Methylomic analysis identifies C11orf87 as a novel epigenetic biomarker for GI cancers

• Published in: PloS one Vol. 16; no. 4; p. e0250499
• Main Authors: Tran, Mita T. M. T., Yeh, Kun-Tu, Chuang, Yu-Ming, Hsu, Po-Yen, Low, Jie-Ting, Kumari, Himani, Lee, Yu-Ting, Chen, Yin-Chen, Huang, Wan-Hong, Jin, Hongchuan, Lin, Shu-Hui, Chan, Michael W. Y.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Public Library of Science 22.04.2021; Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subjects: Aging; Biology and life sciences; Biomarkers; Biomedical materials; Biotechnology; Bisulfite; Cancer; Cell culture; Chromosomal proteins; Deoxyribonucleic acid; Development and progression; Diagnosis; DNA; DNA methylation; DNA microarrays; DNA polymerase; Editing; Electronic mail; Epigenetic inheritance; Epigenetics; Epithelial cells; Epithelium; Esophageal cancer; Funding; Gastric cancer; Gastritis; Gastroenterology; Gastrointestinal cancer; Gene expression; Genetic aspects; Head & neck cancer; Health aspects; Hematology; Hospitals; Intestine; Laboratories; Medical prognosis; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metaplasia; Methylation; Pathology; Patients; Penicillin; Physical Sciences; Research and Analysis Methods; Research facilities; Science and technology; Stat3 protein; Stomach cancer; Streptomycin; Tissues; Tumor cell lines; Taiwan; China
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0250499

Gastric cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Previous studies demonstrated that activation of STAT3 is crucial for the development and progression of gastric cancer. However, the role of STAT3 in neuronal related gene methylation in gastric cancer has never been explored. In this study, by using DNA methylation microarray, we identified a potential STAT3 target, C11orf87 , showing promoter hypomethylation in gastric cancer patients with lower STAT3 activation and AGS gastric cancer cell lines depleted with STAT3 activation. Although C11orf87 methylation is independent of its expression, ectopic expression of a constitutive activated STAT3 mutant upregulated its expression in gastric cancer cell line. Further bisulfite pyrosequencing demonstrated a progressive increase in DNA methylation of this target in patient tissues from gastritis, intestinal metaplasia, to gastric cancer. Intriguingly, patients with higher C11orf87 methylation was associated with better survival. Furthermore, hypermethylation of C11orf87 was also frequently observed in other GI cancers, as compared to their adjacent normal tissues. These results suggested that C11orf87 methylation may serve as a biomarker for diagnosis and prognosis of GI cancers, including gastric cancer. We further postulated that constitutive activation of STAT3 might be able to epigenetically silence C11orf87 as a possible negative feedback mechanism to protect the cells from the overactivation of STAT3. Targeted inhibition of STAT3 may not be appropriate in gastric cancer patients with promoter hypermethylation of C11orf87 .