Promoter methylation profiles for ectopic vs. eutopic endometrium in SUP, VES and OME

ABSTRACT: Several lines of evidence indicate that endometriosis could be partially due to epigenetic dysregulations. Hypermethylation of some key gene promoters, such as progesterone receptor or aromatase, has been reported to be associated with silencing of these genes. However, it is unknown whether global alterations in DNA methylation are a hallmark of endometriosis and to what extent they are involved in its pathogenesis. We conducted a whole-genome scanning of methylation status in more than 25,000 promoters using a combination of methylated DNA immunoprecipitation with hybridization to promoter microarray. We detailed a methylation profile for each subtype of the disease (superficial endometriosis, endometrioma and deep infiltrating endometriosis) and compared them to the profile obtained for the endometrium. Our results indicate that global methylation patterns are strongly correlated between the different disease subtypes, showing regions consistently hyper- or hypomethylated (more than 1.5-times) and others specific to one given subtype. However, there was no systematic correlation between promoter methylation and the expression of nearby genes, except for 35 that have never been previously associated to endometriosis and might be of outstanding importance in the disease development. Also, the distribution of hypermethylated regions appears located at the ends of the chromosomes whereas hypomethylation appears to be located randomly all over the chromosomes. This is a unique observation in a human disease, providing potential new insights into the understanding of endometriosis’ pathogenesis: we hypothesize that it might be a new mechanism that could confer protection against malignancy. Keywords: Promoter microarrays

ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens

PROVIDER: GSE16079 | GEO | 2009/05/13

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA115507

REPOSITORIES: GEO