Characterization of the global epigenetic profile of colorectal tumor cell lines

Abstract

The recent characterization of the CpG island Methylator Phenotype (CIMP), found in 20 to 30% of colorectal tumor samples, confirms the important role of epigenetic mechanisms on the pathogenesis of this tumor type. This phenotype is characterized by the frequent and tumor specific hypermethylation of different genomic regions, and it is associated with clinical and pathological features of the tumor. Considering that epigenetic modifications are modulated coordinately, it's reasonable to speculate that besides DNA methylation, the tumors that have this phenotype also present other unique epigenetic alterations (histone modifications and microRNAs expression), which can be involved in tumor biology and evolution. The current work aims to characterize the global epigenetic profile of colorectal tumor cell lines. To do so, it will be studied both: cell lines with and without CIMP. Through global analyses approaches, based on next generation sequencing, we will study DNA methylation, histone modifications and miRNA expression profile. Together with the transcriptome data that is been generated from the same cell lines, we expect that this full epigenetic characterization will improve the understanding about the molecular alterations of this disease and therefore, in the future, it might help on the choice for the best treatment to the patients. (AU)