5-Hydroxymethylcytosine as a potential epigenetic biomarker in papillary thyroid carcinoma

• Published in: Experimental and therapeutic medicine Vol. 18; no. 3; pp. 2304 - 2309
• Main Authors: Tong, Mengying, Gao, Shuhang, Qi, Wenjing, Shi, Chang, Qiu, Meng, Yang, Fang, Bai, Shanshan, Li, Husha, Wang, Zhizhou, Sun, Zhigang, Wang, Lina, Che, Ying
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Greece Spandidos Publications 01.09.2019; Spandidos Publications UK Ltd; D.A. Spandidos
• Subjects: Biological markers; Biomarkers; Cancer metastasis; Carcinoma; DNA; DNA methylation; Epigenetic inheritance; Epigenetics; Hydroxylases; Laws, regulations and rules; Methylation; Oncology; Pyrimidines; Thyroid cancer; Thyroid diseases; China; 5-hydoxymethylcytosine; biological marker; papillary thyroid carcinoma; epigenetics
• ISSN: 1792-1074; 1792-0981; 1792-1082
• DOI: 10.3892/ol.2019.10531

DNA methylation at the 5 position of cytosine (5-mC) is an epigenetic hallmark that is critical in various biological and pathological processes such as DNA methylation regulation, and initiation and development of cancers. 5-mC can be oxidized to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5-hmC) by the ten-eleven translocation family of DNA hydroxylases. Accumulating evidence has reported that loss of 5-hmC is associated with cancer development. However, its level in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) remains unclear. The present study reports that the loss of 5-hmC is an epigenetic mark of PTCs, associated with their malignant biological behavior, providing diagnostic and predictive advantages over DNA hypomethylation (5-mC), an acknowledged epigenetic alteration in cancer. In addition, the 5-hmC staining levels were decreased in cases of micro-carcinoma with lymph node metastasis, which suggests that 5-hmC expression levels could be used as valuable biomarkers for predicting malignant potential and assist in the selection of therapeutic strategies in PTC; therefore, 5-hmC has the potential to provide a more precise direction for PTC therapy.