title: Hypermethylation of the spleen tyrosine kinase promoter in T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
abstract: Sequence analysis of the noncoding first exon (exon 1) of the Syk gene demonstrated the presence of a previously cloned CpG island (GenBank #Z 65706). Transient transfection analysis in Daudi cells demonstrated promoter activity (18-fold increase over parental luciferase plasmid) for a 348 bp BstXI-BsrBI fragment containing this island. This region exhibits a high GC content (approximately 75%), contains several SP1 binding sites and a potential initiator sequence, but lacks a strong TATA consensus. Bisulfite sequencing and methylation-specific PCR (MSP) of this region demonstrated that the Syk promoter CpG island was largely unmethylated in B-lineage leukemia cell lines, control peripheral blood cells, human thymocytes and CD3(+) T lymphocytes. However, dense methylation was seen in four T-lineage leukemia cell lines, Jurkat, H9, Molt 3 and HUT 78. MSP screening of leukemia cells from six T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) patients demonstrated methylation of the Syk promoter CpG island in one T-lineage ALL patient. Promoter methylation was correlated with reduced to absent expression of Syk mRNA and SYK protein in the T-lineage leukemia cell lines. Treatment of the leukemia lines Ha and Molt 3, with the methylation inhibitor, 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (5-aza-CdR) resulted in increased Syk mRNA expression. The presence of a methylated promoter sequence in these T-lineage leukemia cell lines and in one T-lineage patient suggests a potential role for SYK as a tumor suppressor in T-ALL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, Parker Hughes Institute and Parker Hughes Cancer Center, 2699 Patton Road, St Paul, MN 55113, USA.
authors.forename: Patricia A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Goodman
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Burkhardt
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Juran
authors.forename: Heather E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Tibbles
authors.forename: Faith M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Uckun
mesh_terms: D001483:Base Sequence; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells; D018899:CpG Islands; D019175:DNA Methylation; D004792:Enzyme Precursors / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000378:metabolism*; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases / Q000235:genetics*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D013154:Spleen / Q000378:metabolism; D000072377:Syk Kinase
chemical_list: D004792:Enzyme Precursors; D047908:Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D011505:Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; C000606896:SYK protein, human; D000072377:Syk Kinase