Genome-wide survey reveals dynamic effects of folate supplement on DNA methylation and gene expression during C2C12 differentiation

Folic acid supplements taken during pregnancy can prevent neural tube defects and other developmental abnormalities. Here, we explored the effects of folate supplementation on gene expression and DNA methylation during C2C12 differentiation. Based on the folic acid concentration, this study comprised three groups: low folate (L), normal folate (N), and high-folate supplement (H). Our analyses revealed that differentiation and the mRNA expression of the gene myogenin in C2C12 cell were enhanced by folic acid; however, the overall methylation percentage in myogenin promoter between different treatment groups was not significantly different ( P > 0.05). The results of MeDIP-chip showed that hundreds of differentially methylated regions (DMRs) were identified between every two groups in both promoter and CpG islands, respectively. Genes with DMRs between N and L groups were mainly enriched in the processes of cell differentiation and cell development, whereas those with DMRs between H and N groups were frequently enriched in cellular process/cycle and cell metabolic processes. In addition, correlation analysis between methylation profile and expression profile revealed that some genes were regulated by methylation status directly. Together, these analyses suggest that folate deficiency and supplementation can influence the differentiation, genome-wide DNA methylation level and the expression of myogenesis-related genes including myogenin in the C2C12 cell line.

Download Full-text

Abstract 40: Disturbed Flow Alters Genomewide DNA Methylation Patterns, Regulating Endothelial Gene Expression and Atherosclerosis

Arteriosclerosis Thrombosis and Vascular Biology ◽

10.1161/atvb.34.suppl_1.40 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 34 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Jessilyn Dunn ◽

Haiwei Qiu ◽

Soyeon Kim ◽

Daudi Jjingo ◽

Ryan Hoffman ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Dna Methylation ◽

Dna Methyltransferase ◽

Methylation Status ◽

Western Diet ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Gene Promoters ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Methylation Patterns ◽

Endothelial Gene Expression

Atherosclerosis preferentially occurs in arterial regions of disturbed blood flow (d-flow), which alters gene expression, endothelial function, and atherosclerosis. Here, we show that d-flow regulates genome-wide DNA methylation patterns in a DNA methyltransferase (DNMT)-dependent manner. We found that d-flow induced expression of DNMT1, but not DNMT3a or DNMT3b, in mouse arterial endothelium in vivo and in cultured endothelial cells by oscillatory shear (OS) compared to unidirectional laminar shear in vitro. The DNMT inhibitor 5-Aza-2’deoxycytidine (5Aza) or DNMT1 siRNA significantly reduced OS-induced endothelial inflammation. Moreover, 5Aza reduced lesion formation in two atherosclerosis models using ApoE-/- mice (western diet for 3 months and the partial carotid ligation model with western diet for 3 weeks). To identify the 5Aza mechanisms, we conducted two genome-wide studies: reduced representation bisulfite sequencing (RRBS) and transcript microarray using endothelial-enriched gDNA and RNA, respectively, obtained from the partially-ligated left common carotid artery (LCA exposed to d-flow) and the right contralateral control (RCA exposed to s-flow) of mice treated with 5Aza or vehicle. D-flow induced DNA hypermethylation in 421 gene promoters, which was significantly prevented by 5Aza in 335 genes. Systems biological analyses using the RRBS and the transcriptome data revealed 11 mechanosensitive genes whose promoters were hypermethylated by d-flow but rescued by 5Aza treatment. Of those, five genes contain hypermethylated cAMP-response-elements in their promoters, including the transcription factors HoxA5 and Klf3. Their methylation status could serve as a mechanosensitive master switch in endothelial gene expression. Our results demonstrate that d-flow controls epigenomic DNA methylation patterns in a DNMT-dependent manner, which in turn alters endothelial gene expression and induces atherosclerosis.

