title: The identification of age-associated cancer markers by an integrative analysis of dynamic DNA methylation changes.
abstract: As one of the most widely studied epigenetic modifications, DNA methylation has an important influence on human traits and cancers. Dynamic variations in DNA methylation have been reported in malignant neoplasm and aging; however, the mechanisms remain poorly understood. By constructing an age-associated and cancer-related weighted network (ACWN) based on the correlation of the methylation level and the protein-protein interaction, we found that DNA methylation changes associated with age were closely related to the occurrence of cancer. Additional analysis of 102 module genes mined from the ACWN revealed discrimination based on two main patterns. One pattern involved methylation levels that increased with aging and were higher in cancer patients compared with normal controls (HH pattern). The other pattern involved methylation levels that decreased with aging and were lower in cancer compared with normal (LL pattern). Upon incorporation with gene expression levels, 25 genes were filtered based on negative regulation by DNA methylation. These genes were regarded as potential cancer risk markers that were influenced by age in the process of carcinogenesis. Our results will facilitate further studies regarding the impact of the epigenetic effects of aging on diseases and will aid in the development of tailored cancer preventive strategies.
authors.affiliation: College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.
authors.forename: Yihan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Gerontology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China.
authors.forename: Jingyu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, 246 Xuefu Road, Harbin 150086, China.
authors.forename: Xingjun
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.affiliation: College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.
authors.forename: Hongbo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.
authors.forename: Fang
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.
authors.forename: Song
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.
authors.forename: Yanhua
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.affiliation: College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.
authors.forename: Yanjun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.
authors.forename: Jianzhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Su
authors.affiliation: Department of Gerontology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, Harbin 150001, China.
authors.forename: Yunming
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: College of Bioinformatics Science and Technology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, 150081, China.
authors.forename: Yan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000032:analysis*; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D019175:DNA Methylation; D044127:Epigenesis, Genetic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D004247:DNA