Differential epigenetic regulation of TOX subfamily high mobility group box genes in lung and breast cancers

• Published in: PloS one 2012-04, Vol.7 (4), p.e34850
• Main Authors: Tessema, Mathewos, Yingling, Christin M, Grimes, Marcie J, Thomas, Cynthia L, Liu, Yushi, Leng, Shuguang, Joste, Nancy, Belinsky, Steven A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aberration; Apoptosis Regulatory Proteins; Base Sequence; Biology; Breast cancer; Breast Neoplasms - genetics; Cancer; Cancer genetics; Carcinogenesis; Carcinogens; Cell adhesion & migration; Cell differentiation; Chromosomal proteins; CpG Islands; Cytosine; Deactivation; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Differentiation (biology); DNA; DNA Methylation; DNA repair; Epigenesis, Genetic; Epigenetic inheritance; Epigenetics; Female; Gangrene; Gene expression; Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; Gene regulation; Genes; Genetic aspects; Genetic research; Genomes; Genomics; High Mobility Group Proteins - genetics; Histology; HMGB Proteins - genetics; Homology; Humans; Inactivation; Inflammation; Inflammatory response; Lung - drug effects; Lung - metabolism; Lung cancer; Lung diseases; Lung Neoplasms - genetics; Male; Medicine; Methylation; Molecular Sequence Data; Neoplasm Proteins - genetics; Protein structure; Proteins; Receptors, Progesterone - genetics; Sequence Analysis, DNA; siRNA; Smoking; Studies; Trans-Activators; Transcription factors; Tumors; Womens health
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034850

Aberrant cytosine methylation affects regulation of hundreds of genes during cancer development. In this study, a novel aberrantly hypermethylated CpG island in cancer was discovered within the TOX2 promoter. TOX2 was unmethylated in normal cells but 28% lung (n = 190) and 23% breast (n = 80) tumors were methylated. Expression of two novel TOX2 transcripts identified was significantly reduced in primary lung tumors than distant normal lung (p