Methylation profiling by array of human primary prostate cells during the epithelial to mesenchymal transition

ABSTRACT: Background: Previously we reported extensive gene expression reprogramming during epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) of primary prostate cells. Here we investigated the hypothesis that specific histone and DNA methylations are involved in coordination of gene expression during EMT and early stages of transformation. Results: Genome-wide profiling of histone methylations (H3K4me3 and H3K27me3) and DNA methylation (DNAMe) was applied on a prostate cell model during EMT and malignant transformation. Integrated analyses of promoter epigenetic modifications and gene expression changes revealed strong correlations between the dynamic changes of histone methylations and gene expression. DNA methylation was weakly associated with global gene repression, but strongly correlated to gene silencing when genes co-modified by H3K4me3 were excluded. In genes labeled with multiple epigenetic marks in their promoters, the level of transcription was associated with the net signal intensity of the activating mark H3K4me3 minus the repressive mark H3K27me3 or DNAMe, indicating that the effect on gene expression of bivalent marks (H3K4/K27me3 or H3K4me3/DNAMe) depends on relative modification intensities. Sets of genes, including epithelial cell junction and EMT associated fibroblast growth factor receptor genes, showed corresponding changes concerning epigenetic modifications and gene expression during EMT. Conclusions: This work presents the first blueprint of epigenetic modifications during EMT in prostate cells and shows that specific histone methylations are extensively involved in gene expression reprogramming during EMT and carcinogenesis. The observation that transcription activity of bivalently marked genes depends on the relative labeling intensity of individual marks provides a new view of quantitative regulation of epigenetic modification.

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

SUBMITTER: Kjell Petersen 

PROVIDER: E-TABM-982 | biostudies-arrayexpress |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-arrayexpress