Coordinated activation of candidate proto-oncogenes and cancer testes antigens via promoter demethylation in head and neck cancer and lung cancer.
BACKGROUND
Epigenetic alterations have been implicated in the pathogenesis of solid tumors, however, proto-oncogenes activated by promoter demethylation have been sporadically reported. We used an integrative method to analyze expression in primary head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and pharmacologically demethylated cell lines to identify aberrantly demethylated and expressed candidate proto-oncogenes and cancer testes antigens in HNSCC.


RESULTS
We noted coordinated promoter demethylation and simultaneous transcriptional upregulation of proto-oncogene candidates with promoter homology, and phylogenetic footprinting of these promoters demonstrated potential recognition sites for the transcription factor BORIS. Aberrant BORIS expression correlated with upregulation of candidate proto-oncogenes in multiple human malignancies including primary non-small cell lung cancers and HNSCC, induced coordinated proto-oncogene specific promoter demethylation and expression in non-tumorigenic cells, and transformed NIH3T3 cells.


CONCLUSIONS
Coordinated, epigenetic unmasking of multiple genes with growth promoting activity occurs in aerodigestive cancers, and BORIS is implicated in the coordinated promoter demethylation and reactivation of epigenetically silenced genes in human cancers.
Smith
Ian M
IM
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Glazer
Chad A
CA
Mithani
Suhail K
SK
Ochs
Michael F
MF
Sun
Wenyue
W
Bhan
Sheetal
S
Vostrov
Alexander
A
Abdullaev
Ziedulla
Z
Lobanenkov
Victor
V
Gray
Andrew
A
Liu
Chunyan
C
Chang
Steven S
SS
Ostrow
Kimberly L
KL
Westra
William H
WH
Begum
Shahnaz
S
Dhara
Mousumi
M
Califano
Joseph
J
D000818:Animals; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D019175:DNA Methylation; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D046228:Microarray Analysis; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; D011519:Proto-Oncogenes; D014174:Transketolase / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; C456540:CTCFL protein, human; D004268:DNA-Binding Proteins; C000715470:MAS1 protein, human; D000090063:Proto-Oncogene Mas; C505431:TKTL1 protein, human; D014174:Transketolase