Role of the hypoxia-inducible histone H3K9 methylation regulating enzymes Jmjd1a and G9a in stem cell self-renewal and tumorigenesis

ABSTRACT: Hypoxia is one of the major driving forces mediating tumor angiogenesis, aggressiveness, as well as resistance to chemo- and radiotherapy. It has also been suggested to play important roles in stem cell maintenance for both normal and cancer tissues. However, the mechanisms by which hypoxia-driven epigenetic changes modulate tumorigenesis remain poorly understood. As the histone H3 lysine 9 (H3K9) demethylase Jmjd1a and methyltransferase G9a are upregulated downstream targets of hypoxia, we focused on these two catalytically opposing epigenetic modifiers to address this question. Through the use of homozygous Jmjd1a and G9a knockout mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells, we found that Jmjd1a was not required for stem cell self-renewal and that anti-angiogenesis related genes were epigenetically dysregulated in both Jmjd1a- and G9a deficient ES cells under hypoxic conditions, accompanied by corresponding changes in H3K9 dimethylation and H3K4 trimethylation levels in the proximal promoter regions of these target genes. Most importantly, these genetic alterations led to opposing tumor phenotypes: loss of Jmjd1a results in increased tumor growth, whereas loss of G9a produces smaller tumors. These findings provide new insights on the importance of hypoxia signalling in regulating the epigenetic status and expression of angiogenesis genes that promote tumor progression.

ORGANISM(S): Mus musculus

PROVIDER: GSE35061 | GEO | 2014/07/30

SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA150935

REPOSITORIES: GEO