Download Full-text

Genome-Wide DNA Methylation Analysis Shows Enrichment of Differential Methylation in “Open Seas” and Enhancers and Reveals Hypomethylation in DNMT3A Mutated Cytogenetically Normal AML (CN-AML)

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v120.21.653.653 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 120 (21) ◽

pp. 653-653 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Ying Qu ◽

Andreas Lennartsson ◽

Verena I. Gaidzik ◽

Stefan Deneberg ◽

Sofia Bengtzén ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Dna Methylation ◽

Cpg Island ◽

Cpg Islands ◽

Differential Methylation ◽

Methylation Analysis ◽

Cpg Sites ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Genomic Regions ◽

Methylation Patterns

Abstract Abstract 653 DNA methylation is involved in multiple biologic processes including normal cell differentiation and tumorigenesis. In AML, methylation patterns have been shown to differ significantly from normal hematopoietic cells. Most studies of DNA methylation in AML have previously focused on CpG islands within the promoter of genes, representing only a very small proportion of the DNA methylome. In this study, we performed genome-wide methylation analysis of 62 AML patients with CN-AML and CD34 positive cells from healthy controls by Illumina HumanMethylation450K Array covering 450.000 CpG sites in CpG islands as well as genomic regions far from CpG islands. Differentially methylated CpG sites (DMS) between CN-AML and normal hematopoietic cells were calculated and the most significant enrichment of DMS was found in regions more than 4kb from CpG Islands, in the so called open sea where hypomethylation was the dominant form of aberrant methylation. In contrast, CpG islands were not enriched for DMS and DMS in CpG islands were dominated by hypermethylation. DMS successively further away from CpG islands in CpG island shores (up to 2kb from CpG Island) and shelves (from 2kb to 4kb from Island) showed increasing degree of hypomethylation in AML cells. Among regions defined by their relation to gene structures, CpG dinucleotide located in theoretic enhancers were found to be the most enriched for DMS (Chi χ2<0.0001) with the majority of DMS showing decreased methylation compared to CD34 normal controls. To address the relation to gene expression, GEP (gene expression profiling) by microarray was carried out on 32 of the CN-AML patients. Totally, 339723 CpG sites covering 18879 genes were addressed on both platforms. CpG methylation in CpG islands showed the most pronounced anti-correlation (spearman ρ =-0.4145) with gene expression level, followed by CpG island shores (mean spearman rho for both sides' shore ρ=-0.2350). As transcription factors (TFs) have shown to be crucial for AML development, we especially studied differential methylation of an unbiased selection of 1638 TFs. The most enriched differential methylation between CN-AML and normal CD34 positive cells were found in TFs known to be involved in hematopoiesis and with Wilms tumor protein-1 (WT1), activator protein 1 (AP-1) and runt-related transcription factor 1 (RUNX1) being the most differentially methylated TFs. The differential methylation in WT 1 and RUNX1 was located in intragenic regions which were confirmed by pyro-sequencing. AML cases were characterized with respect to mutations in FLT3, NPM1, IDH1, IDH2 and DNMT3A. Correlation analysis between genome wide methylation patterns and mutational status showed statistically significant hypomethylation of CpG Island (p<0.0001) and to a lesser extent CpG island shores (p<0.001) and the presence of DNMT3A mutations. This links DNMT3A mutations for the first time to a hypomethylated phenotype. Further analyses correlating methylation patterns to other clinical data such as clinical outcome are ongoing. In conclusion, our study revealed that non-CpG island regions and in particular enhancers are the most aberrantly methylated genomic regions in AML and that WT 1 and RUNX1 are the most differentially methylated TFs. Furthermore, our data suggests a hypomethylated phenotype in DNMT3A mutated AML. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Download Full-text

Phylogenetic Shifts in Gene Body Methylation Correlate with Gene Expression and Reflect Trait Conservation

Molecular Biology and Evolution ◽

10.1093/molbev/msz195 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 31-43 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Danelle K Seymour ◽

Brandon S Gaut

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Dna Methylation ◽

Molecular Evolution ◽

Methylation Status ◽

Evolutionary Constraint ◽

Gene Body ◽

Gene Body Methylation ◽

Plant Genomes ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Rates Of Molecular Evolution

Abstract A subset of genes in plant genomes are labeled with DNA methylation specifically at CG residues. These genes, known as gene-body methylated (gbM), have a number of associated characteristics. They tend to have longer sequences, to be enriched for intermediate expression levels, and to be associated with slower rates of molecular evolution. Most importantly, gbM genes tend to maintain their level of DNA methylation between species, suggesting that this trait is under evolutionary constraint. Given the degree of conservation in gbM, we still know surprisingly little about its function in plant genomes or whether gbM is itself a target of selection. To address these questions, we surveyed DNA methylation across eight grass (Poaceae) species that span a gradient of genome sizes. We first established that genome size correlates with genome-wide DNA methylation levels, but less so for genic levels. We then leveraged genomic data to identify a set of 2,982 putative orthologs among the eight species and examined shifts of methylation status for each ortholog in a phylogenetic context. A total of 55% of orthologs exhibited a shift in gbM, but these shifts occurred predominantly on terminal branches, indicating that shifts in gbM are rarely conveyed over time. Finally, we found that the degree of conservation of gbM across species is associated with increased gene length, reduced rates of molecular evolution, and increased gene expression level, but reduced gene expression variation across species. Overall, these observations suggest a basis for evolutionary pressure to maintain gbM status over evolutionary time.

