These findings provide evidence that UTF1 promoter methylation profile might be a useful biomarker for cervix cancer diagnosis and raise the questions of its role during epithelial carcinogenesis and of the mechanisms involved in the regulation of its expression. Bisulfite converted DNA from the 9 samples were hybridised to the Illumina Infinium 27k Human Methylation Beadchip v1.2

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

SUBMITTER: Samuel GUENIN 

PROVIDER: E-GEOD-36637 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress