1  766 153 CCL5 SUPPRESSES KLOTHO EXPRESSION VIA P-STAT3/DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE1-MEDIATED PROMOTER HYPERMETHYLATION. BACKGROUND: ENHANCED INFLAMMATION AND REDUCED KLOTHO ARE COMMON FEATURES IN CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD). INFLAMMATION INDUCES DNA HYPERMETHYLATION. THIS STUDY ASSESSED THE PERFORMANCE OF INFLAMMATORY MARKER C-C MOTIF CHEMOKINE 5 (CCL5) IN EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF KLOTHO EXPRESSION. METHODS: FIFTY CKD PATIENTS AND 25 MATCHED CONTROLS WERE ENROLLED, AND SERUM CCL5 LEVEL, SKLOTHO LEVEL, AND DNA METHYLATION WERE EVALUATED IN THESE SUBJECTS. A RENAL INTERSTITIAL FIBROSIS (RIF) MODEL WITH CKD WAS INDUCED IN MICE VIA UNILATERAL URETERAL OBSTRUCTION (UUO) IN VIVO AND HUMAN PROXIMAL TUBULAR EPITHELIAL (HK-2) CELLS TREATED WITH CCL5 IN VITRO. 5-AZA-2'-DEOXYCYTIDINE (5-AZA), A DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE INHIBITOR WAS GIVEN TO UUO MICE. HEMATOXYLIN AND EOSIN (HE) AND MASSON TRICHROME STAINING WERE ADOPTED TO EVALUATE RENAL PATHOLOGICAL CHANGES. METHYLATION-SPECIFIC PCR WAS PERFORMED TO ASSESS DNA METHYLATION OF KLOTHO PROMOTER IN THE PERIPHERAL BLOOD LEUCOCYTES (PBLS) FROM CKD PATIENTS AND OBSTRUCTIVE KIDNEY FROM UUO MICE. CCL5, KLOTHO, AND DNA METHYLTRANSFERASES (DNMTS) WERE DETERMINED BY ELISAS, IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE, OR WESTERN BLOTTING. HK-2 CELLS WERE EXPOSED TO CCL5 WITH OR WITHOUT 5-AZA AND STATTIC, A P-SIGNAL TRANSDUCER AND ACTIVATOR OF TRANSCRIPTION 3 (STAT3) INHIBITOR, AND EXPRESSIONS OF P-STAT3, DNMT1, AND KLOTHO WERE DETERMINED BY WESTERN BLOTTING. RESULTS: CCL5 UPREGULATION CONCOMITANT WITH KLOTHO DOWNREGULATION IN SERUM AND GLOBAL DNA METHYLATION IN PBLS WERE OBSERVED IN CKD SAMPLES. UUO CONTRIBUTED TO SEVERE RENAL INTERSTITIAL FIBROSIS AND ENHANCED EXPRESSIONS OF FIBROTIC MARKERS. MOREOVER, UUO INCREASED THE CCL5 LEVEL, INDUCED KLOTHO PROMOTER METHYLATION, SUPPRESSED KLOTHO LEVEL, ACTIVATED P-STAT3 SIGNALING, AND UPREGULATED DNMT1 LEVEL. A SIMILAR OBSERVATION WAS MADE IN HK-2 CELLS TREATED WITH CCL5. MORE IMPORTANTLY, 5-AZA INHIBITED UUO-INDUCED KLOTHO HYPERMETHYLATION, REVERSED KLOTHO, DOWNREGULATED P-STAT3 EXPRESSIONS, AND AMELIORATED RIF IN VIVO. THE CONSISTENT FINDINGS IN VITRO WERE ALSO OBTAINED IN HK-2 CELLS EXPOSED TO 5-AZA AND STATTIC. CONCLUSION: THE CCL5/P-STAT3/DNMT1 AXIS IS IMPLICATED IN EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF KLOTHO EXPRESSION IN CKD. THIS STUDY PROVIDES NOVEL THERAPEUTIC POSSIBILITIES FOR REVERSAL OF KLOTHO SUPPRESSION BY CKD.	2022	

2 6235  54 THE M(6)A DEMETHYLASE FTO PROMOTES RENAL EPITHELIAL-MESENCHYMAL TRANSITION BY REDUCING THE M(6)A MODIFICATION OF LNCRNA GAS5. BACKGROUND: RENAL INTERSTITIAL FIBROSIS (RIF) IS THE MAIN PATHOLOGICAL CHANGE OF A VARIETY OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASES (CKD). EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS OF FIBROSIS-PRONE GENES REGULATE RIF PROGRESSION. THIS STUDY AIMED TO INVESTIGATE LONG NON-CODING RNA (LNCRNA) N6-METHYLADENOSINE (M(6)A) MODIFICATION AND ITS ROLE IN REGULATING RIF PROGRESSION. METHODS: UNILATERAL URETERAL OCCLUSION (UUO) WAS EMPLOYED TO CONSTRUCT THE RIF IN VIVO MODEL; AND TGF-BETA1-TREATED HK-2 AND HKC-8 CELLS WERE USED FOR IN VITRO EXPERIMENTS. THE MRNA AND PROTEIN EXPRESSIONS WERE ASSESSED USING QRT-PCR AND WESTERN BLOT. THE PROLIFERATION AND MIGRATION WERE EVALUATED BY EDU ASSAY AND TRANSWELL ASSAY, RESPECTIVELY. IN ADDITION, LEVELS OF INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES WERE DETERMINED BY ELISA ASSAY AND QRT-PCR. MOREOVER, LNCRNA GAS5 M(6)A LEVEL WAS DETECTED USING ME-RIP ASSAY. HE AND MASSON STAINING WERE EMPLOYED TO EVALUATE FIBROTIC LESIONS OF THE KIDNEY. RESULTS: FTO EXPRESSION WAS ELEVATED IN HK-2 AND HKC-8 CELLS AFTER TGF-BETA1 TREATMENT AND MOUSE KIDNEY TISSUE FOLLOWING UUO, AND LNCRNA GAS5 WAS DOWNREGULATED. LNCRNA GAS5 OVEREXPRESSION OR FTO SILENCING SUPPRESSED TGF-BETA1-INDUCED THE INCREASE OF EMT-RELATED PROTEINS (VIMENTIN, SNAIL AND N-CADHERIN) AND INFLAMMATORY CYTOKINES (IL-6, IL-1BETA AND TNF-ALPHA) LEVELS IN HK-2 CELLS. FTO SUPPRESSED LNCRNA GAS5 EXPRESSION BY REDUCING THE M6A MODIFICATION OF LNCRNA GAS5. ADDITIONALLY, FTO KNOCKDOWN COULD SUPPRESS EMT PROCESS AND INFLAMMATION RESPONSE INDUCED BY TGF-BETA1 AND UUO IN VITRO AND IN VIVO. AS EXPECTED, FTO KNOCKDOWN ABROGATED THE PROMOTION EFFECTS OF LNCRNA GAS5 SILENCING ON TGF-BETA1-INDUCED EMT PROCESS AND INFLAMMATION RESPONSE IN HK-2 AND HKC-8 CELLS. CONCLUSION: FTO PROMOTED EMT PROCESS AND INFLAMMATION RESPONSE THROUGH REDUCING THE M(6)A MODIFICATION OF LNCRNA GAS5.	2022	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