Download Full-text

Genome-wide epigenetic analysis delineates a biologically distinct immature acute leukemia with myeloid/T-lymphoid features

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood-2008-08-172387 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 113 (12) ◽

pp. 2795-2804 ◽

Cited By ~ 59

Author(s):

Maria E. Figueroa ◽

Bas J. Wouters ◽

Lucy Skrabanek ◽

Jacob Glass ◽

Yushan Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Dna Methylation ◽

Gene Expression Profile ◽

Expression Profile ◽

Cpg Islands ◽

Specific Gene ◽

Molecular Heterogeneity ◽

Dna Hypermethylation ◽

Genome Wide

Abstract Acute myeloid leukemia is a heterogeneous disease from the molecular and biologic standpoints, and even patients with a specific gene expression profile may present clinical and molecular heterogeneity. We studied the epigenetic profiles of a cohort of patients who shared a common gene expression profile but differed in that only half of them harbored mutations of the CEBPA locus, whereas the rest presented with silencing of this gene and coexpression of certain T-cell markers. DNA methylation studies revealed that these 2 groups of patients could be readily segregated in an unsupervised fashion based on their DNA methylation profiles alone. Furthermore, CEBPA silencing was associated with the presence of an aberrant DNA hypermethylation signature, which was not present in the CEBPA mutant group. This aberrant hypermethylation occurred more frequently at sites within CpG islands. CEBPA-silenced leukemias also displayed marked hypermethylation compared with normal CD34+ hematopoietic cells, whereas CEBPA mutant cases showed only mild changes in DNA methylation compared with these normal progenitors. Biologically, CEBPA-silenced leukemias presented with a decreased response to myeloid growth factors in vitro.

Download Full-text

Physical Activity and DNA Methylation in Humans

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms222312989 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (23) ◽

pp. 12989

Author(s):

Witold Józef Światowy ◽

Hanna Drzewiecka ◽

Michalina Kliber ◽

Maria Sąsiadek ◽

Paweł Karpiński ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Dna Methylation ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Methylation Status ◽

Cpg Islands ◽

Great Majority ◽

Dna Methyltransferases ◽

Epigenetic Mark ◽

Cpg Dinucleotides

Physical activity is a strong stimulus influencing the overall physiology of the human body. Exercises lead to biochemical changes in various tissues and exert an impact on gene expression. Exercise-induced changes in gene expression may be mediated by epigenetic modifications, which rearrange the chromatin structure and therefore modulate its accessibility for transcription factors. One of such epigenetic mark is DNA methylation that involves an attachment of a methyl group to the fifth carbon of cytosine residue present in CG dinucleotides (CpG). DNA methylation is catalyzed by a family of DNA methyltransferases. This reversible DNA modification results in the recruitment of proteins containing methyl binding domain and further transcriptional co-repressors leading to the silencing of gene expression. The accumulation of CpG dinucleotides, referred as CpG islands, occurs at the promoter regions in a great majority of human genes. Therefore, changes in DNA methylation profile affect the transcription of multiple genes. A growing body of evidence indicates that exercise training modulates DNA methylation in muscles and adipose tissue. Some of these epigenetic markers were associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases. This review summarizes the current knowledge about the influence of physical activity on the DNA methylation status in humans.

