Project description:To explore the effects of Tet on porcine pre-implantation embryogenesis, we utilized Bobcat339, a specific small-molecule inhibitor of the Tet protein, to treat parthenogenetic 4-cell stage embryos.
Project description:We generated RRBS data to enable a comparative DNA methylation analysis of Dnmt1 Tet/Tet, a mouse embyonic stem cell line (ESC) that overexpresses DNMT1 and the WT R1 ESCs and their neuronal derivatives. The optimized data analysis workflows provides a framework for comparative investigations of methylation profiles. This platform offers a comprehensive and more accurate quantitative and qualitative evaluation of methylated cytosines in ESCs and neurons. We expect that RRBS-based methylome analysis permits to understand the epigenetic basis of abnormal neurogenesis.
Project description:TET-family dioxygenases oxidize 5-methylcytosine (5mC) in DNA, and exert tumor suppressor activity in many types of cancers. Even in the absence of TET coding region mutations, TET loss-of-function is strongly associated with cancer. We show that acute elimination of TET function induces the rapid development of an aggressive, fully-penetrant and cell-autonomous myeloid leukemia in mice, pointing to a causative role for TET-loss-of-function in this myeloid malignancy. Phenotypic and transcriptional profiling showed aberrant differentiation of hematopoietic stem/ progenitor cells, impaired erythroid and lymphoid differentiation and strong skewing to the myeloid lineage, with only a mild relation to changes in DNA modification. We also observed progressive accumulation of DNA damage and strong impairment of DNA break repair, suggesting a key role for TET proteins in maintaining genomic integrity.