3 1632  41 DNMTS ARE INVOLVED IN TGF-BETA1-INDUCED EPITHELIAL-MESENCHYMAL TRANSITIONS IN AIRWAY EPITHELIAL CELLS. CHRONIC RHINOSINUSITIS (CRS) PATHOGENESIS IS CLOSELY RELATED TO TISSUE REMODELING, INCLUDING EPITHELIAL-MESENCHYMAL TRANSITION (EMT). EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS PLAY KEY ROLES IN EMT. DNA METHYLATION, MEDIATED BY DNA METHYLTRANSFERASES (DNMTS), IS AN EPIGENETIC MARKER THAT IS CRITICAL TO EMT. THE GOAL OF THIS STUDY WAS TO DETERMINE WHETHER DNMTS WERE INVOLVED IN TGF-BETA1-INDUCED EMT AND ELUCIDATE THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS IN NASAL EPITHELIAL CELLS AND AIR-LIQUID INTERFACE CULTURES. GLOBAL DNA METHYLATION AND DNMT ACTIVITY WERE QUANTIFIED. DNMT EXPRESSION WAS MEASURED USING REAL-TIME PCR (QRT-PCR) IN HUMAN CRS TISSUES. MRNA AND PROTEIN LEVELS OF DNMTS, E-CADHERIN, VIMENTIN, ALPHA-SMA, AND FIBRONECTIN WERE DETERMINED USING RT-PCR AND WESTERN BLOTTING, RESPECTIVELY. DNMT1, DNMT3A, AND DNMT3B GENE EXPRESSION WERE KNOCKED DOWN USING SIRNA TRANSFECTION. MAPK PHOSPHORYLATION AND EMT-RELATED TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR LEVELS WERE DETERMINED USING WESTERN BLOTTING. SIGNALING PATHWAYS WERE ANALYZED USING SPECIFIC INHIBITORS OF MAPK. WE DEMONSTRATED THESE DATA IN PRIMARY NASAL EPITHELIAL CELLS AND AIR-LIQUID INTERFACE CULTURES. GLOBAL DNA METHYLATION, DNMT ACTIVITY, AND DNMT EXPRESSION INCREASED IN CRS TISSUES. DNMT EXPRESSION WAS POSITIVELY CORRELATED WITH LUND-MCKAY CT SCORES. TGF-BETA1 DOSE-DEPENDENTLY INDUCED DNMT EXPRESSION. FURTHER, 5-AZA INHIBITED TGF-BETA1-INDUCED DNMT, SNAIL, AND SLUG EXPRESSION RELATED TO EMT, AS WELL AS P38 AND JNK PHOSPHORYLATION IN A549 CELLS AND TGF-BETA1-INDUCED DNMT EXPRESSION AND EMT IN PRIMARY NASAL EPITHELIAL CELLS AND AIR-LIQUID INTERFACE CULTURES. TGF-BETA1-INDUCED DNMT EXPRESSION LEADS TO DNA METHYLATION AND EMT VIA P38, JNK, SNAIL, AND SLUG SIGNALING PATHWAYS. INHIBITION OF DNMT SUPPRESSED THE EMT PROCESS AND THEREFORE IS POTENTIALLY A CRS THERAPEUTIC STRATEGY.	2022	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
4 5994  46 TGFBETA-INCURRED EPIGENETIC ABERRATIONS OF MIRNA AND DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE SUPPRESS KLOTHO AND POTENTIATE RENAL FIBROSIS. RENAL FIBROSIS IS A COMMON PATHOLOGICAL FEATURE OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASES (CKD) AND ITS DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION ARE SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECTED BY EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS SUCH AS ABERRANT MIRNA AND DNA METHYLATION. KLOTHO IS AN ANTI-AGING AND ANTI-FIBROTIC PROTEIN AND ITS EARLY DECLINE AFTER RENAL INJURY IS REPORTEDLY ASSOCIATED WITH ABERRANT DNA METHYLATION. HOWEVER, THE KEY UPSTREAM PATHOLOGICAL MEDIATORS AND THE MOLECULAR CASCADE LEADING TO EPIGENETIC KLOTHO SUPPRESSION ARE NOT EXCLUSIVELY ESTABLISHED. HERE WE INVESTIGATE THE EPIGENETIC MECHANISM OF KLOTHO DEFICIENCY AND ITS FUNCTIONAL RELEVANCE IN RENAL FIBROGENESIS. FIBROTIC KIDNEYS INDUCED BY UNILATERAL URETERAL OCCLUSION (UUO) DISPLAYED MARKED KLOTHO SUPPRESSION AND THE PROMOTER HYPERMETHYLATION. THESE ABNORMALITIES WERE LIKELY DUE TO DEREGULATED TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTOR-BETA (TGFBETA) SINCE TGFBETA ALONE CAUSED THE SIMILAR EPIGENETIC ABERRATIONS IN CULTURED RENAL CELLS AND TGFBETA BLOCKADE PREVENTED THE ALTERATIONS IN UUO KIDNEY. FURTHER INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT TGFBETA ENHANCED DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE (DNMT) 1 AND DNMT3A VIA INHIBITING MIR-152 AND MIR-30A IN BOTH RENAL CELLS AND FIBROTIC KIDNEYS. ACCORDINGLY THE BLOCKADE OF EITHER TGFBETA SIGNALING OR DNMT1/3A ACTIVITIES SIGNIFICANTLY RECOVERED THE KLOTHO LOSS AND ATTENUATED PRO-FIBROTIC PROTEIN EXPRESSION AND RENAL FIBROSIS. MOREOVER, KLOTHO KNOCKDOWN BY RNA INTERFERENCES ABOLISHED THE ANTI-FIBROTIC EFFECTS OF DNMT INHIBITION IN BOTH TGFBETA-TREATED RENAL CELL AND UUO KIDNEY, INDICATING THAT TGFBETA-MEDIATED MIR-152/30A INHIBITIONS, DNMT1/3A ABERRATIONS AND SUBSEQUENT KLOTHO LOSS CONSTITUTE A CRITICAL REGULATORY LOOP THAT ELIMINATES KLOTHO'S ANTI-FIBROTIC ACTIVITIES AND POTENTIATES RENAL FIBROGENESIS. THUS, OUR STUDY ELABORATES A NOVEL EPIGENETIC CASCADE OF RENAL FIBROGENESIS AND REVEALS THE POTENTIAL THERAPEUTIC TARGETS FOR TREATING THE RENAL FIBROSIS-ASSOCIATED KIDNEY DISEASES.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               
5 3655  38 INDOXYL SULFATE ENHANCE THE HYPERMETHYLATION OF KLOTHO AND PROMOTE THE PROCESS OF VASCULAR CALCIFICATION IN CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE. CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD) IS A STATE OF KLOTHO DEFICIENCY. THE KLOTHO EXPRESSION MAY BE SUPPRESSED DUE TO DNA HYPERMETHYLATION IN CANCER CELLS SO WE HAVE INVESTIGATED THE EFFECTS AND POSSIBLE MECHANISMS BY WHICH KLOTHO EXPRESSION IS REGULATED IN HUMAN AORTIC SMOOTH MUSCLE CELLS (HASMCS). THE VASCULAR KLOTHO HYPERMETHYLATION IN RADIAL ARTERIES OF PATIENTS WITH END-STAGE RENAL DISEASE WAS DESCRIBED. CULTURED HASMCS AND 5/6-NEPHRECTOMIZED SPRAGUE DAWLEY (SD) RATS TREATED WITH INDOXYL SULFATE (IS) WERE USED AS IN VITRO AND IN VIVO MODELS, RESPECTIVELY. IS INCREASED CPG HYPERMETHYLATION OF THE KLOTHO GENE AND DECREASED KLOTHO EXPRESSION IN HASMCS, AND POTENTIATED HASMCS CALCIFICATION. THE EXPRESSION OF DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE (DNMT) 1 AND 3A IN HASMCS TREATED WITH IS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED AND SPECIFIC INHIBITION OF DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE 1 BY 5-AZA-2'-DEOXYCYTIDINE(5AZA-2DC) CAUSED DEMETHYLATION OF THE KLOTHO GENE AND INCREASED KLOTHO EXPRESSION. IN RATS, INJECTION OF IS POTENTIATED VASCULAR CALCIFICATION, INCREASED CPG HYPERMETHYLATION OF THE KLOTHO GENE AND DECREASED KLOTHO EXPRESSION IN THE AORTIC MEDIAL LAYER AND ALL OF THESE CHANGES COULD BE REVERTED BY 5AZA-2DC TREATMENT. TRANSCRIPTIONAL SUPPRESSION OF VASCULAR KLOTHO GENE EXPRESSION BY IS AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION OF KLOTHO BY IS MAY BE AN IMPORTANT PATHOLOGICAL MECHANISM OF VASCULAR CALCIFICATION IN CKD.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                