Download Full-text

Phylogenetic shifts in gene body methylation correlate with gene expression and reflect trait conservation

10.1101/687186 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Danelle K. Seymour ◽

Brandon S. Gaut

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Dna Methylation ◽

Molecular Evolution ◽

Methylation Status ◽

Evolutionary Constraint ◽

Gene Body ◽

Gene Body Methylation ◽

Plant Genomes ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Rates Of Molecular Evolution

ABSTRACTA subset of genes in plant genomes are labeled with DNA methylation specifically at CG residues. These genes, known as gene-body methylated (gbM), have a number of associated characteristics. They tend to have longer sequences, to be enriched for intermediate expression levels, and to be associated with slower rates of molecular evolution. Most importantly, gbM genes tend to maintain their level of DNA methylation between species, suggesting that this trait is under evolutionary constraint. Given the degree of conservation in gbM, we still know surprisingly little about its function in plant genomes or whether gbM is itself a target of selection. To address these questions, we surveyed DNA methylation across eight grass (Poaceae) species that span a gradient of genome sizes. We first established that genome size correlates with genome-wide DNA methylation levels, but less so for genic levels. We then leveraged genomic data to identify a set of 2,982 putative orthologs among the eight species and examined shifts of methylation status for each ortholog in a phylogenetic context. A total of 55% of orthologs exhibited a shift in gbM, but these shifts occurred predominantly on terminal branches, indicating that shifts in gbM are rarely conveyed over time. Finally, we found that the degree of conservation of gbM across species is associated with increased gene length, reduced rates of molecular evolution, and increased gene expression level, but reduced gene expression variation across species. Overall, these observations suggest a basis for evolutionary pressure to maintain gbM status over evolutionary time.

Download Full-text

Genome Wide Study of DNA Methylation In AML

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v116.21.3618.3618 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 116 (21) ◽

pp. 3618-3618

Author(s):

Marwa Saied ◽

Sabah Khaled ◽

Thomas Down ◽

Jacek Marzec ◽

Paul Smith ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Dna Methylation ◽

Cpg Island ◽

Cpg Islands ◽

Differential Methylation ◽

Methylation Analysis ◽

Promoter Regions ◽

Gene Body Methylation ◽

Normal Bone ◽

Genome Wide

Abstract Abstract 3618 DNA methylation is the most stable epigenetic modification and has a major role in cancer initiation and progression. The two main aims for this research were, firstly, to use the genome wide analysis of DNA methylation to better understand the development of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The second aim was to detect differentially methylated genes/regions between certain subtypes of AML and normal bone marrow (NBM). We used the methylated DNA immunoprecipitation technique followed by high-throughput sequencing by Illumina Genome Analyser II (MeDIP -seq) for 9 AML samples for which ethical approval has been obtained. The selected leukemias included three with the t(8; 21), three with the t(15; 17) translocations and three with normal karyotypes (NK). The control samples were 3 normal bone marrows (NBMs) from healthy donors. The number of reads generated from Illumina ranged between 18– 20 million paired-end reads/lane with a good base quality from both ends (base quality > 30 represented 75%-85% of reads). The reads were aligned using 2 algorithms (Maq and Bowtie) and the methylation analysis was performed by Batman software (Bayesian Tool for Methylation Analysis). The creation of this genome-wide methylation map for AML permits the examination of the patterns for key genetic elements. Investigation of the 35,072 promoter regions identified 80 genes, which showed a significant differential methylation levels in leukemic cases in comparison to NBM; consistently high methylation levels in leukaemia were detected in the promoters of 70 genes e.g. DPP6, ID4, DCC, whereas high methylation levels in NBM, lost in leukaemia was observed in 10 genes e.g. ATF4. For each AML subtype, we also identified significant differentially methylated promoter regions e.g. PAX1 for t(8; 21), GRM7 for t(15; 17), NPM2 for NK. An analysis of gene body methylation identified 49 genes with significantly higher methylation in AML in comparison to NBM e.g. MYOD1 and 31 genes with a higher methylation in NBMs than AML e.g. GNG8. A similar analysis of 23,600 CpG islands identified 400 CpG islands with significant differential methylation levels between leukaemia and NBMs (212 CpG islands were found to have significantly increased methylation in leukaemia and 188 CpG islands had significantly higher methylation in NBMs). The pattern of methylation in CpG island “shores” (2 KB from either side of each CpG island) has been investigated and 312 CpG island shores showed a higher methylation in leukaemia and 88 CpG shores had a significant increase methylation levels in NBMs. This genome wide methylation map has been validated by using direct bisulfite sequencing of the regions identified above (Spearman r= 0.8, P <0.0001) and also by using Illumina Infinium assay (Spearman r= 0.7 P <0.0001) which interrogates regions at single representative CpGs. Comparison of previous array based gene expression data with this methylation map revealed a significant negative correlation between promoter methylation and gene expression (Pearson r= -0.9, P< 0.0001) while, gene body methylation showed a small negative correlation with gene expression, that was found in genes of CpG density >3% (Pearson r= -0.3, P< 0.0001). Conclusion: we have established a high-resolution (100bp) map of DNA methylation in AML and thus identified a novel list of genes, which have significantly differential methylation levels in AML. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Download Full-text

