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Androgen receptor function links human sexual dimorphism to DNA methylation.

ABSTRACT: Sex differences are well known to be determinants of development, health and disease. Epigenetic mechanisms are also known to differ between men and women through X-inactivation in females. We hypothesized that epigenetic sex differences may also result from sex hormone functions, in particular from long-lasting androgen programming. We aimed at investigating whether inactivation of the androgen receptor, the key regulator of normal male sex development, is associated with differences of the patterns of DNA methylation marks in genital tissues. To this end, we performed large scale array-based analysis of gene methylation profiles on genomic DNA from labioscrotal skin fibroblasts of 8 males and 26 individuals with androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) due to inactivating androgen receptor gene mutations. By this approach we identified differential methylation of 167 CpG loci representing 162 unique human genes. These were significantly enriched for androgen target genes and low CpG content promoter genes. Additional 75 genes showed a significant increase of heterogeneity of methylation in AIS compared to a high homogeneity in normal male controls. Our data show that normal and aberrant androgen receptor function is associated with distinct patterns of DNA-methylation marks in genital tissues. These findings support the concept that transcription factor binding to the DNA has an impact on the shape of the DNA methylome. These data which derived from a rare human model suggest that androgen programming of methylation marks contributes to sexual dimorphism in the human which might have considerable impact on the manifestation of sex-associated phenotypes and diseases.

SUBMITTER: Ammerpohl O

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3762730 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Androgen receptor function links human sexual dimorphism to DNA methylation.

Ammerpohl Ole O Bens Susanne S Appari Mahesh M Werner Ralf R Korn Bernhard B Drop Stenvert L S SL Verheijen Frans F van der Zwan Yvonne Y Bunch Trevor T Hughes Ieuan I Cools Martine M Riepe Felix G FG Hiort Olaf O Siebert Reiner R Holterhus Paul-Martin PM

PloS one 20130904 9

Sex differences are well known to be determinants of development, health and disease. Epigenetic mechanisms are also known to differ between men and women through X-inactivation in females. We hypothesized that epigenetic sex differences may also result from sex hormone functions, in particular from long-lasting androgen programming. We aimed at investigating whether inactivation of the androgen receptor, the key regulator of normal male sex development, is associated with differences of the pat ...[more]

PMID: 24023855

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Project description:To decipher hormonal from chromosomal factors we compared DNA-methylation of 27,568 CpG-loci in genital fibroblasts from 46,XY feminized individuals (AIS) with inactivating androgen receptor mutations to those of normal males. The results of the following two subset comparisons are linked to the Series record below: CpG loci differentially methylated (q<0.04) between AIS and male controls (primary human genital fibroblasts): To decipher hormonal from chromosomal factors we compared DNA-methylation of 27,568 CpG-loci in genital fibroblasts from 46,XY feminized individuals (AIS) with inactivating androgen receptor mutations to those of normal males. Cell culture of primary fibroblasts from scrotum/ labia majora from donors with PAIS (n=13), MAIS (n=1) or CAIS (n=13) and 9 controls were analyzed using the HumanMethylation27 Bead Chip. 13 AIS samples and all controls were analyzed in duplicates. Samples with gene call rates <95% as analyzed with BeadStudio software (Illumina, Inc.) and CpGs with detection p-values >0.05 in at least one experiment were excluded from analyses. 54 hybridizations with 25,988 CpGs entered the analysis. Differential methylation analysis (DMA) was performed based on average beta-values were performed using OMICS Explorer (v.2.1(25); Qlucore, Sweden). This file contains CpG loci found differentially methylated (q<0.04) by this approach. CpG loci characterized by a high varibility in their DNA methylation value in AIS compared to male controls (primary human genital fibroblasts): To decipher hormonal from chromosomal factors we compared DNA-methylation of 27,568 CpG-loci in genital fibroblasts from 46,XY feminized individuals (AIS) with inactivating androgen receptor mutations to those of normal males. Cell culture of primary fibroblasts from scrotum/ labia majora from donors with PAIS (n=13), MAIS (n=1) or CAIS (n=13) and 9 controls were analyzed using the HumanMethylation27 Bead Chip. 13 AIS samples and all controls were analyzed in duplicates. Samples with gene call rates <95% as analyzed with BeadStudio software (Illumina, Inc.) and CpGs with detection p-values >0.05 in at least one experiment were excluded from analyses. 54 hybridizations with 25,988 CpGs entered the analysis. CpG loci with beta-values ranged in control samples up to 0.34 and a difference of the interquartiles between controls and AIS samples above 0.16 were considered as being variably methylated in AIS and are included in this file.

Project description:BackgroundDNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that is enriched in heterochromatin but depleted at active promoters and enhancers. However, the debate on whether or not DNA methylation is a reliable indicator of high nucleosome occupancy has not been settled. For example, the methylation levels of DNA flanking CTCF sites are higher in linker DNA than in nucleosomal DNA, while other studies have shown that the nucleosome core is the preferred site of methylation. In this study, we make progress toward understanding these conflicting phenomena by implementing a bioinformatics approach that combines MNase-seq and NOMe-seq data and by comprehensively profiling DNA methylation and nucleosome occupancy throughout the human genome.ResultsThe results demonstrated that increasing methylated CpG density is correlated with nucleosome occupancy in the total genome and within nearly all subgenomic regions. Features with elevated methylated CpG density such as exons, SINE-Alu sequences, H3K36-trimethylated peaks, and methylated CpG islands are among the highest nucleosome occupied elements in the genome, while some of the lowest occupancies are displayed by unmethylated CpG islands and unmethylated transcription factor binding sites. Additionally, outside of CpG islands, the density of CpGs within nucleosomes was shown to be important for the nucleosomal location of DNA methylation with low CpG frequencies favoring linker methylation and high CpG frequencies favoring core particle methylation. Prominent exceptions to the correlations between methylated CpG density and nucleosome occupancy include CpG islands marked by H3K27me3 and CpG-poor heterochromatin marked by H3K9me3, and these modifications, along with DNA methylation, distinguish the major silencing mechanisms of the human epigenome.ConclusionsThus, the relationship between DNA methylation and nucleosome occupancy is influenced by the density of methylated CpG dinucleotides and by other epigenomic components in chromatin.

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Androgen receptor function links human sexual dimorphism to DNA methylation.

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Androgen receptor function links human sexual dimorphism to DNA methylation.

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