6  141  40 ABERRANT DNA METHYLATION OF MTOR PATHWAY GENES PROMOTES INFLAMMATORY ACTIVATION OF IMMUNE CELLS IN DIABETIC KIDNEY DISEASE. DNA METHYLATION HAS BEEN IMPLICATED IN THE PATHOGENESIS OF DIABETIC KIDNEY DISEASE (DKD), BUT THE UNDERLYING MECHANISMS REMAIN UNCLEAR. IN THIS STUDY, WE TESTED THE HYPOTHESIS THAT ABERRANT DNA METHYLATION IN PERIPHERAL IMMUNE CELLS CONTRIBUTES TO DKD PROGRESSION. WE SHOWED THAT LEVELS OF DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE 1 (DNMT1), A KEY ENZYME FOR DNA METHYLATION, WERE INCREASED ALONG WITH INFLAMMATORY ACTIVITY OF PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS IN DKD PATIENTS. INHIBITION OF DNMT1 WITH 5-AZA-2'-DEOXYCYTIDINE (5-AZA) MARKEDLY INCREASED THE PROPORTION OF CD4(+)CD25(+) REGULATORY T CELLS IN PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS IN CULTURE AND IN DIABETIC ANIMALS. ADOPTIVE TRANSFER OF IMMUNE CELLS FROM 5-AZA-TREATED ANIMALS SHOWED BENEFICIAL EFFECTS ON THE HOST IMMUNE SYSTEM, RESULTING IN A SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENT OF DKD. USING GENOME-WIDE DNA METHYLATION ASSAYS, WE IDENTIFIED THE DIFFERENTIALLY METHYLATED CYTOSINES IN THE PROMOTER REGIONS OF MAMMALIAN TARGET OF RAPAMYCIN (MTOR) REGULATORS IN PERIPHERAL BLOOD MONONUCLEAR CELLS OF DIABETIC PATIENTS. FURTHER, MRNA ARRAYS CONFIRMED THE CONSISTENT INDUCTION OF GENES EXPRESSED IN THE MTOR PATHWAY. IMPORTANTLY, DOWN-REGULATION OF DNMT1 EXPRESSION VIA RNA INTERFERENCE RESULTED IN PROMINENT CYTOSINE DEMETHYLATION OF MTOR NEGATIVE REGULATORS AND SUBSEQUENT DECREASE OF MTOR ACTIVITY. LASTLY, MODULATION OF MTOR RESULTED IN CHANGES IN THE EFFECT OF 5-AZA ON DIABETIC IMMUNE CELLS. THUS, UP-REGULATION OF DNMT1 IN DIABETIC IMMUNE CELLS INDUCES ABERRANT CYTOSINE METHYLATION OF THE UPSTREAM REGULATORS OF MTOR, LEADING TO PATHOGENIC ACTIVATION OF THE MTOR PATHWAY AND CONSEQUENT INFLAMMATION IN DIABETIC KIDNEYS. HENCE, THIS STUDY HIGHLIGHTS THERAPEUTIC POTENTIAL OF TARGETING EPIGENETIC EVENTS IN IMMUNE SYSTEM FOR TREATING DKD.	2019	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
7 1236  38 CURCUMIN AMELIORATES NEPHROSCLEROSIS VIA SUPPRESSION OF HISTONE ACETYLATION INDEPENDENT OF HYPERTENSION. BACKGROUND: ALTHOUGH HISTONE ACETYLATION, AN EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION, HAS BEEN REPORTED TO BE RELATED TO THE PROGRESSION OF VARIOUS DISEASES, ITS INVOLVEMENT IN NEPHROSCLEROSIS IS UNCLEAR. METHODS: DAHL SALT-SENSITIVE RATS WERE USED AS A MODEL OF NEPHROSCLEROSIS IN THIS STUDY. THE RATS WERE DIVIDED INTO THREE GROUPS: (I) NORMAL-SALT DIET GROUP, (II) HIGH-SALT DIET GROUP (HS), AND (III) HS ADMINISTERED DAILY WITH CURCUMIN, A HISTONE ACETYLTRANSFERASE INHIBITOR (HS+C). AT 6 WEEKS AFTER THE TREATMENT, THE KIDNEYS WERE DISSECTED. MORPHOLOGIC CHANGES WERE ASSESSED BY MASSON'S TRICHROME STAINING. THE NUMBER OF MACROPHAGES, FIBROBLASTS AND THE CELLS EXPRESSING ACETYLATED HISTONE H3 AT LYS 9 (H3K9) WERE ASSESSED BY IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY. RESULTS: ALTHOUGH BOTH HS AND HS+C RATS REVEALED A MARKED INCREASE IN SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE, SERUM CREATININE WAS INCREASED ONLY IN HS RATS AT 6 WEEKS. IN THE HS RATS, NEPHROSCLEROSIS WAS INDUCED, ACCOMPANYING A SIGNIFICANT ACCUMULATION OF MACROPHAGES AND FIBROBLASTS. THE INFLAMMATION AND FIBROSIS WAS MARKEDLY SUPPRESSED IN THE HS+C GROUP. THE LEVEL OF HISTONE ACETYLATION AT LYS 9 WAS ENHANCED IN THE HS RATS, WHEREAS CURCUMIN ADMINISTRATION SUPPRESSED THE HISTONE ACETYLATION. MOREOVER, IN THE HS RATS, INTERLEUKIN-6 GENE EXPRESSION WAS ASSOCIATED WITH ACETYLATED H3K9, AS REVEALED BY CHROMATIN IMMUNOPRECIPITATION ASSAY. CONCLUSIONS: OUR RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT CURCUMIN AMELIORATES NEPHROSCLEROSIS VIA SUPPRESSION OF HISTONE ACETYLATION, INDEPENDENTLY OF HYPERTENSION.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
8 4900  44 OXIDATIVE STRESS-INDUCED EPIGENETIC CHANGES ASSOCIATED WITH MALIGNANT TRANSFORMATION OF HUMAN KIDNEY EPITHELIAL CELLS. RENAL CELL CARCINOMA (RCC) IN HUMANS IS POSITIVELY INFLUENCED BY OXIDATIVE STRESS STATUS IN KIDNEYS. WE RECENTLY REPORTED THAT ADAPTIVE RESPONSE TO LOW LEVEL OF CHRONIC OXIDATIVE STRESS INDUCES MALIGNANT TRANSFORMATION OF IMMORTALIZED HUMAN RENAL TUBULAR EPITHELIAL CELLS. EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS IN HUMAN RCC ARE WELL DOCUMENTED, BUT ITS ROLE IN OXIDATIVE STRESS-INDUCED MALIGNANT TRANSFORMATION OF KIDNEY CELLS IS NOT KNOWN. THEREFORE, THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO EVALUATE THE POTENTIAL ROLE OF EPIGENETIC CHANGES IN CHRONIC OXIDATIVE STRESS-INDUCED MALIGNANT TRANSFORMATION OF HK-2, HUMAN RENAL TUBULAR EPITHELIAL CELLS. THE RESULTS REVEALED ABERRANT EXPRESSION OF EPIGENETIC REGULATORY GENES INVOLVED IN DNA METHYLATION (DNMT1, DNMT3A AND MBD4) AND HISTONE MODIFICATIONS (HDAC1, HMT1 AND HAT1) IN HK-2 CELLS MALIGNANTLY TRANSFORMED BY CHRONIC OXIDATIVE STRESS. ADDITIONALLY, BOTH IN VITRO SOFT AGAR ASSAY AND IN VIVO NUDE MICE STUDY SHOWING DECREASED TUMORIGENIC POTENTIAL OF MALIGNANTLY TRANSFORMED HK-2 CELLS FOLLOWING TREATMENT WITH DNA DE-METHYLATING AGENT 5-AZA 2' DC FURTHER CONFIRMED THE CRUCIAL ROLE OF DNA HYPERMETHYALTION IN OXIDATIVE STRESS-INDUCED MALIGNANT TRANSFORMATION. CHANGES OBSERVED IN GLOBAL HISTONE H3 ACETYLATION (H3K9, H3K18, H3K27 AND H3K14) AND DECREASE IN PHOSPHO-H2AX (SER139) ALSO SUGGEST POTENTIAL ROLE OF HISTONE MODIFICATIONS IN INCREASED SURVIVAL AND MALIGNANT TRANSFORMATION OF HK-2 CELLS BY OXIDATIVE STRESS. IN SUMMARY, THE RESULTS OF THIS STUDY SUGGEST THAT EPIGENETIC REPROGRAMMING INDUCED BY LOW LEVELS OF OXIDATIVE STRESS ACT AS DRIVER FOR MALIGNANT TRANSFORMATION OF KIDNEY EPITHELIAL CELLS. FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY ARE HIGHLY RELEVANT IN POTENTIAL CLINICAL APPLICATION OF EPIGENETIC-BASED THERAPEUTICS FOR TREATMENTS OF KIDNEY CANCERS.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              
