Elizabeth M. A. Valleley

Sequence analysis and editing for bisulphite genomic sequencing projects

Bisulphite genomic sequencing is a widely used technique for detailed analysis of the methylation status of a region of DNA. It relies upon the selective deamination of unmethylated cytosine to uracil after treatment with sodium bisulphite, usually followed by PCR amplification of the chosen target region. Since this two-step procedure replaces all unmethylated cytosine bases with thymine, PCR products derived from unmethylated templates contain only three types of nucleotide, in unequal proportions. This can create a number of technical difficulties (e.g. for some base-calling methods) and impedes manual analysis of sequencing results (since the long runs of T or A residues are difficult to align visually with the parent sequence). To facilitate the detailed analysis of bisulphite PCR products (particularly using multiple cloned templates), we have developed a visually intuitive program that identifies the methylation status of CpG dinucleotides by analysis of raw sequence data files produced by MegaBace or ABI sequencers as well as Staden SCF trace files and plain text files. The program then also collates and presents data derived from independent templates (e.g. separate clones). This results in a considerable reduction in the time required for completion of a detailed genomic methylation project.

Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy Induces Expression Levels of Breast Cancer Resistance Protein That Predict Disease-Free Survival in Breast Cancer

Three main xenobiotic efflux pumps have been implicated in modulating breast cancer chemotherapy responses. These are P-glycoprotein (Pgp), Multidrug Resistance-associated Protein 1 (MRP1), and Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (BCRP). We investigated expression of these proteins in breast cancers before and after neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) to determine whether their levels define response to NAC or subsequent survival. Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues were collected representing matched pairs of core biopsy (pre-NAC) and surgical specimen (post-NAC) from 45 patients with invasive ductal carcinomas. NAC regimes were anthracyclines +/− taxanes. Immunohistochemistry was performed for Pgp, MRP1 and BCRP and expression was quantified objectively using computer-aided scoring. Pgp and MRP1 were significantly up-regulated after exposure to NAC (Wilcoxon signed-rank p = 0.0024 and p<0.0001), while BCRP showed more variation in response to NAC, with frequent up- (59% of cases) and down-regulation (41%) contributing to a lack of significant difference overall. Pre-NAC expression of all markers, and post-NAC expression of Pgp and MRP1 did not correlate with NAC response or with disease-free survival (DFS). Post-NAC expression of BCRP did not correlate with NAC response, but correlated significantly with DFS (Log rank p = 0.007), with longer DFS in patients with low post-NAC BCRP expression. In multivariate Cox regression analyses, post-NAC BCRP expression levels proved to predict DFS independently of standard prognostic factors, with high expression associated with a hazard ratio of 4.04 (95% confidence interval 1.3–12.2; p = 0.013). We conclude that NAC-induced expression levels of BCRP predict survival after NAC for breast cancer, while Pgp and MRP1 expression have little predictive value.

Chemotherapy induces Notch1-dependent MRP1 up-regulation, inhibition of which sensitizes breast cancer cells to chemotherapy

BackgroundMulti-drug Resistance associated Protein-1 (MRP1) can export chemotherapeutics from cancer cells and is implicated in chemoresistance, particularly as is it known to be up-regulated by chemotherapeutics. Our aims in this study were to determine whether activation of Notch signalling is responsible for chemotherapy-induced MRP1 expression Notch in breast cancers, and whether this pathway can be manipulated with an inhibitor of Notch activity.MethodsMRP1 and Notch1 were investigated in 29 patients treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) for breast cancer, using immunohistochemistry on matched biopsy (pre-NAC) and surgical samples (post-NAC). Breast epithelial cell cultures (T47D, HB2) were treated with doxorubicin in the presence and absence of functional Notch1, and qPCR, siRNA, Western blots, ELISAs and flow-cytometry were used to establish interactions.ResultsIn clinical samples, Notch1 was activated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy (Wilcoxon signed-rank p < 0.0001) and this correlated with induction of MRP1 expression (rho = 0.6 p = 0.0008). In breast cell lines, doxorubicin induced MRP1 expression and function (non-linear regression p < 0.004). In the breast cancer line T47D, doxorubicin activated Notch1 and, critically, inhibition of Notch1 activation with the γ-secretase inhibitor DAPT abolished the doxorubicin-induced increase in MRP1 expression and function (t-test p < 0.05), resulting in enhanced cellular retention of doxorubicin and increased doxorubicin-induced apoptosis (t-test p = 0.0002). In HB2 cells, an immortal but non-cancer derived breast cell line, Notch1-independent MRP1 induction was noted and DAPT did not enhance doxorubicin-induced apoptosis.ConclusionsNotch inhibitors may have potential in sensitizing breast cancer cells to chemotherapeutics and therefore in tackling chemoresistance.

Loss of expression of ZAC/PLAGL1 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma is independent of promoter hypermethylation.

ZAC/PLAGL1 is a ubiquitously expressed, imprinted tumor suppressor gene located on 6q24, a chromosomal region that is frequently deleted in diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Like p53, ZAC regulates cell cycle arrest and apoptosis concomitantly, and loss of expression is implicated in tumorigenesis in a variety of different cancers. In most tissues, ZAC transcription is monoallelic and driven by the paternal allele of promoter P1, which lies within a differentially methylated CpG island (DMR). In human blood cells, ZAC transcription is driven by promoter P2, which lies within an unmethylated CpG island and produces biallelic transcripts. Previous reports of epigenetic changes of ZAC in tumors have focused on P1, showing frequent loss of expression caused by paternal allele hypermethylation or loss of heterozygosity (LOH). As ZAC expression in normal B lymphocytes is derived from P2, in DLBCL we analyzed both promoters for gene expression, LOH and abnormal methylation. Loss of P2 transcription was observed in 8 of 11 lymphomas (73%), even though the P2 CpG island remained unmethylated. Three lymphomas showed evidence of LOH (23%), and abnormal methylation of the P1 DMR was observed in an additional four (31%), despite minimal P1 activity in normal B lymphocytes. These data indicate that downregulation of ZAC occurs in DLBCL, as in other cancers. However, unlike P1, transcriptional repression of P2 is not caused by hypermethylation of its associated CpG island in tumors. The mechanistic relationship between altered ZAC expression and epigenetic changes at its promoters thus appears more complex than previously supposed.

A tissue-specific promoter derived from a SINE retrotransposon drives biallelic expression of PLAGL1 in human lymphocytes

The imprinted gene PLAGL1 is an important regulator of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest. Loss of its expression has been implicated in tumorigenesis in a range of different cancers, and overexpression during fetal development causes transient neonatal diabetes mellitus (TNDM). PLAGL1 lies within an imprinted region of chromosome 6q24, and monoallelic expression from the major, differentially methylated promoter (P1) occurs in most human tissues. However, in peripheral blood leukocytes, the active promoter (P2) is non-imprinted and drives biallelic transcription. We report here a novel PLAGL1 promoter (P5) derived from the insertion of a primate-specific, MIR3 SINE retrotransposon. P5 is highly utilized in lymphocytes, particularly in T cells, and like P2, directs biallelic transcription. Our results show that it is important to consider P5 in relation to PLAGL1 function in T cells when investigating the dysregulation of this gene.

Characterisation of the tumour suppressor gene ZAC in breast tissue

not available at time of printing.