A stem cell-like chromatin pattern may predispose tumor suppressor genes to DNA hypermethylation and heritable silencing

• Published in: Nature genetics Vol. 39; no. 2; pp. 237 - 242
• Main Authors: Baylin, Stephen B, Ohm, Joyce E, McGarvey, Kelly M, Yu, Xiaobing, Cheng, Linzhao, Schuebel, Kornel E, Cope, Leslie, Mohammad, Helai P, Chen, Wei, Daniel, Vincent C, Yu, Wayne, Berman, David M, Jenuwein, Thomas, Pruitt, Kevin, Sharkis, Saul J, Watkins, D Neil, Herman, James G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group 01-02-2007
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Cancer; Cancer genetics; Cell physiology; Cell Proliferation; Cell transformation and carcinogenesis. Action of oncogenes and antioncogenes; Chromatin; Chromatin - metabolism; Chromatin. Chromosome; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Development and progression; DNA; DNA Methylation; Embryonic stem cells; Embryonic Stem Cells - metabolism; Embryos; Epigenetic inheritance; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene expression; Gene Silencing; Genes; Genes, Tumor Suppressor; Genetic aspects; Genetic engineering; Genetics of eukaryotes. Biological and molecular evolution; Histones - metabolism; Humans; Molecular and cellular biology; Molecular genetics; Polycomb-Group Proteins; Promoter Regions, Genetic; Repressor Proteins - metabolism; Stem cells; Stem Cells - metabolism; Transcription (Genetics); Tumor Cells, Cultured; Tumors; Chromosome; Chromatin; Methylation; Stem cell; DNA; Tumor suppressor gene
• ISSN: 1061-4036; 1546-1718
• DOI: 10.1038/ng1972

Adult cancers may derive from stem or early progenitor cells. Epigenetic modulation of gene expression is essential for normal function of these early cells but is highly abnormal in cancers, which often show aberrant promoter CpG island hypermethylation and transcriptional silencing of tumor suppressor genes and pro-differentiation factors. We find that for such genes, both normal and malignant embryonic cells generally lack the hypermethylation of DNA found in adult cancers. In embryonic stem cells, these genes are held in a 'transcription-ready' state mediated by a 'bivalent' promoter chromatin pattern consisting of the repressive mark, histone H3 methylated at Lys27 (H3K27) by Polycomb group proteins, plus the active mark, methylated H3K4. However, embryonic carcinoma cells add two key repressive marks, dimethylated H3K9 and trimethylated H3K9, both associated with DNA hypermethylation in adult cancers. We hypothesize that cell chromatin patterns and transient silencing of these important regulatory genes in stem or progenitor cells may leave these genes vulnerable to aberrant DNA hypermethylation and heritable gene silencing during tumor initiation and progression.