9 2774  38 EXTRACELLULAR SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE (EC-SOD) REGULATES GENE METHYLATION AND CARDIAC FIBROSIS DURING CHRONIC HYPOXIC STRESS. CHRONIC HYPOXIC STRESS INDUCES EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS MAINLY DNA METHYLATION IN CARDIAC FIBROBLASTS, INACTIVATING TUMOR SUPPRESSOR GENES (RASSF1A) AND ACTIVATING KINASES (ERK1/2) LEADING TO FIBROBLAST PROLIFERATION AND CARDIAC FIBROSIS. THE RAS/ERK SIGNALING PATHWAY IS AN INTRACELLULAR SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION CRITICALLY INVOLVED IN FIBROBLAST PROLIFERATION. RASSF1A FUNCTIONS THROUGH ITS EFFECT ON DOWNSTREAM ERK1/2. THE ANTIOXIDANT ENZYME, EXTRACELLULAR SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE (EC-SOD), DECREASES OXIDATIVE STRESS FROM CHRONIC HYPOXIA, BUT ITS EFFECTS ON THESE EPIGENETIC CHANGES HAVE NOT BEEN FULLY EXPLORED. TO TEST OUR HYPOTHESIS, WE USED AN IN-VITRO MODEL: WILD-TYPE C57B6 MALE MICE (WT) AND TRANSGENIC MALES WITH AN EXTRA COPY OF HUMAN HEC-SOD (TG). THE STUDIED ANIMALS WERE HOUSED IN HYPOXIA (10% O(2)) FOR 21 DAYS. THE RIGHT VENTRICULAR TISSUE WAS STUDIED FOR CARDIAC FIBROSIS MARKERS USING RT-PCR AND WESTERN BLOT ANALYSES. PRIMARY C57BL6 MOUSE CARDIAC FIBROBLAST TISSUE CULTURE WAS USED TO STUDY THE IN-VITRO MODEL, THE DOWNSTREAM EFFECTS OF RASSF-1 EXPRESSION AND METHYLATION, AND ITS RELATION TO ERK1/2. OUR FINDINGS SHOWED A SIGNIFICANT INCREASE IN CARDIAC FIBROSIS MARKERS: COLLAGEN 1, ALPHA SMOOTH MUSCLE ACTIN (ASMA), AND SNAIL, IN THE WT HYPOXIC ANIMALS AS COMPARED TO THE TG HYPOXIC GROUP (P < 0.05). THE EXPRESSION OF DNA METHYLATION ENZYMES (DNMT 1&3B) WAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN THE WT HYPOXIC MICE AS COMPARED TO THE HYPOXIC TG MICE (P < 0.001). RASSF1A EXPRESSION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER AND ERK1/2 WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN HYPOXIA WT COMPARED TO THE HYPOXIC TG GROUP (P < 0.05). USE OF SIRNA TO BLOCK RASSF1A GENE EXPRESSION IN MURINE CARDIAC FIBROBLAST TISSUE CULTURE LED TO INCREASED FIBROBLAST PROLIFERATION (P < 0.05). METHYLATION OF THE RASSF1A PROMOTER REGION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN THE TG HYPOXIC GROUP COMPARED TO THE WT HYPOXIC GROUP (0.59 VS. 0.75, RESPECTIVELY). BASED ON OUR FINDINGS, WE CAN SPECULATE THAT EC-SOD SIGNIFICANTLY ATTENUATES RASSF1A GENE METHYLATION AND CAN ALLEVIATE CARDIAC FIBROSIS INDUCED BY HYPOXIA.	2021	
                                                                                                                                                                                                   
10 6020  42 THE ATTENUATION OF RENAL FIBROSIS BY HISTONE DEACETYLASE INHIBITORS IS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PLASTICITY OF FOXP3(+)IL-17(+) T CELLS. BACKGROUND: THE HISTONE DEACETYLASE (HDAC) INHIBITOR, WHICH HAS POTENTIAL EFFECTS ON EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS, HAD BEEN REPORTED TO ATTENUATE RENAL FIBROSIS. CD4(+) FORKHEAD BOX P3 (FOXP3)(+) T REGULATORY (TREG) CELLS MAY BE CONVERTED TO INFLAMMATION-ASSOCIATED T HELPER 17 CELLS (TH17) WITH TISSUE FIBROSIS PROPERTIES. THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN FOXP3(+)IL-17(+) T CELLS AND THE ATTENUATION OF RENAL FIBROSIS BY THE HDAC INHIBITOR IS NOT CLEAR. METHODS: THIS STUDY EVALUATED THE ROLES OF THE HDAC INHIBITOR, TREG CELLS AND THEIR DIFFERENTIATION INTO TH17 CELLS, WHICH AGGRAVATE CHRONIC INFLAMMATION AND RENAL FIBROSIS IN A UNILATERAL URETERAL OBSTRUCTION (UUO) MOUSE MODEL. THE STUDY GROUPS INCLUDED CONTROL AND UUO MICE THAT WERE MONITORED FOR 7, 14 OR 21 DAYS. RESULTS: JUXTAGLOMERULAR (JG) HYPERPLASIA, ANGIOTENSIN II TYPE 1 RECEPTOR (AT1R) EXPRESSION AND LYMPHOCYTE INFILTRATION WERE OBSERVED IN RENAL TISSUES AFTER UUO BUT WERE DECREASED AFTER TRICHOSTATIN A (TSA) TREATMENT, A HDAC INHIBITOR. THE NUMBER OF CD4(+)FOXP3(+) T CELLS INCREASED PROGRESSIVELY, ALONG WITH THE NUMBER OF FOXP3(+)INTERLEUKIN (IL)-17(+) T CELLS, AFTER 14 DAYS, AND THEIR NUMBERS THEN PROGRESSIVELY DECREASED WITH INCREASING CD4(+)IL-17(+) T CELL NUMBERS, AS DEMONSTRATED BY DOUBLE IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY. PROGRESSIVE RENAL FIBROSIS WAS ASSOCIATED WITH THE LOSS OF CD4(+)FOXP3(+)IL-17(+) T CELLS IN SPLENIC SINGLE-CELL SUSPENSIONS. FOXP3(+)IL-17(+) T CELLS EXPRESSED TGF-BETA1 BOTH IN VITRO AND IN VIVO, AND TGF-BETA1 EXPRESSION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY KNOCKDOWN BY IL-17 SIRNA IN VITRO. THESE CELLS WERE FOUND TO PLAY A ROLE IN CONVERTING TREGS INTO IL-17- AND TGF-BETA1-PRODUCING CELLS. CONCLUSIONS: TSA TREATMENT DECREASED JG HYPERPLASIA, THE PERCENTAGE OF FOXP3(+)IL-17(+) CELLS AND THE DEGREE OF FIBROSIS, SUGGESTING THAT THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS MAY RESULT FROM EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS.	2017	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
11  273  48 AGE-INDUCED SUPPRESSION OF EZH2 MEDIATES INJURY OF PODOCYTES BY REDUCING H3K27ME3. BACKGROUND: CHRONIC HYPERGLYCEMIA, A PIVOTAL FEATURE OF DIABETES MELLITUS (DM), INITIATES THE FORMATION OF ADVANCED GLYCATION END PRODUCTS (AGES) AND THE DYSREGULATION OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS, WHICH MAY CAUSE INJURY TO RENAL PODOCYTES, A CENTRAL FEATURE OF DIABETIC KIDNEY DISEASE (DKD). PREVIOUS DATA OF OUR GROUP SHOWED THAT AGES SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE EXPRESSION OF NIPP1 (NUCLEAR INHIBITOR OF PROTEIN PHOSPHATASE 1) IN PODOCYTES IN VITRO AS WELL AS IN HUMAN AND MURINE DKD. NIPP1 WAS SHOWN BY OTHERS TO INTERACT WITH ENHANCER OF ZESTE HOMOLOG 2 (EZH2), WHICH CATALYZES THE REPRESSIVE METHYLATION OF H3K27ME3 ON HISTONE 3. THEREFORE, WE HYPOTHESIZED THAT AGES CAN DIRECTLY INDUCE EPIGENETIC CHANGES IN PODOCYTES. METHODS: WE ANALYZED THE RELEVANCE OF AGES ON EZH2 EXPRESSION AND ACTIVITY IN A MURINE PODOCYTE CELL LINE. CELLS WERE TREATED WITH 5 MG/ML GLYCATED BSA FOR 24 H. TO DETERMINE THE MEANING OF EZH2 SUPPRESSION, EZH2 ACTIVITY WAS INHIBITED BY INCUBATING THE CELLS WITH THE PHARMACOLOGICAL METHYLTRANSFERASE INHIBITOR 3-DEAZANEPLANOCIN A; EZH2 EXPRESSION WAS REPRESSED WITH SIRNA. MRNA EXPRESSION WAS ANALYZED WITH REAL-TIME PCR, AND PROTEIN EXPRESSION WITH WESTERN BLOT. EZH2 EXPRESSION AND LEVEL OF H3K27 TRIMETHYLATION IN PODOCYTES OF DIABETIC DB/DB MICE, A MOUSE MODEL FOR TYPE 2 DM, WERE ANALYZED USING IMMUNOFLUORESCENCE. RESULTS: OUR DATA DEMONSTRATED THAT AGES DECREASE EZH2 EXPRESSION IN PODOCYTES AND CONSEQUENTLY REDUCE H3K27ME3. THIS SUPPRESSION OF EZH2 MIMICKED THE AGE EFFECTS AND CAUSED AN UPREGULATED EXPRESSION OF PATHOLOGICAL FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO PODOCYTE INJURY IN DKD. IN ADDITION, ANALYSES OF DB/DB MICE SHOWED SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED H3K27ME3 AND EZH2 EXPRESSION IN PODOCYTES. MOREOVER, THE SUPPRESSION OF NIPP1 AND EZH2 SHOWED SIMILAR EFFECTS REGARDING PODOCYTE INJURY. CONCLUSIONS: OUR STUDIES PROVIDE A NOVEL PATHWAY HOW AGES CONTRIBUTE TO PODOCYTE INJURY AND THE FORMATION OF THE SO-CALLED METABOLIC MEMORY IN DKD.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
12 2825  53 FLOW-DEPENDENT EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF IGFBP5 EXPRESSION BY H3K27ME3 CONTRIBUTES TO ENDOTHELIAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS. RATIONALE: ATHEROSCLEROSIS IS A CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY AND EPIGENETIC DISEASE THAT IS INFLUENCED BY DIFFERENT PATTERNS OF BLOOD FLOW. HOWEVER, THE EPIGENETIC MECHANISM WHEREBY ATHEROPROTECTIVE FLOW CONTROLS ENDOTHELIAL GENE PROGRAMMING REMAINS ELUSIVE. HERE, WE INVESTIGATED THE POSSIBILITY THAT FLOW ALTERS ENDOTHELIAL GENE EXPRESSION THROUGH EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS. METHODS: EN FACE STAINING AND WESTERN BLOT WERE USED TO DETECT PROTEIN EXPRESSION. REAL-TIME PCR WAS USED TO DETERMINE RELATIVE GENE EXPRESSION. RNA-SEQUENCING OF HUMAN UMBILICAL VEIN ENDOTHELIAL CELLS TREATED WITH SIRNA OF ENHANCER OF ZESTE HOMOLOG 2 (EZH2) OR LAMINAR FLOW WAS USED FOR TRANSCRIPTIONAL PROFILING. RESULTS: WE FOUND THAT TRIMETHYLATION OF HISTONE 3 LYSINE 27 (H3K27ME3), A REPRESSIVE EPIGENETIC MARK THAT ORCHESTRATES GENE REPRESSION, WAS REDUCED IN LAMINAR FLOW AREAS OF MOUSE AORTA AND FLOW-TREATED HUMAN ENDOTHELIAL CELLS. THE DECREASE OF H3K27ME3 PARALLELED A REDUCTION IN THE EPIGENETIC "WRITER"-EZH2, THE CATALYTIC SUBUNIT OF THE POLYCOMB REPRESSIVE COMPLEX 2 (PRC2). MOREOVER, LAMINAR FLOW DECREASED EXPRESSION OF EZH2 VIA MECHANOSENSITIVE MIR101. GENOME-WIDE TRANSCRIPTOME PROFILING STUDIES IN ENDOTHELIAL CELLS TREATED WITH EZH2 SIRNA AND FLOW REVEALED THE UPREGULATION OF NOVEL MECHANOSENSITIVE GENE IGFBP5 (INSULIN-LIKE GROWTH FACTOR-BINDING PROTEIN 5), WHICH IS EPIGENETICALLY SILENCED BY H3K27ME3. FUNCTIONALLY, INHIBITION OF H3K27ME3 BY EZH2 SIRNA OR GSK126 (A SPECIFIC EZH2 INHIBITOR) REDUCED H3K27ME3 LEVELS AND MONOCYTE ADHESION TO ENDOTHELIAL CELLS. ADENOVIRAL OVEREXPRESSION OF IGFBP5 ALSO RECAPITULATED THE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF H3K27ME3 INHIBITION. MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE OBSERVED EZH2 UPREGULATION, AND IGFBP5 DOWNREGULATION, IN ADVANCED ATHEROSCLEROTIC PLAQUES FROM HUMAN PATIENTS. CONCLUSION: TAKEN TOGETHER, OUR FINDINGS REVEAL THAT ATHEROPROTECTIVE FLOW REDUCES H3K27ME3 AS A CHROMATIN-BASED MECHANISM TO AUGMENT THE EXPRESSION OF GENES THAT CONFER AN ANTI-INFLAMMATORY RESPONSE IN THE ENDOTHELIUM. OUR STUDY EXEMPLIFIES FLOW-DEPENDENT EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF ENDOTHELIAL GENE EXPRESSION, AND ALSO SUGGESTS THAT TARGETING THE EZH2/H3K27ME3/IGFBP5 PATHWAY MAY OFFER NOVEL THERAPEUTICS FOR INFLAMMATORY DISORDERS SUCH AS ATHEROSCLEROSIS.	2018	
         
