Project description:Cell movement is an important character during epithelial-mesenchymal transition. A subpopulation with accelerated baseline motility (MG cells) or an immotile one (non-MG cells) from a colon cancer cell line (HCT116) were isolated. In this study, to investigate changes of global DNA methylation status between these two subpopulations, genomic DNA from these cells were subjected to DNA methylation array.
Project description:Aberrant DNA methylation profiles have been associated with male infertility and some semen parameters. However, few studies systematically surveyed DNA methylation profiles associated with sperm motility in normozoospermia and asthenozoospermia. In this study, based on promoter targeted bisulfite sequencing technology, we provided a quantitative description on global DNA methylation profiles. The average global methylation values were 24.7% and the inter-individual variance was about 14.4%, while the intra-individual variance was about 3.9%. The difference between different motile sperm population or different participant groups was subtle and not significant. Furthermore, we identified 134 differentially methylated CpGs and 134 differentially variable CpGs in low motile sperm from asthenozoospermic patient (P < 0.05). Based on the literature, we further found 16 differentially methylated or variable genes which were required for spermatogenesis or sperm motility or dominantly expressed in testis. This study will provide potential markers for clinical diagnosis and a promising basis for understanding the effect of DNA methylation on asthenozoospermia.
Project description:A methyl-specific metabolic labeling approach for global methylome mapping and found extensive His methylation at C3H1 zinc fingers.
Project description:Tumor invasion into surrounding stromal tissue is a hallmark of high-grade, metastatic cancers. Oncogenic transformation of human epithelial cells in culture can be triggered by activation of v-Src kinase, resulting in increased cell motility, invasiveness and tumorigenicity and provides a valuable model for studying how changes in gene expression cause cancer phenotypes. Here, we show that epithelial cells transformed by activated Src show increased levels of DNA methylation and that the methylation inhibitor, 5-AzaC, potently blocks the increased cell motility and invasiveness induced by Src activation. A proteomic screen for chromatin regulators acting downstream of activated Src identified the replication-dependent histone chaperone CAF1 as an important factor for Src-mediated increased cell motility and invasion. We show Src causes a 5-AzaC-sensitive decrease in both mRNA and protein levels of the p150 (CHAF1A) and p60 (CHAF1B), subunits of CAF1. Depletion of CAF1 in untransformed epithelial cells using siRNA was sufficient to recapitulate the increased motility and invasive phenotypes characteristic of transformed cells without activation of Src. Maintaining high levels of CAF1 by exogenous expression suppressed the increased cell motility and invasiveness phenotypes when Src was activated. These data identify a critical role of CAF1 in the dysregulation of cell invasion and motility phenotypes seen in transformed cells and also highlight an important role for epigenetic remodeling through DNA methylation for Src-mediated induction of cancer phenotypes.