Project description:DNA methylation is considered the primary epigenetic mechanism underlying the development of malignant melanoma. Since DNA methylation can be influenced by environmental factors, it is preferable to compare cancer and normal cells from the same patient. Here, we employed a novel epidermal sheet cultivation technique to isolate normal melanocytes from unaffected sites of melanoma patients and compared the methylation status with melanoma tissues from the same individuals. We also analyzed primary and metastatic melanoma samples, three commercially available melanocytes, and four melanoma cell lines. Cluster analysis of DNA methylation data classified freshly isolated melanomas and melanocytes into the same group, whereas the four melanoma cell lines were clustered together in a distant clade. Moreover, our analysis discovered methylation at several novel loci (KRTCAP3, AGAP2, ZNF490), in addition to those identified in previous studies (COL1A2, GPX3); however, the latter two were not observed in fresh melanoma samples. Subsequent studies revealed that NPM2 was hypermethylated and downregulated in melanomas, which was consistent with previous reports and indicated that NPM2 immunoreactivity could be used to differentiate melanomas from normal melanocytes or benign disease. Our results highlight the importance of using matched fresh melanoma and melanocyte samples in epigenetic studies. Illumina Infinium 450k Human Methylation Beadchip
Project description:DNA methylation is considered the primary epigenetic mechanism underlying the development of malignant melanoma. Since DNA methylation can be influenced by environmental factors, it is preferable to compare cancer and normal cells from the same patient. Here, we employed a novel epidermal sheet cultivation technique to isolate normal melanocytes from unaffected sites of melanoma patients and compared the methylation status with melanoma tissues from the same individuals. We also analyzed primary and metastatic melanoma samples, three commercially available melanocytes, and four melanoma cell lines. Cluster analysis of DNA methylation data classified freshly isolated melanomas and melanocytes into the same group, whereas the four melanoma cell lines were clustered together in a distant clade. Moreover, our analysis discovered methylation at several novel loci (KRTCAP3, AGAP2, ZNF490), in addition to those identified in previous studies (COL1A2, GPX3); however, the latter two were not observed in fresh melanoma samples. Subsequent studies revealed that NPM2 was hypermethylated and downregulated in melanomas, which was consistent with previous reports and indicated that NPM2 immunoreactivity could be used to differentiate melanomas from normal melanocytes or benign disease. Our results highlight the importance of using matched fresh melanoma and melanocyte samples in epigenetic studies. illumina HumanHT-12_v4 BeadChip
Project description:We report the gene expression comparison of zebrafish melanocytes and melanomas. These comparisons were used for integrative genomic studies that identified the BMP factor GDF6 as a new oncogene that is specifically expressed in melanomas.
Project description:We report the gene expression comparison of zebrafish melanocytes and melanomas. These comparisons were used for integrative genomic studies that identified the BMP factor GDF6 as a new oncogene that is specifically expressed in melanomas.
Project description:Spotted oligonucleotide microarrays were used to assess global differential gene expression comparing normal human melanocytes with six independent melanoma cell strains from advanced lesions. The data, validated at the protein level for selected genes, confirmed the overexpression in melanoma cells relative to normal melanocytes of several genes in the growth factor/receptor family that confer growth advantage and metastasis. In addition, novel pathways and patterns of associated expression in melanoma cells not reported before emerged. Six melanoma cultures and two melanocyte cultures. The melanoma cultures are considered, for the purposes of this investigation, replicates from the point of view that they are all melanomas. Three of the melanomas were replicated once or twice in addition.
Project description:One of the major primary features of the neurocutaneous genetic disorder Neurofibromatosis type 1 are the hyperpigmentary café-au-lait macules where dysregulation of melanocyte development, proliferation and differentiation is considered to play a key etiopathogenic role. To gain better insight in the possible role of the tumor suppressor gene NF1, a transcriptomic microarray analysis was performed on human NF1 heterozygous (NF1+/-) melanocytes of a Neurofibromatosis type 1 patient and NF1 wild type (NF1+/+) melanocytes of a healthy control patient, both cultured from normally pigmented and hyperpigmented lesional café-au-lait skin. Out of 13,850 unique genes, a total of 137 had a significant twofold or more up- (72) or down-regulated (65) expression in NF1+/- melanocytes compared to NF1+/+ melanocytes (genotype effect). Considering possible intrinsic genetic variation in lesional skin, melanocytes showed a total of 51 genes having a significant twofold or more up- (37) or down-regulated (14) expression when they were cultured from hyperpigmentary café-au-lait skin compared to normally pigmented skin (lesional skin type effect). NF1+/- café-au-lait skin melanocytes showed 468 genes with a significant two-fold or more up- (183) or down-regulated (285) expression going beyond the sum of the separate main effects (interaction). Detailed analysis enabled the identification of several modulated genes in NF1+/- (café-au-lait skin) melanocytes, mainly involved in controlling cell proliferation and cell maintenance, in cell adhesion and, surprisingly, in the immune response. An interesting finding was that a high number of transcription factor genes were differentially modulated, among which a specific subset - important in melanocyte-lineage development - showed downregulation in a transcriptional cis-regulatory network governing the activation of the melanocyte-specific dopachrome tautomerase (DCT) gene.
Project description:We report single cell transcriptomes from human skin samples that have been enriched for melanocytes using FACS. This work revealed anatomical site-specific melanocyte expression programs. In addition, by surveying melanocytes at different stages of development, we identified development-associated expression programs that are reflected in the dedifferentiation of melanomas.