13 3792  32 INTERLEUKIN-1BETA INCREASES THE RISK OF GASTRIC CANCER THROUGH INDUCTION OF ABERRANT DNA METHYLATION IN A MOUSE MODEL. INTERLEUKIN-1BETA (IL-1BETA) HAS A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN CHRONIC GASTRIC INFLAMMATION AND MANIFESTATIONS OF GASTRIC DISEASES. THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED TO ELUCIDATE THE SPECIFIC ROLE OF IL-1BETA IN INDUCTION OF DNA METHYLATION USING IL-1 RECEPTOR TYPE 1 KNOCKOUT (IL-1R1(-)/(-)) MICE. IN THE PRESENT STUDY, WILD-TYPE (WT) AND IL-1R1(-)/(-) MICE WERE INJECTED WITH IL-1BETA (5 MICROG/KG/DAY). SERUM LEVELS OF IL-1BETA, INTERLEUKIN-6 (IL-6) AND NITRIC OXIDE (NO) WERE MEASURED BY ENZYME-LINKED IMMUNOSORBENT OR NO ASSAYS. E-CADHERIN (E-CAD) METHYLATION STATUS AND MESSENGER (M)RNA EXPRESSION OF IL-1BETA, IL-6, E-CAD AND INDUCIBLE NITRIC OXIDE SYNTHASE (INOS) WERE ANALYZED. RESULTS FROM THE PRESENT STUDY INDICATED SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IL-1BETA MRNA EXPRESSION (P<0.001) IN WT MICE COMPARED WITH IL-1R1(-)/(-) MICE. IL-1BETA AND IL-6 RELEASE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN TREATED WT MICE COMPARED WITH IL-1R1(-)/(-) MICE AT 1 H, 4 H AND 8 H (ALL P<0.005). IL-1BETA RELEASE WAS ONLY DETECTED IN WT MICE FOLLOWING A SECOND DOSE MEASURED AT DAY 3, WEEK 1 AND WEEK 2 WHEN COMPARED WITH IL-1R1(-)/(-) MICE. PROMOTER METHYLATION OF E-CAD AND A DECREASE IN GENE EXPRESSION WAS OBSERVED IN TREATED WT MICE. MRNA EXPRESSION OF INOS IN WT MICE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED AT WEEK 1 COMPARED WITH IL-1R1(-)/(-) MICE (P=0.0411). FURTHERMORE, A SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED LEVEL OF NO PRODUCTION WAS OBSERVED IN TREATED WT MICE (P<0.005 AT 8 H AND WEEK 1; P<0.001 AT 4 H AND DAY 3) WHEN COMPARED WITH IL-1R1(-)/(-) MICE. THE PRESENT RESULTS INDICATED THAT IL-1BETA WAS ABLE TO DIRECTLY INDUCE DNA METHYLATION, WHICH MAY LINK INFLAMMATION-INDUCED EPIGENETIC CHANGES AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF GASTRIC DISEASES.	2016	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
14 5603  48 ROS PROMOTE HYPER-METHYLATION OF NDRG2 PROMOTERS IN A DNMTS-DEPENDENT MANNER: CONTRIBUTES TO THE PROGRESSION OF RENAL FIBROSIS. RENAL FIBROSIS IS THE COMMON HISTOPATHOLOGICAL FEATURE OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASES (CKD), AND THERE IS INCREASING EVIDENCE THAT EPIGENETIC REGULATION IS INVOLVED IN THE OCCURRENCE AND PROGRESSION OF RENAL FIBROSIS. N-MYC DOWNSTREAM-REGULATED GENE 2 (NDRG2) IS SIGNIFICANTLY DOWN-REGULATED IN RENAL FIBROSIS, THE MECHANISM OF WHICH REMAINS UNCLEAR. PREVIOUS STUDIES HAVE CONFIRMED THAT THE INHIBITION OF NDRG2 EXPRESSION IN TUMOR CELLS IS RELATED TO HYPER-METHYLATION, MAINLY REGULATED BY DNA METHYLTRANSFERASES (DNMTS). HEREIN, WE EXPLORED THE EXPRESSION OF NDRG2 AND ITS EPIGENETIC REGULATORY MECHANISM IN RENAL FIBROSIS. THE RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE EXPRESSION OF NDRG2 WAS SIGNIFICANTLY INHIBITED IN VIVO AND IN VITRO, WHILE THE OVEREXPRESSION OF NDRG2 EFFECTIVELY ALLEVIATED RENAL FIBROSIS. MEANWHILE, WE FOUND THAT THE EXPRESSION OF DNMT1/3A/3B WAS SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASED IN HYPOXIA-INDUCED HK2 CELLS AND UNILATERAL URETERAL OBSTRUCTION (UUO) MICE ACCOMPANIED BY HYPER-METHYLATION OF THE NDGR2 PROMOTER. METHYLTRANSFERASE INHIBITOR (5-AZA-DC) CORRECTED THE ABNORMAL EXPRESSION OF DNMT1/3A/3B, REDUCED THE METHYLATION LEVEL OF NDRG2 PROMOTER AND RESTORED THE EXPRESSION OF NDRG2. THE UPSTREAM EVENTS THAT MEDIATE CHANGES IN NDRG2 METHYLATION WERE FURTHER EXPLORED. REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES (ROS) ARE IMPORTANT EPIGENETIC REGULATORS AND HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO PLAY A KEY ROLE IN RENAL INJURY DUE TO VARIOUS CAUSES. ACCORDINGLY, WE FURTHER EXPLORED WHETHER ROS COULD INDUCE DNA-EPIGENETIC CHANGES OF THE EXPRESSION OF NDRG2 AND THEN PARTICIPATED IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF RENAL FIBROSIS. OUR RESULTS SHOWED THAT MITOCHONDRIA-TARGETED ANTIOXIDANTS (MITO-TEMPO) COULD REVERSE THE EPIGENETIC INHIBITION OF NDRG2 IN A DNMT-SENSITIVE MANNER, SHOWING STRONG ABILITY OF DNA DEMETHYLATION, EXHIBITING EPIGENETIC REGULATION AND ANTI-FIBROSIS EFFECTS SIMILAR TO 5-AZA-DC. MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE ANTI-FIBROTIC EFFECTS OF 5-AZA-DC AND MITO-TEMPO WERE ELIMINATED IN HK2 CELLS WITH NDRG2 KNOCKDOWN. THESE FINDINGS HIGHLIGHT THAT TARGETING ROS-MEDIATED HYPER-METHYLATION OF NDRG2 PROMOTER IS A POTENTIALLY EFFECTIVE THERAPEUTIC STRATEGY FOR RENAL FIBROSIS, WHICH WILL PROVIDE NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE TREATMENT OF CKD.	2023	
                                                               
15 6661  34 UPREGULATION OF DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE-MEDIATED GENE SILENCING, ANCHORAGE-INDEPENDENT GROWTH, AND MIGRATION OF COLON CANCER CELLS BY INTERLEUKIN-6. INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE IS CHARACTERIZED BY CHRONIC INFLAMMATION WHICH PREDISPOSES TO COLORECTAL CANCER. THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH INFLAMMATION PROMOTES TUMORIGENESIS ARE NOT FULLY KNOWN. WE AIMED TO INVESTIGATE THE LINKS BETWEEN COLONIC INFLAMMATION AND TUMORIGENESIS VIA EPIGENETIC GENE SILENCING. COLON CANCER SPECIMENS WERE ASSESSED FOR THE EXPRESSION OF DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE-1 (DNMT-1) USING IMMUNOHISTOCHEMISTRY. COLORECTAL CARCINOMA CELL LINES WERE ASSESSED FOR DNMT1 EXPRESSION, METHYLCYTOSINE CONTENT, PROMOTER METHYLATION, GENE EXPRESSION, AND TUMORIGENESIS IN RESPONSE TO INTERLEUKIN (IL)-6. DNMT1 WAS EXPRESSED AT HIGHER LEVELS IN BOTH THE PERITUMORAL STROMA AND TUMOR IN INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE-ASSOCIATED CANCERS COMPARED WITH SPORADIC COLON CANCERS. IL-6 TREATMENT OF COLON CANCER CELLS RESULTED IN AN INCREASE IN DNMT1 EXPRESSION, INDEPENDENT OF DE NOVO GENE EXPRESSION. IL-6 INCREASED THE METHYLATION OF PROMOTER REGIONS OF GENES ASSOCIATED WITH TUMOR SUPPRESSION, ADHESION, AND APOPTOSIS RESISTANCE. EXPRESSION OF A SUBSET OF THESE GENES WAS DOWNREGULATED BY IL-6, AN EFFECT THAT WAS PREVENTED BY PREINCUBATION WITH 5-AZADEOXYCYTIDINE, A DNMT1 INHIBITOR. ANCHORAGE-INDEPENDENT GROWTH AND MIGRATION OF COLON CANCER CELLS WAS ALSO INCREASED BY IL-6 IN A 5-AZADEOXYCYTIDINE-SENSITIVE MANNER. OUR RESULTS INDICATE THAT DNMT-MEDIATED GENE SILENCING MAY PLAY A ROLE IN INFLAMMATION-ASSOCIATED COLON TUMORIGENESIS.	2010	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     
