Summary

Epigenetic determinants of molecular tumorigenesis, cancer risk and and prognosis

Epigenome-wide screens are being used to characterize cells and tissues in different states of normal differentiation or upon neoplastic transformation, to characterize genes identified as epigenetic targets, and to find biomarkers for early diagnosis or prognosis. As epigenetic regulation may be essentially reversible, e.g. by medical drugs or lifestyle changes, there is also strong interest in the molecular mechanisms leading to altered epigenetic patterns in cancer, and in identifying epigenetic markers for monitoring of chemoprevention and treatment responses.

Selected Publications

1.         Lipka DB, Witte T, Toth R, Yang J, Wiesenfarth M, Nöllke P, Fischer A, Brocks D, Gu Z, Park J, Strahm B, Wlodarski M, Yoshimi A, Claus R, Lübbert M, Busch H, Boerries M, Hartmann M, Schönung M, Kilik U, Langstein J, Wierzbinska JA, Pabst C, Garg S, Catalá A, De Moerloose B, Dworzak M, Hasle H, Locatelli F, Masetti R, Schmugge M, Smith O, Stary J, Ussowicz M, van den Heuvel-Eibrink MM, Assenov Y, Schlesner M, Niemeyer C, Flotho C, Plass C. RAS-pathway mutation patterns define epigenetic subclasses in juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia. Nature Communications (2017), 8(1), 2126.

2.         Brocks D, Schmidt CR, Daskalakis M, Jang HS, Shah NM, Li D, Li J, Zhang B, Hou Y, Laudato S, Lipka DB, Schott J, Bierhoff H, Assenov Y, Helf M, Ressnerova A, Islam MS, Lindroth AM, Haas S, Essers M, Imbusch CD, Brors B, Oehme I, Witt O, Lübbert M, Mallm JP, Rippe K, Will R, Weichenhan D, Stoecklin G, Gerhäuser C, Oakes CC, Wang T, Plass C. DNMT and HDAC inhibitors induce cryptic transcription start sites encoded in long terminal repeats. Nature Genetics (2017), 49(7), 1052-1060.

3.         Oakes CC, Seifert M, Assenov Y, Gu L, Przekopowitz M, Ruppert AS, Wang Q, Imbusch CD, Serva A, Koser SD, Brocks D, Lipka DB, Bogatyrova O, Weichenhan D, Brors B, Rassenti L, Kipps TJ, Mertens D, Zapatka M, Lichter P, Döhner H, Küppers R, Zenz T, Stilgenbauer S, Byrd JC, Plass C. DNA methylation dynamics during B cell maturation underlie a continuum of disease phenotypes in chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Nature Genetics (2016), 48(3), 253-264.

4.         Claus R, Lucas DM, Stilgenbauer S, Ruppert AS, Yu L, Zucknick M, Mertens D, Bühler A, Oakes CC, Larson RA, Kay NE, Jelinek DF, Kipps TJ, Rassenti LZ, Gribben JG, Döhner H, Heerema NA, Marcucci G, Plass C, Byrd JC. Quantitative DNA Methylation Analysis Identifies a Single CpG Dinucleotide Important for ZAP-70 Expression and Predictive of Prognosis in Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Journal of Clinical Oncology (2012) 30(20), 2483-2491.