Background: Since the new World Health Organization (WHO) classification of nervous system tumors (2016, revised, 4th edition) has been released, gliomas are classified depending on molecular and genetic markers in connection with histopathology, instead of histopathology itself as it was in the previous classification. Over the last years, epigenetic analysis has taken on increased importance in the diagnosis and treatment of different cancers. Multiple studies confirmed that deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) methylation and hydroxymethylation play an important role in the regulation of gene expression during carcinogenesis.
Methods: In this review, we aim to present the current state of knowledge on DNA hydroxymethylation in human high-grade gliomas (WHO grades III and IV).
Results: The correlation between DNA hydroxymethylation and survival in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients was evaluated by different studies. The majority of them showed that the expression of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) and ten-eleven translocation (TET) enzymes were significantly reduced, sometimes almost undetectable in high-grade gliomas in comparison with the normal brain. A decreased level of 5-hmC was associated with poor survival in patients, but high expression of the TET3 enzyme was related to a better prognosis for GBM patients. This points to the relevance of DNA hydroxymethylation in molecular diagnostics of human gliomas, including survival estimation or differentiating patients in terms of response to the treatment.
Conclusion: Future studies may shed some more light on this epigenetic mechanism involved in the pathogenesis of human high-grade gliomas and help develop new targeted therapies.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1055/a-1713-7699 | DOI Listing |
NAR Genom Bioinform
March 2025
School of Chemistry, Raymond and Beverly Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, Tel Aviv University, 6997801 Tel Aviv, Israel.
Carcinogenesis often involves significant alterations in the cancer genome, marked by large structural variants (SVs) and copy number variations (CNVs) that are difficult to capture with short-read sequencing. Traditionally, cytogenetic techniques are applied to detect such aberrations, but they are limited in resolution and do not cover features smaller than several hundred kilobases. Optical genome mapping (OGM) and nanopore sequencing [Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT)] bridge this resolution gap and offer enhanced performance for cytogenetic applications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Cell Biol
January 2025
Department of Human Genetics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
Glioblastoma (GBM) is defined by heterogeneous and resilient cell populations that closely reflect neurodevelopmental cell types. Although it is clear that GBM echoes early and immature cell states, identifying the specific developmental programmes disrupted in these tumours has been hindered by a lack of high-resolution trajectories of glial and neuronal lineages. Here we delineate the course of human astrocyte maturation to uncover discrete developmental stages and attributes mirrored by GBM.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMolecules
December 2024
State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, National Center for Drug Screening, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201203, China.
DNA methylation and demethylation are key epigenetic events that regulate gene expression and cell fate. DNA demethylation via oxidation of 5-methylcytosine (5mC) to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC) is typically mediated by TET (ten-eleven translocation) enzymes. The 5hmC modification is considered an intermediate state of DNA demethylation; it is particularly prevalent in the brain and is believed to play a role in the development of many cell types in the brain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAntioxidants (Basel)
December 2024
GReD Institute, Université Clermont Auvergne, Faculté de Médecine, CRBC, 28 Place Henri Dunant, 63001 Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Reproductive success is dependent on gamete integrity, and oxidative stress alters male nuclei, meaning that no DNA repair is possible due to chromatin compaction. The composition of sperm makes it highly sensitive to reactive oxygen species (ROS) but, at the same time, ROS are needed for sperm physiology. Over the past 30 years, much attention has been paid to the consequences of oxidative stress on sperm properties and the protective effects of antioxidant formulations to help fertility.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCommun Biol
January 2025
Georgia Cancer Center, Augusta University, Augusta, GA, 30912, USA.
The transsulfuration (TSS) pathway is an alternative source of cysteine for glutathione synthesis. Little of the TSS pathway in antioxidant capacity in sickle cell disease (SCD) is known. Here, we evaluate the effects of TSS pathway activation through cystathionine beta-synthase (CBS) to attenuate reactive oxygen species (ROS) and ferroptosis stresses in SCD.
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