Title | EZH2-mediated epigenetic silencing in germinal center B cells contributes to proliferation and lymphomagenesis. |
Publication Type | Journal Article |
Year of Publication | 2010 |
Authors | Velichutina I, Shaknovich R, Geng H, Johnson NA, Gascoyne RD, Melnick AM, Elemento O |
Journal | Blood |
Volume | 116 |
Issue | 24 |
Pagination | 5247-55 |
Date Published | 2010 Dec 09 |
ISSN | 1528-0020 |
Keywords | B-Lymphocytes, Cell Proliferation, Cell Transformation, Neoplastic, DNA-Binding Proteins, Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 Protein, Epigenesis, Genetic, Gene Silencing, Germinal Center, Humans, Lymphoma, Large B-Cell, Diffuse, Polycomb Repressive Complex 2, Promoter Regions, Genetic, Transcription Factors, Tumor Cells, Cultured |
Abstract | EZH2 is the catalytic subunit of the PRC2 Polycomb complex and mediates transcriptional repression through its histone methyltransferase activity. EZH2 is up-regulated in normal germinal center (GC) B cells and is implicated in lymphomagenesis. To explore the transcriptional programs controlled by EZH2, we performed chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP-on-chip) in GC cells and found that it binds approximately 1800 promoters, often associated with DNA sequences similar to Droso-phila Polycomb response elements. While EZH2 targets overlapped extensively between GC B cells and embryonic stem cells, we also observed a large GC-specific EZH2 regulatory program. These genes are preferentially histone 3 lysine 27-trimethylated and repressed in GC B cells and include several key cell cycle-related tumor suppressor genes. Accordingly, siRNA-mediated down-regulation of EZH2 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) cells resulted in acute cell cycle arrest at the G(1)/S transition and up-regulation of its tumor suppressor target genes. At the DNA level, EZH2-bound promoters are hypomethylated in GC B cells, but many of them are aberrantly hypermethylated in DLBCL, suggesting disruption of normal epigenetic processes in these cells. EZH2 is thus involved in regulating a specific epigenetic program in normal GCs, including silencing of antiproliferative genes, which may contribute to the malignant transformation of GC B cells into DLBCLs. |
DOI | 10.1182/blood-2010-04-280149 |
Alternate Journal | Blood |
PubMed ID | 20736451 |
PubMed Central ID | PMC3012542 |
Grant List | K08 CA127353 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States R01 CA104348 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States R01 CA104538 / CA / NCI NIH HHS / United States |