16 3295  38 HIGH PHOSPHATE-INDUCED DOWNREGULATION OF PPARGAMMA CONTRIBUTES TO CKD-ASSOCIATED VASCULAR CALCIFICATION. MEDIAL ARTERIAL CALCIFICATION ASSOCIATED WITH HYPERPHOSPHATEMIA IS A MAIN CAUSE OF CARDIOVASCULAR MORTALITY IN PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE (CKD), BUT THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING HIGH PHOSPHATE-INDUCED VASCULAR CALCIFICATION REMAIN LARGELY UNKNOWN. HERE, WE OBSERVED A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE EXPRESSION OF PEROXISOME PROLIFERATOR-ACTIVATED RECEPTOR-GAMMA (PPARGAMMA) IN CALCIFIED ARTERIES BOTH IN CKD PATIENTS AND IN A MOUSE MODEL OF CKD WITH HYPERPHOSPHATEMIA. IN VITRO, HIGH PHOSPHATE TREATMENT LED TO A DECREASED EXPRESSION OF PPARGAMMA IN MOUSE VASCULAR SMOOTH MUSCLE CELLS (VMSCS), ACCOMPANIED BY APPARENT OSTEOGENIC DIFFERENTIATION AND CALCIFICATION. PRETREATMENT WITH PPARGAMMA AGONIST ROSIGLITAZONE SIGNIFICANTLY REVERSED HIGH PHOSPHATE-INDUCED VSMCS CALCIFICATION. FURTHER INVESTIGATION SHOWED THAT METHYL-CPG BINDING PROTEIN 2 (MECP2)-MEDIATED EPIGENETIC REPRESSION WAS INVOLVED IN HIGH PHOSPHATE-INDUCED PPARGAMMA DOWNREGULATION. MOREOVER, THE EXPRESSION OF KLOTHO THAT HAS THE ABILITY TO INHIBIT VASCULAR CALCIFICATION BY REGULATING PHOSPHATE UPTAKE DECREASED WITH THE PPARGAMMA REDUCTION IN VSMCS AFTER HIGH PHOSPHATE TREATMENT, AND ROSIGLITAZONE FAILED TO INHIBIT HIGH PHOSPHATE-INDUCED CALCIFICATION IN VSMCS WITH KNOCKDOWN OF KLOTHO OR IN AORTIC RINGS FROM KLOTHO-DEFICIENT (KL/KL) MICE. FINALLY, AN IN VIVO STUDY DEMONSTRATED THAT ORAL ADMINISTRATION OF ROSIGLITAZONE COULD INCREASE KLOTHO EXPRESSION AND PROTECT AGAINST HIGH PHOSPHATE-INDUCED VASCULAR CALCIFICATION IN CKD MICE. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE INHIBITION OF PPARGAMMA EXPRESSION MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE PATHOGENESIS OF HIGH PHOSPHATE-INDUCED VASCULAR CALCIFICATION, WHICH MAY PROVIDE A NEW THERAPEUTIC TARGET FOR VASCULAR CALCIFICATION IN CKD PATIENTS.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
17 4014  41 LOW-DOSE CD INDUCES HEPATIC GENE HYPERMETHYLATION, ALONG WITH THE PERSISTENT REDUCTION OF CELL DEATH AND INCREASE OF CELL PROLIFERATION IN RATS AND MICE. BACKGROUND: CADMIUM (CD) IS CLASSIFIED AS A HUMAN CARCINOGEN PROBABLY ASSOCIATED WITH EPIGENETIC CHANGES. DNA METHYLATION IS ONE OF EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS BY WHICH CELLS CONTROL GENE EXPRESSION. THEREFORE, THE PRESENT STUDY GENOME-WIDELY SCREENED THE METHYLATION-ALTERED GENES IN THE LIVER OF RATS PREVIOUSLY EXPOSED TO LOW-DOSE CD. METHODOLOGY PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: RATS WERE EXPOSED TO CD AT 20 NMOL/KG EVERY OTHER DAY FOR 4 WEEKS AND GENE METHYLATION WAS ANALYZED AT THE 48(TH) WEEK WITH METHYLATED DNA IMMUNOPRECIPITATION-CPG ISLAND MICROARRAY. AMONG THE 1629 ALTERED GENES, THERE WERE 675 GENES WHOSE PROMOTER CPG ISLANDS (CGIS) WERE HYPERMETHYLATED, 899 GENES WHOSE PROMOTER CGIS WERE HYPOMETHYLATED, AND 55 GENES WHOSE PROMOTER CGIS WERE MIXED WITH HYPER- AND HYPO-METHYLATION. CASPASE-8 GENE PROMOTER CGIS AND TNF GENE PROMOTER CGIS WERE HYPERMETHYLATED AND HYPOMETHYLATED, RESPECTIVELY, ALONG WITH A LOW APOPTOSIS RATE IN CD-TREATED RAT LIVERS. TO LINK THE ABERRANT METHYLATION OF CASPASE-8 AND TNF GENES TO THE LOW APOPTOSIS INDUCED BY LOW-DOSE CD, MICE WERE GIVEN CHRONIC EXPOSURE TO LOW-DOSE CD WITH AND WITHOUT METHYLATION INHIBITOR (5-AZA-2'-DEOXYCTIDENE, 5-AZA). AT THE 48(TH) WEEK AFTER CD EXPOSURE, LIVERS FROM CD-TREATED MICE DISPLAYED THE INCREASED CASPASE-8 CGI METHYLATION AND DECREASED CASPASE-8 PROTEIN EXPRESSION, ALONG WITH SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN CELL PROLIFERATION AND OVEREXPRESSION OF TGF-BETA1 AND CYTOKERATIN 8/18 (THE LATTER IS A NEW MARKER OF MOUSE LIVER PRENEOPLASTIC LESIONS), ALL WHICH WERE PREVENTED BY 5-AZA TREATMENT. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: THESE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT CD-INDUCED GLOBAL GENE HYPERMETHYLATION, MOST LIKELY CASPASE-8 GENE PROMOTER HYPERMETHYLATION THAT DOWN-REGULATED ITS EXPRESSION, LEADING TO THE DECREASED HEPATIC APOPTOSIS AND INCREASED PRENEOPLASTIC LESIONS.	2012	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            
