title: Promoter DNA methylation regulates progranulin expression and is altered in FTLD.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative diseases associated with personality changes and progressive dementia. Loss-of-function mutations in the growth factor progranulin (GRN) cause autosomal dominant FTLD, but so far the pathomechanism of sporadic FTLD is unclear.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We analyzed whether DNA methylation in the GRN core promoter restricts GRN expression and, thus, might promote FTLD in the absence of GRN mutations. GRN expression in human lymphoblast cell lines is negatively correlated with methylation at several CpG units within the GRN promoter. Chronic treatment with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine (DAC) strongly induces GRN mRNA and protein levels. In a reporter assay, CpG methylation blocks transcriptional activity of the GRN core promoter. In brains of FTLD patients several CpG units in the GRN promoter are significantly hypermethylated compared to age-matched healthy controls, Alzheimer and Parkinson patients. These CpG motifs are critical for GRN promoter activity in reporter assays. Furthermore, DNA methyltransferase 3a (DNMT3a) is upregulated in FTLD patients and overexpression of DNMT3a reduces GRN promoter activity and expression.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that altered DNA methylation is a novel pathomechanism for FTLD that is potentially amenable to targeted pharmacotherapy.
authors.affiliation: German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), University of Munich, Schillerstr, 44, Munich 80336, Germany. julia.banzhaf@dzne.lmu.de.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Banzhaf-Strathmann
authors.forename: Rainer
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Claus
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Mücke
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Rentzsch
authors.forename: Julie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: van der Zee
authors.forename: Sebastiaan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Engelborghs
authors.forename: Peter P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: De Deyn
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cruts
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: van Broeckhoven
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Plass
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Edbauer
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001374:Azacitidine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D002460:Cell Line; D018899:CpG Islands; D004248:DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D019175:DNA Methylation; D000090205:DNA Methyltransferase 3A; D000077209:Decitabine; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D057174:Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation / Q000187:drug effects; D057809:HEK293 Cells; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000378:metabolism; D000077153:Progranulins; D011401:Promoter Regions, Genetic; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C000717967:DNMT3A protein, human; C000715535:Dnmt3a protein, mouse; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; C492314:GRN protein, human; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D000077153:Progranulins; D012333:RNA, Messenger; D000077209:Decitabine; D004248:DNA (Cytosine-5-)-Methyltransferases; D000090205:DNA Methyltransferase 3A; D001374:Azacitidine