Genome-wide investigation of the dynamic changes of epigenome modifications after global DNA methylation editing

Nucleic Acids Research ◽

10.1093/nar/gkaa1169 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Julian Broche ◽

Goran Kungulovski ◽

Pavel Bashtrykov ◽

Philipp Rathert ◽

Albert Jeltsch

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Dna Methylation ◽

Catalytic Domain ◽

Cpg Islands ◽

Hek293 Cells ◽

Time Resolved ◽

Downstream Effects ◽

Genome Wide ◽

Repressive Effect ◽

Artificial Dna

Abstract Chromatin properties are regulated by complex networks of epigenome modifications. Currently, it is unclear how these modifications interact and if they control downstream effects such as gene expression. We employed promiscuous chromatin binding of a zinc finger fused catalytic domain of DNMT3A to introduce DNA methylation in HEK293 cells at many CpG islands (CGIs) and systematically investigated the dynamics of the introduced DNA methylation and the consequent changes of the epigenome network. We observed efficient methylation at thousands of CGIs, but it was unstable at about 90% of them, highlighting the power of genome-wide molecular processes that protect CGIs against DNA methylation. Partially stable methylation was observed at about 1000 CGIs, which showed enrichment in H3K27me3. Globally, the introduced DNA methylation strongly correlated with a decrease in gene expression indicating a direct effect. Similarly, global but transient reductions in H3K4me3 and H3K27ac were observed after DNA methylation but no changes were found for H3K9me3 and H3K36me3. Our data provide a global and time-resolved view on the network of epigenome modifications, their connections with DNA methylation and the responses triggered by artificial DNA methylation revealing a direct repressive effect of DNA methylation in CGIs on H3K4me3, histone acetylation, and gene expression.

Download Full-text

The cancer-promoting gene fatty acid-binding protein 5 (FABP5) is epigenetically regulated during human prostate carcinogenesis

Biochemical Journal ◽

10.1042/bj20150926 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 473 (4) ◽

pp. 449-461 ◽

Cited By ~ 29

Author(s):

Koichiro Kawaguchi ◽

Ayumi Kinameri ◽

Shunsuke Suzuki ◽

Shogo Senga ◽

Youqiang Ke ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Dna Methylation ◽

Fatty Acid ◽

Fatty Acid Binding Protein ◽

Methylation Status ◽

Cpg Islands ◽

Human Prostate ◽

Fatty Acid Binding ◽

Acid Binding Protein ◽

Prostate Carcinogenesis

The DNA methylation status of CpG islands in the FABP5 promoter is critical for its expression. Epigenetic regulation of FABP5 gene expression plays an important role during human prostate carcinogenesis, along with up-regulation of c-Myc and Sp1.

Download Full-text

Decoupling of DNA Methylation Status and Gene Expression Levels in Aging Individuals

Genomics and Computational Biology ◽

10.18547/gcb.2018.vol4.iss2.e100040 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 4 (2) ◽

pp. 100040 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Anna Wierczeiko ◽

David Fournier ◽

Hristo Todorov ◽

Susanne Klingenberg ◽

Kristina Endres ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Dna Methylation ◽

Methylation Status ◽

Cpg Islands ◽

Age Groups ◽

Epigenetic Factors ◽

Promoter Regions ◽

Methylation Patterns ◽

The Impact ◽

Gene Expression Levels

Aging is a multi-factorial process, where epigenetic factors play one of the major roles in declines of gene expression and organic function. DNA methylation at CpG islands of promoters can directly change the expression of the neighbouring gene mostly through inhibition. Furthermore, it is known that DNA methylation patterns change during aging In our study, we investigated gene regulation through DNA methylation of genes up- and downregulated in long-lived people compared to a younger cohort. Our data revealed that comparatively highly methylated genes were associated with high expression in long-lived people (e.g. over 85). Genes with lower levels of methylation were associated with low expression. These findings might contradict the general model used to associate methylation status with expression. Indeed, we found that methylation in the promoter regions of all investigated genes is rather constant across different age groups, meaning that the disparity between methylation and expression only happens in older people. A potential explanation could be the impact of other epigenetic mechanisms, possibly related to stress.

Download Full-text