Pan-Cancer DNA Hypermethylation Leads to Transcriptional Upregulation of Homeobox Oncogene
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ABSTRACT: Cancers have long been recognized to be not only genetically but also epigenetically distinct from their tissues of origin. Although genetic alterations underlying oncogene upregulation have been well studied, to what extent epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, can also induce oncogene expression remains unknown. Here, through pan-cancer analysis of 4,182 genome-wide profiles, including whole-genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) data from 30 normal tissues and 35 solid tumors, we discovered a strong correlation between gene-body hypermethylation of DNA methylation canyons (broad under-methylated regions) and overexpression of ~43% homeobox genes, many of which are also oncogenes. To gain insights into the cause-and-effect relationship, we used a newly developed dCas9-SunTag-DNMT3A system to methylate genomic sites of interest. The locus-specific hypermethylation of gene-body canyon, but not promoter, of homeobox oncogene DLX1 and POU3F3, can direct increase its gene expression. Together, our pan-cancer analysis followed by functional validation reveals DNA hypermethylation as a novel epigenetic mechanism for homeobox oncogene upregulation.
ORGANISM(S): Homo sapiens
PROVIDER: GSE90780 | GEO | 2017/12/01
SECONDARY ACCESSION(S): PRJNA355884
REPOSITORIES: GEO
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