Deciphering mechanisms of DNA methylation regulation by depletion of the DNA methyltransferases and SETD2
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Abstract
DNA methylation (5mC) is a stabile epigenetic mark that confers differential function for gene expression and chromatin accessibility dependent on the context and locality of the mark. Promoter regions populated by CpG islands (CGIs) are highly unmethylated while the remaining ∼80% of CpGs are methylated and distributed across gene bodies, repetitive and transposable elements, and intergenic regions of the genome. The presence and/or absence of particular histone modifications also dictate the patterning of 5mC genome-wide. In cancer, a reversal of 5mC patterns occur in which hypermethylation of tumor suppressor gene CGIs confers gene silencing, and hypomethylation of repetitive and transposable elements contribute to genomic instability. The mechanisms by which 5mC becomes aberrantly regulated in cancer remain unknown. In this study, direct and indirect mechanisms of 5mC regulation were investigated. To understand the direct regulation of 5mC genome-wide, we depleted cell line models of the DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) that are responsible for establishing (DNMT3A, DNMT3B, DNMT3L) and maintaining (DNMT1) 5mC patterns. Profiling of 5mC patterns on the Illumina HumanMethylation450 BeadChip revealed a unique antithetical relationship between DNMT1 and DNMT3B for the regulation of both 5mC and DNA hydroxymethylation (5hmC) across gene bodies. DNMT3B mediated nonCpG methylation, while DNMT3L influenced the activity of DNMT3B toward nonCG versus CpG site methylation. DNMT3B depletion induced 5mC patterns that closely resemble those observed during cellular differentiation and occurred across gene bodies of highly expressed, H3K36me3-marked genes. SETD2, the histone methyltransferase responsible for H3K36me3 establishment across active gene bodies, was determined to influence the guidance of DNA methylation genome-wide through an indirect mechanism. SETD2 knockout induced widespread loss of H3K36me3 that did not coincide with changes in 5mC. However, paradoxical gains in H3K36me3 significantly induced hypermethylation and upregulation of underlying genes. Genes marked exclusively by the poised enhancer mark, H3K4me1, were commonly targeted for this epigenetic phenotype. DNA methylome profiling of loss-of-function SETD2 mutated clear cell renal cell carcinoma, papillary renal cell carcinoma, and lung adenocarcinoma tumors confirmed the predominance of the hypermethylation phenotype upon loss of SETD2. Collectively, these studies provide novel insight to understanding the regulatory mechanisms by which 5mC patterns are conferred.