18 4362  40 MIR?152 REGULATES TGF?BETA1?INDUCED EPITHELIAL?MESENCHYMAL TRANSITION BY TARGETING HPIP IN TUBULAR EPITHELIAL CELLS. RENAL FIBROSIS IS A COMMON PATHOLOGICAL FEATURE OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASES, AND THEIR DEVELOPMENT AND PROGRESSION ARE INFLUENCED BY EPIGENETIC MODIFICATIONS INCLUDING ABERRANT MICRORNA (MIRNA OR MIR) EXPRESSION. MIRNAS HAVE BEEN DEMONSTRATED TO MODULATE THE AGGRESSIVENESS OF VARIOUS CANCERS AND HAVE EMERGED AS POSSIBLE THERAPEUTIC AGENTS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF RENAL FIBROSIS. TRANSFORMING GROWTH FACTOR BETA1 (TGF?BETA1)?INDUCED EPITHELIAL?MESENCHYMAL TRANSITION (EMT) OF TUBULAR EPITHELIAL CELLS SERVES A ROLE IN THE INITIATION AND PROGRESSION OF RENAL FIBROSIS. FURTHERMORE, RECENT RESULTS INDICATED THAT THE PROGRESSION OF EMT IS REVERSIBLE. THE PRESENT STUDY AIMED TO CLARIFY THE ROLE OF MIR?152 IN EMT OF THE TUBULAR EPITHELIAL CELL LINE HK?2, STIMULATED BY TGF?BETA1, USING IN VITRO TRANSFECTION WITH A MIR?152 MIMIC AND TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE THE UNDERLYING MECHANISM OF MIR?152 ACTIVITY. IN THE PRESENT STUDY, MIR?152 EXPRESSION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCED IN TGF?BETA1?TREATED HK?2 CELLS, ACCOMPANIED BY AN INCREASED EXPRESSION OF HEMATOPOIETIC PRE?B?CELL LEUKEMIA TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR (PBX)?INTERACTING PROTEIN (HPIP). ADDITIONALLY, MIR?152 OVEREXPRESSION INHIBITED TGF?BETA1?INDUCED EMT AND SUPPRESSED HPIP EXPRESSION BY DIRECTLY TARGETING THE 3' UNTRANSLATED REGION OF HPIP IN HK?2 CELLS. FURTHERMORE, UPREGULATION OF HPIP REVERSED MIR?152?MEDIATED INHIBITORY EFFECTS ON THE EMT. COLLECTIVELY, THE RESULTS SUGGEST THAT DOWNREGULATION OF MIR?152 INITIATES THE DEDIFFERENTIATION OF RENAL TUBULES AND PROGRESSION OF RENAL FIBROSIS, WHICH MAY PROVIDE IMPORTANT TARGETS FOR PREVENTION STRATEGIES OF RENAL FIBROSIS.	2018	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    
19 4899  44 OXIDATIVE STRESS MEDIATES THE APOPTOSIS AND EPIGENETIC MODIFICATION OF THE BCL-2 PROMOTER VIA DNMT1 IN A CIGARETTE SMOKE-INDUCED EMPHYSEMA MODEL. BACKGROUND: EMPHYSEMA IS A CRUCIAL PATHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTIC OF CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE (COPD). OXIDATIVE STRESS, APOPTOSIS AND EPIGENETIC MECHANISMS CONTRIBUTE TO THE PATHOGENESIS OF EMPHYSEMA. HOWEVER, AN ATTEMPT TO ACCURATELY IDENTIFY WHETHER THESE MECHANISMS INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER AND HOW THEY ARE TRIGGERED HAS NEVER BEEN CONDUCTED. METHOD: THE TOTAL REACTIVE OXYGEN SPECIES (ROS) LEVEL, PULMONARY APOPTOSIS AND B-CELL LYMPHOMA/LEUKEMIA-2 (BCL-2) EXPRESSION, AN APOPTOSIS REGULATOR, WERE DETECTED IN SAMPLES FROM COPD PATIENTS. BISULFITE SEQUENCING PCR (BSP) WAS CONDUCTED TO OBSERVE THE ALTERATIONS IN THE METHYLATION OF THE BCL-2 PROMOTER IN SPECIMENS. THE DYSREGULATION OF DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE ENZYME 1 (DNMT1), A VITAL DNA METHYLTRANSFERASE ENZYME, IN THE LUNGS OF PATIENTS WAS CONFIRMED THROUGH WESTERN BLOTTING. TO FIND OUT INTERACTIONS BETWEEN OXIDATIVE STRESS AND DNA METHYLATION IN EMPHYSEMA, MOUSE MODELS WERE BUILT WITH ANTIOXIDANT TREATMENT AND DNMT1 SILENCING, AND WERE EXAMINED WITH THE PULMONARY APOPTOSIS, BCL-2 AND DNMT1 LEVELS, AND EPIGENETIC ALTERATIONS OF BCL-2. RESULTS: HIGHER ROS LEVELS AND PULMONARY APOPTOSIS WERE OBSERVED IN COPD PATIENTS THAN IN HEALTHY CONTROLS. DOWNREGULATED BCL-2 EXPRESSION WITH INCREASED PROMOTER METHYLATION AND DNMT1 PROTEIN EXPRESSION WAS FOUND IN COPD PATIENTS. ANTIOXIDANT TREATMENT REDUCED THE LEVEL OF ROS, DNMT1 PROTEIN AND EMPHYSEMATOUS PROGRESSION IN THE SMOKING MODELS. FOLLOWING DNMT1 BLOCKADE, SMOKING MODELS SHOWED IMPROVED LUNG FUNCTION, PULMONARY APOPTOSIS, EMPHYSEMATOUS PROGRESSION, AND INCREASED BCL-2 PROTEIN LEVEL WITH LESS PROMOTER METHYLATION THAN EMPHYSEMA MICE. CONCLUSION: CIGARETTE-INDUCED OXIDATIVE STRESS MEDIATES PULMONARY APOPTOSIS AND HYPERMETHYLATION OF THE BCL-2 PROMOTER IN EMPHYSEMA MODELS THROUGH DNMT1.	2020	
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
20 4159  41 MECP2 CONTROLS AN EPIGENETIC PATHWAY THAT PROMOTES MYOFIBROBLAST TRANSDIFFERENTIATION AND FIBROSIS. BACKGROUND & AIMS: MYOFIBROBLAST TRANSDIFFERENTIATION GENERATES HEPATIC MYOFIBROBLASTS, WHICH PROMOTE LIVER FIBROGENESIS. THE PEROXISOME PROLIFERATOR-ACTIVATED RECEPTOR GAMMA (PPARGAMMA) IS A NEGATIVE REGULATOR OF THIS PROCESS. WE INVESTIGATED EPIGENETIC REGULATION OF PPARGAMMA AND MYOFIBROBLAST TRANSDIFFERENTIATION. METHODS: CHROMATIN IMMUNOPRECIPITATION (CHIP) ASSAYS ASSESSED THE BINDING OF METHYL-CPG BINDING PROTEIN 2 (MECP2) TO PPARGAMMA AND CHROMATIN MODIFICATIONS THAT SILENCE THIS GENE. MECP2(-/Y) MICE AND AN INHIBITOR (DZNEP) OF THE EPIGENETIC REGULATORY PROTEIN EZH2 WERE USED IN THE CARBON TETRACHLORIDE MODEL OF LIVER FIBROSIS. LIVER TISSUES FROM MICE WERE ASSESSED BY HISTOLOGIC ANALYSIS; MARKERS OF FIBROSIS WERE MEASURED BY QUANTITATIVE POLYMERASE CHAIN REACTION (QPCR). REVERSE TRANSCRIPTION PCR DETECTED CHANGES IN EXPRESSION OF THE MICRORNA MIR132 AND ITS TARGET, ELONGATED TRANSCRIPTS OF MECP2. MYOFIBROBLASTS WERE TRANSFECTED WITH MIR132; PPARGAMMA AND MECP2 EXPRESSIONS WERE ANALYZED BY QPCR OR IMMUNOBLOTTING. RESULTS: MYOFIBROBLAST TRANSDIFFERENTIATION OF HEPATIC STELLATE CELLS IS CONTROLLED BY A COMBINATION OF MECP2, EZH2, AND MIR132 IN A RELAY PATHWAY. THE PATHWAY IS ACTIVATED BY DOWN-REGULATION OF MIR132, RELEASING THE TRANSLATIONAL BLOCK ON MECP2. MECP2 IS RECRUITED TO THE 5' END OF PPARGAMMA, WHERE IT PROMOTES METHYLATION BY H3K9 AND RECRUITS THE TRANSCRIPTION REPRESSOR HP1ALPHA. MECP2 ALSO STIMULATES EXPRESSION OF EZH2 AND METHYLATION OF H3K27 TO FORM A REPRESSIVE CHROMATIN STRUCTURE IN THE 3' EXONS OF PPARGAMMA. GENETIC AND PHARMACOLOGIC DISRUPTIONS OF MECP2 OR EZH2 REDUCED THE FIBROGENIC CHARACTERISTICS OF MYOFIBROBLASTS AND ATTENUATED FIBROGENESIS. CONCLUSIONS: LIVER FIBROSIS IS REGULATED BY AN EPIGENETIC RELAY PATHWAY THAT INCLUDES MECP2, EZH2, AND MIR132. REAGENTS THAT INTERFERE WITH THIS PATHWAY MIGHT BE DEVELOPED TO REDUCE FIBROGENESIS IN CHRONIC LIVER DISEASE.	2010