title: Hypermethylation of the DAP-kinase CpG island is a common alteration in B-cell malignancies.
abstract: Death-associated protein kinase (DAP-Kinase) is a novel serine/threonine kinase whose expression is required for gamma interferon-induced apoptosis. A previous study suggested that DAP-Kinase expression may be lost epigenetically in cancer cell lines, because treatment of several nonexpressing cell lines with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine resulted in the expression of DAP-Kinase. Using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction (MSP), we examined the DAP-Kinase CpG island for hypermethylation in cancer. Normal lymphocytes and lymphoblastoid cell lines are unmethylated in the 5' CpG island of DAP-Kinase. However, in primary tumor samples, all Burkitt's lymphomas and 84% of the B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphomas were hypermethylated in the DAP-Kinase CpG island. In contrast, none of the T-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma samples and 15% or less of leukemia samples examined had hypermethylated DAP-Kinase alleles. U937, an unmethylated, DAP-Kinase-expressing leukemia cell line, was treated with gamma interferon and underwent apoptosis; however, Raji, a fully methylated, DAP-Kinase nonexpressing Burkitt's lymphoma cell line, only did so when treated with 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine followed by gamma interferon. Our findings in cell lines and primary tumors suggest that hypermethylation of the DAP-Kinase gene and loss of gamma interferon-mediated apoptosis may be important in the development of B-cell malignancies and may provide a promising biomarker for B-cell-lineage lymphomas.
authors.affiliation: The Johns Hopkins Comprehensive Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Katzenellenbogen
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Baylin
authors.forename: J G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Herman
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis; D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D001374:Azacitidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D002051:Burkitt Lymphoma / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D018899:CpG Islands; D019175:DNA Methylation; D015254:DNA Modification Methylases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D064550:Death-Associated Protein Kinases; D000077209:Decitabine; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D007371:Interferon-gamma / Q000494:pharmacology; D007938:Leukemia / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D008214:Lymphocytes / Q000201:enzymology; D016399:Lymphoma, T-Cell / Q000201:enzymology / Q000235:genetics*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D051017:Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D000077209:Decitabine; D007371:Interferon-gamma; D015254:DNA Modification Methylases; D064550:Death-Associated Protein Kinases; D017871:Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases; D001374:Azacitidine